Oregon Books

I was given this book from my sister-in-law and she did not have any idea of the impact it would have on me. I was in the family at one time and had met Dorcus before briefly. I am from Oregon and it was a blessing to be able to go with her to every spot in Oregon that she went and where she lives. She mentions family that I am related to by marriage so could relate to the characters. I expecially enjoyed relating to her telling about the lessons she learned through her family and the feelings that she shared about the frustrations of raising them, both the children and in her marriage. I find her very real, gentle and loving and giving to her family. It is not action packed but tells of our own ordinary days and how important they are. Thank you Dorcus!

Loved it! A peek into a 'normal' family life in America, full of love, laughter and trouble. Smucker portrays her family in a real way, not too perfect, just right. A must read for the winter days when it's too cold to go outside and the couch is calling.

I love reading about the Amish and Mennonite people and this book is a wonderful read. Dorcus Smucker takes each chapter of her book and writes about family, friends, home, etc. Reading this book makes me wish I could live in the country.

Many things we may or may not take for granted--wall-papering with a spouse, a family cross-country trip, teaching a teen-aged son to drive--Dorcas Smucker highlights in her tender, yet straightforward prose.

Though Ordinary Days isn't chronologically organized, I found I liked the categories Smucker uses to group her short tales: Family; Seasons; Relatives; Places; Lessons. The last grouping held my favorites, with the final chapter providing drama and a great resolution.

Never preachy, endearingly humble, Smucker lets her faith shine behind her writing, a skill that's served her well through years of writing a column for my local newspaper. We need more honest, humorous people of faith like Dorcas contributing to media everywhere.

This book reminds you of Little House on the Praire in modern day. It is so homey, so pleasant. The author captures the readers attention immediately and moves you along through her stories with enthusiasm. Well written.

I loved this book and I highly recommend Tracey Bateman for any reader, but especially one who likes to see characters have real dialogue, real problems and real everyday faith. I did not like typical Christian romances and was turned off to the whole genre until I read her novels!!! Now I am cautiously exploring other writers who seem similar.

With each book, Tracey Bateman's writing seems to get better. I can't wait to read the next book she publishes.

I have owned this book for four months and have already read it twice. It is full of everything a Christian romance should contain.

I have to give Bateman great praise for her novella collection. As a reader of heatsong presents and the barbour novella collections, I have many books to compare this to.

The biggest challenge with this type of book is that the writer is given only 130(ish) pages in which to develop characters and romance. It is difficult to manage and keep it believable. Bateman accomplishes this and much much more. She is able to create realistic, likeable characters, develop a romance that doesn't catch the reader totally off guard, and manages to weave in an element of intrigue or adventure.

This is a collection of wonderfully inspiring, exciting, hope-filled stories that will keep the reader wanting more with every turned page. Tracey Bateman- She has a gift for historical fiction and I hope to continue seeing her books around.

This is another excellent boook by Tracey Bateman. I like her Christian writing.

I love both historical fiction and Christian fiction and this book (set of three stories) has stayed with me the last few days since I finished the last heart-wrenching story of the Riley family. I loved these stories so much that even though I have been a member of Amazon Prime for a long time, I have never taken the time to write a review. I highly recommend this book, and if you want more by the author I also LOVED the Claire series by Tracey Bateman. You can't go wrong here!

Larry N. Olson is most likely the best landscape photographer to come out of the Pacific Northwest EVER. His work speaks for itself. A truely fantastic book.

Larry N. Olson is a talent to be watched. His photography will speak to you.

A beautifully reproduced book with very unique compositions

The work of landscape photographer Larry N. Olson easily rivals the best of his better-known peers like Art Wolfe and David Muench. Terms like "overpowering" and "awe-inspiring" accurately describe the scenes in OREGON RIVERS--but so do the words "elegant" and "exquisite." Olson neither "takes" nor "makes" photographs: his work gives us neither merely pretty pictures nor ego-obtrusive "studies." Instead, the union we see and feel is greater than either half. In Olson's photographs we experience true art which somehow, magically, lets nature luminesce through.

Oregon Rivers is one of my favorite books ever, and not just because I have fished some of the rivers so lovingly photographed and described herein. Olson's excellent eye for subtleties and fascinating accounts of the hard work necessary to capture the perfect moment, had me wishing for more. The essays by John Daniel add depth to the understanding of the importance of water to this extremely diverse region. Thus this is not just a beautiful coffee table book, but begs to be repeatedly referred to for its insights into how the state's wealth of resources is treated in this age of environmental conflict. This makes the book an educational tool for all of us, no matter where we live, to appreciate our limited water resources with their inherent beauty. But first and foremost, the book is a gorgeous work, to be loved for its display of a superior artist's love for his subject.

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
I've been in love with horses all my life. That love has brought me into contact with many wonderful people, cowboys chief among them. I met my first cowboy at age 15. That was Glenn Burks, founder of the original Willow Tree Farm in Woodside, CA. I rode with Jim Black, over at Skyline Ranch in Oakland back in the 50s and 60s. I knew Harry Conley and the Rose brothers of Hollister, CA. Cowboys (and women) are as different from the shopping crazed, mall crawlers that now dominate our society as astronauts are from marshmallows. Facing down a stud that would just as soon take off your arm does it, as does shepherding a herd of cattle in an impossible situation--and bringing them through. If you don't have cowboys in your life, this book is a good way to bring them into it. Here, you'll begin to understand a world that's slipped away. Courage, humor, fellowship, compassion: Dayton Hyde demonstrates them all in this wonderful memoir that can teach all of us the meaning of integrity.

I read this great book after visiting the wild horse sanctuary in South Dakota, what a blessing! I was traveling back from the Tetons, where my father(74 yrs old) and I had been working for the forestry service riding mustangs. What a great book to read after my experience in the wild. It must have been GREAT living back then. ENJOY the book, great read

A wonderful collection of stories about the life of cowboys and indians during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The author provides a look back at a period of time in the American West that is now gone.

I don't know if you'd exactly call this a biography or not. It's a series of stories, loosely connected, ordered somewhat in a timeline. And fascinating stories they are. He lived in a time when the west, and indeed the world was changing. Then again, I guess it's always changing. I had dinner last night with a young man that seemed a lot like Hawk Hyde must have been 40 years ago. Forehead white as can be, the rest of his face well tanned. Not a dimestore cowboy. He even made the same comments about rodeos, he competes in the local ranch hand rodeos, but the big money circuit is not for working ranch hands.

I guess this is more of a memoir. Tales told by a raconteur of no small skill. These are stories of the west from the thirties to the years after the war, and a bit on the times since. The stories improve over real life. Real life is endlessly riding a horse along a fence line in the cold, the rain, the hot, hour after endless hour. This is the good moments of the west.

If you love the old west, this book is a "must read." It is very well-written, with poignancy, wry observations and reflections on a life full of unforgettable horses, people, and places. Hauntingly beautiful and a reminder of how much we have lost, it was impossible to put down. Dayton Hyde has captured a part of our country's history that is too quickly slipping away.

It is informative on what perennials work well in the PNW and what extra care you need to know about them to make gardening a success.

This book and its companion volume: "annuals" are my current garden favorites. I am a long-time fan of Marianne Binetti and these books are like taking her expertise as a "lazy gardener" to FlowerWorld or the garden show with you. I save money by not buying tempting plants that won't work here. The seed starting tips are also excellent.

One suggestion for future editions: I had Kinkos cut and spiral bind my copies of these two books so they stay open on the table when I am reviewing catalogs or making lists or planting seeds. This 8.00 investment really makes them perfect.

I've bought a number of different gardening reference books over the years, but none has been as helpful as this book. Only 96 perenials are covered (not counting the variations of each plant.) Every one of them can be grown in the Pacific Northwest.

Last week I decided that would finally get around to planting in the rocks around my little backyard pond. It didn't take long for me to identify a number of plants suitable for the rocks that could be planted in fall. Sure enough, I was able to find them all at the local garden center! This would have been an overwhelming task if I were using one of my big, more complete garden reference books.

While most of the book is about the plants, the first sixty pages of the book has general information on gardening. The information is simple enough for the beginner, but comprehensive enough that all but the most advance gardener won't find something to consider. This section also has mini lists of plants suitable for some basic conditions, like sandy soil, or shade.

I have absolutely no problems recommending this book to every homeowner in Washington and Oregon, especially those west of the Cascades.

I found this book very useful. I especially enjoyed the rear section that graphically showed the comparision between each plant. Plenty of photos and more specific than other books. Highy recomended.

This is an excellent book for novice perennial gardeners. The photos are great for identifying unknown plants. I would recommend this to anyone thinking of developing their own perennial garden--it definitely takes the guesswork out of choosing, planting, and growing them!

SHE WHO WATCHES is the fourth and final installment in the McAllister Files from Patricia Rushford and Harrison James. When a senator is threatened, and one of his family members is kidnapped, Mac and his partner Dana Bennett try to unearth the truth before it's too late. Making the case even harder for Mac is the fact that they must share evidence with the FBI, delve into Native American tribal customs, deal with political red tape, and he must try to sort out the feelings he has for Dana without ruining their partnership altogether.

The characters of the McAllister Files are genuine and believable, the protocol and procedures followed by the detectives factual and realistic. Patricia's story telling ability and Harrison's personal experience in law enforcement makes for a superb story with great characters and believable twist and turns

I read a book by Patricia Rushford (Sins of the Mother) several months ago and had been pleasantly interested, but nothing to be excited about. With James, Rushford, co-authors a series called the McAllister Files, which center around detective Mac McAllister. I just read She Who Watches and was quite impressed with it. Mac and his partner, Dana, start working on a missing persons case which turns into a homicide investigation with possible Native American ties. The characters are fascinating and lend lots of great moments to the book, as well as the plot, which keeps you guessing throughout. This is a later book in the series, but the books chronicle Mac's spiritual growth as well as his homicide cases. The book does have some draggy portions, but overall is a very good read.

Sara Watson has disappeared from her home. Because she is the niece of the state senator, this attracts more media attention and makes the case more high profile. Detectives Mac McAllister and Dana Bennett are called in to help the FBI with the investigation. When her body is found near an Indian reservation questions begin to rise about who the killer is and the connections it might have to her senator uncle. The final entry in the MacAllister does not disappoint.

This was an excellent suspense novel. It was like watching a TV show, CSI comes to mind. The detective work is serious not cheesy with the police actually being competent and not bumbling characters. Mac and Dana make a good team and the secondary characters add more dimension to the story as well. The forensics team in this series is awesome. I've learned quite a bit from reading the descriptions of what the medical examiners discover. I will admit there are some grisly images but it keeps in with reality. Especially creepy was the scene where they dug up the body in the flowerbed. I honestly had no clue who the culprit really was and was quite shocked by the result. I had to flip back and catch up on clues. The writing is top notch with suspense, humor, and realism all blended together. I did like how Mac's relationships finally came to a agreement. Throughout the whole series you never knew who he was going to end up with. I also appreciated the explanations about Native American religions and ways of life. I'm really sad that the series is over. I love Patricia Rushford's novels and this series is definitely a favorite. I think it'd be really cool to have her four detectives get together in a book - Jennie McGrady, Helen Bradley, Mac, and Angel Delaney. She is one of the best mystery authors out there.

Love a mystery? This is a very well done novel. The Mac Mysteries are all done well and worth your time. Hard to put these down once you start them!

She Who Watches, by Patricia H. Rushford and Harrison James, is book 4 in the McAllister Files suspense series that will keep you guessing until the end. Sara Watson's day was already packed when she went to the parking garage and discovers her passenger window smashed. Ignoring it for the time being, she heads for home to collect all the information for the police and the insurance company. She never completes her plans.

Scott Watson, Sara's husband, comes home with their daughter to find Sara's cousin, Claire, distraught and their kitchen in a mess! He immediately dials 911 and tries to control his emotions for the sake of his toddler, Chloe.

Detectives "Mac" McAllister and Dana Bennett of the Portland Police Department are assigned to assist the FBI in the suspected kidnapping. When her body is found near the Indian Reservation, it becomes their case. Was it a kidnapping gone wrong? Does it have anything to do with her uncle, the state senator's stand on the new Indian casino? What about this cousin who has moved in with Scott and Chloe "to help take care of them" for a while?

Meanwhile, Mac loses a good friend who is killed in the line of duty on the SWAT team, reminding Mac again of the dangers of his work. Then there is Phil, another detective, who is trying to get over a shooting by using alcohol. Mac's faith is put to the challenge both at work and in his personal life.

Rushford and James weave a great suspense story with realistic characters, illustrating the problems caused by their work - not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically. It is a good read and a true challenge for those who love "Who Done It?" novels. - Linda Demorest, Christian Book Previews.com

I read this book in one day, and could not stop laughing. I learned a lot about gardening in the process. I think many of us come to love gardening in the same way. Great book!

This is one of those books that,"You have had to be there.. to appreciate!! It was so much of my life and how my gardens started.. Right down to Starbucks coffee, the tree "experts",and when they went looking for warmth and got off the plane in Palm Springs!!!!I knew someone had been peeking at my life! Couldn't put it down until I had finished and am sharing it with other garden friends..My sister gave it to me for my birthday and asked, "Did you write this?"

I fell in love with the book by page 13 and highly recommend it to all writers and gardener. The only problem with this charming book is that it's too short--I wanted, no needed more. Thank you, Meg, for sharing your garden and thoughts. PS: I love roses, cliche or not, and Cecile is my favorite (okay, so I have an addiction but only 3 Ceciles, and okay 70 plus roses).

Plant journals may sound dull, but if you find the right one to read you will not only laugh your head off, but you'll learn a lot about plants as well. After reading Gayla's Plant Journal on YouGrowGirl.com, and then attempting to write my own, I was lucky enough to find this book crammed in the back of the gardening section of my favorite used bookstore. Slug Tossing: And Other Adventures of a Reluctant Gardener by Meg DesCamp is the hilarious saga of her attempt to grow flowers at her home in Portland. While she learns about soil, compost, feeding plants and so on, you do too. It's like taking a horticulture class where you spy on the worst student in the room. You'll find yourself giggling while reading about evil slugs, peat moss (as DesCamp says, "Peat moss. What the hell is peat moss?"), ladybugs and weed pulling. By the way, this is a great book to give as presents for your gardener pals.

I first discovered this book at my local library, and read it two times, and shared it with my husband to read before returning it, reluctantly, to the library's collection. I hastily decided that I had to have my own copy, and ordered one here, in the bundle with "From the Ground Up" which I also recommend.
Meg DesCamp takes you on a journey from the beginnings of home ownership, with mild self depricating humor similar to author Anne Lammott. Through interior decorating mishaps, adventures with her cats, sisters and husband, and adventures in gardening, we're there as her first garden becomes part of her family.

I learned so much about gardening from this book, and especially appreciate its Pacific Northwest climate references-being set in Portland, OR. I enjoyed her approach and prose, and look forward to another book by this great storyteller.

Ben Geller and Bob Slater are the one and two snipers on a small town Oregon police Special Response Team. They don't get along. The relationship between them deteriorates dangerously. Geller is in a boring marriage. He has a six year old daughter. He seeks excitement in the company of an attractive female officer who has trained under him. The team is called out for a hostage situation where a young father has threatened to kill his infant daughter because he believes that she is the devil. Slater has the opportunity to shoot the father at the critical time and doesn't. Geller does. But his shot passes thru the wife's shoulder on the way to the primary target. Slater tries to cover up his inaction by saying the father had no gun at the time. As the plot continues Slater plans a hostage/ransom caper that will net him $15 million. He seems to have pulled it off. But, Geller puts together all the clues that lead to his nemesis. When Geller tries to tell his superiors his suspicions they think he has gone off the deep end. Slater kidnaps Geller's wife and daughter and leaves them to die in a sewer tunnel. Geller shoots Slater four times causing him to confess as to how he murdered his partner in the $15 million caper, and disclose the location of Geller's family. He then commits suicide. Geller is then put to trial by a liberal prosecutor for torturing the confession out of Slater. Naturally, Geller is not convicted. An auspicious first book from the author.

I'm guilty...I spent nearly an entire day to read the entire book in one sitting. I just couldn't put the book down. While I was not too surprised by the twists and turns I was captivated by the action and the character development. I was fully engrossed by this book, so much that I had to go hug my wife several times and tell her I loved her afterwards because I felt guilty just reading about Ben's actions in this book. I felt similar to the time I watched two complete seasons of the Sopranos in one setting! Anyway, I definitely can't wait until his next book.

Author Barry Ozeroff in his debut novel "Sniper Shot" takes the reader for a real thrill ride filled with intrigue and a series of unexpected twists. His book has all the markings of becoming a best seller. It has an intelligent plot and great characters that the author has done a good job fleshing out for the reader. This book is not filled with lots of moral messages but it is full of pure exciting entertainment adventure. This is a man's kind of book that can be read and enjoyed equally by a woman.

My son is a police officer, so I had some idea of what that job is like. However, I did not have a clue as to what it might be like for officers on a special response team such as a sniper. The author writes with much authority and seems to understand the emotional liabilities that occupation might have on men under stress. The dialog is done well and does not feel contrived. This is a good old fashion adventure thriller to read and kill an afternoon or a night. Great suspense novel! A must read book!

MWSA's TOP BOOK RATING - FIVE STARS!

2005 Distinguished Honor Award for the MWSA!

Filled with suspense, electrifying human emotion, and unforseen twists and turns...I found myself incapable of putting the book down! My hat goes off to Mr. Ozeroff for a job well done on his debut novel, "Sniper Shot."

If you ever wanted an education about te craft of being a
sniper this is the book to read.Ozeroff calls upon his experience as a sniper to tell an exciting story.
The sniper squad is based in Portland Oregon.Your two primary characters are Ben Geller and Bob Slater.Geller is the primary sniper despite Slater's being a world class long distance shooter.Slater lacks the discipline and character to be the
primary sniper.They are both members of the Special Response Team.They are bitter rivals as well.
You are taken into several sniper situations involving the two main characters.It makes for an entertaining read.You finally are taken to a showdown between the twi snipers.One of the men is honest while the other man is a theif and basically
dishonest.To say the least this story has an exciting finish
This is a very good book.You will enjoy reading it.

I think this book touches peoples hearts. The author did a seriously good job of researching.

I read this book many, many years ago while in middle school (?) and I couldn't put it down. Having been from Oregon, I found the tail of the Sager family incredible, and the Oregon Trail has always intrigued me. I ended up reading the whole in book in two days because it was so great.

What I love about this book is it is historically accurate, gripping, and interesting to children. While it is not written with fantastic literary flourish, it is an engaging and amazing story. As a teacher, it fits with the fourth grade Washington curriculum perfectly and that is where I have used it. It sparks interest in readers (both young and old) about the Oregon Trail, history, and the Sager family.

The most famous book about the Sager family is probably "On to Oregon!" by Honore Morrow, on which the movie, "Seven Alone," is based. But "Stout-hearted Seven," is based on more thorough research and is more accurate. This is the one our fourth grade teachers usually read aloud as part of their curriculum on Washington State, and it's the title that most students will come into the library to check out and read again.

While there are many good fictional accounts about the Oregon Trail, this is the one I'd recommend first for upper elementary grades, simply because of its basis in actual events.

I'd also recommend visiting the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla, if for no other reason than to see the wagon wheel ruts and the Sager names on the gravestone. Our family did this a few years ago as part of a quick 5-day trip along the Oregon Trail, starting in Independence, Missouri. If we ever go again, I'd prefer to take at least two weeks.

I read this book recently and I absolutely loved it. It's the story of the Sager family, and their hardships and trials while on the Oregon Trail. I don't want to give the book away, but I must say that a tragic accident leaves the seven Sager children orphaned and in the care of the other members of their wagon train. The family now consists of 5 girls and 2 boys: John (13), Frank (11), Catherine (8), Elizabeth (6), Madeline (4), Louise (2), and Rosanna, only a newborn baby. They are adopted by the famous Dr. and Mrs. Whitman, where they live happily in their care for 3 years, until the tragic Whitman Massacre. That's where I'm going to stop, because if I tell you of the horrible things that happened there, I would ruin the entire story. Anyone who likes historical fiction, or even is just looking for a good book to read, I reccommend this book. So even if you don't buy it from Amazon or anywhere else, just get it from your local library, because this book is worth your while.

I had to read THE STRANGER NEXT DOOR for a Sociology class, and I must say that this is one of the more fascinating nonfiction books I've read yet. The author, Arlene Stein (who is a Sociology professor at Rutgers University, where I currently attend), spent some time in the mid-90s in an Oregon town she names Timbertown, and tries to understand what led this town to be torn apart by a divisive argument about gay rights when there was no apparent queer population in town to speak of (and if there were any gays, they usually kept a low profile). Basically the town is divided into two groups: those who support a particular measure to try to curb gay rights, and those who do not. It is a thought-provoking book, and also rather frightening to read: the actions some of these people take against the "other" border on hate violence, and lead some people to compare the actions of the pro-antigay-measure people to Nazis. It is always rather scary to see what happens when fear coupled with ignorance is allowed to run rampant in these kinds of small, closely-knit communities. And yet Stein thankfully never comes off as overly smug or judgmental (though she clearly has her liberal leanings---and she's a lesbian herself): she makes an admirable effort to try to understand both sides of the issue, and what kind of circumstances, whether economic or religious, might have led these ordinary folk to turn against homosexuals the way they did. The end result of her painstaking field research is a well-written, fascinating, compelling book that might astonish you with its insights about what leads ordinary people to suddenly turn against each other. This is no dull academic lecture in writing, trust me: you won't be bored by this at all. Highly recommended.

Inherent in the Fundamenalist view is the assumption that ethical principles come together harmoniously and do not meaningfully conflict. Indeed, conflict is seen as a test of one's ability to adhere to these moral priniciples. Thus, Fundamentalism knows the answers and isn't particularly open to persuasion--or so it would seem. However, Stein's sympathetic interviews reveals a different story about the Fundamentalists who launched a charter amendment against 'special rights' for gays and lesbians in a small, Oregon town where there weren't many gays and lesbians to speak of. Here, we meet Christian Fundamentalist women who weren't particularly close minded; felt uncertain about their principles; regretted the conflict they engendered; and, in some sense, felt an unacknowledged sense of shame. For reasons which are probably not very far from view, they just couldn't accept pluralism--mostly because it didn't speak to their insecurities. Those seeking insight into the present turn in American and feminist politics would do well to read and take heed!

A social history of the political repercussions of an anti-gay coalition formed in a small town in Oregon in the mid 1990s to alter the town charter to prevent "special rights" from being granted to gay/lesbian citizens, "The Stranger Next Door," does a brilliant job of distilling the national discourse on gay and lesbian rights through a description of the pitched battle between conservatives and liberals for the hearts and minds of the citizens of "Timbertown." An often harrowing tale of the manipulation of a small town which has fallen on hard times by a conservative organizer, Ms. Klein's admirably balanced re-telling of the events leading up to the vote on the anti-gay referendum, bristles with memorable people caught in a web of intolerance.

Short, concise, compelling, Ms. Klein introduces us to Christian evangelical ministers and their flocks vs. mainline liberal Presbyterians, rednecks vs. yuppies, business owners vs. unemployed mill hands, long-time residents vs. recent arrivals from California, and takes us through an increasingly bitter political fight that eventually polarizes the town into two bitter factions, and sets neighbor against neighbor in a fight where sexual orientation, once private becomes public. Along the way she discusses the stratgies undertaken by the opposing camps, such as the too-easy invocation of the Holocaust and Nazism as analogous to the situation in Timbertown by the liberal elite, and on the other side, the invocation of the Bible by born-again Christians as the ultimate authority on sexual behavior. There is also a particularly trenchant chapter which clearly illustrates the tendency of the media to respond only the most divisive stories and events, and thus fan the fires of hatred higher.

Also worth the price of admission is a precise discussion of the various "creation tales" of homosexuality. For instance, there is the "essentialist" view of many liberals and parents of gays/lesbians, a view that insists that sexual orientation is purely genetic, a response that was perhaps partly developed to counter the conservative Christians' insistence that homomsexuality is a choice, and therefore a sin. She notes the essentialist view gets parents of homosexual children off the hook, and also, for liberals "normalizes" homosexuals as a natural category, thus making them worthy of political voice. Klein believes this view is a disservice to the truth and the multifarious ways in which sexual orientation may come about. For instance, she tells a lovely vignette of two women, both married with 6 children between them, who, without ever thinking through the "political" aspects of their attraction, leave their husbands and set up housekeeping in Timbertown. The peculiar and ironic tragedy of this couple is that until the trouble in Timbertown started, no one thought of them as lesbians, and neither had they ever gone out of their way to make it known.

A profoundly sad book in the end. The intransigence on both sides speaks to the declining possibilities for Americans to speak across class, race and sexual orientation, but, at the same this cleared-eyed report encourages us to believe that even if we can't talk across these battle lines, at least there are sociologists like Ms. Klein who can honestly describe the motivations on each side of the divide, and,perhaps in so doing help generate a bridge across the chasm. As a perfect companion to this book, read "Suburban Warriors" by Lisa McGirr, a history of the rise of the conservative right in Orange County, CA.

Arlene Stein is a professor of sociology who moved to Oregon in 1994, a time when rural Oregon was in the surprising position of coming to terms with homosexuality. She tells how this happened to "Timbertown" (a pseudonym, and she has used pseudonyms for all the town residents) in The Stranger Next Door: The Story of a Small Community's Battle over Sex, Faith, and Civil Rights_ (Beacon Press), a balanced history of a contemporary controversy. Timbertown was a logging community, and in the eighties the economy turned bad for it. Newcomers came to the region, some in communes, and in the bad economy, didn't always get along with the long term timbermen. Among the newcomers were homosexuals, not many, to be sure, and most of them were women who blended into the community so that most others hardly knew. When the Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA), an outside agency powered by Christian fundamentalism, came, Timbertown started fracturing.

Timbertown was hardly teeming with the sort of gay population that scared the OCA, those that could be found in the larger, more open cities of the area, the hypermasculine muscleboys in leather, who dared to flaunt aggressive sexuality. Though a spokesman for the OCA could warn that the intent of homosexuals "... is to take over the state of Oregon and turn it into Queer Nation," no one in Timbertown could have seriously thought that of any fellow residents. The idea that homosexuals were going somehow to ruin government, or that homosexuality somehow weakens marriages (whose?), were never shown to have any factual foundations. But the OCA put a petition to put an anti-gay civil rights measure on an upcoming ballot, splitting the community into sides. This had bizarre and unexpected consequences.

An exhibit based on the life of Anne Frank became politicized, with the OCA calling it "pro-homosexual propaganda." The valuable role of victimhood was sought by both sides, with the OCA unconvincingly arguing that they themselves were the persecuted minority, the equivalent of Jews in the Holocaust. The mayor of the town had to withdraw from the traditional annual prayer breakfast as it, too, became political rather than ecumenical. Children at school began to beat each other up depending on what sides their parents took on the issue. The few members of minority races in the town saw an increase in hostility, and although the newspaper and schools took an anti-racist attitude, the white majority who were losing jobs did what people always do, and found someone else to blame. There was no racial strife before the sexual issue started splitting people. Even more sadly, although the ballot measure passed with 57% of the vote, it accomplished little except the fracturing of Timbertown. In less than a year, there was an injunction against putting the measure into effect, a statewide antigay ballot failed, and U.S. Supreme Court ruled in ways that would make the measure a dead issue, but of course Timbertown could not be put back together again. Stein's well-researched book coolly recounts the agonies of Timbertown, and reminds us that they are national concerns, here merely writ small.

It tooks about four pages to suspect that TImbertown is the town in which I live -- and a couple of more references for me to confirm it. I picked up the book not so much because it was a dicourse on homosexuality and politics but because it addressed the grass roots philospohy and tactics of a conservative Christian political movement. Being neither gay or very conservative, I found the book to be a well written insight into community relations, politics, gay politics, gay non-politics, the devlopment of evagelicalism in the West, and the politics of the far right. I also had a great time trying to figure out who the pseudonyms were. This aside --the Timbertown situation is representative of a lot of small town in many states