The University of Arizona Press
January 13, 2020
We are thrilled to announce that Saints, Statues, and Stories by James S. “Big Jim” Griffith was selected as a Panelist Pick for two panelists in Pima County Library’s 43rd annual Southwest Books of the Year! Southwest Books of the Year is a highly-anticipated publication that influences readers throughout the Southwest.
Saints, Statues, and Stories was picked by Vicki Ann Duraine, the Programming Librarian for Apache Junction Public Library, and Christine Wald-Hopkins, a former literature and composition instructor who has been a book critic for national, regional, and local newspapers since 1989.
About the book, Christine Wald-Hopkins stated: “Folklorist James S. Griffith, beloved in Southern Arizona for his active promotion of all folk arts and cultures, focuses in this little volume on material he’s gathered in more than fifty years of studying religious art and legend in Sonora, Mexico. With photographs and personal anecdotes, Griffith discusses the introduction of religious art into Sonora, its preservation, its role in the spiritual life of the people, and direct impact of saints in the lives of individuals and the community. Best of all, the voice in Saints, Statues, and Stories is that of a consummate storyteller.”
Congratulations, Big Jim!
