Red River Books

Ashby Bland Crowder has done a fantastic job recreating the life and times of an elusive novelist, who was at once proud and ashamed of being a Texan. Since his death, William Humphrey's reputation has gone into a tailspin. Crowder gives all the work a sympathetic reading, and makes a case for Humphrey as a novelist of great power and skill, on a par with William Faulkner. The individual readings are extremely lengthy, however, and many readers will skip twenty or thirty pages to get right back to Humphrey's fascinatingly exasperated life. An indifferent teacher (at Bard College) and an Anglophile on the order of Madonna, Humphrey was something of a heterosexual drama queen, often taking offense at minor slights or the converse, trampling over others' individual rights. Perhaps as a consequence, his last days were a nightmare of Kafka proportions, and Crowder doesn't flinch from painting a bleak picture. As a study in contradictions, "Wakeful Anguish" gets it right.

One caveat, I cannot understand those, like Crowder, who downplay the film Vincente Minnelli made of Humphrey's 1950s novel "Home from the Hill." Crowder pegs it as trash, but he should be more sympathetic; indeed, Minnelli's Home from the Hill is wonderful in ways Humphrey's novel never aspires to. Both are worthwhile, and the film is a masterwork.

But don't let that stop you from acquiring a copy of this book, one of the most enthralling literary biographies of the year.

This 8" by 11" volume contains illustrations of drawings by two extremely talented artists who were among the Fort Marion prisoners from 1875-1878; Making Medicine, a 33 year old Cheyenne and Zotom, a 24 year old Kiowa. The drawings are a full page size and the colors are beautiful and intense. The drawings combined with the commentary by Joe and George Horse Capture provide wonderful insights into the history of these two native nations as well as a better understanding of the Indians' experiences at Fort Marion. It also provides further awareness of the factors that motivated Col. Pratt to establish the Indian school at Carlisle.

As river go the San Juan, which orginates in the southern Colorado mountains, snakes across southern Utah and finally joins the Colorado river, is not technically challenging to river runners or lusted after by dam builders. It is not generally known outside its geographical region in widespread myth and legend, as is the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. Ah, but to those fortunate few who have navigated its meandering course by boat or foot it is truly a special place with scenes reminiscent of uncut diamonds.
Recently, while visiting a bookstore in Flagstaff, I discovered a writer that is generally unknown outside the geographic region of the four corners area but that exhibits special qualities worthy of the readers time, not unlike the San Juan.
Waterlines is a wonderfully written book of poetry about the author's fifteen years experience on the San Juan River in particular and the Colorado Plateau in general that will immerse the reader in an area that you will not soon forget. This slim volume is unique not only for its exquisite writing but for the attention to detail provided by the author. Walka not only is a keen observer of the River proper but also of the "...names and histories and relationships of the locals-the rocks and river channels, plants and animals...native and newcomers, settlers and adventures..." Thus, the reader is treated to an unusual vies of the landscape and "...local gossip, of the spirit and teachings of a place." In reading the book I was reminded of noted author Gretel Ehrlich's comment of landscape: "I like to think of landscape not as a fixed place, but as a path that is unwiding before my eyes, under my feet. To see and know a place is a contemplative act. It means emptying our minds and letting what is there, in all its multiplicity and endless variety, come in."
Walka has done that with this book. This is a writer with special talents and a perfect example of a small publisher finding and publishing a first rate writer. Highly recommended.

This is a beautifully told story about an injured fox and the woman who helps him to heal.

Cherie Mason has a very soothing voice and the musical accompaniment is outstanding. The box calls the music, "music illustrations" and I wholeheartedly agree.

If you want some quiet time, put on this tape and have the children draw or rest while they listen. It is 30 minutes long but they are definitely not wasted minutes.

I have only one note of caution and that is -- there is one part where the author describes the foxes injured leg as being gone. She says that she figures he probably chewed it off because it was useless. This did not upset my children but please be aware that you may need to discuss parts of this story with your children.

I think I enjoyed this story just as much, if not more, than the children did. I think you and your family will too.

This book is well written, interesting to read and gives you a feel for the times. I highly recommend it.

I just finished this book 30 years after reading it for the first time as a young teen. It was wonderful to me then and it was wonderful to me now. I know that kind of Dog Love, and the heartbreak that comes with it. It's just a beautiful story.

I purchased this for my son. Someone had read it to him years ago and he thought he would like to read it. He finished the book and found it just as enjoyable the second time.

Where the Red Fern grows is an exciting story of a boy named Billy who lives in the Ozark Mountains in Oklahoma with his mom and dad and his younger sisters. Billy has always wanted Dogs so one day he finds an ad where there are pups for sale. Billy really wants some of his own pups but doesn't have much money. The pups are fifty dollars which is a lot of money to come up with. Billy works every day for a long time trying to earn enough money to get the pups. Once Billy earns enough money he gives the money to his grandfather who orders them for him. Billy has to travel all the way to Tahlequah where the pups are to be picked up the pups he has to travel by him self to pick the up. He finally gets the two dogs and decides to name them Old Dan and Little Ann. As the two dogs grow up Billy trains them to be raccoon hunter. The two dogs grow up to be fierce hunters and Billy is able to sell the coonskin for money and gives it to his father. Billy enters his dogs in a Hunting contest and the two dogs show they are good enough to win the contest and the prize is four-hundred dollars. One night when Billy is raccoon hunting the dogs tree a mountain lion. They fight and eventually kill the mountain loin but Dan is very badly injured and he dies. After awhile Ann dies of sadness and Billy is very sad. The dogs have earned enough money for Billy and his family that they are able to move to town. It takes Billy awhile to get over the fact that his dogs are gone until one day he goes to the graves and sees a Red Fern planted by an angel.

We read Where the Red Fern Grows in class when I was in school (7th grade?) and I really loved this book. After reading it again many years later I loved it just as much. I do have a lot of bias involved because my dog is a Redbone Coonhound (possibly the only one in Scandinavia) and before moving over here I spent many a night tracking and treeing Racoons. Besides that I've always been a sucker for a dog story of any kind. The tree hugger in me isn't exactly fond of the part where the kid chops down the biggest tree in the area just to get to a single Racoon but I don't know if any other book that I've read better illustrates the love and deep bond that exists between dogs and humans. I have to warn you if you haven't read it that this book is a real tear jerker but I think dog lovers of all ages would find this a great entertaining read.

My son had to read this book for class, and he really didn't like it. He said it was too sad at the end. He mostly liked the book, but the ending ruined the story.

This item arrived quickly and in good condition. This is more 'times' than 'life', but the combination works well and delivers a great book.

When I read that Unitas was receiving a new biography I was very excited. After reading many great sports-related books in the past few years (Maraniss' "When Pride Still Mattered," Kriegel's "Namath," Barra's "The Last Coach," and everything by Halberstam), I just knew that Unitas had to be getting his just due. Sadly, this is not the case. I can't believe the favorable reviews for this book! There is nothing new that is not found in others concerning the Colts and Unitas. The '58 Championship and Super Bowl III make up the majority of this book--who hasn't heard, read, or seen everything there is to know about these games? The author had the opportunity to fill in the gaps between and after these events, but fails to do so.
More attention could have been paid to Unitas' other 2 MVP years--1964 & 1967. Also, a fuller account of the politics surrounding Unitas' demise in Baltimore would have been interesting. A frank post-career history should have been included--I'd like to know how he was screwed by his business partners as much as how his kids thought he was a great dad.
All-in-all just a major disappointemnt. I really thought the author kind of mailed it in on this one.
Too bad. Johnny Unitas was the greatest, and he deserved a better treatment.

It's not often that a book can "transport" the reader back to the time and with the feeling that they experienced at the time the depicted events were happening but "Johnny U" does just that.

As a kid growing up in a town on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the Colts were our team and Johnny U was our man. In our neighborhood, every kid who took his turn at QB in a vacant lot game became "Johnny U" (or Berry or "the Horse").

As I read this book, the times, the excitement, the flavor of that era once again became real to me. If you were a Colts fan during the time of Johnny U, you can feel it. If you are a younger fan of football, you can get a real flavor of the game and the place of that time.

It was a time when the Quarterback was the field general, calling most if not all the plays. It was the time before the "spike" when a QB in the two minute drill called 2 plays in the huddle and executed them both for gains or a win. It was a time when the sideline was the 12th man on the field and it was a time when your QB (#19) put the ball where only his teammate could catch it and stop the clock at the same time. We never seemed to worry if the Colts were down by less than 14 points at the 2 minute warning. Johnny U and company could (and often did) still pull out a win.

If you are a football lover or sports fan who wants an excellent history book, it doesn't get any better than "Johnny U".

I couldn't put this one down! Almost made me late to work. Easy to read, bringing great names to life. As I read, I came to feel that I personally knew Unitas, Nomellini, Tittle, and the rest. It makes me sad that the days of "smash-mouth" football are gone!

I wasn't around in the days of Unitas but reading this book gives one a feel of what life was like in the 1950's NFL and it definitely gives us a good look at Unitas the man.

Johnny Unitas comes across as a legend and leader. What more could a team or nation want from a sportsman?

If you want to read a good, solid book and get a fair bit of hero worship (not a bad thing), then this is the book to read.

I thought I was knew where Dekker was going with this trilogy but I was mistaken. The story of redemption was coming through the suspense and action but it wasn't quite what I expected.

Wow!! I can't wait to read White now. Red is so twisted and enticing. The creative nature of these books are wonderfully terrific and exciting. Looking for the biblical meaning is challenging and I can't stop reading!!!

Black was a nice read and was ready to pick up Red. Wow! It starts out fast and gets faster. Theres action in the fantasy world(that wasn't so in Black) which makes the story much more dramatic.

All your favorite characters are back of course. The book spins from scene to scene with ease and grace. I love the Books of History idea. It kept me flipping pages. Plus, it's interesting to see how Thomas isn't a kid caught in the middle of something big anymore but a brave warrior.I think this id Ted's best novel.

I came upon this author by accident, but once I did I couldn't read fast enough. This series is considered Christian fiction, but it's not preachy, has lots of action, and really gets its message across with metaphor, not scripture.

The second installment of the Circle Trilogy did not disappoint but managed to choke me even more than "Black" - the first book that everyone should read prior to experiencing "Red". It has been a long, long time since a book made me tear up and this roused up with emotions and abyssal feelings that only very skilled writers can exude from their reader. This is a fascinating installment that takes Thomas Hunter, the man who lives in our reality when awake and also in another world when he dreams at nigh, on the wildest ride of his life. This can only be described as a new form of allegory; characters who understand our world are reflected in the dream world which is engulfed in a battle of massive proportions, people are no longer standing for an idea, they are someone else in the other world and if they die then those consequences spill over and threaten everything that Thomas and his sister ever knew.

America is in the hot seat with the release and spread of a deadly virus, and Thomas must use his dreams to find answers and ways to stop it before he is eradicated and he can dream no more. Those who oppose him want him dead and want his dreams to stop but others who love life have nothing left but the hope that he can save them - easier said than done, Ted Dekker likes to swing his heroes and foes as deep as his mind allows, and this is one hairy book, it takes a lot of sweat and guts to take this ride.

In the dream world those who rejected Elyon's waters have turned to Desert Dwellers known as Scabs, dry and disease stricken nomads, their minds and eyes are ashen with sickness and visions of death and conquests, the worship Teeleh and the Shataiki and will stop at nothing until the remaining forests and their people are destroyed. In real life Thomas is on hot pursuit to find and rescue the one person who can stop the Raison Virus; the creator of the vaccine herself - Monique de Raison. Her role in the story is much deeper than the reader might think of and I actually guessed part of her secret, it felt amazing thought to live with the characters are see how they developed and how some changed for better and some for worse. Carlos and other mercenaries of death are on hot pursuit and the reader is in for a delicious treat of intrigue, some romance and countless twists and turns.

In this book Ted Dekker writes an ultimate showdown between good and evil, and it's been done to the death in books and movies but this novel is simply astounding. I read it in two days and would have read it in one sitting if I wasn't sick with a bad cold, it was truly a book that I know will stay with me forever and I am simply dying to read the last installment "White". These books are so deep and moving they are impossible to describe in a review, instead they should be enjoyed like a fine meal, one that serves more than one purpose to feed, it enriches the user forever and I feel blessed to have taken this journey with Dekker and his friends and foes. So please enjoy and take away from the riches that make the heart beat faster and the head spin - these books read like nothing else and are extremely satisfying.

- Kasia S.

This book kept me wanting to go back and read more! Elizabeth seems too good to be true. Her life, from a child to adult is filled with problems none of us would ever experience. Her dedication to the Lord is amazing and leads her to do things to "walk the walk". Sometimes she seems almost "holier than thou" but it is refreshing to read about someone keeping their commitments and promises.

Jerry Jenkins' characters and scenes are marvelously vivid. He has a remarkable way of drawing the reader right into the story. I give this book as a gift and recommend it often. I've read it twice and will read it again.

This is an excellent story about every day life and the circumstances connected with living and loving and walking in obedience to the Lord's will. I recommend it highly as a tool for building your faith in God.

This book was an Outstanding read. I would recommend this book to everyone, and have. My husband even loved it! If you are looking for a heartwarming book that catches you up in the story and won't let go then this is it. I laughed, cried, laughed, and cried somemore. I don't agree with those who give this book only 1 or 3 stars, they miss the whole point. It is not depressing at all. Things don't always go the way we want in life, but that is real life and we deal with it. I felt the end tied the book all together well, the point of the story wasn't a feel good ending, it was that following Christ can be hard and have sacrifices, but it is for His Glory and not our own. God takes care of us and brings us through the fire. THIS IS A MUST READ!!!!!!! DON'T TAKE ANYONE ELSES OPINION, READ IT AND MAKE YOUR OWN.

This is one of the most encouraging books I've ever read! It imparted to me a lot of strength to press on, no matter what. In fact--for those who said the book depressed them--the book helped bring me out of depression, for I could see so clearly the hand of God weaving all things together not just for Elizabeth's sake, but so He would be magnified and others would be drawn to Him. I loved the ending! I have a dear Christian aunt who has swam in the waters of adversity for years, having lost a husband and daughter to alcoholism, as well as burying a precious grandchild in infancy, and yet her trust in God has remained, though like Elizabeth she has questioned. A few years ago we surprised her with an 80th birthday celebration at her church and it sounded so much like Elizabeth's. My aunt didn't know why on earth all those cars were at church and why they were just "stopping by." So this book was a double blessing to me, reminding me of the faithfulness of our God and reminding me of a sweet witness He has given to me in my aunt.

I loved this book so much...I even blogged about it:

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I got this book in the mail over the weekend, but I didn't begin reading it until last night. I crawled into bed and picked it up off my nightstand. I was mentally exhausted from writing most of the day, but this clever little book kept me up.

Katherine's memoir through breast cancer at age 32, divorce and career is witty (I have literally laughed out loud), informative (well researched info on cancer) and empowering. She's brave and honest as hell.

Cons (or warning): It can be tough to read the treatment portions, but hey, it's a reality right????

I highly recommend the book for young female cancer survivors, and young female cancer patients. Please get a copy for yourself or a loved one- they will thank you!

The Red Devil Rocks and so does Katherine!

Love & Light,

Regina

This book keeps me sane when I start freaking out about my own lousy diagnosis. I first read about it in OPRAH magazine, and bought it after my Stage 3C diagnosis at age 45. Her strength and honesty, and spectacular fight with cancer have really helped me. When you have an advanced diagnosis, and are facing multiple surgeries, chemo, and rads, you don't want to read about some whiney Stage 1 chick who's getting a lumpectomy and rads.
This author goes through all the horrors of cancer treatment and multiple recurrances, with a sense of humor. I love this book!

I would recommend this book to anyone with breast cancer who enjoys reading other's story of breast cancer. It is well written, easy to read and hard to put down. If you don't like reading books that show the darker side of breast cancer and all that entails, then don't buy this book. Not only does this book show you the dark, miserable, lonely side of dealing with breast cancer, but gives you many examples of miracles, hope, humor and I laughed out loud at the ms patient who decided to join the breast cancer support group. Hilarous. I loved it because of the truthful way she portrayed this disease and it's impact on the woman, her mate, her family, work and work relationships, oncologists, the medical system in general etc. She has a wonderfully delightful way of writing her story. Would read anything else she publishes based on that fact alone.

Katherine Russel Rich's stirring memoir of her struggle with breast cancer takes the reader on a harrowing journey from the end of Rich's marriage in 1988 and her almost immediate discovery that she had cancer, through chemotherapy, to the discovery that her cancer had metastasized into her bones, and finally to her resolute remission and the reconstruction of her life. Rich, who was only 32 and living a fast, glamorous (booze, fatty food, and cigarette filled) life as a magazine editor in New York, was floored by the realization that she had cancer, and at first tried to downplay the terrible physical and psychological effects of her disease and treatment. Yet Rich finds that denial and isolation only make her chemotherapy more painful and exhausting, and that the wry wit she uses to fend off her feelings of hopelessness, victimhood, and dependency can only last so long.
Despite the way the author lays bare her emotions, this book is no made-for-T.V. movie or sappy Hallmark card. Rich is acerbic and analytical, looking back on her experience and pointing out both her triumphs and her failings. At 32 she considered herself far too young to develop cancer, and her doctors felt the same way. Some of the book's most powerful moments are those in which Rich realizes her doctor's failings--discouraging her from having a mammogram or a biopsy, failing to explain her disease in anything but technical jargon, rushing her into procedures without helping her determine what would actually be best for her. It is in these retrospective moments that Rich provides the most scientific, biological information about cancer; this is no textbook, but the explanations of the multicellular manifestations of cancer and the actions of chemotherapy drugs provide a stable background that would benefit anyone faced with Rich's diagnosis. Stronger still is Rich's candid description of the havoc and exhaustion wreaked by her chemotherapy cocktail. She spares no details, using vivid language to evoke her experience.
For me, this book gave cancer a face, one with which I could identify. While Rich's battle with cancer began the year I was born, and she was taking far more risks with her health than I do, I was affected by the testimony of an active, intellectual woman, unsettled and supposedly in the prime of life. Rich's use of dark humor and unflinching self-analysis, and her evasion of stick-sweet platitudes about her victory over the disease, make the book not only instructive, but at times even fun. This is not to say, of course, that cancer is funny--but by remaining human, instead of presenting herself as a heroic martyr, Rich made me like her as a whole person, not just a victim. This understanding allowed me to imagine myself in her place, and to wonder how I would fare, faced with the pain, tiredness, and deadliness of cancer.
Two of her experiences bear important messages for society: First, Rich found herself increasingly isolated once she began telling people she had cancer. Even though she continued working, she had very little contact with coworkers or former friends--only few, including her ex-husband, persevered with her. This isolation made her disease even more unbearable, and slowed her recovery, even dulling her will to live. Second, Rich did not make a full recovery. After being told she was "cured," her cancer reappeared, this time spread through seven sites in her bones. This not-quite success story shows us that cancer remains a mortal threat, and, conversely, that small victories--like Rich's survival beyond the single year projected for her--matter.

For a cancer survivor to record the whole nasty experience and not succumb to the fear that the words she writes will be her last is so courageous and selfless. They don't have to share, but they do. My mother-in-law is in her second remission from ovarian cancer. As a family member who so dearly loves her and wishes this evil cancer would be silenced, Kathy's novel is refreshing. I agree with the fact a cancer patient has to keep her head in the game. Trusting one doctor is foolish when you're gambling with your life. It's better to ask, then lose time. Loved it.