North America Books
Related Subjects: Canada United States
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Colonial Latin AmericaReview Date: 2008-06-05
A good survey of colonial Latin AmericaReview Date: 2001-06-21
An excellent and informing read. Review Date: 2007-05-17
Burkholder and Johnson have done an exhausative study of both poltical and cultural history of Spanish & Portuguese colonial America. They covered the various periods of the colonies under expansionism, Imperial neglience, Bourbon reforms,and the rebellions that gave the region its freedom from the mother country.
The detail is impressive. Shipping numbers, industrial production, political reform, the lives of the majority Indians and Metizo commoners...it's all here. Slavery in all it's permutations is covered as well as the absurd attempts to name the various racial combinations that resulted in a multi cultural society.
For both the novice and the dedicated historian, this book cannot come highly recommended enough.
I got an A in this guy's class !Review Date: 2004-10-07
The book is full of information with a simple and concise organization. Latin America's colonial period was long and complex yet simple at the same time, and this book explains it well. The Spanish conquest of Mexico has to be one of the most interesting events in human history.
My complaint is that Dr. Johnson was such a joy in the classroom, but the humor and wit did not translate to the book.


A Great ResourceReview Date: 2006-11-05
Common Birds of North AmericaReview Date: 2005-07-24
An invaluable resource for birdwatching enthusiasts!Review Date: 2002-03-28
A Great Natural History of the Midwest's Common BirdsReview Date: 2001-11-19
Used price: $2.79

Most comprehensive communities directory availableReview Date: 2006-01-17
Best available print resource for cohousing, cooperatives, ecovillages, communes, ETCReview Date: 2005-12-08
I've been lived in an IC for many years and the 1990 edition of this Directory was VERY important to me - and perhaps owning and using this new edition will be so for you. If you live in a "nuclear family" (or live alone), you can dramatically improve your life by joining and/or starting an authentic community. And adding your energy to one of the communities in this directory could even be your best way to help save the world!
This directory is published by the Fellowship for Intentional Communities (FIC), which has published these directories for years, along with Communities Magazine - the only magazine that directly addresses the IC movement.
This print edition is the first to publish output from an online version of the directory and involved the least amount of editorial hand-work as compared to any previous version. The data in the online directory (and by extension, within this print directory) is now largely maintained by the communities themselves.
Despite its importance, I was tempted to only give it a 4 out of 5 stars - why? read on...
I am responsible for the online directory database record for my IC (Songaia Cohousing Community). I edit our online record and am pleased with the editorial work of the FIC editors as they modified the online listing for the print edition.
Unfortunately, the ease with which the many contributors can now add/edit information is not balanced by much fact-checking by FIC editorial. My community's listing is scrupulously honest in the objective information - I continue to maintain it carefully, changing the data as our community changes. I have personal knowledge of several listings which are blatantly inaccurate. The biggest errors probably involve listings which claim larger community memberships than they actually have. For example, one community claims 8 members in their directory listing... and shows many more than 8 faces and biographies on their website. Talking with the community's founder, I learned that it actually has just one member who has been in the struggle of "building community" for many years, without much progress.
Another challenge is the inclusion and mixing of many different types of communities - in all stages of development. While it mostly contains residential communities (what most expect when they think of an IC), the directory also includes (1) community networks (groups of ICs - associations), (2) non-residential communities, and (3) even some fairly typical charities. And since the descriptions were written by many individual contributors, it can be difficult to tell the difference until you further research the group... visit their website, etc.
Even among the residential ICs, "forming" or "reforming" ICs are intermixed with ones which actually have groups of people living together... right now. Specifically, the directory has listings for communities with people with years of established culture, e.g. East Wind (commune of 75 people, formed in 1970), Nyland (cohousing of 140, formed in 1990), Ecovillage at Ithaca (162 people, formed in 1992), which appear side-by-side with MANY "forming" communities of just 1 or 2 people - that are trying to grow into ICs - some for just a few months and some for many years.
All of this means to get the most out of this directory requires research on your part and that its data should be considered critically and not assumed to be factual... Perhaps it goes without saying, but people seeking a life in an IC should be cautious when they choose with whom they will live.
The Community Directory's Introduction, part of which is entitled "What This Directory Is and Isn't" is totally up front about these limitations and given the web's impact on sales of print references, it is reasonable for the FIC to limit its investment in editorial work.
One reason that you should buy this directory is to help provide FIC with more funds to make the next version better... the people working on it are smart, hard-working, and generous with their time, but the funds available for their time are limited by directory sales.
In conclusion, an earlier version of this directory proved an important way for me to connect with the IC movement. I think it may serve that purpose for you as well - why don't you go ahead and buy your copy and start making your life better by living IN COMMUNITY!
One book that changed my lifeReview Date: 2005-12-13
This is a must have volume on you bookshelf and in your road tripping backpack. Be careful - it may change your life.
The Best Source for Intentional Community infoReview Date: 2005-12-09
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Vegas info, history, and moreReview Date: 2000-11-18
The typical tour book stuff is here including hotel rates and restaurant reviews. However, if you want to know more, it's there. It provides description of hotels as well as details their history. Every subject is handled in this manner as well making the book feel more like a narative.
There are small excerpts from popular authors for even more perspective. Perhaps, perspective is the right word for this book. The reader is treated to a point of view and not just vague recollection of facts and figures. This is the first tour book I ever read cover to cover.
Though it has some slow parts, over all it is a great quick history / guide of Las Vegas. Even if you've been there, you'll find amusement in some of the tales or info included. I did.
Vegas info, history, and moreReview Date: 2000-11-18
The typical tour book stuff is here including hotel rates and restaurant reviews. However, if you want to know more, it's there. It provides the description of a hotel as well as detailing its history. In Vegas, even the hotels have personality. Every subject is handled in a like manner. This has the added bonus of making the book feel more like a narative.
There are small excerpts from popular authors for even more perspective. Perhaps, perspective is the right word for this book. The reader is treated to a point of view and not just a vague recollection of facts and figures. This is the first tour book I ever read cover to cover.
Though it has some slow parts, over all it is a great quick history / guide of Las Vegas. Even if you've been there, you'll find amusement in some of the tales or info included. I did.
Like taking a local along with youReview Date: 2000-11-24
I've read many Vegas guides. This one remains the best!Review Date: 2000-05-03
By the time you land, you will feel like a Vegas veteran and save time and money.
Besides a great read, this book is worth the price simply for the fantastic photography.


Cowboys and Cave DwellersReview Date: 2008-05-09
A great bookReview Date: 2008-02-10
Seth J. Frantzman
Vindication for WetherillsReview Date: 1999-10-26
Detective story on finding "lost" archaeological collectionReview Date: 1997-10-26

great taleReview Date: 2008-04-20
Coyote Places the Stars NHReview Date: 2006-02-02
Coyote Places the StarsTRReview Date: 2006-02-02
Description from the coverReview Date: 2005-10-29
Based on a Wasco Indian legend, this story about the origin of the constellations is joyfully retold and vibrantly illustrated by Harriet Peck Taylor.
Harriet Peck Taylor's interest in coyote lore began with a young coyote who lived in the foothills near her home. "It used to follow me on hikes with my dogs," she says, "and once even touched noses with them."
Ms. Taylor received her B.F.A. in painting from the University of Colorado. In her paintings, which are in public and private collections, she tries to capture natural beauty because "if people can appreciate the beauty of the land, they will perhaps want to protect it."
Harriet Peck Taylor lives in Boulder, Colorado, where she is a full-time artist and enthusiastic stargazer.
Used price: $44.44

An outstanding picture bookReview Date: 2004-01-15
WonderfulReview Date: 2001-09-14
Fantastic bookReview Date: 2001-02-14
A mastery of colorReview Date: 2000-04-17

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rocking bookReview Date: 2007-01-31
A Clash of CulturesReview Date: 2006-05-15
Set in 1812, the bulk of the story is related in a straight-forward narrative from the "white man's" view as each day two sisters, Rebecca and Laura Carver, climb the stairs to their cabin's attic to bring food to a Chippewa accused of murding a trapper. Interspersed between chapters are the Chippewa's point of view related as poetic interludes.
Using these different points of view, Pearsall is able to suggest that each character occupies a position outside the other's consciousness... as if poetry and prose represent two different worlds... simultaneously revealing not only the differences between each culture's values and perspective but the common ground that each culture shares.
Gradually, Rebecca comes to see these two worlds, not as separate, but as sharing a common humanity. Trusting her sense of justice, she is willing to act to save the Chippewa, even though it means going against her strong-willed father's beliefs and her own culture's code of conduct.
In the end, Pearsall shows us how two very different views of the world can co-exist, even when the occupants of each world are unaware of their connection.
An enormously penetrating tale shedding light on an often overlooked aspect of American history.
Cry me a riverReview Date: 2006-01-04
It's 1812 and Rebecca Carver has just learned that there's a manacled Chippewa in her attic. Needless to say, the news comes as quite a shock. Till now Reb has lived a pretty downtrodden life. She has an overbearing father, a series of spoiled or ignorant male relatives, and just her older and younger sisters for comfort. Finding an Indian in her attic has done little to improve her life. It seems that her father and some men in the village decided to go out and find the Chippewa that killed a white trapper some miles out of town. They proclaim Indian John (as they have dubbed him) to be the murderer, leaving Carver's daughters to fear for their lives as they sleep in their beds. In time, however, Reb learns that the man chained in the attic may not be the kind of man her fellows have always taught her to fear. A red-haired lawyer named Peter Kelley has known Amik, the prisoner, since childhood and believes fully in his innocence. It will take a trial to prove to Reb just what kind of influence that she, a mere thirteen-year-old slip of a girl, can have over events beyond her control.
Judging the portrayal of a Native American in a children's book is a monumentally difficult task. Often in cases like this one I turn to the Oyate organization (a Native American group charged with determining how popular culture depicts them) to see what their reactions to any given book are. In this particular case, however, "Crooked River" is too new for much outside critiquing. The book itself is broken into two narratives. In one, Rebecca talks about her changing perceptions and disillusionment with the people around her. In the other is Amik's voice. His words are in a different font and are written in a kind of free verse. At the beginning of the book, these words are rather beautiful. "it is the time when the leaves / are small on the trees. / too small / for hiding". But I had a very difficult time deciding whether or not Amik's mode of speech was a creative answer to giving his character a distinct personality and way of seeing the world or if it was an offensive stereotype too often done. He does, after all, revert back to those old clichés of wondering why the whites around him are seemingly deaf and dumb to the smells and sounds around them. It's a moment we've seen in countless books and films. On the other hand, the verse is often rather touching and quite interesting. I'm torn both ways.
The book itself is more than readable. At first it seems reliant on two-dimensional characters. Rebecca is good and therefore she pities the Indian. Her father is bad and therefore loathes Amik. It takes a while to realize but Rebecca's older sister Laura is one of the exceptions to this rule. In her case you have someone good who fears and dislikes Amik and has a hard time overcoming her own prejudices. Amos, Rebecca's older brother, is the same way. Pearsall's writing deftly plays with their thoughts on the matter while making it perfectly clear that early U.S. settlers weren't exactly the saintly explorers so lauded in American stories and songs.
A book can be beautifully written, penned with aplomb, and smart as a whip yet not quite touch the reader. Personally, "Crooked River" was not one of my favorite books of the year. This is not to say that it isn't a worthwhile piece of writing. I simply couldn't get a grip on the character of Amik and all that he was meant to represent. For others, their reactions will be different. Some people will adore this book. Some will despise it. I feel neither of these emotions myself. I simply recommend that you read it on your own time and come to your own conclusions about it. If Amazon.com is good for nothing else, it helps us to proclaim to the masses how much we love or hate a title. I will be eagerly reading all the other responses, "Crooked River" engenders.
Historical Fiction At Its Best!Review Date: 2005-03-08
CROOKED RIVER is based loosely on the true story of an Indian named John O'Mic who was tried and convicted of murder in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1812. He was held captive in a cabin and shared it with the white man and his family--there was a thirteen year old daughter. Using this true story as a basis and framework, Pearsall fictionalized the account to show how these people might have felt. Her research was thorough and impressive as her author's note indicates. While CROOKED RIVER is based on a true story, fact and fiction have two different endings. In real life, John O'Mic was sentenced to death--by hanging. "Indian John" was also sentenced to die--however, thanks to his friends he faked his death and was able to escape further west along with the rest of his family.
I thought CROOKED RIVER was a wonderful book. Although Pearsall is not of Native American ancestry, I believe her research was so extensive that Amik's voice was authentic. The poems narrated by Amik are beautiful. To learn that some of these phrases were borrowed from authentic Ojibwe sources--poems, stories, songs, etc--was fascinating. It made the book even "more authentic" than I originally thought. The narration of Rebecca Carver was equally researched. Pearsall read primary sources--diaries, books, letters, etc--from the time period to capture authentic language patterns and phrases of the whites as well. One source in particular that Pearsall used was an unpublished diary of a young girl named Emily Nash.
CROOKED RIVER is an excellent novel, and I highly recommend it to all. I am impressed not only with the novel CROOKED RIVER but with the author's in-depth research into the time period and opposing cultures that provide the background and context for the novel. I am curious to find a copy of her first novel, TROUBLE DON'T LAST, and read it as well.

The Crow Indians Come to LifeReview Date: 2000-09-23
Includes a chapter on life on the Crow reservation todayReview Date: 2001-09-18
The Crow Indians Come to LifeReview Date: 2000-09-23
very good for educational purposesReview Date: 2000-06-13

Used price: $2.36
Collectible price: $10.00

Excellent book teaching social skills and diversityReview Date: 1997-11-09
A Story to Share Again and AgainReview Date: 2000-01-26
Excellent book teaching social skills and diversityReview Date: 1997-11-09
Lessons learned from a weasel...Review Date: 1999-01-11
Related Subjects: Canada United States
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