Michael Barnes thinks the exchange should start with “The Trip to Bountiful.” Although he isn’t a fan of horror movies, he agrees that “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is among the most influential movies about the state. To salute Texas Independence Week in 2019, my former American-Statesman colleague Dave Thomas and I put out a list of the 53 best books about Texas. It contained some beloved classics, such as John Graves’ “Goodbye to a River,” and some thrilling newcomers, like Attica Locke’s “Bluebird, Bluebird" and Monica Muñoz Martinez’s “The Injustice Never Leaves You.” We encouraged readers to respond with their favorites. They did. On June 14, 2019, I published those provocative responses, including several from folks who wondered why we had left off James Michener’s doorstop novel, “Texas.”