Betty Stewart faced significant life challenges — attention deficit disorder, alcoholism, chronic cardiac problems and an attraction to women in a time and place where homosexuality was most often a shameful secret. She overcame these challenges and built a successful and fulfilling life in Santa Fe. That she was able to do so is a tribute to both Betty and her adopted city.

A Tale of Santa Fe is the biography of an intriguing character, but it is also the story of a special place. Its insightful explanations of how Santa Fe developed its architectural identity, how it became a refuge for misfits and how and why it became so popular in the 1980s lead to a better understanding of the City Different.