Young Americans Books

I highly recommend this book because it is another marvelous work by Sandra Cisneros. Like her other book, The House on Mango Street, it offers sad tales from the hearts of young girls and is an excellent insight on the unique prose style of Cisneros. Besides being enjoyable, the Spanish version may be helpful to those studying Spanish by working on translating, otherwise, this book is still a great classic that any fan of Sandra Cisneros should enjoy!

I love this book. Cisneros writes in such a beautiful and poetic style that I am immediately wherever she takes me. Often when reading this, I had to stop to write down certain lines that appealed to me, such as, "...I believe that love is always eternal. Even if eternity is only five minutes." Wonderful stories.

This is one of the finer books of recent poetry I have found. While surreal, it also gives the reader something to think about. It's sometimes whimsical, but not completely inscrutable, as some postmodern poets are. Highly recommended.

Elegy On Toy Piano is the sixth collection of poetry from Lenore Marshall Prize finalist Dean Young. The brief, free-verse wordplay mourns the tragedies of life, from the loss of a beloved family pet to the end of a lovers' relationship, but also stretches beyond grief to portray a wide range of mixed of emotions, acknowledging the bad with the good. A serious-minded reflection on the mysteries of life, death, and everything in between. Elegy on Toy Piano: You don't need a pony / to connect you to the unseeable / or an airplane to connect you to the sky. // Necessary it is to die / if you are a living thing / which you have no choice about. // Necessary it is to love to live / and there are many manuals / but in all important ways / one is on one's own. // You need not cut off your hand. / No need to eat a bouquet. / Your head becomes a peach pit / Your tongue a honeycomb. // Necessary it is to live to love, / to charge into the burning tower / then charge back out / and necessary it is to die. / Even for the grass, even for the pony / connecting you to what can't be grasped. // The injured gazelle falls behind the / herd. One last wild enjambment. // Because of the sores in his mouth, / the great poet struggles with a dumpling. / His work has enlarged the world / but the world is about to stop including him. / He is the tower the world runs out of. // When something becomes ash, / there's nothing you can do to turn it back. / About this, even diamonds do not lie.

With Ellery's Protest, Stephen Solomon has written a compelling and thoroughly engaging account of how one Abington family, with the help of the ACLU, made history by convincing the Supreme Court to strike down Bible readings in the public schools in 1962. Solomon not only tells us the story of how the Schempp family's protest within the Abington public schools made it all the way to the highest court in the land, but he also paints a much broader historic landscape. Solomon traces the evolution of religious freedom in the U.S. (so different from Europe's history of bloody intolerance) and shows how the inclusion of the free exercise of religion clause in the First Amendment gave rise to this country's defining belief in the separation of church and state.

The story Solomon tells is riveting, in large part because he takes the time to describe the colorful minor characters that populate this story - people like Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who sued the Baltimore schools and found herself and her son the target of vicious harassment and attack. (O'Hair's lawsuit reached the Supreme Court around the same time as the Schempp case and was considered along with it). Solomon vividly shows how such an historic decision hung on the leanings of one or two Supreme Court Justices, a timely reminder in an era when so many other civil liberties are at stake.

Ellery Schempp was not a troublemaker. He was sixteen years old in 1956, a junior in high school with fine grades and no disciplinary problems. And yet he went to school after the Thanksgiving holiday determined to call attention to himself and to what he saw as unfairness within the school. It worked, and it wound him up in the Supreme Court. _Ellery's Protest: How One Young Man Defied Tradition and Sparked the Battle over School Prayer_ (University of Michigan Press) by Stephen D. Solomon tells the story of how Ellery and his family conscientiously changed public policy, helping define how church and state were to be separated in American public schools. Solomon, who teaches First Amendment law, has not only told the story of the Schempp family and their protest and the legal ins and outs as their case went to different court levels, but also has given an account of church and state conflicts back through European history, and has summarized the challenges currently faced by a society and a Supreme Court that can never have a complete solution to what will always be an ongoing conflict. This is a great book bringing a vast subject into focus as its one particular court case plays out.

The Schempp name is not nearly as well known as that of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the fervent, loud-mouthed (and foul-mouthed) atheist whose similar suit was joined with that of the Schempps. They were not atheists, but Unitarians, who frequently discussed religious matters, especially the idea that government had no business supporting any particular religion or religious idea. The Abington school district instructed teachers that they were to comply with a Pennsylvania state law requiring that every day ten Bible verses be read without comment, and that this was to be followed by the reading of the Lord's Prayer. One morning, when it came time for the verses and prayer one morning, Ellery took out a Koran from his book bag, and began reading silently. He didn't stand for the Lord's Prayer. The homeroom teacher sent him to the principal's office. He wrote the ACLU to ask for help. Solomon describes an intricate process of the case threading its way to the Supreme Court, and the tactics used by the ACLU as well as by the school board and state government. It was not until 1963 that the court, by an eight to one majority that included three of its most conservative members, ruled that the schools as a government agency could not lead prayers.

Solomon's comprehensive account includes descriptions of what happened after the 1963 Supreme Court decision, which was extremely unpopular. The Abington school system itself had a model response: the superintendent explained that teachers should discuss with their students how the Supreme Court had interpreted the Constitution; thereupon Bibles were removed from classrooms and the devotionals stopped. Many other schools made no changes, and some states passed school prayer laws that were in flagrant noncompliance with the federal ruling. There was agreement from some religious bodies; the National Council of Churches registered agreement that public schools should never compel any specific religious practice, and that such teachings should come only from homes and from the churches themselves. Solomon's final chapter has to do with the future of the Schempp decision, and how some who favor school prayer are attempting to find ways to make it happen again. The history of that decision, and the history of church and state issues that led up to it, is given here with clarity and comprehensiveness; anyone interested in issues of church and state will find this book a rich resource.

Almost 1,200 entries in Encyclopedia Of The American Armed Forces cover everything from history, command organization, and famous heroes to equipment, weapons, uniforms, traditions, and special American military terminology. A two-volume set with entries organized in simple A-Z format, Encyclopedia Of The American Armed Forces is accessible, information-packed, and practical for high school students, college and public libraries, and personal reference collections. Historical consultant Alan Axelrod applies personal objectivity and expert research into this easy-to-use primer and reference source.

A 2-volume set written by a military historian would seem at first glance too weighty for your general-interest library collection: but in fact this is the perfect audience for THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE AMERICAN ARMED FORCES. It includes all four major branches of the U.S. military, but assumes no prior military knowledge or background. Students and adults alike thus will appreciate over a thousand entries which cover not just historical background but biographies of leaders, surveys of missions and equipment, discussions of traditions, and more - accessible to the lay reader. The simple A-Z reference format and entries which define, observe, and review include black and white photos. An excellent recommendation for general-interest holdings.

I first encountered Maynard Dixon in William N. Goetzmann's "The West of the Imagination," a book about how America's picture of the Western frontier was shaped by early painters, illustrators, filmmakers and wild west shows. Born in 1875, Dixon stepped into a tradition defined by Charles Russell and Frederic Remington, but his portrayal of Western scenes falls somewhat closer in style and attitude to an eastern contemporary, Edward Hopper. His paintings of the Southwest are about the vast landscapes and the big sky, open spaces of color, light, and sharply contrasting shadow. Human figures are often absent or dwarfed by the scale of mountain and desert.

This book was assembled to accompany an exhibition at BYU, which has a large collection of Dixon's paintings, acquired from the artist in the 1930s by the University. There are a great many color plates and related black and white photographs, and the authors have provided an extensive written commentary describing Dixon's career, his work, and his relationship with the young photographer Dorothea Lange, to whom he was married 1920-1934. A central chapter in the book concerns his paintings of Native Americans, whom he ennobled while at the same time turning away from the conditions of poverty, desperation and government oppression in which they lived.

Lange emerged as a documentary photographer in the early years of the Depression, photographing the growing labor unrest and the unemployed that filled the streets of San Francisco. Returning from the "reality" that he preferred in the desert Southwest, Dixon joined her in creating a series of paintings portraying these same themes, concentrating on the dark, despairing, and often violent struggle between the out-of-work and the police. The book gives side-by-side examples of her photographs and his paintings from this period.

The book does not provide a comprehensive study of Dixon. While he denegrated his work as a commercial illustrator, it would be interesting to see his style and treatment of Western subject matter in that medium by contrast with his "artistic" work. The authors obviously respect Dixon's work as an artist, but they also raise questions about the authenticity of his vision, particularly of Native Americans, and the domestic role into which he placed Lange, whose own career went on hold for several years as she kept house and tended to children. You put the book down at the end, marveling at the images, while feeling a sense of ambiguity about the artist himself. All that aside, it's an informative and beautifully designed book and I recommend it highly.

Readers may be also interested in the journals of Everett Ruess, who also loved the deserts of the Southwest, was an amateur watercolorist, and visited Dixon and Lange in San Francisco before his disappearance in 1934.

Maynard Dixon's landscape paintings of the American West are distinctive and instantly recognisable: the bold and rugged terrain below stylised clouds and often rich colours; but there is much more to his work. As a youngster he was enthralled by the work of Charles Russell, so it is not surprising that is interests developed as they did. Dixon, a solitary man, was very taken with the open space of the West, and in turn by the indigenous peoples he found there. His interest in what he found went beyond trying to capture it on canvas, it influenced how he dressed, how he lived; he would live alongside the Native Indians while working.

This book was published to accompany the exhibition of the title held in Brigham Young University's new exhibition facilities in November 2000.

The account opens with the origin and history of the University's collection. This is followed by an essay which looks at Dixon's choice of career to paint the West at the time when the "frontier" had been declared officially closed. A discussion of Dixon's claim that he painted the real West forms a major part of the book; the final essay considers the influence between Dixon and his second wife, photographer Deborah Brown Lange. The book concludes with an Epilogue, a Catalogue of the Exhibition and a Selected Bibliography.

A large, square format book, it contains in excess of 110 full colour images and more the 60 black and white, the latter being almost entirely period photographs. The illustrations run with the text, and are mostly within a page or so of their mention in the text. The reproductions range from a few double page spreads and a number of full-page images to the postcard size, with just one or two very small images. The paintings encompass Dixon's Western landscapes, Native American Indians, and images of the Depression; the photographs include a number by Lange. It is an appealing book, well laid-out; the full page images are particularly striking.

This browseable and highly readable book is a fine addition to a circulating or reference collection. The attractive cover features six recognizable Hispanic Americans. A table of contents features bold page numbers, with an icon of the person and name. Attractive layover text portrays a timeline: Exploring the New World, Early American Business and Culture, A Changing Nation, An American Way of Life, Making Their Mark, and Into the Twenty-First Century. The concluding chapter tells more about "The Growind Hispanic American Population". An impressive lineup of persons from all walks of life are given informative and interesting summaries, including Cristina Saralegui (talk show host), Alberto Gonzales (US Attorney General), Ellen Ochoa (astronaut), Richard Rodrigues (writer) and Mario Molina (chemist--1995 Nobel Prize winner).

This book has been a fantastic resource and addition to my classroom. Students use it as part of their research for projects each semester. Simply wonderful!

I opened the package for this book and felt like I was 5 years old again, opening a long-awaited present. I cuddled up on the couch with this book and as I opened the cover, magic sprang from the pages. I felt the smile on my face as I read this book, that is a true treasure for anyone who is a child at heart. It brings back the days when you really did talk to fairies and you whiled away the days in childhood wonder at the world. Tucked in a pocket in the back, you'll find a wonderful little fairy house that is so easy to build yourself, yet folds down nicely for storage. I hope they continue to make new titles like this

I found this book to be very enchanting. Not only does this book draw you into the exciting and magical world of Fairies, but it also serves to stimulate the imagination of the individuals fortunate enough to come into contact with it. The pages within this book consist of light-hearted whimsy that appeals to all age groups. Despite having purchased the book for my infant daughter I found myself returning to it regularly for a little light-hearted entertainment. I would also like to encourage everyone purchasing this book to also buy the book entitled "Fairies from A to Z", authored by the same author, Adrienne Keith. The two books cover similar subject matter, and seemingly belong together. This is positive given that both seem well written and thoroughly entertaining to all.

The fairy art in this is unique and exquisite. Each image goes very well with the sweetly written poetry along side it. Wonderful to read to a child or yourself to lift you spirits!

British artist Richard Doyle (1824-1883), the son of a portrait painter and caricaturist, may be best remembered by some as the creator of the cover design for Punch, which was used for over a century. He also illustrated a number of children's books and created beguiling paintings of fairies, the wee folk. It is the latter that is used to illustrate this lovely keepsake volume.

Doyle's paintings are imaginative and incandescent, luminous illustrations of fairies astride snails, perched on a beetle or relaxing on a verdant hillock. Each illustration perfectly accompanies a poem, such as a tiny one sipping from a cowslip's bell in Shakespeare's "Ariel's Song" or fairies engaged in a tug-of-war with a grasshopper in "An Explanation of the Grasshopper" by Vachel Lindsay.

Other poets represented include John Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Butler Yeats, and Langton Hughes.

The pairing of art and poetry is superb, thoughtfully conceived and executed. This slim volume deserves a place in everyone's library.

- Gail Cooke

The launching point for this sweet and moving tale is the story of the Return of the Prodigal Son. Saphi Fletcher, the rebellious younger daughter of the Fletcher family, returns to the home where her older, more responsible sibling, Augustina, takes care of their disabled father, pastor of a local church. One's immediate sympathy is with "Gusti," who, with patience and love, has cared for her father ever since the car accident that crippled him and killed their mother. Gusti is haunted by memories of their mother, a woman whose imagination and affection for her family hid a growing restlessness with domesticity and their fishbowl life. Throughout the book, Gusti has to confront her own "journey" home, coming to grips with her resentment of her sister, her ambivalence toward her fiancé, and her fears of the truth about her parents' "perfect" marriage. If you've ever wondered how the Prodigal Son's brother could love his wandering sibling again, this book artfully brings you to that place, helping you understand what the "good sibling" has to learn from the mischievous one. Karen Brichoux is a master at getting inside the everyday interactions that make up a full life. She doesn't disappoint in this story which leaves you wanting to turn page after page as you follow Gusti's inner journey. Brichoux's other superlative skill is describing the landscape and natural life along the Mississippi and its fertile farmland. These passages alone make this book a worthy read. This is a bittersweet, ultimately hopeful read young and old can enjoy. I highly recommend it.

Her dreams ended six years ago with the car accident that killed her mom and turned her dad into a paraplegic. Six years ago Augustina Fletcher was planning to go to an out of state graduate school; those dreams are dead along with her mother whom she loved and still misses. However, someone had to stay home in Missouri to care for her father and raise her younger sister Saphi. Though a teen at the time of the tragedy, Augustina did her best, but Saphi ran away anyway.

In her twenties, Augustina feels old and tired as responsibility cripples her. Her salvation is routines and the nearby Mississippi River, which enables her to fantasize about floating away from her world. Now Saphi is back, but Augustina resents her fleeing while dumping all the work on her. She wonders if marriage to Colton is the right thing for her especially since she cannot stand his bossy mom and is not sure she loves him. Augustina considers just leaving town and let Saphi deal with responsibility not yet aware that her sister is a widow still in mourning.

This is an insightful character study of a young woman who feels the weight of responsibly has caused her essence to vanish and to get it back she feels she must leave in order to find her own world, but that is no option for those left behind. Augustina is as a deep character as any recent novel has produced because the audience knows her as well as they know themselves. Her feelings of trapped hopelessness and despair with no future let alone present though only in her twenties make for a deep somewhat maudlin tale that will have readers compare their life situations to that of Augustina.

Harriet Klausner

These books are wonderful for their total coverage of a case, from perpetration of the crime through appeals, with explanations. Our students use this series a lot. Very good black and white illustrations contained in the book, and I would recommend it to students, teachers, and parents.

awesom