Washington Books

I can't beat Thomas' thorough review. I simply wanted to add another strong recommendation. This is it. It's the definitive whitewater book for WA. Combined with real time river gauge data from sites like American Whitewater and Professor Paddle (here in WA), you can easily find which river from the book is running at an acceptable level.

As a new paddler hitting the numerous class II rivers in the book, I've found the descriptions concise and accurate and the directions excellent. I'll contrast that to some other paddling books out there (Verne...) with some truly addling directions. The only things you might want to see added are warnings about which parking lots require permits (typically the WA Fish & Wildlife permit).

--Links--
American Whitewater: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/state/WA/
Professor Paddle: http://www.professorpaddle.com/gaugeview.asp
WA F&W permits: https://www.greatlodge.com/cgi-bin/licenses/customer_search.cgi?st=WA&btype=Licensing&r=0.17156896083894152

This is the guide to whitewater paddling in Washington State with over 320 different trips described for the following drainages/regions: Columbia River Gorge, Lewis River, Kalama and Cowlitz, Lower Columbia and Chehalis, Upper Cowlitz, Deschutes and Nisqually, Puyallup, Green and Cedar, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Pilchuck and Stilliguamish, Skagit, Nooksack, Northeast Cascades, Wenatchee, Yakima, Klickitat, Eastern Washington, Olympic Peninsula, Clackamas, Sandy, Hood, North Central Oregon, Snake, and Southern BC.

Jeff Bennett has paddled most of the runs and for those that he hasn't he has enlisted local experts to provide accurate descriptions. This guide gives equal attention from rivers all the way from class II beginner trips to the nationally-known class V creeks including the Little White, Ernie's Canyon, Robe Canyon, Canyon Creek, Cispus, Icicle, Ohanepecosh, Big Quilcene, and many others.

While this guide does not go into detailed mile-by-mile descriptions, it does provide an excellent summary of the overall character of each run including potential suitability for rafting, notes specific hazards, and highlights the unique features and noted rapids. Directions to the put-ins and take-outs are generally excellent and it serves as the must-have dashboard companion for anyone looking to find their way around Washington State's Rivers. The coverage of runs in Oregon, BC, and the Olympic Peninsula is less complete but this guide still hits the highlights. The guide also includes drainage maps, black and white photos that illustrate several of the region's classic rapids, and a number of rather humorous river stories.

This guide is much broader in scope than Douglass North's Washington Whitewater which has more detailed descriptions and mile-by-mile river maps but only covers 34 of the states classic runs and nothing beyond class IV. Gary Korb's guide to the Olympic Peninsula provides much more detailed descriptions of the rivers in that region. Verne Huser has a guide that covers rivers in Western Washington characterized by flatwater and mild rapids that would be of more interest to those looking for a scenic canoe trip.

My 8 year old really enjoyed this map. It comes with stickers that can be added as you visit each place. Large, colorful, easy to read map, it has pictures of all the sights. Really got him excited about the trip & made a great souvenir when he got home.

My 4 yr. old son and I had lots of fun going over the neat things included on this map, and he loved to find all the perfect locations to put the stickers! Since I work in D.C., he was very intrigued to see where my office is. We were able to talk about all the different sites, monuments, and bulidings that I have been to in my 15 years living here, and where he would like to go and visit next summer. He refers to it as "his map", and it really is laid out in a way that even small children can understand. It is a great resource and learning tool.

Have no problems with this book since I have been a Redskins fan for over 45 years. An avid fan of the Redskins can't go wrong by buying this one.

great book. a redskins fan should not be without it.

This book is filled with short inspiring stories of individuals who exhibit strength of character and, because of it, had a profoundly positive impact on the character development of another human being. If you like reading short, inspiring, biographical stories, as I do, this book is for you.

One of the patterns that emerges is the power of mentors and developing people. It's made me consider increasing my own mentoring. The book's stories also support the universal human needs for recognition, belonging and personal growth(needs that are necessary to thrive) that I wrote about in Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity.

In "A Hand to Guide Me," American film star and legend, Denzel Washington, sets out shine a light on the 100 year old Boy's & Girl's Clubs of America, an organization of 3,700 serving more than 4.4 million children in all 50 states. Washington's eventual success can be traced directly to the Boys Club in his home town, Mt. Vernon, New York. It was there, by necessity, that he learned purpose, consequences, and how to be a man.

"A Hand to Guide Me" is a collection of short stories by ordinary people from ordinary beginnings, accomplishing extraordinary things. Six dozen people from diverse backgrounds share their memories about role models, mentors and positive influences in their lives. Some are household names like coach John Wooden, director John Singleton, author Toni Morrison, General Wesley Clark and former President Jimmy Carter. Many are alumni of Girls and Boys Clubs of America, while others have taken on leadership roles in these clubs. And some were asked to contribute because there was something to learn from their voice. These are very readable stories ranging in length from two to four pages.

All of the contributors have outgrown a hardship or two to reach a significant level of success and can draw a line from their success to some rock solid foundational experience - sometimes it is a parent, a coach, a neighbor or the inspiration derived from a tragic event.

Washington's resonant message is that we are all extraordinary in our own way but we don't go it alone. There are people on whose shoulders we stand and we, in turn, can provide a shoulder for others.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of America are the center of everything for many kids today, providing a shoulder for millions of kids and making a vital contribution to the future of our society. They are a breeding ground for hope, purpose, and direction - where many have learned strength, confidence, and the freedom to dream...to think big.

Hansa: The True Story Of An Asian Elephant Baby is a remarkable picturebook for young readers about a baby elephant born in the Woodland Park Zoo. Children will learn that Hansa was 235 pounds when born and by her first birthday had gained almost 800 pounds! Filled cover to cover with true facts about elephants and splendid color photographs from the Woodland Park Zoo, Hansa is very highly recommended for young people who want to learn more about this wondrous, exotic animal species.

Even though this book is really written for older children, my 17-month-old son loves it too! We don't read the words to him, but he loves to look at the pictures and make elephant sounds. As he gets older, I'm sure he'll appreciate the information more, and my husband and I find it very interesting too.

The book is very well written and the pictures are great. I highly recommend it for all ages, especially if you have an elephant fan of your own at home!

A compact, illustrated guide, thousands of entries, cross-indexed for easy reference. Written with the layman in mind.

I have just received my Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music and am thrilled. As an adult without formal musical training who is singing in a college choir, this book will be invaluable. It not only explains musical terms and other basics of the machanics of music, but it also covers such topics as music theory, musical works, etc. The entries are comprehensive, but short and understandable to a person without musical training. And it is small enough so that I can carry it with me to rehearsals!

another collectors item for africa lovers and people,still phots of a africa who was unspoilt of tourist in those days

The collaborative effort of Isolde Brielmaier (Visiting Professor of Art at Vassar College) and Ed Marquand (Director of the Hector Acebes Archive), Hector Acebes: Portraits In Africa, 1948-1953 showcases the photography of Acebes taken in Africa in 1948, 1949, and 1953. These black and white photographic images have justifiably been acclaimed as some of the most beautiful photographs of Africans ever taken. The images, however, were hidden away in Acebes' photography studio in Bogota, Columbia, and it was not until 2003 (when Acebes was 82 years old) that he had his first art gallery exhibition. With the publication of Hector Acebes: Portraits In Africa, 1948-1953, (which is enthusiastically recommended for personal, academic, and community library Photography Studies collections) full justice has now been accomplished with respect to bringing a lasting access to Acebes's photographic artistry to the general public.

This book made me think of Julian Simon's book "The Ultimate Resource" because they both build the argument that ordinary people determine the fate of nations. That is they build the successful societies, the very few free and prosperous nations that have shown the way for others to follow. In the early days of growing economies the drive and motivation of all citizens works for the common good. Climate and natural resources are secondary to the genius of the people who will always find a way if given the chance "to make it happen." That is why Julian Simon calls them "the ultimate resource." The stories of such individuals make up the basis of this very enlightening book by Lodge and Roosevelt.

The brief biographies of these uncommon commoners shows how the brilliance of American freedom found expression in its ordinary citizens. The authors avoid the failings of the academics who seek to rewrite history to accomodate current agendas--the latter deliberately manipulate history in order to manipulate the future course of their country. Too many current books paint the pioneers of America with their anti-American brush. But in these stories, Lodge and Roosevelt strip away all that modern re-write and clearly reveal the great opportunities and upward mobility that was available to all and that served the nation so well. Each story is full of new information about the lives and times of the characters and demonstrates the past strength of our cultural and religious beliefs.

There is a growing theory that the lesson of history--the explanation why some societies Rose and others stagnated, is simply a question of whether the bulk of the ordinary people had economic freedom. Only in free and open societies can all the people strive to contribute to the nation's success. And that massive and combined effort is what brought success. This theory has been summarized and dubbed "The Radzewicz Rule" in my recent book COMMON GENIUS: Guts, Grit, and Common Sense: How Ordinary People Create Prosperous Societies and How Intellectuals Make Them Collapse That book like the biographical stories by Lodge and Roosevelt recognizes that the famous and powerful characters of history often did more harm than good, and that the overwhelming forward progress was driven by the genius of common people.

This is definitely a book to read and re-read. It is a refreshing look back to the times when we had heroes--people who acted based on strong principles rather than expediency. It is to be noted that all those selected did good things--such individuals, fiercely independent and self-reliant, built the nation. (They never looked on themselves as "victims" of asked for a hand-out.) Such people do not ever cause a nation to decline, stagnate, or Fall. Today there is a new elite that have usurped the role of ordinary people, and that may be our downfall, but in this fine volume you can relive the exploits of those who helped create our great "city on a hill." Bill Greene

I learned so many possible things that TR has done for us and his country. In my opinion, TR was a hero. He established U.S. leadership in the world as no other president had before. He was truly amazing.

This book tells the story of the founding and exhibits of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. This book does not replace visits to the Museum. It is an excellent reference book to have in combination with visits to the Museum. The Holocaust Museum is one of the finest Museums in Washington, DC.

The history told at the Museum is powerful in so many ways. My hope is that humanity can learn from history not to keep repeating the many horrific mistakes that were made during the period of Hitler and Stalin. We must always remember that most of the terrible crimes during this period were sanctioned, promoted and authorized by National Governments. The Governments of nations can and do become evil, corrupt and murderous. We the people of the world must be forever vigilant against vesting too much power in the hands of too few people. Concentrated power almost always becomes corrupt.

We must learn from history how to prevent the concentrations of power in too few people. These concentrations of power can sooner or later lead to evil. Even power that is initially built on good intentions will good bad eventually. That is the nature of the human condition that we must fear that charismatic leaders will concentrate power in ways that are unhealthy and deadly. We should find ways to avoid electing charismatic leaders as these types of leaders are just too dangerous. The Holocaust happened just seconds ago in terms of the lifespan of our planet, and something like it will happen again unless we learn the lessons taught to us by history.

Having recently visited The Holocaust Museum, I felt compelled to own this book as a tangible memory. The book captures the essence of the holocaust experience with outstanding images and words, often understated, that continue to evoke the emotions felt in the museum.

This is really a fine book and in many ways better than other books that I have read by this author.

My wife enjoyed this book as well.

I recommend it strongly as it is will appeal to all people even though the setting is about a elderly Jewish gentlemen and a black lady who is trying to help him

I read this book several years ago and enjoyed it. It came into my possession again recently and it was like meeting an old friend again. The story of Sam Horowitz and Mrs. Washington is touching and heartwarming. To sumarise this book and tell the story of Sam Horowitz, an American Jew who is mugged and slashed by black 'savages' and then has a stroke while having his face stitched, sounds so depressing, but then one meets Sam, and Mrs. Washington, his black nurse, and Mona, his typically Jewish daughter, and finds the lovely Jewish wit of Sam and the strength of Mrs. Washington. Mr. Denker, thank you for the enjoyment you have given me, not just by introducing me to Sam, but for also introducing me to Harry Spencer (in a later novel) - two of the most lifelike characters I have ever met.