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Aaron Turner returned from the devastating War Between the States to find Texas prostrate under the heel of Yankee soldiers, carpetbaggers and scalawags during Reconstruction. Texans' rights were swept away in a tide of vengeful reforms only to be regained through much tribulation. The economy of Texas was in shreds. "King Cotton" was dead. Taxes and property appraisals increased to the point where choice land was being confiscated at an astonishing rate. The river bottoms, cane breaks, and prairies were filled with unclaimed longhorn cattle, waiting for any man tough enough to use a rope and a branding iron. Aaron and his friends, like many young Texans, caught these mavericks by the tens of thousands and drove them north to exchange them for Yankee silver dollars. This influx of desperately needed cash kept the hopes of Texans alive until times improved.
"Up from the Ashes," the sixth book in the Western Quest Series, is the story of how Aaron rose to the challenge of the horrors of Reconstruction and assumed the mantle of family leadership. He met the challenges of crooked politicians, Klansmen, and the loss of political rights with determination and persistence to see the return of a free Texas in 1874.
Stephen L. Turner was born a fifth generation son of Texas. His youth was steeped in the history and culture of his heritage. A graduate of Texas Tech School of Medicine, he has practiced pediatrics in rural Plainview, Texas since 1984. Turner is married with two married children. Besides his medical practice and writing, he runs their panhandle ranch. He enjoys training horses and hunting. Dr. Turner is a member of Hood's Texas Brigade Association, Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Texas Genealogical Society. In 2011, he was inducted into the Western Writer's of America. His other works include "Out of the Wilderness," "On the Camino Real," "Under Troubled Skies," "Ride for the Lone Star" and "On the Road to Glory."
