Tributes and Tirades: Taos Life and American Politics is a collection of commentaries and opinions on events in a troubled period in American politics and life in Taos, a storied northern New Mexico town. Some of the essays are revisions of previously published Op-Ed or literary-anthology pieces. Others appear in print for the first time. Author Robert J. Silver, a psychologist by background and training, was captivated by Taos's legendary transformational power. These collected writings are the result of the magic that is Taos.