Montana Books

Michael Malone, who has since passed away, was a great scholar. As with his previous writings there is some overlap, but plenty of new material, as well. Other great books include Emmons' book which is also first class. Thus, I would recommend both Malone's early writings and Emmons book. The "Copper Camp" written during the Works project is another book worth looking at; but keep it in historical perspective. It seemed rather racist to me, particularly in the manner in which it deals with the Native American population.

This is what most people would call the "definitive" one-volume history of Montana, and I'd have to agree. Written primarily to serve as a testbook for college-level history courses, this is a comprehensive, balanced, and detailed overview of Montana's fascinating history. All three authors knew the state extraordinarily well, and clearly loved its past. (Both Malone and Roeder taught history at Montana State University, and Malone later served as the school's president; Lang edited the Montana Historical Society's journal.)

Still, it's difficult to recommend this book to the casual reader. By striving so diligently for completeness and balance, the authors created a product that is weighty, dense, and largely without style. Montana's vibrant, spirited history has been rendered lifeless here, and reading this book can be very slow going. As a professional historian, I find it to be a great reference tool, but its not something that most folks will want to read for fun. Instead, you might consider these two evocative and beautifully-written histories of the state: Joseph Kinsey Howard's "Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome" and K. Ross Toole's "Montana: An Uncommon Land." Both are classics in their field, and are wonderful reads.

When I recently asked at the Montana Historical Association about the best history of Montana, this was the book recommended. Having read many books about Montana, I agree. The current edition, published in 1991, is authored by Malone, Roeder, and Lang. An earlier publication in 1976 was by Malone and Roeder alone, and the newer revision is significantly updated.

While acknowledging that Montana's history dates back thousands of years before white Europeans first appeared on the scene, this text primarily deals with history since the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805-1806.

Fur traders and mountain men followed quickly after Lewis and Clark. They explored the land but didn't settle anywhere for long. The populating of Montana began in the western part of the territory in the 1860s with the development of the gold and silver mining districts. Geographically, western and eastern Montana differ greatly. Cattlemen were the first developers of eastern Montana, primarily after 1880, and were followed after 1900 by the farmers of the homestead era. "A History of Two Centuries" is one of the few books to treat development of the entire state evenly.

Gold, cattle, mining, homesteading, railroads, economics, drought, and the evolution from frontier to integration into the United States are all elements of Montana's history. Each of these ingredients caused Montanans to compete forcefully against the natural world and one another. Many of the ingredients have spawned individual books. No other single book covers them all so well.

A lot of the Montana's history is at the heart of America's "Wild West." Few writers have the discipline to describe Montana without getting caught up in the romance of the myth. That is unfortunate since the facts provide ample romance. The reader of this text will find plenty of "wild west" in the people, development, and politics of Montana. It is a worthy successor to "Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome," which for years served Montanans as the best account of their state's history.

The chapters are roughly chronological and the authors provide an extensive bibliography for each chapter.

I am from Montana and have never really learned the history. I became interested after seeing a Montana Historical Society art showing. They recommended this book as the best general review out there. It is rare that any author can capture Montana's extrordinary beauty with words, but Mr. Malone does that surprisingly well. I would have to agree with the Historical Society that this is a great book for people unfamilier with Montana's diverse and amazing history.

In Notes On A Scandal, Zoë Heller presents a novel narrated by Barbara Covett, a history teacher in St. George's, a comprehensive school in north London. When Bethsheba Hart joins the staff as a pottery teacher, Barbara realises that a special person may just have entered her life.

Sheba seems to be much that Barbara is not. She is younger, attractive, apparently free-thinking, married, has children and is irretrievably middle class. What she is not, unfortunately, is an experienced teacher, having trained only after bringing two children into adolescence. She is thus going to find life at St. George's rather tough.

For reasons best known to herself, the sixty-ish, self-assessed "frumpy" Barbara decides to keep a journal. Sheba figures in its pages and eventually comes to dominate them. It is an out of character pastime, perhaps, since Barbara seems to have little but contempt for her colleagues, and survives her educator's role by constantly keeping her students at arm's length. Perhaps this is what Barbara has done with every aspect of her life, despised it and shunned it in one. Strange, then, that Sheba, her character, her actions, even her words come to dominate Barbara's thoughts.

Like many who meet this new teacher, Barbara becomes apparently infatuated with this elegant, apparently free spirit. And also, we learn, does one of her pupils, a fifteen year old boy called Stephen.

Sheba, of course, is not the confident, satisfied, fulfilled dominatrix that others invent. She is a vulnerable, not quite organised mother of two. The elder daughter is a difficult teenager, the younger son disabled. Her husband is considerably older than her. Like Barbara, she also suppresses emotion, suppresses it, that is, until it takes over her life with abandon as her relationship with the boy simultaneously fulfils both reality and fantasy. It lasts for several months before it inevitably comes to light.

Barbara's role, throughout, is central. She is in the know. She is watching. She is not in control, of course, but exercises considerably more power than an onlooker. And when, eventually, the muck hits the fan, Barbara, who has done her share of the slinging, gets hit by some of the fall-out. The denouement is both surprising and logical. Though it is Sheba's motives that the police, the national press and her colleagues want to dissect, it is Barbara's that must interest the reader. She as been an informed, motivated diarist, it seems.

An easy read, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected to. The characters were annoyingly tedious.

This is simply a delicious book. It looks deep into the human heart, and what it discovers will keep the reader turning its pages. The narrator of the story is Barbara Covett, an unmarried school teacher in her sixties, the type who has never married, is set in her ways and opinions, and lives with her cat, to which she is devoted. She has a waspish, intense personality and is a highly intelligent, no nonsense sort of person who does not suffer fools gladly. She teaches at St. George's comprehensive school in London.

When a married pottery teacher with the improbable name of Bathsheba Hart joins the faculty, Barbara's interest is peaked by this seemingly fey, wispy and elegantly lean woman with a penchant for bohemian style clothing. Sheba (as she likes to be called) is as attractive as Barbara is unattractive. Sheba is also, as all soon discover, an ineffectual teacher unable to maintain discipline in her classroom. Still, with her posh accent, easy and relaxed, pleasant personality, she soon becomes a person of interest to those around her, including some of her students.

In fact, just as Sheba and Barbara start to become friends, Sheba is also embarking upon another relationship, one that is illicit, as it is with one of her students, fifteen year old Steven Connolly. It is, however, through Barbara's eyes that the affair unfolds, and in painting a picture of the events, she is, at the same time, painting a psychological portrait of both herself and Sheba, revealing the obsessive symbiosis that binds this unlikely pair in erstwhile friendship.

The author has created a masterful, exceedingly well-written novel, one that is thematically rich and complex. The author does this with a deft touch, as well as with humor. The characters are vividly drawn and the book is well-plotted, making for an immensely readable novel that the reader will find difficult to put down until the very last page is turned. Bravo!

This was one of the best books I've ever read -- and I read a lot. It was astonishingly good. It's about 2 teachers at a Brtish public high school who develop a close friendship. One of them, however, has a history of obsessive behaviour with other friends she's had, and is really quite bizarre in her thoughts and behaviour. What makes this book so fascinating is it is this "weird" (for want of a better word) character (Barbara) who narrates the book; therefore, she thinks SHE is in control of the story, and the story as far as she's concerned is about the other main character's affair with one of the students at the school. But for the READER, the real story is Barbara herself. As the story progresses, she becomes increasingly more sinister, and it becomes impossible to put this book down. I don't want to write anymore and spoil any of what's in store for other readers. This book is simply not to be missed.

Robinson has written an excellent title encouraging Christians to witness without gimmicks or manipulation.

The book is divided into 3 main sections with several chapters in each section:

1. You Have Been Empowered to Share Jesus.
2. You Have Been Entrusted to Share Jesus.
3. You Can Be Equipped to Share Jesus.

The book is an excellent encouragement for Christians to witness in the Spirit without being manipulative. However, if you are looking for a title with more specific information on what to present when witnessing, I would recommend books on FAITH or Evangelism Explosion. It just depends on what you're looking for.

Despite this, I still recommend the book.

I thought this would suggest a more "sensitive" approach to sharing religious beliefs for those who "feel guilty, stressed and awkward" about it, as the back cover says. Unfortunately, this is just another pitch for proselytizing. Therefore, I have to say that maybe there is a good reason many Christians feel guilty, stressed and awkward about that. They know, deep down, that it is wrong and that it is contradictory to the concept and meaning of religious freedom.

Religious freedom is not license to try to impose your beliefs upon others (even subtly). It is freedom to believe in God as an Evangelical or a Unitarian Christian, a Freemason, a Buddhist, a Sufi, a Hindu, or whatever, without having someone try to convince you that you're wrong.

As Thomas Jefferson said,"Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to God alone. I inquire after no man's, and trouble none with mine."

Thomas Jefferson also said: "Religion is a subject on which I have ever been most scrupulously reserved. I have considered it as a matter between every man and his Maker in which no other, and far less the public, had a right to intermeddle."

I think Jefferson had the right idea, and the sooner we put a halt to all religious bigotry and establish real religious freedom, the sooner we will have a country where we are indeed all equal.

We used this book in a Personal Evangelism class in Seminary. I have to say that I found it very easy to follow, and yet it contains all of the elements needed for evangelism.

Unlike some Evangelism books, which require groups or trained leaders to use them properly, this book was written to be used by a single person to learn more about evangelism.

It is a book designed to help you larn to bring others to a knowledge of Jesus Christ, and as such it is excellent.

This book is written in a way that it is easy for any christian to read.It is written in a way that may seem to some to be too simple.But if people are still dying and going to hell we are doing something wrong.It is time that we as christians get back to the basics.We need to regain that joy that we lost in telling people about Jesus Christ.It is time we realize that this is not just some game we are playing,and after it is over we can all just go home.How selfish have we become to think that it is not our responsibility to tell people about Jesus.It is time we opened our eyes to the big picture and share the love of Jesus to a lost and dying world.

I was engrossed with Pretty Shields story from the moment it began. It was wonderful to read of a native woman's life, before "the buffalo went away". Life then was simpler and so full of joy, as well as so many hardships, but the spirit that is brought across is inspiring and uplifting. A wonderful and engrossing read from beginning to end. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in Native studies, feminism, or simply life, before we came along.

This biographical information about Pretty Shield, a Wise One of the Crow was originally compiled and published in the 1930's by Linderman. This book is the third reprint of the original story and contains a new preface by Alma Snell (Pretty Shield's granddaughter) and Becky Matthews. Linderman was called Sign-talker by the Crow due to his insistence that his interview subjects spoke in signs even when a translator was present. His earlier biography about Pretty Shield's clansmen, Plenty Coups, gained him unprecedented respect and admiration within this clan.

Due to this distinguished reputation, Pretty Shield was willing to tell Linderman stories about her seventy-four years and about the lives of women before and after the coming of the White men and the decline of the bison herds. Pretty Shield is uniquely candid describing daily activities of women that are rarely recorded. Moreover, she describes specific incidents illustrating traditional Crow behavior and conduct. Many of these sometimes humorous, sometimes heart breaking stories demonstrate both negative and positive examples of such customs, often with Pretty Shield herself being in the wrong.

In addition to narrating these stories about Pretty Shield's youth, family, marriage, and the raising of her children, Linderman also records his impressions of Pretty Shield and her life at the time of the interview. This information not only illustrates how traditional Crow ideals relate and are translated into the more modern lifestyles of Pretty Shield and her grandchildren but also allows a view into the personality of a very unique woman.

Pretty-shield is a touching biography that will be enjoyed as a recreational read. Nonetheless, this book also contains important rare incites into the lives of traditional and modern Crow women. Thus, the book is suitable for those interested in learning a little about traditional native life as well as those researchers looking for detailed information about the changing lifeways, traditions, and belief systems of the Crow during this transitional period. This book contains unprecedented candid information about this time from a viewpoint rarely recorded presented in an entertaining, easy to read, meaningful way. That the author also wrote a book on the male perspective from the same native group, simply adds to the potential importance of this resource.

a wonderful collection of memories of Pretty Shields life- as soon as you start reading you will love her. A strong, smart woman from the last generation of native people who lived by the way of the earth. you should read this!

Based on the title and the editorial reviews, I was expecting (and hoping) to read about Pretty-shield's life as a healer, and more about the customs of her tribe. Instead, a lot of the stories were about things she did as a child and teen, mostly how she got into trouble and silly things she did with friends.

On the positive side, it's an easy read, and would be a good introduction to Native American life.

Queen of the Legal Tender Saloon is a refreshing, insightful look not just at modern life in Montana, but at life and love, personal growth and a woman making it on her own in the world of cowboy lore. Author Eileen Clake writes as powerfully as Pam Houston, with insight and strength wrapped around lifelike characters that have the same wants and needs, strengths and weaknesses found in all of us, yet tempered by the world of the modern cowboy. You can't help but to get hooked on the prose, captured by the plot. It's the perfect companion with which to curl up by the fireplace on a long winter weekend.

The book started moving by the time I got to the trial. The cover however, leaves something to be desired. I mean I know all the old bla bla about not judging a book by the cover, and that stands true here. Make it past the sad attempt at a cover and find a great story hidden inside. -If that is, you can deal with that "uppity, sage-brush and beat-up truck Montana stuff. Why do all of those Montana writers get off on that stuff?? ;>

What a wonderful idea: Montana through the eyes of a dental assistant. The Big Sky State is, after all, comprised far more of civil servants and teachers and CNA's and truck drivers than the cowboys and far-sighted writers that we tend to idolize. Thank goodness for a well-spoken author who looks at Montana's foibles through the eyes of a believable character. Thank goodness, too, for a fine portrait of a Montana town and valley. And bravo for the cover artwork. What a relief to find a bold artistic cover statement--as opposed to another look-alike muted dust jacket!

An intimate portrayal of a young woman's pilgrimage to small town rustic Montana. Ms. Clarke captures the essence of this close knit community with endearing characters in search of good times amidst their struggles. A lively story with true grit, heart and soul.

The writings of Michael Dirda are a wonderful gift to anyone who loves books and literature. "Readings" is a collection of his columns from the Washington Post's "Book World" section. The contents are as varied as a well-stocked library. His learning, his wit and his breadth of his interests make this book equally inviting.

Within these covers you'll find an appreciation of P.G. Wodehouse, an excursion into the literary world of New Orleans, the story of his guest membership in New York's Yale Club (and its wonderfully inviting library), a discussion of Japanese literature, ruminations on turning 50, the pleasures of book-shopping...and I haven't begun to exhaust the variety. Read this volume and understand why Francine Prose calls Dirda "a cultural treasure" and why Annie Proulx says he may "be as close to the ideal critic as we are likely to get."

One cautionary word to readers of Dirda's delightful memoir published last year, "An Open Book": as he notes there, he adapted some of the autobiographical pieces from this book for that memoir. But the overall amount of overlap is small. And a second cautionary note to all: be warned that your "must read" list is likely to grow even longer once you've immersed yourself in Dirda's enthusiasms. If you cherish fine writing in its many forms, you should love this book.--William C. Hall

I read this in parallel with two other books of pieces by literary critics: Joseph Epstein's "In a Cardboard Belt" and Maureen Corrigan's "Leave me Alone, I'm Reading". Of the three, Dirda's book is hands-down my favorite. (Epstein's essays were kind of mean-spirited and Corrigan's book, though good, is nowhere near as funny as this one.)

There are so many terrific pieces in this collection. In no particular order, ten of the forty-six that really tickled my fancy:

Weekend with Wodehouse. (the biannual convention of the P.G. Wodehouse society)
Mr Wright. (tribute to his high-school English teacher)
Commencement Advice.
Four Novels and a Memoir. (a devastating sendup of several bestselling genres)
Bookish Fantasies.
Comedy Tonight. (a list of 100 amusing comic novels)
Sez Who? (Different experiences while browsing for books)
Excursion. (a weekend in New Orleans)
Talismans.
Vacation Reading.
Mememormee. (Why he's not a fan of memoirs)

There are another ten that could just as easily have made the list. What I enjoyed about Dirda's essays are his infectious enthusiasm for books and reading, which comes through in every piece, his wit and humor, as well as a certain generosity of spirit. EVen his brilliant takedown of the various bestseller genres is obviously done with affection.

This book has left me eager to seek out more of Dirda's work, as well as many of the books he mentions in these essays.

Recommended for all fans of books and reading.

Reading about how literature has shaped Michael Dirda's life is somewhat entertaining, I suppose. But reading the books he discusses is an incredible experience. If for no other reason, buy this book because it will turn you on to so, so many more. I never would have discovered Maugham's Ashenden, Wodehouse, Lawrence's trek across Arabia, Vidal's Washington, or Kipling's Kim. Treat Readings like a directory of great literature and follow Dirda.

A collection of his columns from the Washington Post's Book World, Dirda's book is a fun hodgepodge of short, readable essays on a variety of book-related topics. While many of them, as one would expect, are discussions of books themselves, Dirda also spins off into other areas, such as fond memories of a favorite English teacher, childhood trips to the library, the joy of book shopping, etc., which makes this collection more varied, more personal, and in the end more interesting than a simple "review" style collection. That's not to say the reviews aren't worth it--they are intelligent, concise, and witty and the sheer variety of books discussed in terms of style, tone, genre, enhances their interest. Dirda not only holds your interest, he piques it as well, so keep a pen handy as you read so you can jot down the titles of books you're going to want to pick up after Dirda finishes telling you about his experiences with them. One word of caution--if you've read his memoir An Open Book, some of these pieces will sound familiar as they have been incorporated with some changes in the memoir. If you haven't yet read the memoir, don't let that turn you off from doing so. It's certainly worth its own read, reworked and in a more full context the familiar columns won't seem as repetitive as you'd think, and if you want, you can always just skim through those sections.

This book was very informative on the geology of Montana.

The saga of Glacial Lake Missoula was so gripping I had to buy Roadside Geology of Washington to see how it came out! Alt and Hyndman are the best authors I've found in this series. While you're at it, don't miss Alt's "Glacial Lake Missoula and Its Humongous Floods."

In this guide, you will learn why underground coal fires have played a prominent role in shaping the surface topography and nature of the overlying strata in parts of eastern Montana. You will learn why widespread dryland farming in the early 20th century often caused devistating salinization of the soil. Filled with numerous photos and illustrations, the past and present of Montana's geology is at your fingertips. From the sedimentation, coal formation and general uplift of eastern and central Montana,
to the dominant influence of tectonic and igneous events in the western region, to the recent effects of glaciation in the northern regions, Alt and Hyndman provide you with a detailed description and explanation.

Great little book. I've read it until the covers have fallen off, and it's still a bigger story than I can adequately understand. I'm afraid we live in a very complex state. Dr. Alt's book is exactly the thing to carry around in car while one travels. I only wish it was 20 times longer, bigger - with more pictures. Once in a conversation with Dr. Alt he promised me that in the newer additions of his book would be naked pictures of the geologists - but that hasn't shown up yet. It's perhaps for the best. Great book.

We're back in another trip to the world of the Metis, who inhabit Montana and parts north, and have a culture uniquely their own - full of music, a love for the independent life, and a fractured grammar that makes backwards, everything. Peter Bowen has spent a lifetime telling the stories of Gabriel du Pres, cattle inspector, brilliant fiddle player, and solver of mysteries. Don't get the idea that Gabriel is a superman. He is carefully herded and guarded by his woman Madelaine, his daughters, madeliane's daughters, and Benetsee the shaman.

In Stewball, Gabriel sets out to find Auntie Pauline's latest boyfriend, and finds a corpse instead. Badger, Gabriel discovers, was doing the FBI a favor, and apparently ran into something bigger than he expected - big stakes horse racing and right wing militancy. Gabriel decides to get involved. Soon he and Booger Tom are the front men in a sting operation that seems to involve the FBI, the ATF, and any other law enforcement organization in the neighborhood.

As always, this story is more about the people than it is about the crime. Of everyone who appears though, the star of this story is Lourdes, Madelaine's oldest daughter, a natural horsewoman, and every bit as frightening as the other women in our hero's life, including Lourde's sister, Pallas, 10-year-old genius and evil spirit.

It is Lourdes' riding skills on Stewball that enable Gabriel and Tom to appear as wealthy horse racers so as to infiltrate the secret brush races and expose the doings of a closed circle of plotters. But men have died already, and the members of the club are wealthy enough to buy their way clean. The forces are evenly matched, but never count a determined Metis out of any fight.

For all its serious moments, Bowen tells this story with a very light touch and vivid characterization. I have come to love all the du Pres stories, but Stewball is special, full of all the things that makes this series entertaining. For all that this is the twelfth book in the series, you could easily start right here. Most likely you will go back and read them all.

All of Peter Bowen's books are a fast, furious, and a fun read, including Stewball. I love Gabriel's friends and family. I also love the focus on Metis and their culture, because I am familiar with it, and also with the geographic areas the stories tend to be set in. The characters are pretty much like real people seen though a sardonic eye, with a bit of poetic license thrown in. They are real enough to draw you into their concerns but exaggerated enough to make it fun. May the ink never dry in Mr. Bowen's pens.

I was as puzzled by this book's ending as I have been with all of Peter Bowen's endings since "Ash Child." I finished it, but I felt like I'd been dragged through a séance in the sweat lodge with the inscrutable Benetsee. Maybe the meaning of "Stewball"s conclusion will come to me in a dream.

At least the rich neo-nazi ranchers come out of this book nearly as whupped as the readers. Not that I think they don't deserve a good bashing, but I wasn't quite sure what the evil rancher intended to do with his vintage World War II P-38. He goes wooshing around in it at the end of the book, but he has no specific target that the readers need to worry about like an NAACP Convention or an American Civil Liberties Union picnic or a Navaho Tribal Council.

Nobody out on the prairie, Mr. Blackmore, except us chickens. We're all Aryan chickens so don't be pointing those cannons at us.

Oh well, I get the feeling the author wrote "Stewball" on automatic pilot. It consists mainly of non-expletive-deleted dialog between characters from his previous books. Luckily, Bowen provides an index of characters at the beginning of this book; otherwise new readers will never be able to figure out who's who.

Booger Tom, one of my favorite characters from previous novels in the Du Pré mystery series, gets lots of face time in "Stewball." He is pretending to be a race horse trainer. Bowen also clues us in on this old ranch hand's background: he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor at Heartbreak Ridge in Korea, and also fought in France and Austria in WWII.

This old guy should be writing his memoirs, not mending barbwire and worming cows!

Anyway, Du Pré, the retired brand inspector and Booger Tom team up to race an Australian Quarter Horse named Stewball in brush races attended by neo-nazi ranchers. Du Pré's FBI buddy, Harvey Wallace asks them to discover who murdered one of his snitches, who was passing counterfeit money at a brush race. The snitch also happened to be married to one of Du Pré's aunts.

That's about all the plot there is. Benetsee holds a couple of séances in his sweat lodge and dons his war paint. Du Pré laces on his Cree running moccasins and rubs dirty engine oil on his face. He shoots a couple of bad guys with his MP-40, sets fire to a bunch of aviation fuel drums, and drinks a whole lot of bourbon.

Stewball wins a few races.

That's it, except for some long-winded, expletive-not-deleted lectures on the American far-right.

P.S. Mr. Bowen, if Stewball is a blue roan, he has a black mane and tail, not gray or white.

Gabriel Du Pre meets with his Aunt Pauline at the Toussaint Saloon. She tells him her latest husband Badger has gone missing for two weeks and that the FBI is somehow involved. She wants him to call his FBI friend to find out what happened to her spouse. Du Pre does exactly that and finds Badger was caught coming across the Canadian border with ten thousand valium tablets. Badger agreed to infiltrate a white supremacist and the charges against him will be greatly reduced.

There is heavy gambling at these races and the FBI supplied him with marked money that turned out to be counterfeit. The group killed Badger but the Feds still wants someone to infiltrate the urban theorist group. Du Pre has his granddaughter ride a horse in the races in the hopes that he will be accepted by the group and learn who the real leaders are. It is a dangerous situation but Du Pre has it under control until the leader escapes during an FBI raid. Du Pre is determined to be the one to find him no matter how long it takes.

Du Pre is a unique, independent and ageless protagonist who goes his own way and doesn't let anyone stop him from doing what he wants. It is lucky for law enforcement that he is on the side of Justice because he would make an untouchable crook. Peter Bowen does for Montana what Tony Hillerman does for New Mexico. Perhaps the most delightful character in this novel is STEWBALL, the horse that is in love with Du Pre's granddaughter Lourdes.

Harriet Klausner

From the first page of chapter one, I was hooked. The action and suspense as well as the great characterization make this book hard to put down. Sometimes I wanted to shake the impulsive, often scatterbrained, but intelligent and gutsy heroine, Natasha Greene, but I couldn't help pulling for her as she risked her life in her loyalty to others. Other characters I thoroughly enjoyed were her teenage neighbor, David, her friend Trevor, and the faithful dog, Hero.

This book is the spirit of America, the many heroes both big and small that would and do give their lives for their country - be they our fighting troops overseas, fireman tearing though rubble in hopes of rescuing others, or small town people willing to give up their lives for what they believe in. Natasha Greene is who we all hope we would have the courage to be. But she's not a Saint; she's real - often ditzy, forever fueling her body with good ole American junk food, and loyal to a fault to her friends. The action is non-stop through 331 pages, with numerous stops and pitfalls, some stupidly caused by the heroes, some happening just as we would expect from terrorists in our own backyard. May our Home Defense never be put to this test. A real book with laughs and tears; one no one who loves their country should miss.

This book kept me hooked from beginning to end. I had trouble putting it down! With it's mix of romance and suspense I recommend this book for any adult looking for a real good edge of your seat read!

Interesting and nostalgic. I love to look at cookbooks and found this book worth keeping. Good idea to preserve recipes from across our country. I appreciate the number of cookbooks it took to make the selections.

I bought this as a gift, but on looking at the recipes before wrapping it, I ended up copying numerous recipes myself. The Glazed Fresh Apple Cookies are outrageously yummy! Also, most recipes don't require many ingredients, and most cooks have the ingredients right on their shelves already.

One of the best books of recipes from local cooks using local ingredients. Easy to follow and accurate.