TexasTexas
Score Classic
What it's about
James Michener tells nearly five hundred years of Texas history through invented families and real events: Spanish explorers and missionaries, the Alamo and the war for independence, Comanche raids, cattle drives, the oil boom and modern Texas. The story is framed by a governor's task force on what Texas students should learn about their state.
Why it's worth reading
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It's an enormous, absorbing way to understand a state with an outsized history.
You'll love it if you liked
Alaska
Lonesome Dove
Tales of the South PacificGood to know
It's well over a thousand pages. Fact and fiction mix freely.
By the numbers
- Readers67 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller42 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic, Adventurous, Dark
More by James Michener
The Source
Centennial
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The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of Time
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CosmosExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Texas worth reading?
Yes. It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #1,244 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Texas about?
James Michener tells nearly five hundred years of Texas history through invented families and real events: Spanish explorers and missionaries, the Alamo and the war for independence, Comanche raids, cattle drives, the oil boom and modern Texas. The story is framed by a governor's task force on what Texas students should learn about their state.
How long does it take to read Texas?
About 37 hours (1474 pages), or about 11 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Texas?
If you liked it, try Alaska by James Michener, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry or Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener.