Indiana Books

I just finished this book - it's written so that the "average" history buff can understand it, but not too "dumbed down" for someone that may use it as a reference for a term paper.

It covers everything leading up to this fiasco that cost so many Canadian lives at a crucial time in the war. There were leaders, an then you see the dysfunctional relationship between the sea, air and land elements, even during the landings. My opinion - it should be required reading for military personnel on "how not to plan a military action", and you can understand how military forces of the former British dominions hold their British brothers in questionable esteem.

This is an excellent story of the Dieppe Raid conducted in 1942. This raid was, of course, a disaster with the Canadian division losing an incredible number of men. The story of the raid is well told, and the details well told.

More important, however, is the authors understanding of the overall implications of the raid.

After the disaster all of the military leaders involved rushed to find something to say that could put some saving grace onto the operation. It has become almost understood that this was a precusor to D-Day and that the lessons learned at Dieppe saved thousands on D-Day. The author asks: If this was the plan, why wasn't it mentioned in the before mission planning?

Later on, in North Africa Montgomery often expressed a very low opinion of the Americans as a fighting force. This was just after Kasserine Pass. Montgomery conveniently had forgotten that the British took a while to work up to professionalism as well. And one of the steps along the way was Dieppe.

This book is worth it for just Mr. Niellands excellent analysis, and worth it even if you know everything about Dieppe.

Dr. Curry has devoted many hours to this project over several years and should be proud of the results. The photos are excellent and descriptive information is useful as well. A great resource for entomology enthusiasts.

This is the only field guide on dragonflies in Indiana. It is very organized and easy to follow, with great full-color pictures of all the species. Great buy for any dragonfly enthusiast.

EBONY RISING is a preeminent collection of short fiction written during the Harlem Renaissance Era. What makes this book stand out from other anthologies with similar subject matter is that the book features a well-planned organizational structure and includes many lesser known writers and works. Beginning with the preface, editor Craig Gable showcases his breadth of knowledge of the era and it is clear that this book will not only be good reading, but also educational.

The selections are organized by the year of publication, with each year (or group of years) serving as its own section. At the beginning of each section a timeline of significant historical events and African-American literary accomplishments is included to help readers get a sense of the times in which the writings were published. In addition to including writers often omitted from anthologies, such as Eloise Bibb Thompson, and J. Saunders Redding, the collection has a good balance between male and female featured authors. At the end of the book there is a detailed listing of sources for further reading, brief biographic sketches of the featured authors, and a handy chart that highlights many of the major themes in the included works.

EBONY RISING is one of the best anthologies I have read. With clear organization, a unique selection of authors, and the inclusion of historical information, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in literature, particularly those with an interest in African-American literature or the Harlem Renaissance. This book is a refreshing yet educational treat.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

I like everything about this collection: the fact that it encompasses 52 stories covering over 27 years and a wide variety of content and styles; is gender balanced; presents works by both the famous and the lesser knowns beyond the actual boundaries of New York (plus lesser-known stories by the famous); and its chronological arrangement that allows the era to "grow." With the help of the author's preface, I dove right into the stories not previously anthologized, like Mercedes Gilbert's hilarious "Why Adam Ate the Apple" (with the memorable line "He started to rave, and jes' raised Cain.") I was not disappointed. Additional useful resources include a history of the era and a checklist of common issues, topics and plot components. This indispensable resource for the study of American literature belongs on every library shelf.

Marvin O'Connell's biography of Edward Sorin is an excellent work of scholarship as well as a superbly written story. Let me preface this review by saying that that as an undergraduate history major at Notre Dame I looked forward to Father O'Connell's classes because they were some of the best. He is a master storyteller and can make the mundane issues of history come to life.

In this book O'Connell tells us the story of a young religious order that has a missionary zeal expands into three foreign continents. As a student of Notre Dame history I found that Father O'Connell was able to give me new insight into the inner workings of the Indiana Provence. The chapter on the rebuilding of the main building after the fire is a remarkable tale. The fact that they were able to rebuild the building in less than five months is almost unbelievable. As a construction professional, I doubt that it could be done today.

I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to learn about early Notre Dame and Holy Cross history, however this book is more than the history of Notre Dame and Edward Sorin. This book gives a great snapshot of Catholic History in the United States.
This book along with Jay Dolan's The American Catholic Experience and Robert Burns' Being Catholic Being American will give you a great feeling for the formation of the American Catholic Church.

This is not a "beach book" but it reads almost like a novel and I found myself reading chapter after chapter late into the night.

Marvin O'Connell has done a wonderful and complete job of describing the life of Edward Sorin. The author begins in a small French village and brings the life of Sorin forward in clear and entertaining language. A story of faith, courage, and determination unfold in the 800 pages without wasting the readers time. The story of Edward Sorin who founded the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana reflects the American spirit. Overcoming difficulties, both human and physical elements, was commonplace for Sorin. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the life of Sorin, and allows his subject to serve as an example for all. This book is recommended as an excellent biography, inspirational writing, and American adventure.

Egypt in Africa is a great book based on a great museum exhibit and it's good to see it available through amazon.com. The book avoids the two popular extremes of denying all of the African roots and setting of Egyptian civilization and of claiming that anything and everything worthwhile in western civilization was African in origin. (This book makes it clear that Africa contributed so much that it's foolish to discredit its valid claims by exaggeration.) Instead the book is a calm, objective, and persuasive as well as readible and clear look at Egypt in its African context. If you want to understand the "big picture" when it comes to ancient Egypt, you really need this book. A professor of art history.

This is a timely and unique voice of sanity in the wake of the (shrill) debates still stirring over Black Athena. It is an attractively illustrated and informative volume on its own. As a bonus, it is a great bridge to further inquiry. It should be in EVERY high school and university library.

Eerie, Indiana was a wonderful show, and they did a fabulous job of writing a book series on it. The books are written so that even teens like me can enjoy them. Anyway, "Have Yourself an Eerie Little Christmas" is volume 5 of the Eerie book series.
Marshall makes a wish that it would snow for once, after shaking a strange snowglobe. The next morning, when they wake up, it's snowing...

It's two days before Christmas in Eerie, Indiana, and everybody's rushing to finish their last-minute shopping, including two friends: Marshall "Mars" Teller and Simon Holmes. They stop in at an odds-and-ends store called World of Stuff where Marshall finds a snow globe for his mother.

Later that night, while the two boys are getting ready for bed, Marshall makes an offhand wish for it to snow in Eerie like it does in the snow globe. The next morning, Marshall and Simon awake to a snow storm--and an 80-year-old curse that repeats the same day (December 24, 1917) over and over again. Only Marshall and Simon are aware of the repeated pattern and immediately search out the root of the curse, which originates at a mysterious house that looks exactly like the one in the snow globe.

"Have Yourself An Eerie Little Christmas" is the fifth book in the Eerie Indiana series, which is based on the same-named TV show ("Eerie, Indiana") that aired back in the early 90s. If you liked the show, you'll probably enjoy the books as well. If you've never heard of this series before (book or TV), I'd highly recommend you watch the reruns and read the books, especially if you'd like a junior approach to The X-Files.

This is a book to be enjoyed by all ages,not just the age group mentioned by Amazon; in fact, adults will have a much deeper appreciation of its universal themes. It is a beautifully written historical fiction that reflects love and loss at profound levels--personal and cultural. The story weaves together the historically accurate facts of an inter-racial marriage, war, death, and a father abandoning his family. William Conner leaves his first wife and children in poverty and homeless - sending them away on the "Trail of Tears" while he marries a second time and prospers -amassing a fortune from the land that was once the home of his first wife, a Native American Lenape, and their children. The spirituality, respect for the earth, and dignity of the Lenape people significantly contrast with the greedy American settlers. Even though the story is sad, it is laced with occasional humor and is an entertaining and informative read. The themes are timeless.

The End Of Forever: The Story Of Mekinges And William Conner by Denise Page Caraher is a novel for young adults, based upon a libretto written by the author, which in turn draws upon history, thought with some fictionalized characters and accounts. Set in the early nineteenth century, The End Of Forever is the story of a marriage between Indian scout William Conner and Mekings, the daughter of a Lenape Delaware chief. The pledged to love each other forever; but Conner broke his promise when encroaching press of settlers drove the Indians from their homeland. A profound story of love, greed, and the expansion of the American frontier. An epilogue adds the conclusion of history to this involving yet tragic tale.

I have many personal feelings about this book, which I have read at least 3 times. I grew up with and am best friends with his youngest son and met Mr. Petrov countless times. On many occassions I had the unique priviledge of being able to discuss his book and the events which took place with the author in person. Still, had I never met Mr. Petrov, I am sure I would not have enjoyed this book any less. This book ranks with such books as 'Papillon', and 'To Live and Die in Shanghai', as one of the greatest true life prison stories ever told. Calling the ordeals that Mr. Petrov survived 'Kafkaesque' is an understatement. If you can find a copy of this book, I guarantee you will be forever satisfied.

This is the collection of tales edited by Stith Thompson, one half of the team responsible for the Stith-Thompson classification system of folktales. Thompson pulls tales mostly from European sources and includes source and classification notes in the appendix. The tales are classics or often derivatives of well-known tales. They are also suitable for all ages. I have had this book for years and still pull it off my shelf on a regular basis.

I came to this book because I was inspired by "the Metaphysical Club" to learn more about the roots of pragmatism. The book is challenging. The Metaphysical Club points out that William James did not understand Peirce at first, so it is a bit much for mere mortals. It is especially daunting because the first essay is written with respect to Kant's categories, not something I know off of the top-of-my head.
However, as the books progresses many of the things that are assumed in the first essay are explained. For instance Peirce explains in detail what he means by a sign.

He discusses cognition, or consciousness and shows that logically our internal experience is based on external stimulation. It soon becomes impossible to ignore the fact that you are reading the works of a logician and that that is where he is coming from. But even though you might have to reread parts several times, once you master the arguements, it is satisfying indeed.

According to the introduction of the book and references, Peirce was influential. William James, Oliver Wendel Holmes and John Dewey were all influenced by him. Modern cognitive psychology owes much to William James. Psychology took a different direction through psychoanalysis and then behaviorism but cognitive psychology is now the dominate paradigm. Because of this Peirce has renewed importance.

My advice is to read it through once and not feel you have to get everything and the reread it because he explains things later that he assmes you know earlier.

People interested in the history and philosophy of logic will want to own this tour-de-force of selecting and editing. It contains large parts of Peirce's two most important contributions to mathematical logic: the 1880 "On the Algebra of Logic" and the 1885 "On the Algebra of Logic: A Contribution to the Philosophy of Notation" --both published in the American Journal of Mathematics, the same journal that brought out Russell's 1908 paper on the theory of types. Besides these two technical papers, which were influential in the development of mathematical logic, it also contains several more papers essential to understanding Peirce's philosophy of logic.

Luthi's book, like Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment," Stith Thompson's "The Folktale" and Propp's "Morphology of the Folktale," is an indispensable guide and resource on the folktale, covering all the elements that make folktales "tick": their abstract style, one-dimensional characters, and deliberate lack of detail regarding locale. In addition, he touches upon symbolism and what he calls the folktale's "true" and "false" styles. I most appreciate his minute dissection and analysis of all the components of the folktale. My field is folklore research, and I feel Luthi's "The European Folktale," has helped me to understand folktales more than any other book. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that this is a relatively slim volume (164 pages).

Luthi's book, like Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment," Stith Thompson's "The Folktale" and Propp's "Morphology of the Folktale," is an indispensable guide and resource on the folktale, covering all the elements that make folktales "tick": their abstract style, one-dimensional characters, and deliberate lack of detail regarding locale. In addition, he touches upon symbolism and what he calls the folktale's "true" and "false" styles. I most appreciate his minute dissection and analysis of all the components of the folktale. My field is folklore research, and I feel Luthi's "The European Folktale," has helped me to understand folktales more than any other book. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that this is a relatively slim volume (164 pages).