My first book, 'Snack Texas', is available
Jul 3, 2025, 14:00
When I look back, it’s funny to think that my first self-published book on Amazon KDP started with football. Back then, I was hooked on American sports, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. And the biggest interest was about American football—NFL, college football, and I even kept up with smaller leagues like IFL, USFL, and XFL (UFL for now). Watching games of those diverse leagues, I could tell Texas has a passion for football distinguishable from other states.
It wasn’t just the Dallas Cowboys or the Longhorns. It was the way football seemed to be woven into the very fabric of Texas life. People didn’t just watch the game—they lived it. Friday night lights, tailgates, high school stadiums that looked like professional arenas—Texas turned football into culture. And I couldn’t help but wonder: Why? What of Texas made this?
The more I looked beyond the football, the more Texas felt like a world of its own. The cowboy hats and boots weren’t just costumes but identity. The accent that carried pride as much as it carried words. The mix of toughness and warmth in the people. The idea that Texans don’t just live in Texas—they carry Texas with them everywhere.
All of this made me curious. I wanted to know where that pride came from. I wanted to trace back the history, the geography, the struggles, and the events that shaped a place so distinct it sometimes feels like its own country. That curiosity turned into studying and notes. I was about to publish them as blog articles. But as the length got longer, I decided to make it into something bigger: a book.
It’s A Snack
I called it Snack Texas for a reason. I didn’t want to write a heavy, intimidating textbook. There are already many good sources for that. And I’m not even a professional. I just wanted something casual, quick to pick up, but still full of flavor—like a snack you keep reaching for. The book follows Texas through time, from its ancient beginnings to its modern role in America and the world. It’s not just history either—it’s geography, culture, politics, law, industry, education, sports, even festivals and food.
Each topic is presented in a way that doesn’t just tell you what happened, but why it mattered. You’ll meet characters big and small, see how landscapes shaped lives, and get a sense of how Texas came to carry such an outsized presence in American life.
My First Step
Publishing Snack Texas was also a milestone for me. It was my first self-published book, something I built from my own curiosity. I wanted to make history approachable, not as a wall of text but as a journey you could step into, piece by piece.
That’s why this book exists: because one question (“Why are they so crazy about football?”) grew into many more, and because Texas had more to say than I expected.
