I loved this! The easy storytelling and and gentle lilt of the phrasing was so easy to listen to, even while Zoe's coming of age was prickly. I picked this book up because I wanted to hear about Tucson.

The last time I visited Tucson, I was shocked by all the changes. High rise condos, shiny new university buildings, yuppie restaurants downtown. I'm glad the economy was picking up and the city visibly had more activity but I also wondered about that grittier, rougher time from a decade before.

Zoe's Tucson is the dusty, hard scrabble Tucson. A magnet for all sorts of quirky folks who take an unconventional path in life, who are always on the path and never quite feel settled down. Zoe's unusual upbringing didn't surprise me; it felt familiar, actually. I could recognize the houses, the eerie fear of unexpectedly crossing paths with a javelina, the melting asphalt sticking to the sole of your sandal, and the people, even if I hadn't met the same ones Zoe writes about, are still characters I had met before.

Where have the rock hunting hippies gone to, and how are they earning cash now? What about the guy with all the doll heads glued to his car, where is he living? Or the kids trying to make a punk scene happen on sleepy 4th Avenue? Does the tamale lady still wait in the Bookman's parking lot on Friday afternoons? I hope they are doing well.