Montana Books

In My Montana: A History and Memoir, 1930 - 1950, Jewel Beck Lansing, an Oregon-based writer, tells the story of her family, the Becks, who farmed like the rest of their neighbors in Round Butte on the Flathead Indian Reservation, but also owned the Beck General Store and the attached post office, making them one of the most influential families in their area. Despite the name of the land, the Becks were not Native Americans, nor were most of their neighbors. The government sold the "surplus" homesteads for cheap to Caucasians, yet Lansing never really says why.

Although Lansing's memoir portrays her childhood growing up on a farm in Montana, parts of this could have been about my father's family farm in Kansas, and, at some moments, the acreage I grew up on in northern Colorado. There are the familiar tales: 4-H agricultural clubs and competitions, burning trash (no such thing as pick-up), growing hay, making ice cream, dogs having run-ins with skunks, fathers paying for everything with cash, making soap, and the daily meal coming from the garden and animals just outside the front door. As I read, I felt like I was having a conversation with one of my relatives, being reminded of what the relatively recent past was like. Forget about cell phones and computers, back then plenty of Middle American farmers grew up without plumbing, electricity, and telephones.

The Becks' general store had one of the few telephones in the area. Lansing's father "delivered emergency messages as far away as fifteen miles, a service that he considered an obligation for the privilege of having a phone." Her family was one of the fortunate few to have an indoor bathroom with running water. Still, this was one bathroom and as a family of eight, Lansing and her siblings often used their outhouse, a two-seater so that more than one person could use it at the same time. Every "three or four years," Lansing writes, "Dad moves the outdoor privy onto a new hole that he has dug. He dumps unburnable garbage like tin cans and unusable bottles down the old hole and fills it with dirt."

Alas, Lansing's grade school wasn't fortunate enough to have running water and, as a result, the two outhouses "were six-seaters...Pupils wanting to use these facilities while school was in session raised their right hands with one finger extended for `Number One' and two fingers extended for `Number Two.'" This gives new meaning to adults asking children if they have to go number one or two.

Unfortunately, at times I felt like I was stuck with one of my boring relatives. The strength of My Montana lies in its details, not its storytelling. I wish Lansing would have treated the reader to more sensory details so that this would have been a vivid experience for both of us. Still, every few pages rewards the patient reader with another fascinating detail. For example, before World War II, Lansing had to wear boys' jeans, because girls' jeans didn't exist yet. In her college years, girls weren't allowed to wear pants except on Saturday mornings. One of my favorite details is when Lansing's older sister becomes upset because she was no longer allowed to play basketball; not due to an injury, but because "girls' high school basketball was banned by the Montana Board of Education in 1939. Basketball was too hard on girls...and would cause varicose veins. The American Medical Association said strenuous interscholastic sports made pregnancy difficult for young women and overdeveloped their muscles."

There is much love for Lansing's family, friends, farm life, and Round Butte expressed in this memoir, which adds to the enjoyable experience. Still, sometimes the narrator annoyed me. Jewel Beck Lansing was the good kid, the one parents wanted their children to hang around with. Lansing never rebelled and I often wished she'd displayed more spirit. Here's one quote about her love life:

Romantic relationships with college boys were problematic. The pressure to "make out" was even more intense than in high school, especially when alcohol was involved. I spent most weekend nights reading or playing bridge and corresponding with a high school boyfriend who had moved out of state.

But as I was becoming irritated with my narrator, I came upon a picture of Lansing with the other journalism majors at the University of Montana. In 1952 they traveled to central Montana to staff an edition of the Lewistown Daily News. Lansing is the lone woman in the photograph. After graduation she became a secretary, because the only journalism job available to her was a society page editor, something that didn't interest her. In these days where a woman is a serious candidate for the President of the United States and some young women have the luxury to claim they are not feminists, it is easy to forget what opportunities for women used to be like. In Lansing's way, she was a rebel after all.

I longed to hear more about the Native Americans in My Montana. Lansing offers tantalizing bits, such as when she became aware one of her friends was Native American because he "received free milk at lunchtime." Also, at local pow-wow grounds "sheriff's deputies circulated among the parked cars....looking for signs of alcohol...federal law prohibited the sale of liquor to Indians." Still, despite her good details, she could have delved even more into the history of the Native Americans and why the government sold their land.

Alas, like many of those tough Middle American farmers, my father included, Lansing left the land and Montana. After graduation and marriage, she eventually moved to Portland where she served as the elected City of Portland Auditor and wrote six other books, including Portland: People, Politics, and Power, 1851 - 2001. If you have any interest in how Montana used to be, or growing up on a farm in Middle America in a time when plumbing and electricity were not plentiful, then don't miss My Montana. You won't regret sitting down with Lansing and hearing about the place and experiences.
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/my_montana_one_womans_history/C132/L39/

This book was incredibly interesting to read, especially for those who grew up in this area as I did (and those who grew up around the same time period would find it just as interesting). I really enjoyed the author's inclusion of her childhood diary, starting at age 12. In beautiful teenager style, she would alternate between writing of her interest in boys and of events going on in the world around her.
I grew up in this area about 50 years after the author did, and so it was amazing to see the things that had changed so much and the things that were quite the same.

This book was a gift and I couldn't put it down, finishing it the same day.

I gave this to my father-in-law who grew up in the same state at the same time -- he was very pleased with it.
Before I wrapped it, I glanced through it and discovered a pic of my first school. The author was a freshman there the year I entered that same school in Ronan as a first-grader.
Obviously this book brought pleasure to both me and my family.

Gypsy Niemann, Ph.D., begins her memoir emerging from her mountain hermitage and flower-power era to become a "rail" -- railroaders call themselves "rails" because they're what the trains run on. It's a tough, unpredictable, competitive, and hard-drinking life that gets in the blood, pays well in booms, hardly at all in busts, and holds Gypsy in thrall for eight years. She follows the work throughout the West, lovers of both sexes through the heart's catacombs, and the call of her own core self through the haze of alcoholism to the harsh and difficult reality of the "dry." She draws gritty portraits of herself and her compadres and never condescends to explain railroad jargon, assuming the reader is as intelligent and restless as she is. I couldn't put it down

This autobiography is from a woman who survived as one of the first female operating crew members on a failing railroad. It took incredible physical and emotional courage to do this. The best parts of the book are desriptions of rail operations and the railroaders and how the author dealt a dirty, dangerous, complex job while coping with an openly hostile work environment. As the railroad declined, employees were fired or shifted hundreds of miles on a month-to-month basis, which made it even tougher for her.

The book has it's problems too. Mostly it's told from a third person perspective; a little more dialog would have enlivened it. I got tired of reading about the author's addictions, family problems, and failed love affairs. Done right, some of this would be a big plus, but eventually it takes on a whining aspect, and I started skipping those pages. The best humor is in the glossary.

Recommended for those interested in the personal side of railroad operations and in women's struggle for fair treatment in the workplace.

On the Rails is about Linda Niemann's paradoxical life. A PhD in English, she turns to the railroad for a career. A tough strong woman, she openly shares her battles with alcohol, an unsupportive mother and an up-and-down love life. Her prose does credit to her scholarly degree. She evokes the life clearly, even brutally. You can almost smell the fresh tomatoes at the depot in California.

Niemann tells the story of a bygone era, when railroading was a craft and "rails" lived hard. It's the story of anyone whose career gets in their blood and becomes a life. As a career coach, I recommend this book for symbolism and lyricism but also for the
notion of choices made and roads taken. You'll remember Linda for a long time.

After the course with Wilderness Medical Associates, I bought the book to have as a referance. It became much more as I learned more then I thought. It is a book that anyone going into the wilderness should have.

An excellent book. Rather than discussing different catagories of injuries and medical issues peice-meal, it presents basic underlying principles and a system for approaching accidents and medical issues then discusses accidents through that system. It is the most cohesive, integrated wilderness first aid text I have come accross. It uses simple language, and gets the job done without being overly technical (but it is not dumbed-down). It is so accessible and well put together you will actually pick it up and refer back to it (with ease). It is simply a very practical and clear book on wilderness medicine.

This book is simple for the layman to understand. Provides good detail into how the body reacts to wounds, infection, loss of blood etc. Educates the reader to understand the body systems which makes proper treatment understandable and predictable. No more trying to memorize what to do for this injury or that.

As the book points out there are many critical putins, takeouts, channels and obstacles to miss when rafting or boating rivers. That's why you buy these guides so you can avoid problems. Given this essential safety role this book plays it is very disappointing and potentially deadly that this book does not include GPS coordinates for these key features. To me it is a fatal flaw that the second edtion of this rafting book published in 2008 would not contain them. Makes you wonder about how much updating of the text the authors did for this edition.

The authors are competent paddlers and good writers. This is a well organized book with an excellent format. It contains helpful hydrographs and good photos. The informations is dependable. If you desire to paddle a Montana river, this is the place to start. I highly recommend it as THE guide book to get for our state.

This books gives great detail about the each river, best times to go, where the crowds are(n't), basically everything you would need to know. The author explains that many of Monatana's rivers are in the western end, with a few in the dry eastern side. Many rivers described are also Class I (on the river rating system). Keep in mind that Class I can cover alot of levels, including those that are almost Class II. (for you beginners, just because it's class I it's not as smooth as a lake).

I mainly bought this book for the Flathead River routes, but discovered so many more river. The book also mentions where to get detailed maps for certain river routes, including the Flathead.

If you've got lots of time, you can even explore the route Lewis and Clark took back in the early 1800's.

This book might be fiction, but it sure seems like Lee Jackson can see into the future of real America. Everyone should read this book, it's scary and probably so close to true events that go on in our country that we don't want to beleive it. Call me radical or crazy, but he hit the nail on the head with this. Our beautiful free America, if it does not change, soon and quickly, is going right down this path. Laugh now, but if we remain in the steady state of decline that we are in at the present, it won't be long before themes Jackson presents in this book start happening. I hope I'm wrong, completely wrong and our economy and "world domination" way of dealing with the rest of the world changes. But, if I'm not, then this is just a small glimpse of life, in future America.

I started this book before bed and never put in down before I finished. It was a haunting and too familiar story of what can happen in an Orwellian America that fears terror more than it loves civil liberties.

Set in the very near future (about 2-5 years or so), this semi-thriller strives to weave together various manifestations of impending doom in an attempt to tell a cautionary tale of civil liberties. Protagonist Ben Trinity (a simply terrible name) is an ex-con taking part in an experimental probation scheme. However, Ben is not the white collar fraudster he claims, but an alleged terrorist held and tortured in rendition centers for the last several years. It seems that the "war on terror" has been amped up, and there are now thousands of disappeared terror suspects. So many that the government is trying to figure out how to deal with the harmless ones -- hence the new probation program Ben is part of. (If this all seems wildly implausible, that's because it is. If the political climate were such that large numbers of people were getting rounded up, it's hard to see why the same system would be that concerned with releasing them.)

In any event, in addition to rather streamlined civil liberties (which go hand in hand with large-scale use of biometrics and national ID systems), it seems that America is slowly succumbing to the effects of peak oil and trade imbalances, resulting in substantial recession. En route to a job in the Seattle area, Ben is snowbound in Montana, and winds up in the small town of Redemption (the author's lack of subtlety in naming seems to know no bounds). There, he meets kindly locals who take him in, and he manages to make a solid, if spartan, new life. Alas, a local cop starts snooping and uncovers his true identity, leading most of the town to turn against him -- all of which develops into a rather straightforward examination of mob mentality. However, the intervention of a native American cop (oh, the symbolism...) leads to a battle among various bureaucrats as to the true nature of Ben's alleged crime.

While Ben himself is a highly sympathetic and engaging character, and the people around him are well-drawn and believable, the story as a whole fails to really catch fire. It's pretty predictable in its assault on the national security apparatus, and the main villain of the story is somewhat over the top. The problem with a lot of cautionary storytelling is that it can easily become preachy, and that's what happens here.

It only took me a day and a half to finish this book. It was a fantastic read! I grew up in the Spokane area and wish that I had heard of this story earlier.

I couldn't lay it down, was up to 4 a.m. reading it. Entertaining and enjoyed that it is based on a real person.
Excellent

Harry Younger is either the most unfortunate man alive--or the luckiest. He falls into a frozen river, but finds a hole in the ice and escapes. He gets caught in a forest fire, but outruns the flames. He suffers a broken back, but lives to walk and work again.

This tale introduces us to a young man who goes west in the early 1900s to make his fortune. What he finds in Montana is hardship and adventure, and a romance that lasts until the end of his days. Harry Younger was a real person and Pfeiffer brings him to life to a degree that you feel you could walk up and shake his hand.

What a wonderful story. What a wonderful book. Thanks, Pat Pfeiffer!

It's been 5 years since Josie has seen her lying, cheating ex-husband Pardee and as far as she's concerned she could go another 5 years just fine. A helicopter pilot and a bounty hunter she's finally got her life back on track after the destruction that Pardee had wrought. After 6 proposals she's finally decided to marry the new man in her life, Skylar. Wouldn't you know that just when Skylar is down on his knees, diamond in hand, Pardee busts back into her life. It seems as though his son has been kidnaped and he wants Josie's help in rescuing him from Mexico. Josie had always adored her stepson so she finds herself unable to say no. But a little dose of Pardee goes a long way and no matter what it takes Josie is determined that's not going to let herself get involved with Pardee again, especially since Skylar is waiting for her at home.

As a heroine Josie was awesome. She's a spirted and self reliant woman that I believe readers will truly enjoy. However, I had real issues with the hero, Pardee. I never really felt like his infidelity was addressed so the romance fell a little flat for me. Running on Empty was written in the first person which I believe in this instance may have contributed to my inability to feel remorse or redemption from Pardee. This left me feeling vaguely dissatisfied with the romantic ending of the book. I'll say this for Lynn Montana, she knows how to write a kick butt heroine and readers won't be disappointed if they read this book for Josie alone.

Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Near Monterrey, California, wealthy Skylar Ambrose Tyler proposes for the sixth time to Josie Mayne. After putting him off on his previous five Monday proposals, she surprises him this time by accepting if he agrees to her several stipulations. She insists that she continue her late father's business as the Mayne in Mayne Aviation to include bounty hunting, that her co-pilot Red Baron the dog lives with them sharing their bed amongst others.

They celebrate that night just the three of them until her ex-husband Pardee makes it a foursome claiming he needs her help with a family emergency. Apparently the Mexicans have captured Pardee's son Quinn; Josie loves her former stepson, but has doubts about joining the rescue. However, using the guilt card, Pardee obtains her reluctant agreement to help save Quinn from some nasty folks. As Pardee and Josie share the danger, their love reignites; though she expects nothing to survive except memories once they safely extract Quinn, Josie knows she must end her engagement with kind and normal Sky.

Lynn Montana's romantic suspense thriller runs on a full tank as the action past (flashbacks add reader comprehension to the relationship between Josie and Pardee) and present moves at hyperspeed, which matches the personality of the narrating heroine. The escapade-driven story line contains solid lead characters, a fine canine matchmaking sidekick (guess who Red Baron selects), a nice person in Sky, and nasty banditos. Mindful of a 1930s action-packed romp, fans of exciting adventure tale with plenty of romance will enjoy RUNNING ON EMPTY.

Harriet Klausner

If this is her debut book, Lynn Montana's next book should be truly awesome. Running on Empty would make a great adventure movie! Don't miss out on this one. I picked it up on a whim and I don't regret it at all. When you don't care about being late to work or care about losing precious sleep because you can't put a book down and every little minute of the day is spent trying to fit in reading a page or two during work - you know you are caught in the middle of a gripping and fantastic story. Congratulations, Ms. Montana. This one should definitely earn you an award for best new writer. Please keep writing!!!!!

Good resource for anyone interested in history, particularly the connection between earl Scottish settlers and their interaction with Native Americans. The book appears well documented and thorough, although a bit slow to read.

Scottish Highlanders, Indian Peoples is a loving undertaking to document and treasure the dual heritage of a familial group of people descended from Angus McDonald (who was Scottish) and Catherine McDonald, who was half Nez Perce and part Mohawk. The author describes his revised purpose in writing this book as follows: "This book was begun in the naive conviction that it would have an unrelievedly happy ending. Its comparisons between the modern Scottish Highlands and the modern Flathead Reservation, it was anticipated, would be such as to allow the book's closing paragraphs to contend that Highlanders and Indians, two otherwise disparate peoples linked by the McDonald family, are today overcoming the legacies of their respective pasts in ways which will allow both Highlanders and Indians to reinvigorate their cultures, their languages and much else besides. That may still happen. But to spend even a few days on the Flathead Reservation is quickly to discover that the task of linguistic renewal - to take a single example of the many such distinctions which have clearly to be made - is enormously more daunting here than in the Scottish Highlands...(p. 194)." The reality of the poverty of the inhabitants of the Flathead Reservation hits the author and the reader hard indeed. Nevertheless, after reading the history, which includes many moments of less than glorious deeds of the ancestors, one can only concur with the Salish speaker quoted by the author:"We have a saying...that as long as our songs are sung our people will remain here. And our songs are being sung today more than they have been sung for many years (p. 194)." Though the prose style of Mr. Hunter is sometimes tedious to untangle, his text is worth reading. Scottish Highlanders, Indian Peoples will appeal to special interest adult audiences both amateur and academic.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

Dr. James Hunter, one of Scotland's most respected younger historians, recounts here the story of the MacDonalds of Western Montana -- a family whose roots run deep on two continents and among two seemingly disparate peoples: the Nez Perce of Oregon and Idaho's great inland plateau and one of the most legendary clans of the Scottish highlands. On one level, this is a first-class genealogical detective story, with plenty of local color. But it is much more than that, for what brings these two far-removed pasts together is not only the mingled blood of today's Montana MacDonalds, but the striking and, in many respects, tragic parallels in their people's histories. Just as every schoolchild in Scotland knows the dark tale of the MacDonalds' massacre at Glencoe, and their struggle to survive and maintain their identity and dignity in the aftermath, so Americans are haunted by the uprooting and dispossession of the Nez Perce and their legendary leader Chief Joseph. Those par! ! allels strike us as we readers see the MacDonalds' saga unfold, and they raise for us fundamental questions about human nature and the forces that shape history. Jim Hunter's work in both print and broadcasting, which is well-known in Britain, achieves that rare balance between sound scholarship and great popular appeal. He is a meticulous researcher, yet his interests are first and foremost human ones, and the stories he tells best are always those of common folk. The fact that this book has been a best-seller in Scotland while also earning critical acclaim shows how well he succeeds at this delicate balancing act. For North Americans with an interest in genuine flesh-and-blood Scottish history, not the bogus romanticized article that features prominently in so many clan gatherings and Scottish games [after all, how many Scots-Americans' ancestors were REALLY lairds and ladies living grandly in castles???], this book will prove very satisfying indeed. We can be thankful that ! ! the Montana State Historical Society has now made it availa! ble to North American readers. Aye, it's a fine work, and at a bargain price to boot!

I must say that I wasn't disappointed in this, the follow up to "The Tracker". Though I was inspired by the first book, this, the second really gives me the story I want. It goes from high to low. It shows the man who was at first a bit hesitant and leery of his talents test them in ways that inspire. From Mr. Browns deep wood encounter with the spirit of a great, old tree, to the heartbreak of the tracking of a young victim of a senseless crime, the book captivates!

I had recently read "The Tracker" by Tom Brown Jr. and thought it a remarkable book. It was the shear enthusiasm and telling of the truth that made it so inspirational. It was a kind of retelling of the innocence of his boyhood. He had been extremely lucky in being taught by Stalking Wolf, the Apache shaman, and grandfather of his best friend Rick. He was 83 at the time and became more than a mentor to the 8 year old Tom. Stalking Wolf epitomised the great teacher everyone seeks but does not find in today's world where too many people have isolated themselves from the natural world.

In this second book, which really tells of his time as a young man in his late teens and twenties, Tom Brown writes in a much more mature style although never losing that close connection he has with the natural world or in fact with himself. He is never afraid to truly feel in any situation, a rare quality in any man today. After having learned much that Stalking Wolf could teach him he made his own way living in the wilderness in every area of the US for long periods of time and gaining the experience and connections that make him a great tracker and survivor. At the same time he feels somewhat lost in the modern world and has doubts whether he is making the right choices in life. While his relations and friends tell him to live like others, get a job, get married, have kids etc he only feels at home in the woods. On the other hand Stalking Wolf's words telling to be at home anywhere in the world remain in his mind. It is because the people surrounding him do not know their way that he is confused. Slowly through many experiences, including the tracking of his old teacher as he goes for his final walk, Tom Brown becomes a spirit tracker on the first stage to the keen sight which Stalking Wolf had in abundance in his ability to see the Spirit that moves in all things in action in the world.

An astonishing book with incredible depth of spirit.

Though not as quite as inspired as the tracker was, the search continues the story of Tom's life in the outdoors and the further challenges he put himself through

I believe that Lee Harvey Oswald alone killed Kennedy. I've also read about five books that tout various conspiracies in the JFK case, and _Six Seconds in Dallas_ is the best of them. Thompson appears to be one of the more honest conspiracy researchers who attempt to find an answer to the mystery rather than just endlessly find fault with the Warren Commission. His theory of the shot that hit JFK in the back (or throat, depending on how you see things) is particularly interesting and almost compelling. I recommend this book whether or not you believe Oswald acted alone. It's very readable and to the point.

A marvelous study for the time it was written. And fortunate for all, Dr. Thompson has just recently "re-surfaced" - showing that the Zapruder film was NOT altered...contrary to recent books like "Assassination Science" and "Bloody Treason." Have Amazon.com try to obtain a copy of "Six Seconds..." - it is a worthwhile addition to the bookshelf of any serious Kennedy assassination student.

There are some real wacky conspiracies out there. A lot written just to make a fast buck. There are books out there that claim as many as 15 gunmen, and over 20 shots fired. Some people will believe anything they read, thats why The National Inquirer makes millions upon millions each year. However, I honestly think Thompson really wanted to find the truth, and even though his book is a first generation conspriracy book, it is an essential book to read if interested in the Kennedy Assassination. I would start with reading 1.The Warren Report, then get a copy of 2.The Zapruder film on DVD to study. Then I would suggest reading 3. Accessories After the fact (or another well written) book that blast the Commissions way they mishandled the case from the beginning. I would then suggest an early period Conspiracy book before 1970, that doesn't go into UFO's killing Kennedy. 4. Six Seconds In Dallas, is the best book that I've found for being open minded to some degree, and looking at both sides. Some of the things he states has been proven incorrect. However, considering the first edition came out over 35 years ago, it stands the test of time well. I was impressed with the charts, and maps of where the witnessess were shown to be located, and what they saw, and when they said, and what they told the commission, and why the commission didn't bother to interview key witnesses. I will probably get some criticism here, but I would then pick up a copy of 5. Case Closed - it's almost like a rewrite of the Commissions report, showing that their conclusions were correct - However, the fact findings they used were flawed, and they dismissed a lot of important information or ignored what they didn't wish to hear. But the strong point of this book, is that it tells the story, and in the footnotes it criticizes all the crazy (and some not so crazy) ideas that the modern day pro-conspirators have. From that point, you should be able to figure which route to go. I have not read Crossfire, but have been told it covers just about all the main conspiracies. There are some more books out there I could suggest, but I would have to say that most researchers into the Kennedy assassination, would have Six Seconds In Dallas on their bookshelf.