New Mexico Books

As a Faculty Development Instructor with a Master's in Instructional Technology, I look at a lot of books on how to teach forms of distance learning instructional design. This book has some of the best ideas for interactive learning strategies I have seen. While it does involve web-based courses it is strongest on teletraining. I would recommend a companion book to compliment it in Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt which deals more in depth on how to facilitate an online instructor-facilitated course.

A must read for ALL educators even though it addresses the specific audience of community college and university instructors, corporate and business trainers, health profession trainers, government and military trainers, and public school teachers. This book not only provides many references from the literature but explores the new skills needed for teaching with all of the emerging technologies. It also provides examples of how to use the given information in faculty development workshops. An extensive glossary provides help with technical vocabulary. Word pictures are used extensively to summarize key points throughout the book. It is well written, easy to follow and understand, and is visually stimulating. I would highly recommend it for ALL levels of experience in this area.

I recently read the original story upon which this children's book is based and I would like to compliment the author on an excellent adaption. I also write about the Old West and one of my own goals is to introduce children to that period of history. I hope I can make the stories as interesting as Marc Simmons did in his book.
Donna Gholson Cook

Teddy Abbott was a real person from England who settled in Nebraska in the 1870s and raised cattle which had to be driven to market. Simmons tale of a son of his also named Teddy taking part in a cattle drive is imaginary. But it portrays all of the aspects of a real cattle drive from types of individuals involved in one through a day's activities and potential dangers during it. All the men, including Teddy, have different responsibilities. Teddy's responsibility along with another cowboy is taking care of the "remuda," "a Spanish used used in Texas for a herd of spare horses," as the book's glossary notes. Because of an accident to his partner, Teddy ends up watching over the remuda on is own. The potential danger of a stampede comes to pass with a lightening strike frightening the herd of cattle; which sets the horses of the remuda to running off as well. But Teddy stays with them and brings all the spare horses back to the drive. After the drive, Teddy is given a pair of spurs in a simple ceremony attended by all of the cowboys he had worked with. Not only a story of a rite of passage for a young boy, Simmons' story is notable for its specifics on a cattle drive.

William Henry Jackson was born in 1943 and lived until 1942. His life spanned the pony express to the railroad to the car...he was a good friend of Henry Ford, another Detroit resident, and he lived to see planes and other modern conveyances. He wrote in his diary every day and this made writing his autobiography easy at 90, when he also began doing watercolors from his photos. Many of his items can be seen at the museum in Scott's Bluff, Nebraska. He was at the battle of Gettysburg and was buried in Arlington Cometary. He ate bird nest's soup with the emperor of Japan, dog sledded across Siberia, and walked across Korea. Many of these exploits were written up in Harpers Magazine. After leaving the Hayden expedition as photographer he set up a portrait studio in Colorado. Many of his line drawings and photographs grace the pages of his autobiography.

A great outlook of the life in the American West!

Item in as good or better condition than described, arrived promptly, very pleased with purchase, would buy again.

This book is a vibrant collection of over 140 stunningly beautiful and fantastically creative Painted Ponies as photographed by Eduardo Fuss. Created from the minds of some of the Southwest's foremost artists, the life-size horses serve as a publically accessible outdoor art exhibition, and ultimately as a unique vechicle to raise significant money for charitable causes. The vivid photography shows complete ponies as well as the fine detail work that make this art project the success story it has become.

Author Rodney Barker provides the context for the history and spiritual background that is the special inspiration of the Southwestern and particularly Native American artists who so far have dominated this ongoing project.

I find I can't stop paging through this fantasy world of horses painted with Southwestern landscapes, Native American imagery, contemporary and futuristic themes that run the gamut from surprising realism, emotional subject matter, patriotism and humor. Better buy two -- one to thumb through on a regular basis and one to keep pristine!

Ms. Alcala has created a compelling and informative novel. I was sucked in from page one. It will transport you straight into the tumultuous political climate of late 19th century Mexico under the oppressive rule of Dictator Porfirio Diaz. I think you will appreciate this book for its harsh beauty, its rich characters and its multi -layered story of loss and survival. A book that is this entertaining and at the same time educational is a rare find. I only hope that Ms. Alcala will write another book so that I can learn more about Beto and Estela and all of her other memorable characters. I recommend this book without reservation.

You can't get any better than this: a great story about a woman asserting her independence during the early 1900s in Mexico City--a time of social and political revolutions. To those of you who have read Alcala's earlier works, this is truly a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. To those who have not read the earlier works, you will only have your interest piqued. Alcala writes with authority about pre-revolutionary Mexico and the tales she spins are unforgettable accounts of strong women who persevere against personal and social challenges. This author's best achievement is the way she dispels the myth of the passive Mexican woman repeatedly in her compelling body of work.

I got this book after a long held interest in visual anthropology. Its simple informative text was very useful for those interested in getting involved with visual anthropology. It might be a little oversimplified for those who those have a stronger background than me. Lots of story examples and pictures to interpret.

I was required to buy Visual Anthropology for my Visual Sociology class my sophomore year of college. This is one i didn't sell back to the bookstore after the class was over because it is so useful. It is a great book to help a person learn how to use a camera as a research tool and get the most out of it.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave a fantastic overview of the women's fight for the right to vote. The author even incorporated some of the real leaders of the movement in this fictional dramatization of this historical event. I would recommend it to all who are interested in this type of literature.

My local book club just completed our discussion of Sybil Downing's The Vote and the concensus was universally positive. We selected the book as our November pick, anticipating the upcoming elections. After having read this book, I feel an even greater responsibility to participate in my duties as an American citizen by voting in every election.

Based in history, The Vote is a fictionalized account of the struggle to pass the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, otherwise known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. The book's major character is Kate Brennan, a tough and energetic young woman from a privileged upbringing. Through Kate, we meet Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, leaders of the National Woman's Party (Paul and Burns are actual players in the suffragist movement.

Ms. Downing manages to relate events based in history with a compelling story of political intrigue, relationship issues and violence. I found the characters compelling and the plot fascinating. Having read and enjoyed the book, I intend to go back and do further reseach on the actual historical events and characters who fought to ensure passage of the 19th Amendment. Congrutulations to Sybil Downing for an excellent book.

Not being a student of Panamanian history, I read this book out of simple curiosity. And what a wonderfully-told story I found! Dr. Pearcy has a wonderful way of making the complex quite readable. He moved past stereotypes and looked beyond his own expectations to find "the rest of the story." This is a great example of how research should be done--just reading the endnotes was fascinating--and how it can be made accesible to both scholars and laypeople. Especially with the Canal turnover approaching, this would be an important book to read.

Pearcy's book examines the involvement of the Panamanian military and national police in the evolution of Panamanian politics from 1903 to 1947. Pearcy begins with Panamanian independence, and concludes with the rejection of the Filos-Hines treaty that would have granted the United States more extensive military bases. Pearcy's goal is to also explain the advent of military rule in Panama that ended with the arrest of Manuel Noriega in 1989 following the invasion of Panama by United States forces.While providing a conventional political history, Pearcy also explores related issues that provide the context for political developments. This includes a sophisticated demographic analysis as well as an in-depth examination of Panama's economy. This book is well worth reading, and will hopefully show other scholars how to write political history that contains more than a token background section.

This is one of the better books I have read on Northern New Mexico history and culture....This book is FULL of phrases and definitions...Most of the stories are either first hand or oral history passed down to Fabiola..If you want to get a feel of life in New Mexico back in the day..This is a GREAT book....It aslo has a good chapter on Vincent Silva and his criminal ring..Very interesting....I'm going to get Fabiola's book on New Mexico cooking next!!.......Green Chile......mmmmmmmm

I adore this slice of life on the eastern New Mexico plains, the Llano Estacado. Cabeza de Baca is an amazing lady, and her childhood remembrances are well worth reading for history buffs, who've probably already enjoyed it, as well as for people who just like to know how people lived on ranches in this era.

Great book full of wonderful pictures and great historic information. My daughter can spend hours exploring the book time and time again.

"Josefina's World" is an excellent supplement to the Josefina chapter books and short stories. Although each chapter book and short story has a section in the back with historical information that is relevant to the story in the book, "Josefina's World" is a colorful, informative historical overview with the kinds of information that readers will most want to know. There are wonderful cut-away pictures of Josefina's rancho and of a pueblo, which many children will find appealing. The experiences of birth, childhood, and marriage are covered along with fashion, cleanliness, faith, health and medicine, and the importance of the role of the community. Stories of real people of the time and the retelling of the folk tale of "La Llorona" supplement the text. Historical information slips in with the coming of the Spanish, the blending of Pueblo and Spanish cultures, the significance of trade from Mexico City and the Santa Fe Trail, and the coming of the Americans in the mid-nineteenth century. The text is divided into short sections that are easy to read and full of accurate, important historical information. The pictures show delightful representations of colonial New Mexico and even someone who does not read the text will get a comprehensive view of Josefina's World.