B Street.

B Street

Lawney L. Reyes

University of Washington Press

PO Box 50096, Seattle, WA 98145-5096

9780295988535, $18.95 www.washington.edu/uwpress 1-206-543-4050

B Street: The Notorious Playground of Coulee Dam captures an up-close, in-focus glimpse of American history in the making during the era of the Great Depression and beyond. During these difficult times, B Street was a place of recreation for white workingmen, particularly those who labored on the Coulee Dam; filled with shops, restaurants, and brothels, B Street was off-limits to blacks and most dark-skinned individuals, including Indians. Opening with the eyes and memories of author Lawney L. Reyes, a young boy who wandered B Street with his little sister Luana and their dog Pickles while their Indian mother and Filipino father survived hand-to-mouth running a Chinese restaurant, B Street continues through preservations of Reyes' mother's diary, enhanced with stories told by his parents and other members of the Sin-Aikst tribe. B Street is ultimately a profound testimony to the history and culture of the Indians whose way of life was overwhelmed with change through the creation of the Grand Coulee Dam. Highly recommended, especially for Native American reading lists.