Oregon Books

In Religious Freedom and Indian Rights, Carolyn Long examines the events surrounding the landmark Supreme Court case Employment Division v. Smith, and presents a case study on the struggle between governmental power and individual religious freedom. Using the story of a Native American man fired for worshiping in the manner of his religion, the author illustrates the ongoing struggle in this nation over the meaning of the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment, and its application in American government. As a case study, Employment Division v. Smith is an excellent choice, and Professor Long has done an admirable job of presenting all sides of the issue. By utilizing primary sources such as Justice Thurgood Marshall's personal papers, and through conducting many interviews with those involved with the case, she has written a text that is informative, balanced, and (above all) enjoyable. A great attribute of this book is that it is real; the interviews with Mr. Smith, his attorney, and Attorney General Frohnmayer add a "real life" dimension that many political science case studies lack. The reader walks away from this book knowing that Al Smith is a real person with real emotions and beliefs; that is a refreshing change. The book is a fairly easy read for college students, and the reader is kept interested by the regular "changes in scenery" between the Supreme Court, the attorneys, and the other players throughout the book. Religious Freedom and Indian Rights provides valuable insight into the inner workings of a landmark case and the various dynamics that come to play when one is allowed to take a controversy "all the way to the Supreme Court." This book will doubtless prove to be an asset to those seeking a better understanding of the First Amendment's free exercise clause, and would be a excellent choice as a text for a Civil Rights and Civil Liberties course.

Carolyn N. Long documents the events in the case Oregon v. Smith, the saga of Al Smith, and the Klamath Indians. All the people who played a part in this judicial/legislative/religious tug of war were treated with respect by this author. Long asks us to ponder the question, who is more powerful God or Caesar? The sacramental ingestion of peyote has been part of the Native American Church for centuries. This native belief clashed directly with state and federal laws propelling this case to the highest court in the land. This book is a remarkable work that articulates each argument in a concise manner that is accessible to readers from any discipline. For example, the portion of the book that explains the disagreement between Justice Scalia and Justice O'Conner. Scalia's conclusion that generally applicable laws did not invoke the free exercise clause, was as interesting as O'Conner's refusal to dismiss a century of First Amendment jurisprudence. Controversy and politics make this case especially enthralling. Long describes the legislative process that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act went through. Her focused writing explained how legislative actions sprout and are nurtured through the political process, one reason why this superb book compliments coursework in Political Science. Oregon v. Smith contained interplay between citizens, local politicians, special interest groups and high profile members of the judiciary. The intense political positioning throughout this case, was as intriguing as a good game of chess and more enjoyable than a great work of fiction. Bravo!

Professor Beckham's presents a terse and lucid account of the displacement of the natives of the Rogue Valley and surrounding areas. I grew up in the Rogue Valley and in fact my family homesteaded there, although they began a couple of decades after the natives had been displaced to reservations. I wish very much that this book had been required reading in my high school, because we were raised to be essentially blind to the melancholy history of our area.

The book is essentially a scholarly memoir, with extensive footnoting for anyone wanting to find more detail in the historical record. Yet, the writing is accessible and vivid. This is a highly recommended read.

Beckham has done more to understand the history of the Indian people of the Oregon coast than any other author. As a member of the Coos tribe, I am grateful for his attention to a history which not only very few non-Indians but also Indian people are aware.

However, mostly missing in this book is the Indian voice, or a discussion of the motivation and understanding of the Indian people who were being uprooted and systematically killed. While Beckham is clearly sympathetic to Indians, this is still a book written from the dominant culture's perspective; even so, the discussion of the motivations of the non-Indian settlers is somewhat superficial.

Because so little is written on the subject, this is an important addition to the history of the Oregon Coast in the early 19th century.

There are no more beautifully written or pictured guides to the national parks than this series put out by the Sierra Club. For a historical, geological, and biological snapshot of a park, no book does it better. If you need very specific information, contacting the park is your best bet. There is some information about trails, camping, contact info, etc. The main purpose of the book, however, is to give you an understanding about all aspects of the park. These books are truly treasured in our home.

This is a wonderful book that introduces through color photography and historical references many of the national parks in the pacific northwest and Alaska. While a little outdated to be considered a true travel guide - it is great for reference and a wonderful guide for those who only can travel to these majestic and mystical places through pictures.

This is not the most realistic novel you will ever read but you will thoroughly enjoy it. Artist Adam McCleet has a sister from hell. One day she rings him and demands he goes to Seattle because her husband Phil was supposed to ring her two hours ago and did not. It soon becomes apparent that there is reason for concern and Phil did not disappear of his own free will. Fellow dentists have no idea where he is but are equally determined for Adam to find him. Meanwhile Homicide Detective Forest is not happy Phil is around and interfering in his Yuppie Ripper serial killer case.

Characters are extremely gullible in this novel such as the hotel security guard who immediately believes Adam is a secret agent but if you can overlook this sort of stuff you'll enjoy a pretty interesting novel.

This is the first of five mysteries staring Portland, OR resident Adam McCleet, sculptor and ex-cop. They have widely varying plots, but many recurring characters. The books have a very friendly feel and a good dose of humor.

Spare Parts is the grittiest of the bunch. McCleet gets involved when his dentist brother-in-law goes missing at a convention and later turns up without one of his kidneys.

I recommend starting with this one to be introduced to the characters in the right order and to follow their plot lines.

For some reason, Hanson is compared to Hiaasen on every jacket. In my opinion, Hanson is the better of the two. His stuff is funnier and more inventive.

This is one of my all time favorite books about horses by one of my favorite authors.

This book was allright but not as good as the other Treasured Horses book release at the same time, Ride of Courage. Spirit of the West is about Jessie, a Nez Perce Indian girl whose pride and determination to show off to her new friends causes a valuable foal on the Oregon ranch her father works on to wander off, and now Jessie must search for the foal.

I took this book out from the library, and I was a little concerned about the golf ball on the cover. I hate golf. Still, the synopsis on the jacket looked good. I read the entire book in one day. Adam is a great leading character. He has real problems with authority, and a good sense of humor. He gets into incredibly dangerous scrapes and is human enough to wonder what the heck he was thinking, while still pulling them off. His girlfriend is a strong, intelligent woman, his sister is a raving witch, and the suspects are suitably weird. The story is witty and absorbing, and includes great descriptions of the beauty of the Oregon coast.
Read this one, you won't regret it.

This book is great. It narrates the story of an ex-cop, who's now a struggling sculptor, Adam McCleet. Through an elaborate and twisted plot who is named heir of a very wealthy man, but in order to inherit his share he has to solve a murder. All through out the book the story is narrated in a very intelligent way and it has exactly the right amount of suspense, whit, sex and humour, which has been perfectly timed. All in all is the perfect book to read when you're feeling down and want something to cheer you up! It'll make you laugh and make you wanna keep reading so much that you'll finish it in no time.

I found this book while browsing in the stacks one day. I had no idea that Japanese had been imported to build the Railroads in the Northwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (this was because Chinese were not available... laws had been passed making their immigration to the US illegal), and mainly ONLY MEN. It was a real eye-opener (I have seen NO such information ever in any US History book I read in school, and I am born and educated in the US -- graduated from UC Berkeley).

This book is very easy to read and become engrossed into. I could not do anything else in my spare time other than work on finishing reading this. It goes a long way to filling in much of the missing pieces with Japan of US History before, during, and after WWI and WWII.

Most US Citizens NEVER heard of Min Yasui, a newly minted Lawyer and Japanese-American US Citizen (by birth) from Hood River, Oregon, who decided to challenge Executive Order 9066 by deliberately disobeying it, getting arrested, charged, convicted, and put into Solitary Confinement for the duration of WWII even as the US Supreme Court ruled against him regarding the Constitutionality of it. And, yes folks, Executive Order 9066 could be reissued today, against anyone (even you), without Due Process. You too could be treated just like the Yasui's, ripped out of your job and home, have your bank accounts frozen, told you had 48 hours to pack and could only bring what you personally could carry with your hands and nothing more... and then lose your property and home when you could not pay the property taxes (because your Bank Accounts had been frozen by the Federal Government).

You say you're a US Citizen? So were the Yasui's (except for Min and his wife, who were prohibited by Federal Law from ever becoming Naturalized Citizens -- a Law that was not changed until 1958!! Whites could, and Blacks after the Civil War in 1865 were added to the list. But Asians were never mentioned anywhere. It didn't say they could not, but it didn't say they could either. It just didn't say... and so the US Supreme Court ruled that Asian Immigrants were EXCLUDED from ever becoming Naturalized US Citizens. Hard to believe? Read about how the Yasui's coped with this issue. And the next time you eat an apple from a box marked HOOD RIVER, OREGON... you will know "the Rest of the Story... ".

This book should be Required Reading for anyone taking or even remotely interested in US History.

I just finished reading The Stubborn Twig today. I love to spend hours in bookstores looking for different kinds of books and am pretty quick at purchasing what I know I will like. This book intrigued me just by the title - it went right to the top of the pile of books that I brought home that day. I started reading it right away.

The story deals with how the Yasui family copes with the trials and daily living of being different. It also gives a look into how they at times fit in with their white (hakujin) neighbors and no one noticed.

The story is both touching and exciting as the reader goes through the generations of Yasui's and how they feel about the world around them.

I think that Ms. Kessler did a very good job of telling the story of each family member while weaving them into the importance of the famliy as a whole. I too come from a large family with generations of history. It has inspired me to start better record-keeping for my own children and the ones to come.

I never knew of the reasons behind the internment of the Japanese Americans during the war. This book not only gives facts and history but the details of how real people had to cope to survive. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, and an admirable approach to finding the courage to start over in life.

I could not put this book down after I started it If you enjoy the outdoor and the forests then this is a must for you.

This title contains a wealth of knowledge about the tillamook burn as well as some stories about people caught in the burn. It covers each of the burns and has a lot of information about the reforestation efforts made by many people. It failed to give information about a so called "lost steam engine' wich we were trying to locate in the burn area. Other than the lack of detailed information about equitment lost in the fire it has more genral information than most books on the subject. This book would be a best buy for someone looking for general information on the burn. If someone has imformation about the "lost steam engine" in the woods please e-mail me.

This book is very helpful for a newcomer to the northwest who wants to know what will work in this region. While not complete, it offers an easy to reference guide to trees and shrubs.

Great ilustrations and easy to find references for each species of trees. Gives prefered climate, soil and light conditions and the full growth size fore hundreds of trees. Often gives a list of several varieties of an individual species as well.

Reading Unreal Cities, by Thomas E. Kennedy, was a real pleasure. From the moment I picked it up I could tell that this was an author I could subscribe to. His first short in the book is about a man who makes it his personal quest to eat everything in his house. The story is detailed and thoughtful, and is an insightful exploration of how obsession can quickly become enlightenment and just as quickly fall apart. Though there are a few stories that I couldn't handle, most of them were along a similar vein and were similarly thought provoking. From a man who briefly finds truth in a shadow, to a darwinist whose ultimate understanding of the subjective realities of nature get him shoved down a flight of stairs by creationists; each story is another example of where the search for enlightenment can take us if we don't watch ourselves carefully. It isn't the greatest book in the world, but 2.5 simply doesn't do it justice.

z.

Kennedy's Unreal City shows the pleasures of a novelist at his peak of creativity. The endearing readability of Carver and the emotional impact of Nabokov can be found between the pages of this book. Buy it and be blessed.

--Nick Carbo, author of El Grupo McDonald's