Vermont Books

Today I was looking for "Bringing up the Brass" with Marty Maher. I couldn't find it so I looked on Amazon. com and they didn't have it either. Marty and my Dad were big buddies. They loved to share a drink at Al Cohen's Park Restaurant and as I grew up I was invited to join them once in awhile. When WW 2 broke out I went with a couple of friends and joined the Army. After three years of service I came home from Europe. I took the train home and walked up the steep hill from the station. Excited to be home I stopped in Cohen's for a drink before going home to shock by Mom and Dad. There were no cell phones in 1945. I walked in, taking my favorite seat by the window. I heard a voice from up the bar: "Give that soldier a drink!" It was Marty Maher and sitting with him was my dad. Patrick, the bartender didn't know what to say, but he poured me my favorite drink. It took me a few minutes to try to relax. I walked up the bar to greet Marty and my Dad. I was home! Will I find a copy of "Bringing up the Brass? I think so!

I agree with everything the first reviewer said. I had the pleasure of actually "Bringing Up the Brass". Believe it or not, I found a copy in my local library. I returned it when I finished it. I tried to go back, but the library has no listing for it anymore. Sad

I've been a fan since childhood of "The Long Gray Line," the John Ford film that was based on this book, and so I've wanted to read "Bringing Up the Brass" for a long time. Finally doing so was a rewarding experience -- not only (although mostly) to meet the real Marty Maher behind the Tyrone Power character, but also to see what was gained and what was lost when the novel was adapted to the screen.

If, like me, you come to this book through the prism of the movie, you'll find this story a lot less linear than the movie. Although Marty tells his story (and it's clear from the text that most of this book was literally "as told to" his coauthor Nardi Reeder Campion) in a mostly chronological way, there's still a bit of skipping around and some gaps in the time-frame. Not everything fits together quite as well as it does in the film, but life is like that. The book also lacks the sometimes-schmaltzy sentimentality of the film.

At the same time, the reader who knows the movie will be able to recognize many of the seeds in this book that grew into key scenes on film.

The more interesting and honest task, though, is to try to separate the movie from the book and read (and review) the latter on its own merits. When you do, Marty comes across as a charming and entertaining man with an interesting story to tell. He saw an awful lot in his half-century-plus at West Point, and does seem to have been truly beloved by generations of graduates. He certainly could have filled many more pages with his reminiscences, and it's perhaps a shame that he didn't. I would have liked to have read more about life on the Point and how it changed over the decades.

But this book is Marty's story, not West Point's, and while the two were nearly synonymous -- or so it seems -- for many decades, many people have told the Academy's story. It was up to Marty and his co-author to tell his own, and it's a wonderful thing that he did. He's a man who deserves to be remembered, and remembered with affection -- not only by those who had a chance to know him, but also by those of us who have only experienced him in film or print.

Mr. Smith's book gives the total picture of the dynamics that went into the creating of Mount Rushmore. Beyond just the unbelievable effort of the artist, Mr. Smith supplies us with the many other factors that make an effort such as this possible; support, funding, political, environmental, geography and most important, why the monument was created at this location. Then there are the lives of everyone associated with the project; from the artist to the lowest member of the many teams that are brought into the story to make the reader feel that they were there from the beginning to the completion. The author's inclusion of personal interviews with some of these people provides glimpses into rapidly fading history. The book was so compelling that I want to return to the Black Hills to see first hand all that I missed from lack of knowledge on by previous 3 visits. This is a must reading before visiting Mount Rushmore.

The Carving of Mount Rushmore is, quite obviously, about the carving of Mount Rushmore. However, it is much more than this, because Smith discusses the creation of this national monument in the context of its time and through the eyes of the creators. Central to this story is the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, who was a man possessed by ambition and perfection. His is the name that is generally associated with the monument. However, there were many others who were central in the creation, including those in government, business and the actual men who worked on the carving. Each of these is placed very much in the context of the time and place.

If you have an interest in Mount Rushmore, this is a very worthwhile read.

Smith writes an engrossing tale about how Doane Robinson decided it would be a good idea to have sculptures created in the Needles of the Black Hills to bring in tourists, and how eccentric carver Gutzon Borglum took his idea over. It is amazing that Mount Rushmore ever was carved, with everyone being most concerned about getting it done their way, and no one paying enough attention to whether or not there was enough money to get it done.

Ms. Hollingdale's work provides the reader with intensely powerful essays and pictures that almost "forces" one to stop and spend time with each picture. I couldn't just glance through this book - it takes time, emotion and a willingness to open one's heart and mind. The stories AND the pictures, when combined, create a level of understanding that I had not even experienced prior to her book. I know several of the people portrayed in her book but putting all of these faces together with their very personal journeys into ONE book lets the reader truly get a picture of this historic struggle for a more "civil union".

This book answers the question, "Why did Vermont work so hard for Civil Union?"; and it answers it from every possible point of view. Ms. Hollingdale has done a remarkable job collecting the thoughts and feelings of legislators, educators, citizens, parents and others, to explain the desire, the need, and the struggle for Civil Union. This is a beautiful book! The photographs are stunning in their simplicity and yet the emotions are overwhelming. It is a piece of history and a work of art at the same time.

Linda Hollingdale's collection of essays and photographs is absolutely amazing in how it portrays the legislative struggle for Vermont's historic Civil Union from ALL perspectives.
Not only does this book bring one the awareness of this struggle, but also gives one the opportunity to "open their minds" to common humanity as a whole. Just when you think you've become so absorbed in the process of how civil unions came to be, the challenges overcome and rewards achieved, you begin to comtemplate what equal rights of ALL citizens is really about.
I would definitely recommended this book for all.

THIS IS A FANTASTIC BOOK. I COLLECT ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH BLACK DOLLS, WHICH WAS HOW I STUMBLED UPON THIS JEWEL. BUY IT. READ IT. APPRECIATE IT. ************

My sister loved the book so much. She asked me where I got it from. I prodly told her Amazon. It very hard to find quality books about African-American children for African-American children. Thanks!

This is a fantastic book and should be a part of every fourth and fifth grade classroom. The story gives a soul stirring look at life for a minority in the late 1800's in such a way that children can relate to the emotions experienced and actions taken. The story shows how even a child can respond to challenge prejudice and unfair bias in a mature way. It would also be a great introduction to a unit on poetry.

Hill's understanding of and compassion for her clients touched me deeply. Her entries reminded me of Rachel Naomi Remen's My Grandfather's Blessings in that each entry stands alone as a single pearl of wisdom but the whole is a beautiful strand of intimate knowing. I felt bereft when I finished; I wanted to continue in the company of this wise and powerful woman.

Reading this book was a moving experience for me as a therapist. I found Marcia Hill's observations to range from mildly amusing to profoundly wise. She modeled the kind of vulnerability within a framework of integrity which no doubt makes her a very special clinician. She has the ability to laugh at herself and the profession while it is obvious she is deeply committed to her clients and her vocation. I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders about what makes good therapy.

In graceful prose Marcia Hill opens her heart about the job she loves--being a psychotherapist. As the seasons of her Vermont year turn, tiny details of the changes nature makes in the woods and sky reflect and enhance the human stories she tells. To open the heart of another, one must endure the heartbreak and revel in the joy of each moment, but above all, one must listen. From violent to nearly mute, the voices of Marcia's clients speak to her soul, transforming therapist and patients alike.
To relish this book, one needs no formal training in psychology, although therapists will appreciate the companionship of a walk with Marcia Hill. However, anyone who has worked with people and watched them grow, anyone who has ever paid attention to her own cycles of loss and fruition, and anyone who enjoys sensitive, authentic writing will delight in this book.

The best treatment of UFO evidence I've read. Completely objective. Takes pains throughout and again at the end to point out both the strengths and weaknesses of the case under investigation. Although he clearly believes in the reality of the event reported by the alleged abductees--as do I, after reading the book--he concedes that some of what they report could be embellished, or due to memory contamination as part of the hypnosis process. In the final analysis, he invites the reader to draw his own conclusions.

None of what I've written above should "spoil" this book for the reader. The book wouldn't have been written if the final conclusion was hoax, fraud, or hallucination. The value and beauty of the book and of the investigation it recounts are in the details of the investigative methodology and the reasoning applied to the case.

Webb has done the field a great service and produced an important work.

The researcher should be commended!!

Webb is a professional astronomer who has been a UFO investigator for 42 years. He has brought the full weight of his experience to bear on this productive case. Though the experience itself is not as rich in detail as those reported these days, its special benefit is that the two people involved are not related and knew each other only briefly for a few days at a camp where the abduction happened. Such events are rarely reported and have exceptional value as evidence as do the more recent Australian multiple abduction cases. There were confirming witnesses in this case and the investigator has little doubt in his own mind these two people did indeed share some sort of intense UFO experience. The report can be considered a model for other investigators in its thorough and systematice approach.

Natalie Kinsey-Warnock and Kathleen Kolb have captured the essence of Will and Ada Urie perfectly. They lived a very simple life, worked hard and enjoyed everything around them. This book tells their story in a poignant way without being too sugary sweet. It will appeal to all children, especially those lucky enough to live in Vermont. I was extremely lucky to have Will and Ada Urie for my grandparents and spent many wonderful days visiting "a farm of their own". I am also very excited that my daughter, Meredith Ada McKelvey, posed for the blonde girl in braids in the book.

I am very pleased to see memories of childhood in print and glorious color. I grew up near Will and Ada Urie, and often visited their farm. Kathleen Kolb did a magnificent job rendering both of them. As I read the pages I could smell the bread baking in the oven. Natalie's words brought me back to my own childhood on my parents farm. Every child can benefit knowing how hard these two people worked for what they believed in. Back when life seemed so simple, yet more rewarding.

My three year old loves this book--and so does my nine year old, who reads it to him. They both relate to the idea of encountering something new and coming to love it so much that, years later, you want to find it again. The beautiful, rich illustrations are a large part of the appeal of the book.

My mother was cured of arthritis from drinking Dr. Jarvis' solution of apple cider vinegar water. He also recommends many other old-fashioned cures. Among them--castor oil. My 13-year-old son had athlete's foot and applied caster oil to it and it was gone in two days. This was after using lots of drug store remedies. This is a book to keep in your medicine cabinet!

Certainly brings to light alot of thought on the old adage * an apple a day* !!

I used Dr. Jarvis honey & vinegar for arthritis in l974. Then my finger joints were constantly sore. I've had no problem since. It also took care of constant indigestion problem. He says by adding this acid(vinegar) keeps our body slightly acid prevents many illnesses ie colds etc. I believe it. Indigestion is caused by the stomach not being acid enough. Only when it is acid enough will the empty valve open to empty the stomach.

I have more recently gotten a lot of benefit from

using kelp from his recommendation. Open heart surgery a year ago left me energy-less. Four weeks of kelp was like going around the corner. The shortage of iodine seems to be the key. e-mail texasjackreed@Bluebonnet.net

The early days of Ernest Hemingway come alive in this book that first was published in 1966. Selected as one of the top Michigan books in 2000, this new edition is a must for lovers of both Michigan and Hemingway.

This biography captures the "real Ernest Hemingway" when he lived in northern Michigan. Since I visited Petoskey, Michigan, I know the places that the author writes about. I reread Hemingway's short stories about Nick Adams and found out how close to the truth he was. When you take this book, Hemingway in Michigan, and go to the sites described in it, you feel as as if you have lived the fiction of the early Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway in Michigan gave me the background about Nick Adam's and the early years that made me reread Hemingway from a different point of view.
If anyone is interested in Hemingway, the emerging writer, this is the book to read. Not only is it a well documented biography, but it places Hemingway in the region of northern Michigan he loved and wrote about.

This is a great book. I first read it in the 70s and have reread it several times since. A lot of good lessons that we would do well to heed today.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. If you can find a copy, get a hold of this book to learn about how these counter culturists lived their lives in health and peace. Some folks may believe that the Nearing's style is bolder than they are used to, and this is because these people did not sit in ivy towers writing theories, they lived their lives based on their principles, which is admirable in my eyes.

We own all of the books the Nearings wrote and this one is a gem. There are those who may think that what they did and wrote about from the 50's to the 70's has no bearings on todays world (2003) but nothing could be further from the truth. Their wisdom on building a stone home, organic garden, composting, and simply realizing that one doesn't need as much materialism as one may think is timeless. The book is out of print but you can buy used copies here on Amazon.com and I urge you to but a copy if you have the slightest interest in simple living, frugality, inner peace and tranquility, preventative health issues, healthy eating, a positive mindset to age one hundred or energy conservation.