California Books

I love this book! Everything was beautiful from cover to cover on glossy paper. Each species of conifers (including pines, redwoods, cypresses, and firs) has a fantastic botanical illustration, photographs, and a map of range. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love for trees and especially a must have if you live in California!

For me, the conifers are the trees that really make a difference. Each one is such a unique and majestic statement on the landscape.

Ronald Lanner's book is a fine natural history book full of artistic drawings, photographs, and a key to help you identify these beautiful trees. It belongs on any naturalists bookshelf.

Conifers grow old, big and tall in California. What better book for discovering the coniferous bounty that the state has to offer. Second only behind Mexico in native conifer species, the conifer elevates the landscape and become an indelible symbolic reflection of all that is natural in California, from the Sierra rich in yellow, sugar and Jefferey Pine to the isolated groves of heavy sequoia, magnificent in their collosal staure. High in the White Mountains of Eastern California, living at seemingly impossible heights the bristlecone pine lives long and prosperous in stauesque poses in an inhospitable environment. The redwood defines the Northern coast, living lavishly in mist shrouded groves. The mighty Tahoe National Forest displays a rich blanket of fine firs as far as the eye can see...

This is a great reference book for anyone wanting more information about confiers than what you basic field guild provides. This book helps sort out California's hard-to-id confers with it's beautiful watercolors and photographs. The range maps are very helpful and make it easy to plan a trip to see some of California's amazing trees.

Well written, beautiful pictures and artwork and informative; that sums it up. My brother, who is accustom to seeing much more academic books on my desk, commented that it did not look "too technical". For technical, I recommend Dr.Grossnickle's excellent "Ecophysiology of Northern Spruce Species: The Performance of Planted Seedlings," but for a good education on the distribution and range of California's conifers then I recommend this book heartily.

I picked up Cypress Point at a book store when I was on vacation and needed a book. I had never read Diane Chamberlain before.I was very happy to have chosen a book that kept my attention with every chapter.I look forward to reading more of her books.

I've loved Diane Chamberlain's work from the moment I discovered her and have bought and read all of her books. CYPRESS POINT is one of my favorites--a complex mix of mystery, romance, and family drama--the kind of book Ms. Chamberlain does so beautifully. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking how much I wished I'd thought of this plot first, which is the highest compliment a writer can give to another writer. Diane Chamberlain is one of the very best voices in women's fiction today. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is a story of two women, Joelle and Carlynn, whose lives run parallel, yet are more intertwined than meets the eye. There are two separate stories. One traces Carlynn's life beginning in 1937 at the age of 7; the other begins with Joelle's birth in 1967. The two stories merge into one where deep rooted feelings and secrets are revealed between the two women and that of their loved ones. Diane Chamberlain is best known for underlying themes where things are not always what they seem. "Cypress Point" will not disappoint the reader in line with that theme.

When her best friend, Mara, had an anerysm (sp?) during the delivery of her son, Joelle D'Angelo was heartbroken. Not only for the little boy that would grow up without his mother, but for Mara's husband, Liam. Because she loved Mara like a sister, Joelle did all she could to ease Liam's heartbreak. She spent time with their son, Sam, and even helped find a home to put Mara in when it looked like she would not be recovering. There friendship took a drastic turn one night when they slept together. For Joelle, she was sleeping with the man she loved, while for Liam, all he saw was the betrayal of his wife.

Now Joelle is pregnant herself. Having had a hard time conceiving with her ex-husband, Joelle is estatic, even though she knows that Liam won't show her enthusiasm. Before she moves away, she wants to do one more thing for Liam and Mara. The woman tha saved her life when she was born was said to have worked miracles, and Joelle wants that miracle for the man she loves. Even if the woman he loves isn't her.

Chamberlain again delivers in this intensely emotional read. I was entralled by the story of Lisabeth and Carlynn as well as Joelle and Liam. It made my heartbreak to see what Liam was putting himself through by trying to remain faithful to a woman that simply didn't exisist anymore.

Don't miss it!

I first began reading Diane Chamberlain in 1992 with her book, Keeper of the Light. After that title I made it my business to find and read every book she wrote and then buy all of her new books almost as soon as they are published. For some reason I saved Cypress Point which I bought at a reading featuring the author in 2002. And while Keeper of the Light and the Keeper trilogy which include Kiss River and Her Mother's Shadow will remain my favorite book, I do think I saved one of the best for last since Cypress Point was a most wonderful read.

Cypress Point takes place in the beautiful area of Monterey, California surrounded by the cypress trees we all marvel at whether we live there or visit. And what better place than to tell the story of a medical healer and the young woman she saves at birth whose paths once again are about to cross.

Carlynne Shire knew she was a medical healer at an early age. And while she has always been treated special by her family her twin sister, Lisbeth, didn't possess the same gift and was virtually ignored by her mother. Growing up and treated differently, Carlynne becomes a gifted doctor while her sister only attends secretarial school. Both sisters find love although neither of them have quite as traditional marriages as one would think.

Then sometime later when Carlynn saves a young baby born on a commune, little does she know that in the future years later she would be asked to save this woman's best friend. Or how this birth at the commune would effect the life of her sister, herself or their husbands.

For Joelle reaching out to the woman who saved her years before may be both a blessing and a curse if she is able to help her. Joelle needs Carlyn to try and help heal her best friend who suffered a brain aneurysm while giving birth to a son. But if Mara regains her abilities and life, what will happen to the love Joelle feels for Mara's husband, Liam. How the medical healer and Joelle meet after more than 30 yearsprovides readers with a wonderful novel filled with romance and a bit of a mystery.

As the author Diane Chamberlain provides readers with in most of her books, this one really captivated me and I hated to see it end. I highly recommend this book as well as all of Diane's books. They are emotional stories with characters you will think about long after you finish her books. Now that I also read Diane's latest book, The Bay at Midnight, I will be anxiously waiting for her next book to arrive on the bookshelves.

Who among us hasn't struggled with the comnflicting strees of life - children, spouses, family, work - and tried to achieve a balance that will answer everyone's needs? For Dr. Renee Altman these all come crashing together when the center of her world, her daughjter Molly, is kidnapped. Det. Jessie Drake copnfronts her own individual conflicts as she races against time to find Molly and apprehend the kidnapper without endangering others who are objects of his hate.
Rochelle Krich draws her characters with such realism you feel like they are part of your life. She skillfully weaves the tension of the drama with character profiles in a way that draws you personally into the plot. As with all her books, this one is difficult to put down before the end. You'll be missing a wonderful treat if you don't read this and the other Jessie Drake books.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was so good I almost finished it the same day I began reading it. I am looking forward to reading all future books that she writes. I am hopeful that her critics will put her up there with Faye Kellerman and others of her genre.

"Dead Air" is Krich's best novel since "Speak No Evil". Jesse Drake is back. She is an LAPD detective who has previously appeared in several Krich novels. This time, Jesse is investigating the kidnapping of Molly, the daughter of Dr. Renee (a radio psychologist), and the murder of Molly's nanny. Renee Altman and Jesse Drake used to be friends, but they drifted apart over the years. Now Jesse is once again involved with Renne as she delves into her friend's troubled life. Not only is Renee in torment over Molly's diappearance, but she is also upset about her separation from her husband, Barry, and the sinking ratings of her radio show. Jesse and her colleagues must find out who kidnapped Molly and where the child is being held. Could Barry, Renee's estranged husband, have had something to do with the child's disappearance? Or is the kidnapper someone with a grudge against Dr. Renee? Krich captures the atmosphere of "radio psychology" well, as Dr. Renee lambastes her callers with scathing advice and withering criticism. Dr. Renee is a thinly veiled Dr. Laura, whom the author mentions in the book several times. Krich explores the theme of how effective and therapeutic radio psychology can ever be. Do radio psychologists serve a beneficial purpose or is what they do shallow and harmful--"microwave psychology," as one character derisively labels it? Krich explores Renee's and Jesse's personal and professional problems nicely and the book is exciting and entertaining. "Dead Air" is a timely and engrossing mystery.

I waited for this new Jesse Drake book and was not dissappionted in it. It kept me spell bound to find out who had Molly .I enjoyed learning more about Jesse,but I was hoping her relationship with her ex would go in a different direction.I am really interested in how Jesse adds her jewishness to her life as a detective.If you enjoy Kellerman than you will love Krich and her characters as they keep you turning the pages for more.

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have devoured recently. I am not a reader who keeps trying to figure out "who done it" before the author reveals the ending. But I truly appreciate a finely crafted mystery with unexpected twists and turns. Krich juggles several potential culprets convincingly. Just when I thought the ending was in sight, she turned another corner in the story line.

After reading this I had to find another title by Krich to see if she was this good or if she just wrote a real "winner." Having read _Speak no Evil_, I can say, "She is a wonderful writer." I also devoured the second book by her. Now I intend to find as many of her titles as I can. I hope her publishers take notice of her "out of stock" and "out of print" titles and make them available as soon as possible.

She is an author to discover, if you haven't read anything by her yet.

This is the best California fishing book series available. There are also the Northern and Southern California editions. The best features of these books that makes them so valuble is the commentary and especially the pictures. So many times I have gone to a campsite or lake, only to be so disappointed to find a pond instead of a lake or a campsite with no scenic beauty. These books have pictures of each fishing site, so you have an excellent idea of what you are in for. There is nothing as disappointing as finding a site way below your expectations after driving for hours to get there. These books pretty much eliminate that scenario, especially since they also give you contact information so you can verify the fishing site is still intact, active and as you see it in the picture. Beautiful color pictures on EVERY page of the book. Outstanding.

This guy is a knows his stuff! Buy all his books, and follow his reviews.

Everyone I know that is an avid fisherman and outdoorsman loves this book as well as all the others written by Mr. Shaffer. Not only are the descriptions excellent, but the pictures give a clear indication of what you are going to see and experience at each locale. Without question, I would recommend this book to anyone I know and already have done so.

Even if you don't fish, this book will give you great advise on places to go for camping or family outings and how to get the most out of it. Directions to all sites included.

My dad is the kind of dad who has everything. I spent months and months looking for a Christmas present for him when i came across this book. He always talks about how he wishes he could go fishing more and this book was perfect for him because of all the different fishing spots it covers. It gave him ideas of all the different places to go that he has never been to before. I know he really liked the book, but i liked it too because of all the pictures.

This is the best California fishing book series available. There are also the Central and Northern California editions. The best features of these books that makes them so valuble is the commentary and especially the pictures. So many times I have gone to a campsite or lake, only to be so disappointed to find a pond instead of a lake or a campsite with no scenic beauty. These books have pictures of each fishing site, so you have an excellent idea of what you are in for. There is nothing as disappointing as finding a site way below your expectations after driving for hours to get there. These books pretty much eliminate that scenario, especially since they also give you contact information so you can verify the fishing site is still intact, active and as you see it in the picture. Beautiful color pictures on EVERY page of the book. Outstanding.

I have used this book so much I may need to buy a new copy! His reviews tell you everything.

Save yourself some time and buy two or three copies of this fishing guide. You are certain to want to share all of the great info with friends and it's likely that you will wear out your own!
This guy knows every place you could possibly find to fish in Southern California and tells you exactly what to expect at each place (saves disappointments without ruining pleasant surprises).
Great advice - great guide - GREAT gift!

I live near the Los Padres National Forrest. Reading first about the destinations I am personally familiar with, I can tell that Chris has personally fished and hiked these areas with regularity. This guy knows what he's talking about.

The book will primarily tell you where to go and what bait offerings to use. If you are not an experienced fishermen, its not a great primer on the basics of fishing. You'll need complimentary books for that.

This book is an absolute must for any Southern California hiker, backpacker or camper who incorporates fishing into the recreational package. It's stimulated some great new outdoor ideas for me. I can't wait to hit some of the new spots that Chris talks about.

(Chris, if you read this, how about adding GPS coordinates in your next book?)

I'm a fly fisher who has fished (both fly and conventional) many of the streams and lakes (as well as the ocean) in Southern California for the last twenty six years. I've looked at many guide and how to books only to put them down, realizing that what I'm holding was not "definitive." But Shaffer's book is definitive, and more importantly, it is very practical. All of the essential items are in each of his entries, and the information is very up-to-date. Also, there are phone numbers, maps, directions, and other important pieces of data.

I was talking to a friend of mine of some of the places I had fished and camped at as a child, but I couldn't remember the names of these specific places--only the locations. I very badly wanted to go back, but I couldn't find the information on the Internet. As I perused this book, I found the stream in this book. It was easy because it goes by region or area.

It also gives some tactics for dealing with certain streams and lakes. Once again, the information is very up-to-date and practical.

Overall, I was very satisfied with this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to fish Southern California.

DESERT by Jack Dykinga is published by Harry Abrams, Inc., a company that publishes high quality art books and not, for example, vacation tour guide books. DESERT is 143 pages long, and contains 83 full-sized color reproductions. Dykinga uses a 4X5 camera, resulting in a higher quality image.

Many of the images are merely of flowers or of pretty scenes. Here, there is no attempt to produce a photograph of artistic merit. However, this slight shortcoming is overwhelmed by a number of novel and creative photographs.

For example, JOSHUA TREE AT DAWN AFTER SPRING SNOW discloses a dark cloudy sky, tinged with purple, a shadowy snow-covered desert, and a grove of snow-covered Joshua trees--all cloaked with pre-dawn shadows. It is difficult to tear one's eyes away from this photograph.

DAWN ON THE PANAMINT MOUNTAINS and CRYSTALLIZED SALT FORMATIONS are two photographs that continue with the artist's experiments (successful experiments) with pre-dawn photography of the white desert. Here, the whiteness is not from snow, but from white salt.

Jack Dykinga has also focused his attention on cracked lakebeds (dried mud). CRACKED CLAY AND THE MESQUITE FLAT reveals a fascinating heart shape in a patio-like area of cracked sand. The cracked mud area abuts a region of desert that is soft sand.

Another fine shot, MESQUITE FLAT SAND DUNES AT SUNRISE, features a patio-like area of cracked sand, each pentangle of cracked mud is covered with warty clumps of earth. An open area in the middle of the cracked mud patio contains an open area in the shape of a diamond. At the center of the diamond-shaped open area is a small growing bush. The diamond-shaped area with the little round bush resembles an eye.

RACETRACK AT SUNRISE and RACETRACK AT SUNSET are fascinating images--the most unusual in this book. Each shows millions of tiny pentangles of cracked mud, stretching off into the distance. In the foreground are a couple of flattened areas resembling thick ruler-lines. The flattened areas were produced by small boulders, somehow propelled over the mud by the wind. At one end of each ruler-line one finds a boulder.

Again, if one is able to tolerate the abundance of conventional "pretty" scenes of flowers and sunsets, one should purchase this book, if only to view the seven great photographs discussed in this review.

Mr.Dykinga's skill as an artist is further demonstrated by his book, STONE CANYONS OF THE COLORADO PLATEAU, also published by Harry Abrams, Inc. STONE CANYONS is especially distinguished by its focus on a park called, Vermilion Cliffs (Paria Canyon, The Wave, Coyote Buttes), a park that is rarely the subject of published photographs. STONE CANYONS also uses the style of depicting scenes just before sunset (or just after sunrise), when all but a thin line of the horizon is steeped in shadow. Stand aside, David Muench, here comes Jack Dykinga.

There is a knock at my door and here is the UPS man delivering my order from Amazon.com. Among the books: Desert, The Mojave and Death Valley Photographs by Jack Dykinga, text by Janice Emily Bowers. I barely had time to read more than a page or two of the text before it made me want to go straight to the photos to see the place she was clearly, and intelligently writing about. And I was not disappointed: It was overwhelmed with joy of at being able to share the keeness of Mr. Dykinga's fine and perceptive photographic vision of that place. This is a more subtle body of work than the previous books based around his photographs.

The Sonoran Desert had a similar effect on me years ago and expanded my sense of what ilandscape photography could be. Stone Canyons did not have as great of affect on me as the first book

More than anything else, the images in this book remind me why the large format camera is such a tremendous aid to seeing something more clearly and perceptively than you can with the naked eye. even more so than a 35mm or medium format or easily portable digital gear can. Some of the photos even have a sense of humor to them and when did you last see that in a photograph of a natural landscape? The reproduction of the images appears to be first rate and the design and typography of the book match its contents in quality.

In short there are wonderful things to be found in this book.

This book just shows how spectacular a desert can look with the magnificent photos around the Mojave desert and Death valley of emptiness, stark flowers and blooms and just superb landscapes. It'll give you some inspiration to find something to look for even in a desert.

I know I will as I will be going to Ayer's Rock (Uluru) in Australia in a few months and it's also a big desert!

This book is a beauty, some of the most beautiful photographs I have ever seen.

I spent the first week of September in southern California this year, and on Sunday before Labor Day I drove from Los Angeles up to Death Valley. I hadn't been there since I was a child and I have to say although it is a desolate and lonely place (and 114 degrees at Furnace Creek the day I was there) it is also one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The sand dunes at Mesquite Flat alone are worth the trip.

Everyone should see it, but if you can't buy the book. My copy came shrinkwrapped in plastic which I really like, the last thing you want is to buy a nice book like this in a bookstore where someone has spilled coffee on the pages.

As I went through this book, I kept asking myself, am I looking at the dessert or am I looking at the landscape photographs of Jack Dykinga? I've been to the Mojave and to Death Valley and I don't remember them looking so beautiful.

Dykinga's style reminded me of the work of Eliot Porter, with modern film stock. Most of his pictures have the same subtle quality, created by the use of analogous colors, that is, colors near each other on the color wheel, and varying only by tint or small changes in hue. A Dykinga picture almost always has one dominant hue like brown or tan or blue, and the hue rarely feels intense, even if it's a field of California Poppies.

It's obvious that Dykinga's work utilizes a large format camera. Everything is in sharp focus from foreground to distant mountains, thanks to small apertures and the ability to twist the light through his camera. This means that the picture is not going to immediately draw your attention to one aspect of the scene by controlled focus. More likely, the viewer will have to work his way through the picture, discovering things along the way.

The layout of the book seems to be well considered. Quite often two plates with similar subject matter will face each other and there is a synergistic effect from the comparison. For example, I delighted in examining two facing pictures of desert sunflowers. In both cases the yellow orange flowers have a hilly background, but one group of flowers is pushing up through dried-out, cracked clay, while in the other picture the flowers are growing from a small body of water collected for a brief time from rainfall. The mud and the water are both magenta in color but the textures are completely different. The thoughts that arose from the juxtaposition were not only about the variety of the desert but also about the nature of color and vision.

I suppose one reason that I never saw the dessert the photographer portrays is because most of the pictures were taken at the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. To have been that many places in the desert at just those times would have taken me months and months. At the very least, I can be a philistine and thank Dykinga for saving me a lot of time.

As to the text in the book, my feeling is that it probably has to be included for marketing purposes. Janice Bowers' essays seemed poetic and show that she loves the desert, but like most such commentaries, they do little to illuminate the photographer's work. I suppose the essays are worth reading once. The pictures on the other hand can bear many, many viewings and add something to the sense of the place each time.

I finally concluded that I was looking at the desert through Jack Dykinga's eyes when I viewed this book. I resolved to return to the actual desert again and see if I could continue to see it through his eyes.

Weber is great, so is this book. You can find the most origins of modern thoughts in his book

It seems that many people comment this book with the difficulty to read and the bad organization. However, I want to suggest that after read Schluchter's 'The Rise of Western Rationalism', you will know more about why Weber's writings are in this style. Simply speaking, it links to Weber's view of History, and if he want to elaborate the history in a approiate way, not a simple linear evolutionary way, he had to demonstrate the whole picture--or in Schluchter's word, 'basic configuration'--of history. History, in this case the rise of Rationalism, is not compose solely by few influential events, but also related to the others. Those 'significant historical events' are only the consequence of the competition between ideas and historical events, therefore, Weber wanted to explain why the configuration favour the rise of western rationalism, so he must concern all elements constitute the history. That is, Weber showed us the conditions and the process of competition within or among the many spheres, I think that is why Weber had to use this seems fragmented writing style.

I'm a little confused. I purchased this book because of it's comprehensiveness (1400+ pages of work by Weber), but when the book arrived, it was only about 700 pages long. Am I missing something here? If I paid $20 for a used 1400 page copy and receive a 700 page book, should I only be charged $10? Strange.

This is an uncommly brilliant work in social theory and sociology. Moreover, economic sociology was founded through "Economy and Society", especially its second chapter ("Sociological Categories of Economic Action") which is the size of a small book (approx. 200 pages).
The general theoretical approach of Weber can be characterized as one of "interpretive economic sociology", that is, as a type of economic sociology in which the concept of "meaning" is at the very center of the explanatory exercise.
Social action (to follow Ch. 1) is defined as a type of behavior to which meaning is attached ("action"), and which is oriented to the behavior of others ("social"). Economic sociology consequently deals with "economic social action".
"Economy and Society" was part of a larger work entitled "Handbook of Social Economics", which included volumess on "Economy and Nature", "Economy and Technology" - and "Economy and Society". In his work Weber explores such topics as "economy and law", "economy and religion", "economy and politics", and much more.
The work "Economy and Society", finally, is a bric-a-brac. Weber himself only sent 4 chs to the printer (=Chs 1-4). The rest of the 2 volumes consists of manuscripts that his wife and economist Melchior Palyi put together, pretty much as they saw fit. Caution is consequently necessary when reading "Economy and Society"; and this work should not be treated as "a book" by Weber.

I expect this comment is going to be useful, if at all, only to first year graduate students, so it'll be understandable if it's not rated very highly.... Anyway, just a quick note on Mr. Jack White's comment of April 11, 2000. One thing that Max Weber's Economy and Society is NOT, is a foundational text for structural-functionalism. That honor would probably go to Emile Durkheim's The Division of Labor in Society-- to be followed oh-so many years later by seminal works of Americans Talcott Parsons and Robert K. Merton. I'm not sure what Mr. White was thinking, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't about classical sociological theory.

Once again Samantha Dunn takes me to another place. She makes me laugh with her candid clumsiness and her determination to never fail. This is a woman that would be a wonderful best friend. OPRAH you should be reading Samantha Dunn!!!!!

When I read Sam Dunn's fabulous book, I felt exhiliarated -- not only was the writing so exciting, but she made me feel as if I, too, could be sexy, wild, a salsa dancer, maybe (despite being the much-harried mother of three children). Her writing is both vulnerable and wise, poignant and clear-headed -- I read the memoir in one sitting and then went to buy her other books.

I enjoyed this book. Her depiction of the evolution that a person undergoes when they commit themselves to learning how to dance salsa well was very accurate. I also loved how she accurately depicted the mentality of salseros on the salsa scene. It was dead on!

I loved this book so much - it's well written, insightful, and fun. I read the whole memoir in one sitting - I simply could not put it down! It's rich in metaphor and meaning: a must read!

I bought Faith in Carlos Gomez because it was selected by my book club for March, but I've already plowed through it and just ordered the author's other two books! For some reason, I was expecting a book about the life of a dancer, but the salsa world is merely a colorful backdrop for this heartfelt, lyrical, wildly funny book about one woman's search for love, identity and understanding. You will love this book if you've ever searched for love in all the wrong faces, lusted after a gorgeous stranger, found understanding in unforeseen places. SPOILER ALERT!!! There is an unexpected chapter about love and loss that will leave you in a puddle on the floor. I loved it!!

This was a deeply inspiring book, about how one person really can make a difference in the world. Father Greg Boyle found his calling inside the gang worlds of East Los Angeles. If a young member of a gang finds a job, Boyle makes sure the kid has the right clothes to wear. If he needs a ride to the safest bus stop outside of enemy gang territory, he gives the kid a ride in his car.

I live in Los Angeles, and reading this book gave me hope, left me feeling far more positive about LA. There are individuals who are doing incredible things, selfless acts, and I found the book to be inspiring. My only concern is that the author really went too far in her reporting and investigating, placing her own life and her five-year-old son's life in danger.

Father Greg Boyle has done miracles that not everyone can do in working with youth at-risk, especially Latino gang members of East Los Angeles (the "mother-island" of gangs). It ONLY takes a special and unique person to attract and aquire respect from the so-called "lost human-beings" that are involved in gangs. Not all adults see these latino youth as "human beings" whatsoever. Father Greg deserves MORE recognition for what he has done in the Pico/Aliso neighborhoods. Highly recommend this book. May GOD bless "G."

Fremon's account of Father Greg's early 1990's work in Boyle Heights, CA. is as moving and powerful a work as one is likely to read. The fact that this book is out of print (currently) is a crime!

FIRST OFF I WANT TO THANK FATHER GREG FOR CHANGING ALOT OF PEOPLES POINT OF VIEW ON GANSTERS ALOT OF PEOPLE JUDGE THE BOOK BY THERE COVER WELL FATHER GREG SPOKE THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PROJECTS IN EAST LOS I SHOULD KNOW I LIVED THERE AND I KNOW HIM AND ALOT OF THE GANG MEMBERS THAT FATHER GREG TALKED ABOUT HS BOOK. FATHER GREG TALKS ABOUT HOW HE EARNED HIS RESPECT FROM US GANG MEMBERS AND THE COMMUNITY NOT ONLY DOES HE INSPIRE PEOPLE WITH HIS BOOK BUT ALSO HE GETS RESPECT FOR NOT GIVING UP ON US HELPING US IN EVERYWAY POSSIBLE AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ALOT MORE OF EAST LOS IN THE CITY OF ANGELS..

I teach criminal justice courses at Dodge City Community College. One of the topics most students are interested in is hispanic gangs. I found this book to be excellent, and a number of students have also said positive things about the book. It gives the reader a realistic view of gang life in LA, and Father Greg's work is very encouraging. I tell my students that 1 person can make a difference in life, but most don't believe me. The book not only depited gang members and their lives, it also demonstrated some programs that were effective. I highly recommend the book!

This is a very good geology book. The American west is hideously complicated, and Mr Meldahl does a great job explaining it. He develops his concepts and uses aerial and satellite photos along with diagrams to illustrate. Being young and hence having completed his education recently, he brings to the text all the latest ideas and vocabulary.

And it does look as if we are getting a solid handle on it. His discussion of the horizontal subduction of the Farallon plate, and of its extra thickness suppressing vulcanism, was particularly timely. Just yesterday I read a story on Science Daily (dot com) about an area of Alaska lacking volcanoes. The authors of the paper gathered data indicating that the plate being subducted there posessed an extra thickness and was sliding along horizontally without actually sinking. I knew exactly what they were talking about, thanks to Hard Road West!

Many such prizes exist in the text. Read this book to get up-to-date on this complicated topic.

In 1985 the PC game "Oregon Trail" became available. My daughter and I played it when she was in grade school around 1988. I learned that about 135,000 people took the Oregon Trail. Mr Meldahl tells us that a total of 400,000 people took the California Train and Oregon Train together from 1841 to 1869 when the railroads went through. That leaves around 265,000 gold rushers. Was it really the greatest mass migration in American history? (preface pp xv) An average of 300,000 vehicles passed over the George Washington bridge every day in 2002. (NYSDOT 2002) You be the judge.

But why quibble? It is the journey that interests the author, and he uses his sources well. The many first-person quotes really were good, as were the contemporary illustrations.

So let's join Keith in raising a toast. I'll open a Heineken in their honor, and his, tonight. "Hey, I liked your book, man!"

As we make our way west Mr. Meldahl enlightens us not only to the features we pass but how we ourselves came to inhabit our planet. As we absorb the latest gripping geology we imagine with regret how much this knowledge would have pleased the pioneers. I know and love many of these places and now my excitement is magnified by this narrative. The inclusion of the photo of his dog Scout is one of the author's brilliant human touches. The merging of interjected historical records, romantic and unromantic impressions of travelers then and now with broad but incisive academic detailing into an even flow of narrative is astonishing. Superb drawings, maps and photos supplement and enlighten the text. I cherish this book. John Weiler

If you like geology, you will love this. Not a quick read and all the better for it. This discussion of how the West was formed makes the travails of the travelers West in the mid-nineteenth century seem superhuman. Every other chapter enlivens the material with excerpts from emigrant diaries. These are memorable! The book is well sourced,has helpful photographs and drawings and has a glossary of geologic terms. I found it hard to put down and even inspiring.

I did not know much about geology when I started, but I knew a lot after reading this lovely mixture of history and enthusiastic, clearly explained geology. The book is also a pleasure to hold and read. Excellent [though 'auriferous' has nothing to do with iron- 'fer' [aquifer, conifer]and ferr' are different roots].But that's trivial!

This is a really good book, a great read. The author is a gifted writer and he beautifully weaves the tales of the emigrant travels to California with the landscape geology that they had to cross. I am a big reader of geology books and this is one of the best that I have read. With all due respect to Mr. Mcfee who pioneered this genre (and I have also read and enjoyed over the years), I think this book is at least as good and maybe even better. First of all, Hard Road West uses numerous pictures and diagrams to explain complicated geological principals which are invaluable for understanding the geology. And Hard Road West lets the emigrants themselves tell the story though their travel journals. Its a wonderful approach and makes the geology jump out of the page as you follow the emigrants almost step-by-step through their many travel hardships crossing the west to reach California. He is a really fun writer and I look forward to many other books by him in the future. Highly recommended.