Arizona Books

Having never heard of Edward Abbey or any book he ever wrote (I picked up the book because it was the first on a shelf at the library) I was absorbed by this guy's life and tribulations. I even made it a point to start to read A Fool's Progress. I'm glad I took the time to read the book because it makes you realize that the guy was human, introverted and not the eco-rebel everyone thought he was. He was a writer. I love his mantra:
1) Write Right!
2) Write Good!
3) Write On!

Though he had his troubles with family life I thought his struggles with life, writing and being successful made for a good story.

Reading about Abbey provided me with the realization that some people in this world really do have a "life" - without many constraints, guilt, or heavy-duty obligations that are often tagged on to an individual by nature of his/her duty to satisfy others. Cahalan presents Abbey as a human being in search of his soul while dispelling the myths of his misogyny. Made more interesting by the fact that Cahalan was my professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2003, I easily became immersed into the journeys of Abbey, who like myself, see no boundaries for where I travel or where I go in the future. A great piece of interesting literature!! From the sands of Abbey's Southwest to the sands of Kuwait, I have fallen victim! This inspires me to write my own account of the life of an American woman who finds her passion in the deserts of Kuwait.

Edward Abbey's life was so interesting that most any decently-written biography of him should be entertaining. Cahalan's biography is certainly that, but he also delves into Abbey's psyche through the presentation of details that are ignored in other biographies of Abbey. Thus, the reader is provided an image of Abbey that has a lot of "texture," and, I believe, is closer to a faithful picture of the real man, faults and virtues combined. Cahalan does a good job of remaining impartial, and tries to present the events just as they are, so that the reader is pretty much left free to make his/her own judgements about Abbey The Man. This doesn't mean that Cahalan's personal opinions about Abbey don't come out in the book (he is sympathetic to Abbey), but he lets the reader know when he is expressing an opinion, and when he is stating what is taken as fact.

Biographies of famous authors, especially revolutionary ones like Abbey, is a genre that I have started to really enjoy. It seems that, for me at least, reading about the events, and the author's reactions to them, that helped to form such an extraordinary individual is often more entertaining than the author's own writings! That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed most of Abbey's books (not all, though). The same goes for Jack Kerouac. Cahalan's biography and Ann Charter's biography of Kerouac are two fine examples of biographies that read like novels, but are in some ways better, because they report actual events!

I had never even heard of Edward Abbey until Dr. James Cahalan's book was published. I live approximately 35 miles from Indiana and Home, Pennsylvania, and happened to catch an interview of Dr. Cahalan on my NBC affiliate in Johnstown.

This sparked an interest in Abbey and I immediately bought "The Fool's Progress." I struggled to get through 250 of the 513 pages of his "Fat Masterpiece."

I received Dr. Cahalan's "Edward Abbey: a life" as a gift and found it extremely interesting. The author provides very good insights into Abbey's life, his viewpoints and his writing style.

Reading this book has breathed new life into my interest in Abbey. Having read Dr. Cahalan's book has given me what I needed to now finish "The Fool's Progress" with a better understanding of the context in which the book was written. Also, as soon as I finished "Edward Abbey: a life" I bought "Desert Solitaire."

"Edward Abbey: a life" has given this casual (or maybe wannabe) Abbey fan the inspiration and understanding to become a true Abbey fan. In my opinion, this book is the perfect starting point for those fans wanting to explore the many facets of Edward Abbey's life, relationships and writing.

It's true that Cahalan never uses the term, and Abbey himself certainly never fesses up to it, but it's clear that's the case, as a careful reading of this great biography shows, especially if you've read the bulk of Abbey's own work as well, as I have.

Clues? The womanizing and multiple marriages, whether or not Abbey was a misogynist. The immature and obstinate behavior (Example A: Abbey rolling a tire off the South Rim of the Grand Canyon). These alone, if seen in the context of someone's drinking, almost stamp them on the forehead as a stereotypical Type A male alcoholic. If they don't, the whopper storytelling part of his personality does.

But, of course, that's not all.

Although it turned out to be an incorrect diagnosis, normally, there's only one reason you get a diagnosis of pancreatitis without some other medical condition being indicated along with it. And, of course, Abbey's ultimately fatal esophogal varisces are traceable directly to alcohol.

Now, that said, in addition to never owning up to being an alcoholic, Abbey never quit, contrary to myth that even Cahalan doesn't appear to catch.

That's clear from Abbey's final years journals, from which Douglas Peacock, Abbey's model for Hayduke, quotes in "Walking it Off."

In early 1988, Abbey describes the effects of withrdrawal from the codeine he had been using to try to suppress chronic coughing that aggravated the varisces. He explicitly says beer does not ease his codeine withdrawal symptoms.

To the degree that Cahalan, without labeling or analyzing, does catch Abbey's alcoholic behavior, he described it well. Unfortunately, whether because of lack of experience in dealing with the breed or whatever, he unfortunately doesn't analyze Abbey.

The alcoholism is of a piece with other parts of Abbey behind his legendary self-spinning, a glimpse behind that sometimes Abbey gives us himself.

Abbey adamantly insisted he was NOT an environmentalist. Well, the Grand Canyon incident, among MANY others, prove that point all too well. Again, Cahalan sees the pieces, but doesn't do the dot-connecting as much as one might like.

What Abbey really was, as shown by things such as his fondness for 20h century classical music mentioned in "Desert Solitaire," was an existentialist philosopher with a heavy dollop of libertarianism on top. If he had fallen in love with another way of expressing and getting in touch with both existential and libertarian selves, he wouldn't have been out in Arches National Monument.

And yes, we would have been poorer for that, but not as much poorer as Abbey idolators would have us believe.

Abbey deprived the environmental world, the world at large, and many people around, of what could have been much more that he had to offer. But, that's because he was ultimately depriving his own self of -- himself.

But, again, Cahalan, while laying out all the pieces, doesn't quite put the jigsaw together.

That's the prime reason this otherwise excellent bio falls a star short of the top.

Living in Australia, planning a road trip around the Southwest is not an easy consideration. I received this book and suddenly the Southwest was withing smelling distance. The reading is easy and expressive. I have a clear idea of where I will go and what I will do. No matter if I were travelling with children or on my own, I'd be clear about what is available to me. This will be the trip of a lifetime and this sensational book is a catalyst for my planning. Fully enjoyable, this book allows the magic of anticipation to grab me and give me colourful dreams.

This book was incredibly helpful to me. The maps are awesome. It's organized well. I hiked and did Route 66. The book was great for both. The table of contents is super accessible. Buy it and take it everywhere!

I have recently encountered poor Lonely Planet books, but this was not one of them. It is the good old LP at work.
The coverage of Las Vegas, however, was extremely poor. I spent there 24 hours and this book didn't have enough info for even that short of a trip. The rest is great.
The California LP had twice as much info on Las Vegas.

Does a very good job of covering a large area. This book exhibits the best of the Lonely Planet series: a combination of facts, interesting suggestions, opinion and background information. Good maps and graphics. I like that camping suggestions are included for many places.

I purchased this book before a recent visit to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos. I lived in Albuquerque for 4 years about 6 years ago, but I hoped to find new insigts on places to eat, explore, etc. Basically the guidebook told me where not to go. It failed to mention some excellent restaurants in Albuquerque including The Dog House, Las Mananitas, Il Vicino, etc. In Santa Fe I attended a class at the Santa Fe School of Cooking which was a five star class - not mentioned in the guidebook. In Taos I visited a community of alternative homes constructed of tires and cement (earthships.com will explain more) - again not mentioned in the book. I did go to look at a ruin near Espanola that was recommended, but the reservation does not allow admittance.

Peters can write and the book is mostly readable if you can get past the silliness. In the Amelia Peabody books Peters takes the rediculous and creates fantastic, entertaining and humorous literary concoctions.

Not so in Summer of the Dragon. I'm surprised she would allow these older books to be published under the same name as the Peabody series.

The heroine is a young anthropologist, D.J. Abbott (named after Deanna Durbin, but strangely embarrassed by this, why?)She takes a summer job working for eccentric millionaire Hank Hunnicut, who fills his beautiful Arizona home with a variety of charlatans, mediums, experts on Atlantis etc. She finds herself at daggers drawn with Hank's gorgeous assistant, Tom De Karsky, Elizabeth Peters' sexiest hero. Permanently hungry, she munches her way through the lavish and delicious meals served at the ranch, while cheerfully goading Hank's preposterous guests. Her spirited denounciations of the drivel spouted by these charlatans are some of the most amusing passages in the book. Some of the guests at least are up to no good, hank dissapears and D.J., Tom, and Debbie, the beautiful indian girl who loves Hank, embark on a desperate search. humour, suspense, romance, and wonderful descriptions of the desert, this book has everything you need for a pleasurable read.

This was one of the first Elizabeth Peters books I read. I read it years ago, and have reread it many times since. I recently went to Arizona for the first time - I have been dreaming of going there since I read this book back in the 80's. I fell in love with the Desert just as DJ does in this book. I highly recommend this novel - it's descriptive ability to place you in the spot where it takes place, I can now confirm, is fabulous! The humor is great, the charactors interesting!

One of my favorite of Elizabeth Peter's one off mysteries. This one involves a geology student finding herself in the middle of a geology murder mystery in the Arizona mountains. What sort of trouble will her eccentric wealthy benefactor get her into?

Ahhh, Peters is so, so great!

Anthropology grad student D.J. Abbott is a master procrastinator. She has left finding a summer job so late than when she sees her advisor about it, all that's left is an offer from well-known crackpot millionaire Hank Hunnicutt, who seems to believe in every weird theory floating about. Since it's an extremely generous offer, though, D.J. decides to apply for it (it doesn't hurt that Hunnicutt's Arizona ranch isn't within visiting distance from her parent's house, something very important for her).

Hunnicutt's already rejected a few applicants, but he accepts D.J., and so she heads over to Arizona. When she arrives, she finds the house full of assorted weirdos and a couple of extremely handsome men. She also meets the endearing Hank, who's very vague about the reason he wanted her at the ranch. He insists she rest and relax and enjoy the amenities until a certain gadget arrives... then he'll show her his discovery.

But soon thereafter, after a couple of suspicious accidents, Hank vanishes, and it falls to D.J. and a few allies to find out what happened to him... and which of the nuts might have had a reason to make him disappear.

Summer of the Dragon has three strengths which are the reason I love this author so much. First, there's the characters. Peters is a master at creating fascinating, three-dimensional, fresh secondary characters, and she's not bad with her protagonists, either! Each of the weirdos in residence has a distinct personality, and they are, every one of them, loads of fun. As for D.J. and her romantic interest (whose identity I won't reveal here, though anyone familiar with her books will probably deduce it the minute he shows up), they're great. I especially loved the way D.J. was a declared feminist and refused to take any silliness from anyone (remember this is a 1979 book, so she's a very unique heroine that way), and the way Peters wrote her total enjoyment of food... and her guy's reaction to this!

Second, I absolutely adore Peters' writing. She's got a wonderful sense of humour, and this shows through, not only in extremely funny scenes, but also in the very way she puts things. If you want to see what I mean and haven't yet tried this author (what are you waiting for?), just go use the Look inside feature amazon offers and read the first couple of pages.

Third, Peters' plots are always enormously entertaining, and I always love her mix of adventure and archeological and historical elements. Summer of the Dragon wasn't an exception. It takes a while to get to what's going on, but once we do get there, it's fascinating, as is the setting!

Mr. Momaday's voice in his collection of stories is priceless. He tells of the Kiowa's legends, follows them up with facts, and includes his own reflections on what it means to be Kiowa, Indian/Native American, human. The inclusion of his father's artwork makes this an even more impressive volume.

I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Momaday at a Western Writers Conference where he gave readings from this collection. And, not being a writer myself I felt out of place. It was Mr. Momaday's voice (think James Earl Jones), and his notice of me (the only other Indian/Native American in the auditorium) that mesmerized me. I've been a fan ever since.

This book is deceptively short: it can be read in about an hour, but you find yourself going back and reading its various passages and thinking about them long afterwards. Momaday tells a story of the Kiowa Indians by tying in three aspects: folklore, actual historical events and his own family history. The book's format underscores this, with the first, folkloric item printed on one page, and the historical and personal reflections in separate paragraphs on the facing page, all set in different fonts. Not meant to be a comprehensive account of the Kiowas, it is rather an attempt to express the author's own feelings and his own view of his heritage. In this he largely succeeds, as he writes poetry in a simple yet powerful prose form. The only shortcoming for me were the illustrations (done by Momaday's father), which seemed to add little to the overall narrative. Otherwise, "The Way to Rainy Moutain" is a very unique and worthwhile book.

The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday; illustrated by Al Momaday. Highly recommended.

Rainy Mountain, a "single knoll [that] rises out of the plain in Oklahoma," is an old landmark for the Kiowa people. It is a land of bitter cold, searing heat, summer drought, and "great green and yellow grasshoppers." It is a land of loneliness, where the Kiowa were drawn after a long journey from the northwest through many types of lands.

The Way to Rainy Mountain is about the journey-in myth, in drawings by Momaday's father Al, in reminiscences, and in historical snippets. All reveal aspects of Kiowa culture, life, philosophy, outlook, spirituality, and sense of self-the beauty and the desolation, how the introduction of the horse revolutionized Kiowa life, the story of Tai-me, and the richness of the word and the past. It is a literal journey as well; Momaday, in Yellowstone, writes, "The Kiowas reckoned their stature by the distance they could see, and they were bent and blind in the wilderness."

This is a small gem of a book, beautifully written, illustrated, and designed. It has moments of insight, beauty, and sadness, as the ending of the Sun Dance, telling as the sun is at the heart of the Kiowa's soul-a soul that survives in every word and drawing of The Way to Rainy Mountain.

Diane L. Schirf, 3 March 2002.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, N. Scott Momaday, has compiled a remarkable book of Kiowan myths and stories. Each story is followed by relevant historical and anthropological commentary and by Momaday's personal memories and musings. Taken as a whole, it is the story of the Kiowa tribe during its Golden Age from the 18th to the late 19th centuries. It is beautifully illustrated by Al Momaday, the author's father.

It is a soulful, nostalgic look at a people and way of life that is now all but lost to us. There is much to be learned from Mr. Momaday's thoughts and reflections. There may come a time when our own culture will wane and pass from the earth. If you've enjoyed this book, take a look at The Wisdom of the Native American, edited by Kent Nerburn, which contains orations and essays by Native American leaders. That book is also very good.

In his writing, Momaday creates a vibrant sense of how stories are expressed through living words within vital communities. His brillant blending of mythology, folktales, oral history, historical descriptions, and personal reflections all connect in a fascinating story about finding one's way in life's journeys. The writing is so vivid and the book is so animated that patient readers will connect with what Momaday presents, provided that they choose to share in the reflective silence that he offers on the way to Rainy Mountain.

I heard about this series on the Podcast "Security Now" with Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte. The book was a fun read - I appreciate how scientifically based it was; each aspect of space flight seemed well thought out and quite plausible. The story is also interesting and characters are fairly well developed.

McCollum does a very good job of telling a story. Has all the elements nessary to make you want to read it over and over.

I really enjoyed this book. This is straight science-fiction about the far future when humanity has colonized several star systems. There is some contact with an aggressive alien race. I enjoyed the fact that the book was more or less from the protagonists viewpoint and we did not get real insight into the Aliens. This made the aliens more... well... ALIEN!! The politics, the technology, the subplots were all believable, interesting, and enthralling. I couldn't put this book down!

I have found it hard to find good science fiction books. Ones that are more "hard science" than straight story telling, but still have an enjoyable story to tell. This is the second of McCollum's books I have read and they are both excellent. I found the concepts very interesting, and the story engrossing. In general, the book was very enjoyable to read. When I finished it, I couldn't stop myself from starting Antares Passage, despite the fact that it was 1:00am and I had to get up in the morning...

Antares Victory, the conclusion to the Antares Dawn/Antares Passage series was completed on July 4, 2002.

Michael McCollum
Sci Fi - Arizona

Diana Lively and the other characters are so real that this story could easily be a great comedy movie. Anyone who is looking for a fun, on the edge of your seat book will surely enjoy escaping into the humorous and poignant situations into which Diana falls.
Please write more about what happens to Diana and her family next...I feel as if I know them all so well. A sequel would be so welcome.
I can't wait for more from this author!

I've never posted a review before for any books, but I liked this book so much that I decided that this would have to be my first. The author develops the characters in the book so well that you feel like you know each one of them personally. The plot had tons of surprises and it kept me guessing right until the very end. I found this book in a bargain book store and I really didn't have high hopes for it, but once I started reading it, I was hooked!

Sheila writes in what some may call a new genre -- the fantasy novel...set in real-time her story is BIGGER THAN LIFE...Reminds this reviewer of a ver broad comedy-- kind or like HOLLYWOOD WIVES although this is a 'smaller' landscape. She moves from London to Arizona with her family and academic husband. He's a verbally abusive philanderer -- but she knew that already...what she doesn't know or doesn't 'feel' is that she is still a very talented architect and by a combo of circumstances and fates -- she's back in the limelight again. Her experience making doll-houses turns out to be valuable in helping to design a Medieval theme park in the desert....and the good news is that her fink husband gets his just desserts.....a lot outrageous, always fun and one of those great books to read if your man has done you wrong...GO GIRL...love to see a film made out of this...now who could play Diana??

I can't believe all these reviews. I think I'm on page 60-something, and I'm pretty sure I'll be putting this one down. Sheila Curran is a good writer, but the plot is stupid, and the characters I could care less about. I don't think I'll be wasting my time finishing this one.

I just finished this book and enjoyed it so much that I searched for more books by Curran! To my great disappointment, I found none.

I am an avid reader of all sorts of fiction but am really drawn to books about relationships, and especially the not-quite-right ones.

Specifically, what I most appreciated about this book was:

A) The author subtly revealed the true heart of each character, rather than make it glaringly obvious from page 1

B) The love the characters have for each other, which included sibling love & rivalry, but always loyalty

C) Sexual preferences which were not always what we assumed them to be and were treated with the utmost respect, not judgmentally

D) The way every "good" character in the book came upon information about the "bad" character bit by bit, but never passed on in a hurtful manner to the other "good" characters

E) How it all came together in the end, so that everyone really gets what they deserve.

I had to re-read the last several chapters because I flew through them so quickly the first time, impatient for more drama! I took the book once more and really took my time to get all the details which led to this book's most satisfying ending.

The book came and it was like new--maybe it was new. I thought it took a bit longer to get to me than usual, and, if so, it's no big deal

I look through thousands of books a year as a reseller, but I read about 2 books a year. This one got my attention because I have a son who is 1/2 Navajo. His mother suffered the same sort of fate as Yvette. "voluntarily" seperated from brothers and sisters at the age of 5, sent to Utah, a mom she has not met, alcohol, violence etc etc etc . . .

This book does a very good job of relating what rez life is really like, and gives a good insight into Navajo culture.

I am a classically stoic, but I had tears in my eyes all the way through this book. I encourage anyone who is interested in the journey of the Navajo to spend some time on the reservation. Drive around, meet the people. Western culture has a lot to learn from this society.

Read Ward Churchill's writings too, don't judge him by what the media has said about him.

This is an amazing and detailed story - and I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not read it - suffice it to say that 'discovering ones roots' is neither an easy nor a direct path to tread - the brave people who undertake this quest never cease to amaze me .......

Like many of the readers I couldn't put the book down until I read it from cover to cover. While reading the story I found out these people were my extended family! I know everyone mentioned in the book. As a youngster I remember the crusade of Aunt Desbah, Uncle John and others in finding the twins who were stolen as babies. I wept at the end when Yvette participated in the holy Hozhoji ceremony to be reunited with her birth place, family, culture, and environment. Very moving!

Aunt Betty, Yvette's biological mother lived a very brave life as she longed and searched everyday of her life wanting to be reunited with her twins. May God bless her soul.

Looking For Lost Bird:
A Jewish Woman Discovers Her Navajo Roots.
Yvette Melanson with Claire Safron
Bard Books. 233 pages. $22.00
By Elliot Fein

Looking For Lost Bird is a true story that is disturbing yet compelling. A Native American Navajo Indian woman gives birth on her reservation home in Arizona to twins, a girl and a boy. During their infancy, both children get sick. The mother takes the children to the nearest local hospital for a diagnosis.

Hospital staff members instruct her that they will need to keep the two children over night for observations. When the mother returns the next day, the children are gone. The hospital has no record that they were ever admitted.

The kidnapped infant children are each adopted in Florida by two different families. One of the families is a young Jewish couple that lives in a New York City suburb. Looking for Lost Bird is the story of the Navajo girl, Yvette Melanson, who is raised in that Jewish household.

As an adult, Melanson discovers her Navajo origins and searches for her family roots. She finds her family (minus her mother, who died of a broken heart grieving for two lost children) still living on the Navajo reservation in which she was born. At the age of forty-three, Melanson decides first to visit her birth family in Arizona, then to move there permanently with her husband and two children.

While adjusting to the reservation, Melanson learns and begins practicing the religion, culture, and way of life of her birth family. In this process, she abandons many of the Jewish cultural practices (but not necessarily Jewish values) in which she was raised.

Melanson's Jewish parents (particularly her mother) provide a loving and caring environment for their daughter. In Yvette's recollection of how she was raised, their warts do surface, particularly the shortcomings of her father. After her mother becomes ill and eventually dies during her teen years, the father changes into a different, less appealing character.

Melanson never reveals whether her Jewish parents knew about her Navajo origins. The reader is left to speculate whether the knowledge, if known by her Jewish parents that she was stolen from a Native American Indian family would have impacted their decision to adopt.

What is surprising in the telling of this life story is the absence of any form of anti-Semitism by the author. When Melanson writes critically about her mother and father, she writes about them as individuals. She does not associate her criticism of them with Judaism as a faith tradition.

On the reservation, when she begins taking on Native American Indian ways, Melanson naturally compares Navajo culture to Judaism. In this comparison, Melanson writes with respect, affection, and even admiration about the religious tradition in which she was raised.

Melanson tells her life story (with the help of Claire Safron) with compassion, humor, and eloquence.

I recently led a book club at my synagogue. A member of the club recommended that I read Looking for Lost Bird. After reading it, we immediately decided to include Looking for Lost Bird one of our featured selections. The book provides a great opportunity to learn about Navajo culture and to see how it compares to Judaism as a religious tradition. The book is also a true gift for adopted individuals, particularly native American Indians, seeking to uncover their past.

Elliot Fein teaches Jewish Studies in the Tarbut V'Torah School in Irvine.

Nine-year-old twins Mitchell and Amy are opposites -- he's good in math and bad in reading, while Amy's good in reading and bad at math. She is serious and worries about everything, while he just plain doesn't seem to care. And no matter what Mitchell or Amy does, it generally results in the other running to complain to their parents.

It seems the twins will never find common ground...until a bully comes along. Although he begins to torment them separately, it's working together that Mitchell and Amy will finally begin to see eye to eye.

Twins Mitch and Amy are totally different from each other.
While Mitch does best in his multiplication tables, Amy does best in her reading. They fight almost constantly, about the littlest things, and they like to annoy each other, like when Mitch had to read aloud to their mom, Amy sat in the same room, and kept on bugging him by gloating on which page she was on, and when their parents forgot about making Amy do her multiplication tables, Mitch reminded them. They never had anything in common, until Alan Hibbler, the neighborhood bully, bothered both Mitch and Amy. The twins set aside thier differences and then they went against Alan.


I think this is a good book, but then since I don't have any siblings, I couldn't really feel the pain that they go through at times, arguing and fighting. But then Mitch and Amy kind of helps. It also tells about standing up to bullies, such as Alan Hibbler.

Do you have a twin brother or sister? Mitch has a twin sister that has trouble with multiplication, but he has trouble with reading. Mitch And Amy is a realistic fiction story by Beverly Cleary. The book is about twins that have nothing in common, but when faced against the 5th grade bully, Allen Hibler, their differences don't matter.
Beverly Cleary also wrote The Romona Quimby Series, which is like
Mitch And Amy. The setting is at home and school. The people I would encourage to read this book are kids, ages 8-10, who have a twin or kids who have friends who have twins because it shows both sides of the twin's lives.
The strong points in the book are when Mitch or Amy has their problems and the weak points in the story are the descriptions of the characters because the author didn't use many descriptions. Will you have to fight a bully with your sibling?

My b/g twins and I read this book together. They are soon to be 9 and the book describes the life of twins so well. Well we read this book I kept saying boy they sound like you two to my twins. This is a fun book to read. My twins would tell you it's a must have book.
We all know Beverly Clearly is an awesome writer and she wrote this book so well.

There are actually two versions of this book- an newer one with illustrations by Alan Tiegreen, who has been doing the illustrations for Beverly Cleary's books since the 70's, and the original, which had illustrations by George Porter. I guess Mr. Porter was the intermediate link between Tiegreen and Louis Darling, the illustrator of Mrs. Cleary's books in the 50's and early 60's. It's a matter of personal taste over which illustrations are better. I grew up reading the version with Mr. Porter's illustrations, which depicts the characters as definitely children of the 1960's. On the other hand, Mr. Tiegreen's depictions of Beverly Cleary's characters are less realistic looking, but because of their rather cartoony appearance are not as susceptible to looking as dated as those by Porter and Darling.

Beverly Cleary always took experiences from her own life to include in her books, but "Mitch & Amy" is probably the most personal of her fictional books. She, herself, was the mother of boy-girl twins and actually lived in the San Franisco setting of the book. Maybe because it was about two subjects so close to her real life, her twins and her adopted hometown, that she never did a follow-up story. Thus, "Mitch & Amy" is one of Mrs. Cleary's very few "stand-alone" books.

It's the story of a twin sister and brother, Amy and Mitchell, who live in San Francisco. Despite their shared birthday, they are seemingly exact opposites who constantly squabble with one another. However, deep-down there is a very strong bond between the two of them and each one truly understands the other. Sometimes they forget that bond. Yet when a bully targets each twin individually, the two of them bond together to help each other overcome this mutual menace.

This is a typical Cleary novel- told with her usual sense of humor and wonderful ability to capture what really matters to children. Regardless of whether the illustrations show Porter's 60's era children with their flat-top haircuts and short pants or Tiegreen's pug-nosed characters, most kids will probably enjoy reading about these two regular kids who just happen to be twins.

In "Muisi's Story", an autobiography penned by Katsu Kiricho, the reader is treated to a glimpse of Tokugawa era Japan through the lens of a restless and rebellious samurai. This work reveals the other side of life in Edo (later Tokyo), which is far removed from the sanitized version found in history books and found on the pages of the sages and shogunate of that day. The fact that the country of Japan was in the midst of a prolonged period of peace and was united for over 200 years rendered the samurai dormant and lacking in enemies. So idleness became the enemy of some samurai and in this case the author Katsu.

In this setting, Katsu writes of his life and times. Living between the years of 1802 and 1850, Katsu was born into a samurai house, but at the age of seven was adopted into the home of another samurai family. And, from his earliest recollection, he exhibited a headstrong and confidently confrontational nature that would have served him well on the battlefield, but there were no battles to be fought. So, Katsu battled himself in an attempt to find meaning in life and to satisfy his insatiable appetite for adventure. And, in so doing, he broke from the traditional code of the samurai.

A contemporary of Katsu, Samurai Soshici composed a code for samurai to adhere to. In the code, he admonishes samurai to honor parents; honor superiors; maintain peace in the neighborhood; instruct descendants; be constant in your Way; and avoid bad behavior. Katsu broke all of these codes religiously. In fact, he stole from his family; disobeyed edicts; ran a protection racket; rarely mentioned his son; was never content in his Way; and frequented brothels like they were a Starbucks. Yet, somehow he seemed like a good guy.

And, in defense of his actions or a falling on his sword, Katsu reveals his rationale for his behavior and the purpose of his autobiography. Reflecting on his life, he argues in a thinly veiled fashion that although he was disenchanted with his achievements, it was not his fault, but instead he was merely a victim of his DNA. From his earliest recollections through his years of retirement, he was a man of action and adventure. Nevertheless, codes were broken and as a token of respect for these codes he changed his name in retirement from Katsu to Musui, which means, "besotted son." And, although he writes to admonish his grandchildren unto good behavior, more likely it was fashioned for the consumption of his son who was rising through the ranks.

In the last analysis, "Musui's Story" is an engaging view of the period and of the commonality of mankind. Moreover, the autobiography is an engaging glimpse of a man that is recognizable in his bold and restless ways. Even though we don't see this type of man often, they are the players that comprise urban legend.

Musui's Story is an autobiographical account of a low ranking samurai in the early 17th century and his station in life. Seen from the prologue and his after thoughts, he was sending a message "Live a better, more righteous life than mine. Learn from my mistakes and my experiences." The story was written from the perspective of a man who did not always do the right thing. If you are looking for a tale of a self-sacrificing, courageous, romanticized life of a great samurai warrior then this is not it. This is the life of a man who tried to survive by any means necessary in the Tokugawa period of Japan.

The life of a samurai is often considered a noble and respected one, but reading Musui's story will show you that there are always exceptions. This autobiography offers a unique glimpse into what would be a other wise unheard of life. Katsu Kokichi (Musui's younger name) wrote a biography of his life, but not as a work of literature. HE wrote this as a guide to his children, a guide on how not to live one's life. And considering how his son Rintaro turned out, it may have worked.

Early on in the book you get a sharp look at what kind of person Kokichi is. This made for a quite entertaining read due to the fact that Kokich led quite and interesting and perilous life. Hitting other kids with rocks, running away from home, and stealing money from family made up a substantial part of Kokich life.

It got so bad that at one point his family was forced to lock him in a cage for three years - some timeout. Aside from all the fighting and mischief, I found the most interesting part of this book was the times during which Kokich had run away from home. It was interesting to see the interaction Kokich had with the people he met during his travel and the measures that he took to stay alive and fed.

Overall I found the book enjoyable and easy to read. Being that it was an autobiography, I really enjoyed the perspective and insight on Kokichi's life that it offered.

Who writes an autobiography? Most people who write them are people of note, movers and shakers in their realms and time-periods, people with something to say. Rarely do we get to read the autobiography of a general loser, someone who is by no measure a good person, and someone completely beyond admiration. Welcome to Musui's world.

Musui, also know as Katsu Kokichi, was a low-ranking samurai and general good-for-nothing who never thought beyond his immediate needs, and did his best to attain something for nothing when ever possible. He started out bad, as a schoolyard bully who used his status as a samurai to push around lower-ranking kids. The older he got, the worse he got, and all means to control him or teach him respect failed, including his father locking him in a cage and forcing him to read classic military treatise. He was eventually adopted off into another family, which brought along with it a bride and a meager salary. It was never enough to keep up with his habit of visiting prostitutes in the Yoshiwara pleasure districts, so he was soon a leader amongst the black market, working with local extortionists and hoodlums, selling swords and working every possible kind of confidence racket.

Now, everything in this book should be taken with a grain of salt. Katsu was a grand liar with an enormous ego, who bluffed his way into money and out of trouble on a regular basis. His tales of his exemplary swordsmanship, his acts of kindness, his ability to drink bottle after bottle of sake without ever getting drunk, smacks as more wish-fulfillment than the true character of an unrepentant rouge. The translator, Teruko Craig, has added some notes on the accuracy of Katsu's tales, and surprisingly some of the most fantastic adventures are backed up by other sources. I suppose it is up to the reader to determine what is fact and what is fiction.

Teruko Craig has worked a minor miracle with this translation. Because of Katsu's sketchy literacy, and limited vocabulary, he has had to pull out all the stops in making a readable text that still maintains the flavor of Katsu's way of writing. The result is a very enjoyable, readable book that brings a nice balance to the world of the samurai. We have all read of the honor and integrity. It is nice to have some of the Low along with the High.

During the 1840s in Japan, Katsu Kokichi wrote his own life story in this book, which was translated into English by Teruko Craig. During the late period of the Tokugawa era, Katsu Kokichi came from a lower-class samurai family with a stipend of 100 koku of rice. Katsu became a rebel child during his earlier life and he has run into trouble numerous times throughout his lifetime. There are nine chapters in this book with the addition of Craig's introduction in which he gives the historical background of Katsu. Through the book, there is a moral insight on why samurai declined in the mid-1800s. By looking at Katsu's life and his surroundings in Tokugawa Japan, the role of samurai, how Katsu broke the code of samurai, why he behaved in dishonorable ways, and three small evidences for the decline of a samurai is analyzed.

The role model of a samurai was to be on his best behavior, not commit any acts of crimes which would disgrace his lord or his family, and to show his loyalty to his shogun and to his emperor. The samurai would set an example for his offspring or for his students in which they would soon become better samurai and honorable warriors. The son of a samurai would go to school to take lessons to be an educated swordsman and a skilled horse rider. In Katsu's book, the commoners or a fellow samurai had respected, honored, and treated Katsu family fairly as a samurai after he became known for helping out a few people in the critical situations, which was part of a samurai's honorable ways. But, whether samurai does something unwise or disgraceful in his own personal time, he not only dishonored himself but to his entire family house. This is what happened with Katsu when he broke the code.

With Katsu's lifestyle, breaking the code of a samurai is contemplated. Katsu's own lifestyle is different from other samurais because he had behaved badly and acts in an irresponsible way, as evident in this book. Judging from his actions and misdeeds, Katsu had cheated to get what he wanted. And, by judging his actions as a child would explained why he behaved in such dishonorable ways since he had shown that he does not want to learn his lessons at school and wanted to "have fun." Because he had issues at home and at school, Katsu developed a hatred and anger toward his fellow samurais and started getting into fights with them, which was not part of true lifestyle of a samurai. In some aspects of Katsu's behavior, he thought he was better than other samurais and became ignorant and shallow, which may have led to his failure of becoming a true honorable samurai and why he failed to hold government office post during his adult years.

Through Katsu's experiences in this book, there were three notable evidences which may have led the samurai class to decline in the mid-19th century. These evidences included he wealth of the samurai, the tax money, and the corruption between the samurai and the peasants. When one analyzed these evidences in this book, one would noticed why this is so.

The role of samurai, how Katsu broke the code of samurai, why he behaved in a dishonor ways, and the evidences of samurai's decline through Katsu's experiences is expressed very well in this book. The experiences of Katsu Kokcihi in "Musui's Story" were an interesting perspective of the lifestyle and the "feudal" culture in the Tokugawa Japan before the decline of samurai.

Such an insightful book, and it is to be recommended.

Granted, most folks hiking in the GC will already be buying this, but I wanted to note that it's on a weird, thick, rubber-like paper that's waterproof. Very, very nice. I have no doubt that it will hold up well on the trail, which is more than I can say about some other maps I have.

This turned out to be a very useful map for planning our trip. I couldn't have asked for anything better, and so colorful and durable too.

This map is fantastic. I'm a visual person, and this map really makes Grand Canyon details clear. (I have two other top-selling Grand Canyon maps.) Only drawback: it is not like others in tough/tear-resistant aspect. I gave the map to my son for our hike to Grand Canyon, and he made a Kinko's color copy of it, then laminated the copy, thereby preserving the original. We used his copy constantly throughout our hike. Besides being a great map, this has tons of info packed into it.

I like this trail map. It's much better than National Geographic Road Guide to Grand Canyon National Park (NG Road Guides). This map is easier to read. There is a wealth of information on this map; it's almost a mini-guidebook.

What I like the best about the cartography it Kent Schulte's approach to 3D topo maps. Instead toe usual approach of using shading to light and shadow as if the sun were shining obliquely across the landscape, in this map they use shading to indicate elevation. In terrain as rugged as the Grand Canyon, this approach works better.

This map is a great guide for hiking on the primitive trails or routes. The only problem I found with it is that it shows 6.0 miles from the North Rim to Cottonwood via the Old Bright Angel route, but it is actually 9 miles.