A Place of Thin Veil: Life and Death in Gallup, New Mexico

A Place of Thin Veil: Life and Death in Gallup, New Mexico by Bob Rosebrough. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781940322520.

Gallup, New Mexico, is a place like no other. It is disproportionally and simultaneously wonderful and terrible. It is a place of constant struggle, where the forces of good and evil collide. The former frontier mining town, bordering the Navajo Nation at the far western edge of New Mexico, is one of those few places on earth that have the power to change the course of our lives and transform us deeply. With its rugged, violent history and otherworldly landscape, Gallup has ignited the imaginations of famous Americans from John Wayne to Bob Dylan. Tony Hillerman’s novels put Navajo culture and Gallup on the map. For the Navajo people for whom the region has been home for millennia, the town and its alcohol-fueled economy has a more sinister pull. As an outsider who became an insider, Bob Rosebrough shares the historical realities of this enigmatic town, and gives readers a rare and true insight into Gallup’s iconic stories and long-hidden secrets. This book isn’t just for Gallupians. It is a memoir about regular people going up against Goliath issues, and it’s for anyone interested in spiritual conflict; Navajo people, history, and culture; political maneuvering; true crime; alcohol abuse awareness; taking on city hall; working with city hall; and rooting for the underdogs in a dog-eat-dog world. And it is the long overdue story of the death of a Navajo warrior named Larry Wayne Casuse.