North America Books

Spoon-fed news by large media corps, few were aware that Winona LaDuke ran for the vice presidency under Ralph Nader in the 2000 elections. Even fewer know that she is also a Native American eco-philosopher with a critical perspective on the health and future prosperity of America. All Our Relations is particularly instructive, in that LaDuke surveys the entire American landscape (and by landscape, I am not merely referring to the political landscape), showing the deep connections that exist between local cultures, their environments, and the corporate-governmental giants that often compromise their health. Although LaDuke has specifically focused on Native American communities, the stories are engaging and instructive for Americans in general. Informative, powerful, and transformative, LaDuke here provides an antidote for our increasing alienation from the land and biota that sustain us. A must read for any conscious American.

ALL OUR RELATIONS by Indigenous Activist Winona LaDuke is a must read for everyone who cares about our earth. LaDuke presents the state of the environment focusing on several land, treaty rights and toxic exposure struggles on reservations across North America and in Hawaii. Since I met Winona when she was an economics student at Harvard, she has been at the heart of struggles and gains made by indigenous communities, always bringing a keen intellect, diligent research, unswerving commitment, and a broad vision of the whole circle to community and tribal issues.
Because I've known many of the people involved in the essential work LaDuke describes in ALL OUR RELATIONS, it was a personal pleasure to read this book and catch up with what Susannah Santos and her cousins are doing on the Columbia River, be updated on Luana Busby and Melani Trask and the Hawaiian indigenous movement and to get the inside details of the complex political fight Winona's son's father and his people are up aqainst at St. James Bay. But this book will fascinate anyone who cares about our earth, families and communities. It is one to read from end to end, then keep around to re-read again and again.
LaDuke calls the work these tribal communities do to protect their people and landbase from pollution and corporate greed, "soul-retrieval." It is work that we all need to do whatever our ethnic background, since as LaDuke's reportage on the presence of PCBs in mother's breastmilk in the Northeast attests, everyone is affected by what we are doing to the earth. Winona is a mother who has no illusions about how the choices we make as consumers affect the earth and our communities' health. What is most inpiring about LaDuke's writing and life is that she offers solutions. Each chapter not only outlines the problem, but it talks about solutions that are being implemented and suggests others that should be employed. Winona walks her talk. LaDuke has been a strong proponent of wind energy and has worked to engage major corporations like Ben & Jerry in developing wind energy projects on Indian Reservations in South Dakota. Native Harvest and White Earth Land Recovery Project have reclaimed White Earth land and developed sustainable reservation businesses that employ and train White Earth tribal members. Winona LaDuke would be a great President because she is the only public figure who has a sensible plan for economic self-sufficiency, the clarity to explain it to the American people, and the discipline and steadfastness to enact it.

If I could, I would thank Winonah LaDuke in person for writing such an important, informative and engaging book on the travesty that is the North American government's view of native land and those who inhabit it. The numerous tribes who make the land their home are forced to co-exist with the insensitive, selfish and literally toxic decisions made by government and corporations who dump tons upon tons of toxic pesticides in their water and on "abandoned" land. These lands are also subject to divebombings from military jets. These are illegal decibel levels that drive those within hearing range to points of mental instability, as well as potential hearing loss.

One of the most important quotes from this book that I remember (since I read this book a couple of years ago in a Native/African-American Women's Studies course) was from a Seminole leader who said, "Selling your land for a price is like selling a piece of your mother." [I paraphrase this.] I couldn't agree more. When I remember that quote, I think about all of the animals, vegetation and tribes (consisting of families and friends) who have lived off of the land of the United States, as well as Canada. How can one possibly put a price on something that can't truly be owned by anyone and is its own autonomous entity. Even if people have the illusion that they can occupy land as territory (because of treaties, as an example) does not mean that it is ever their to keep. LaDuke makes several strong examples of this in the book. We can't continue to pollute, abuse and neglect land without paying a price environmentally or in terms of human quality of life and mortaiity. I believe everyone should read this book, regardless of occupation, national origin or territorial location. We need to face the damage done before more of it goes unacknowledged. Thank you, Winonah.

Winona Laduke ran as vice president alongside Ralph Nader. It would be truly amazing if this woman had become our vice president (for many reasons). It is my hope that some day she will be our vice president (or president). Her views on the environment and its effect upon animals and people (particularly babies, children and pregnant/nursing mothers) are exactly how I feel. She expresses these views eloquently in these quotes by Lil'wat grandmother Loretta Pascal, "Where did you get your right to destroy these forests? How does your right supercede my rights? These are our forests, these are our ancestors."(p.5), by Ted Strong, "If this nation has a long way to go before all of our people are truly created equally without regard to race, religion, or national origin, it has even further to go before achieving anything that remotely resembles equal treatment for other creatures who called this land home before humans ever set foot upon it...."(p.5), and by Katsi Cook, "Why is it we must change our lives, our way of life, to accommodate the corporations, and they are allowed to continue without changing any of their behavior?"(p.12). Reading this book you will feel sorrow, and be inspired to action. Most of what was said in this book I already knew a little about, but through this book I understood the depth and complexity of all the factors. I can not recommend this book enough. She tells the truth of our world with a powerful clarity. She tells the stories of many Native American Tribes throughout North America (Canada and the United States, including a chapter on Hawaii). She ends the book with the optimism that it is possible for us to make change, but it is up to us.

To think this woman could be our Vice President today. Most people don't even know that Winona LaDuke ran for Vice President on Ralph Nader's ticket. An articulate and passionate writer, LaDuke presents an awareness of the plight of America unsurpassed by any other. She knows what's wrong. She knows what needs to be done. She knows who is doing the work, how and why. She presents her advocacy as human, heartfelt and real. I learned things about what is happening to this country that I would never have known otherwise. You certainly don't see it in the news, and you don't learn about it in school. We're in trouble, folks, and it's not too late to do something about it. With more power she could have made such a difference! But she continues to work on the issues, and it is so important that more people are aware of her work. Please, please, please read this book. It is the most important book you will read all year.

Great book, very detailed and informative information on identifing North American animal skulls. Light enough where it can be carried and used in the field. Detailed instructions on how to clean and care for skulls.

This is a great book. The review in the August 2007, Journal of Mammalogy is spot on. Consider it an expert treatment on the skulls of many (but not all) North American mammals. I'm unsure of the value of the short treatments of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. I consider this money well spent and am sure I will refer to the excellent photographs and illustrations often over the years.

I have all of Mark Elbroch's books. They are essential for tracking & naturalist studies. I refer to them weekly for identification, more than any other books I own. I've also met Mark & had him sign the "Mammal Tracks" book. An all around great guy to study from & talk to. If you enjoy Mark's drawings check out his site for t-shrirts & other cool stuff.-Kevin

This is an excellent book for the serious amateur or expert. Great line drawings and photos accompanied by concise information on each type of skull.

I really was impressed when I received this book. I did not know that it was going to be in such detail and have full scale images.

It also has a plethora of knowledge useful for fields that study animal bones such as zooarchaeology, mammalogy, and zoology. I would recommend this to not only avocational researchers but academic researchers as well.

This book is the fascinating, inspiring and enlightening true story of a young man who was a political refugee from Kenya. He came to the US, graduated from college,and went on to law school here. He married a US citizen and they had a child. Seems like it would be a sure thing he could stay.....but not so fast! This is the story of his amazing struggle and shows how our system works. (Actually, not so well sometimes.) Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good read!
C. Bates, Eugene, Oregon

I couldn't set this book down. He literally goes through every possibility, facing years of uncertainty, and still keeps trying - and graduates college and law school in the meantime. I cannot imagine going through what he went through in Kenya, then coming to the US as a safe haven, and facing such a drawn-out, uphill battle simply to stay.

His story is not always easy to read but it is very engaging, even if, like me, you are not a lawyer or law student. David Kenney Ngaruri and his friends and colleagues in this book are very inspirational.

This is an eloquent and heartbreaking tale of one immigrant's journey throught the U.S. Immigration system. It reads like a John Grisham novel although the story is sadly true. The author, a 7-foot tall Kenyan, was a political prisioner in Kenya for his role as a labor organizer. He faced imprisonment and torture and was ultimately able to escape Kenya via the promise of a basketball scholarship in the United States. In his quest for political asylum in the U.S. he encouters heartless judges,corrupt officials, State Department bureaucrats, a beautiful "witch", kidnapping rebels, interpid law students and a dedicated and brilliant law profressor (his co-author). I couldn't put it down and felt a mixture of outrage at the U.S. immigration system while in awe of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most dauting of odds.

This is an amazing book that makes plain the unbelievable complexity of immigration law. Anyone with an interest in immigration policy should read this book.

For those of you looking for a good summer read to take to the beach, or just a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy day, I highly recommend opening up the pages of Asylum Denied. It is both informative and inspiring as it tells the story of David Kenney Ngaruri, the political asylee who struggled to stay in America. Although the book is currently being passed around law schools, as the new go-to-guide for asylum law, I am sure it will not be long before it makes the bestseller stands at nation-wide bookstores or grabs a spot on Oprah's booklist. Asylum Denied, written by two authors, the above-mentioned David Kenney Ngaruri and Philip Schrag, the professor of law at Georgetown University, serves both as a law manual and as a heart-warming story of adventure, perseverance, and love. Unlike most law-related books, it reads very smoothly and catches your attention from the first page. Even if this is not the usual type of book you read, I urge you to give it a try. If the face on the cover of the book is not enough to convince you to read it, then I hope this review will.

I became a fan of Leonard Pitts after reading his column in the Miami Herald while visiting Florida. I like his style of writing and thinking and after reading this book, I now purchase it for young black men who have just become a father.

Written by Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., Becoming Dad is a discussion of the need for black fathers to step up and become positive male role models in African-American society today. Pitts recounts both his personal life (he grew up with an abusive father) and vignettes from dozens of men that he interviewed across the nation. Becoming Dad blends both personal experience and journalistic cross-examination into a powerful whole that embraces the joy of truly being a father and caretaker. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this highly recommended tribute.

After watching Mr. Pitts interview on Tony Brown Journal. I became one of the first people to order his book on Amazon.com.
I would like this book place on the recommended reading list at predominately Black High Schools, colleges and universities. It would be nice to also see a few copies available in prisons, church libraries and military PX stores. Mr. Pitts, "Becoming Dad" offers God-send messages to Black Men seeking answers, However, others can benefit from this book. In conclusion, I would like "Becoming Dad" in every conscious-seeking Black man's library.

I was first drawn to this book after watching a television interview of Leonard Pitts, Jr. as he discussed the book. What an interview! What a book!

I once heard a person say, "Real Men don't have to prove it." This certainly speaks of Leonard Pitts, Jr. He doesn't have to ask anyone's permission to be who he is and he doesn't have to prove to anyone else that he is a man. He is able to be vulnerable and strong at the same time. Those whose stories he writes are equally brave and candid. He is a man with straight-shooting, hard-hitting advice for a new generation of African American men, and some advice for women as well. His frustration with men who blindly accept the stereotypes placed on them by a thoughtless society comes through loud and strong. Men do have a choice. And women do have have a choice as to where they place their standards.

Because this book is aimed at African American culture, it will not have as strong of an emotional impact with those who are in a different culture. Pity, because strip away the cultural references and his message is one that needs to be heard by everyone.

I read this book back in January and thought about how different a life I had compared to Leonard Pitts Jr. Pitts spoke about how his father held the family a gunpoint twice and about how he beat his mother and siblings whenever the father became intoxicated. Pitts basically stated how once his father died of cancer he was basically forgotten about, but never forgiven for the things he had done to make their lives so complicated for his family.

Pitts speaks to other men in a focus group setting about their relationships with their children and the mother of their children. Some of the relationships seemed as if the father really did not know what to say or do with the children and some of the children felt who is the mystery man? My heart went out to so many of the men, women and children who never got acquainted or tried and failed. I believe that so many men make children and probably fallout with the mother of their children. So many men see the "baby mama" as an obstacle who makes them feel inadequate or uncomfortable.

I had a friend who fathered a child with a woman and had not seen the child in the tweleve years that the child has been on earth except for the day he was born. My friend received a letter one day from his son wanting to see him and my friend wanted to go out and buy everything in the mall for his son. I explained to my friend that money can't buy love and I said that the most valuable gift you can give to your son is history. I explained to my friend that he should tell his son where he came from, his family, and take the boy on a trip to see where his father grew up. The boy is curious to know about his father, but also about himself and so often we lose sight of that by purchasing expensive that could never fill the void of family history.

When I first got this book I read it through like a novel . it is that interesting!! Then, as I used the book as a field guide I realized that birds make much more of a mess than we realize and that trackers can easily mistake bird sign for that of man or other animals without this knowledge. Lots of things that I thought were mystery disturbances in the woods were solved for me with this guide. No other bird book touches it for bird behavior.

This book is a much needed guide to bird sign and tracks. It complements Elbroch's guide to Animal sign. It is well written and informative.

This is a guide to identifying bird families or individual species by clues they leave behind of their presence. The title may appear, at first glance, to be a typo. It is not. As the authors explain on the first page: "Sign refers to all the possible signs of their passing: sign of feeding, gathering material for nesting, the nests or cavity holes themselves, pellets, droppings, feathers lost during molt, or kill sites."

This book appears to be packed with too much information for a beginner to digest. But its actually quite good for anyone who is interested in birds and would use such a book more than once or twice. The information is organized by types of sign - tracks, feathers, feeding signs, droppings, nests and roosts, etc., rather than by species. This allows you to read about whichever subject you're interested in and to take in the basics behind, say, interpreting signs of feeding, rather than getting bogged down by details specific to a certain species.

Due to the nature of the topic, the squeamish may not enjoy all the pictures. However, the pictures are certainly not as gruesome as they could have been.

In the introduction, one of the authors writes: "real tracking is bigger than one lifetime. Tracking, as our ancestors knew it, was a body of knowledge handed down from generation to generation. Each person added to this knowledge..." The authors clearly see themselves as a continuation if this process, referring to and giving credit to other excellent books, such a Rezendes' "Tracking and the Art of Seeing".

To my knowledge, this is the only book like this specific to birds. I feel this would be an excellent gift idea for that hard-to-buy-for bird watcher.

petervtamas@mail.com

I really got excited when I saw this reviewed in National Wildlife magazine. I often see bird tracks or even a nest when out walking but didn't know how to translate that into useful information. This book clues me in on the bird that matches those signs.
The author, a renowned tracker, spent 14 months, 12 hours a day studying bird tracks, scats, nests, feeding signs and roosts plus collected information from museums for this book.
Users of this guide may also want to try:
-Flattened Fauna: A Field Guide to Common Animals of Roads, Streeets and Highways
-Scats and Tracks of the Southeast (also guides for other areas)
-A Field Guide to Desert Holes
-A Key-Guide to Mammal Skulls and Lower Jaws
-That Gunk on Your Car (insects)
Bird lovers now have another tool to identify birds.

Call me cynical but in the last twenty years I have seen field guide publishers recylce the same old info over and over again, just adding a new tabulature or color photos. The text is minimal and always leaves me wanting more.

Not so with this book! Mark and Eleanor have created something that goes well beyond any field guide currently on the market concerning birds! This stuff is new and never before seen except for experienced birders in the field. It is easy to use, fun to use and it will help anyone learn more about birds, their habits and sign. The photography is stunning as well.

I cannot over-recommend this book. Go get it, now!

Ricardo Sierra

(I'd actually give this 4.5 stars, but Amazon doesn't do that. The reason is that despite the flaws in the narration, the book never ceased to keep me fascinated and entertained. I wasn't pulled out of the story loads of times or anything and the flaws didn't kill it. It's a darn good read!)

The Cleansing is a novel that moves outside of what I normally read. I admit that I have only read one other novel that had Native American themes that I remember (and that was also related to specfic). That was a novel by A. A. Attanasio, the title of which is eluding me at the moment. I've noticed that I don't generally pick up Native American themed novels, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's some narrow minded view of mine that there isn't a lot of interest for me in such novels because I, personally, don't buy mainstream or literary fiction books very often (I tend to stick to fantasy and SF and rarely go outside them except for non fiction work). I am familiar with Native Americans, particularly of the tribes in and around the Foothills of California (such as the Washo).

That being said, reading The Cleansing was a whole new experience for me, not only because it's about Native Americans and, in particular, about things I've not read much about before, but also because it's actually an entertaining read with a really interesting twist on the "werewolf" theme.

To sum it up, the story is about Wanata, a godlike being in Native American folklore believed to come to Earth in the form of a wolf to perform The Cleansing, a sort of nature-induced population control. The Cleansing has happened before, but there's a reason nobody knows about it: because it's something that is hidden, on purpose. But now, mankind isn't a fledgling little species anymore. We've conquered practically all of the globe, spreading ourselves out by the millions, building great cities, polluting everything, etc. Over six billion of us are on the planet now, and Nature isn't happy about it (hence The Cleansing). The problem is that millions of people will have to die to reestablish order. Laughing Wolf, a Native American shaman, knows what will happen and has a vision that tells him he must kill Wanata and create a new Cleansing, one that doesn't involve destroying millions of lives. Savannah, a reporter, just wants to get the next big scoop on the strange happenings in Alaska (a rogue pack of wolves attacking human settlements). The various other characters are inextricably sucked into the events, many of them receiving a shock to the senses as they begin to realize that some things aren't so easily explained and the things happening up north aren't the work of something as simple as a couple stray dogs.

One thing that really stood out to me about this novel is that it actually gives a whole new view of the "werewolf" mythology. While I don't know if Harvey intended this or not, it was there nonetheless and I thought it was really fascinating. In the novel you get the sense that the werewolf condition is like in most werewolf myths: an disease of sorts. Added to that, however, is that it is a human affliction upon nature, which presents itself in ways I thought were really interesting (imagine that instead of a human becoming a monster that can't control itself, it's a wolf becoming a man, and going back again, without all the rampaging and ability to infect other people). I got a bit of a kick out of it because I have grown a little tired of the cliche werewolf stuff (you know, like every Hollywood movie you've ever seen with werewolves, all of which try desperately to add to the myth, but only manage to keep the common mythology running without adding much to it at all).

The plot is really fast paced, so if you're not prepared to be sucked into it and pushed along at breakneck speed, well, that's your own fault. The best part about the novel is that it doesn't play any games and gets right to it: the world is bad and Wanata is going to take care of things (and humans aren't all that smart when it comes to deal with demigods, as it turns out). Savannah is just snappy enough to make me laugh, Chace is just evil enough to make me want to kill him myself, and Wanata, surprisingly, is sympathetic enough to actually make me care about what happens to him (considering he's supposed to be the bad guy). It's also interesting to point out that Harvey doesn't pull punches when it comes to showing human beings in all their forms: good and bad. There are folks who sit in the gray areas, and some who are black and white. This is something I think is very important to have within a novel like this. After all, we're talking about a restructuring of Nature and to make Wanata seem like only a bad guy would make it too easy. Humans are not perfect: some of us are evil, some of us aren't, and some of us sit in the middle. Nature, unfortunately, doesn't generally make distinctions about good and bad.

My only concerns with the novel is that for some it might have too many characters. While the pace is quick, there were a couple times where I was pulled out of the story when the author pulled me around to different characters, trying to give a wide range of views of the same thing or by trying to split the storylines. It's not a tremendous problem. I found myself getting used to it and not generally being bothered after a while, but I think perhaps reducing the amount of POVs could have helped develop the more important characters (particularly the ones that I liked: Savannah, Wanata, and Chace, though the last one I didn't like because he was good, but because he was a completely horrible human being and it would have really been more interesting to know where he came from and why he had turned out that way). There could definitely be more in the development of some of the characters, as I mentioned, but I think in the end it worked out okay anyway. I still want to know what the heck made Chace into the horrible person he is.

Overall, Harvey avoids stylistic annoyances and gives the story in a way that moves quickly and doesn't dawdle. The plot thickens and becomes more complicated as it goes along, which is both a good and bad thing. The bad thing is that the novel ends with only partial closure. Harvey has proposed a trilogy, and the way it ends is set up for that. While it does end, there are still a lot of things left to be addressed, particularly in Quiet Wolf's (Laughing Wolf's grandson) storyline and Wanata's. Hopefully Harvey intends to get the other books out soon, if they aren't out already. I'm looking forward to those sequels mostly because I would like to see more of Savannah and find out what happens, if anything, between her and Wanata. Basically, this is fast-paced reintroduction to the fantastic disaster story, filled with a wide array of interesting characters, magic, monsters, rogue wolves, and a touch of the werewolf. Not much else to say other than I really enjoyed this book and thought it was entertaining from start to finish.

This book kept me up at night for two reasons- I couldn't stop reading it and it really freaked me out!!! I've read it twice, and let some friends borrow it. I'll probably read it again, too!!!

I loved this book. It is a page turner from the front to back. As a person who hasn't been a fan or this genre - this book sold me back into reading more fiction!

Harvey does an amazing job. Steven King watch out!

BUY This book. You will love it.

What an incredible introduction to a new author. THE CLEANSING is easily one of the best, most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. Not since King's THE STAND have I been so unhappy about finishing a novel. It was a joy to read from the opening paragraph until the last page. At times horrific, intriguing and endearing, it grabs your full attention and never lets go. Each of John D. Harvey's characters, both major and minor, are multi-dimensional and unique with their own distinct voices. The reader will even find themselves empathizing with the villain in this book, a preternatural wolf named Wanata, who not only wreaks terror wherever he goes but is, himself, struggling with his own crises. Don't let the cover price keep you from grabbing this one! You won't be disappointed.

The title of John Harvey's first novel stirs memories of the seventies and eighties (when titles of most horror novels included but two words, one invariably being "The"). The narrative style, however, is a throwback to a much earlier era. Harvey's straightforward and earnest storytelling brings to mind the pulps. The book exhibits energy, wit and invention, but the old fashioned prose might have readers believing it's a reprint from the first half of the twentieth, rather than an original work from the first half of the twenty-first, century.

Mining Native American legend for the raw material of his first novel, Harvey tells a tale of an ancient being emerging from his rest into the modern world. The initial focus is on the medicine men of several North American tribes, men who are haunted by dreams of the wolf spirit Wanata, whose periodic visits to the mortal plain over the centuries have inevitably resulted in the destruction of whole segments of the animal kingdom. Wanata is charged with keeping nature in balance--if a particular species has upset that balance, its numbers must be reduced to restore harmony. In the past, this meant the destruction of buffalo or deer. This time around, Wanata's target is mankind itself.

Once you get past the odd formality of the writing (it's not clear whether this was Harvey's intended effect, or simply his normal literary voice), The Cleansing is a pleasure to read, remarkably free of the common flaws that plague most first novels. Harvey guides readers through his universe with a sure hand, providing a plethora of memorable characters (freelance journalist Savannah Channing and Tungtawnee medicine man Laughing Wolf are two of his more vibrant creations) and generous doses of humor along the way. Harvey is clearly unafraid of taking chances in service of his story--although all of his characters are put in peril, the least expected and most likeable members of his cast suffer the most harm, ratcheting up the suspense quotient.

The novel suffers as Harvey's narrative slows almost to a crawl towards the end, ostensibly because this is the first novel of a planned trilogy. Hopefully Harvey is saving equally engaging material for books two and three, and not simply running out of steam. Time will tell.

Some books teach you something new. Some books have you look at things in a different light. This book does both. Before reading this expansive historical work, I viewed the 1863 New York riots as a reaction to the draft. This book shows that it was that and a lot more. Schecter's book analyzes the social-political situation in the United States at the time of the riots and shows how much racial relations and fears, and those who preyed on both, played a role.

This book teaches on so many levels. It serves as a 1) an complete account of the civil disturbance in New York City in 1863, 2) an overview of race relations in the United States during the Civil War and Reconstruction, and 3) a history of New York city in this pivotal time frame. It even includes a travel guide for New York, which includes all the sites related to the narrative. Well written and superbly researched, this book is a great precursor to Eric Foner's works on Reconstruction.

This is the best historical work I have read in the last few years.

Thank heavens for independent scholars!

Barnet Schecter is rapidly becoming one of the best chroniclers of New York's history. His previous book, "The Battle for New York: The City at the Heart of the American Revolution", was an eye-opening revelation at how this city was the true "heart" of our separation from England, and how we (and Boston, as well) were that country's main target for conquest in 1776. Utilizing the same narrative style of writing, Barnet Schecter tackles the week-long convulsion in New York City four score and seven years later.

"The Devil's Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America" fills a void in most histories of the Civil War: the fighting that took place OFF the battlefields of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, etc. These were the wars that were waged in newspapers, city halls, and, ultimately, the streets of major cities across America. Mr. Schecter is careful to explain that the New York City draft riots were not the only anti-war, anti-emancipation riots during the Civil War. But it was the largest. It was the worst. (While most New York historians claim that around 100 people were killed during the riots, Mr. Schecter rightfully, I believe, puts the number at 500, at the very least.)

The actual riots occupy only the middle one hundred or so pages of the book. Mr. Schecter devotes an appropriate amount of time to examining the roots of the riots: the racism, the class animosities, the mistrust between Nativists and immigrants, and so on. In the weeks and months immediately before the cataclysm, we see battle lines being drawn: Greeley vs. Marble, Democrats vs. Republicans, poor whites vs. poor blacks; in fact, it seems like it was almost everyone vs. the beseiged African-American population. When the five days of rioting are discussed, the sense of prevailing confusion and chaos--the near anarchy--are as expertly conveyed as the awful scenes of violence. The final third of the book is, in many ways, more tragic than the uprising. It is here where Mr. Schecter discusses the aftermath of the riots over the next two decades. Basically, the reconstruction of America fails. The North and the South do not fully unify. The working class does not get the respect it deserves. (Instead, it is treated with more brutality and unfairness.) Worst of all, African-Americans are not truly emancipated. The enmity and violence visited upon them, because they are never addressed, just worsens. And why were they never addressed? Mr. Barnet just comes out and says it: because most people never really wanted to. Therefore, it would takes decades before America would heal or truly reconstruct.

"The Devil's Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America" is a sobering book, true, but it holds our fascination. The details about the quirky politicians, newspapermen, observers and participants breathe life into people who have been dead for almost 150 years. The maps and generous sprinkling of illustrations help us see the people and places more clearly. This is a monumental book for which Barnet Schecter deserves our appreciation.

Also recommended: Iver Bernstein's "The New York Civil War Draft Riots". Although not written in a narrative style, it contains valuable information about the causes of the riots. For a fictional treatment, Peter Quinn's novel, "Banished Children of Eve" is the best I have ever read.

Schecter's book is a great read that clearly explains the New York City draft riots and the political and ethnic issues that simmered to the point where in July 1863 Irish immigrants protested and rebelled against what they saw as an unfair draft system that had been put in place allowing $300 commutation fees and a recent Emancipation Proclamation which caused them to fear the loss of their jobs to newly freed slaves coming from the south.
It's an excellent book about a rarely discussed topic in our nation's history.

This is a good book that seeks to help desanitize and demythologize American history. Racism is and always has been an American problem, and not relegated to one region, or for that matter, one race. I think a good book to read with this one is Tom DiLorenzo's brave THE REAL LINCOLN, now available in paperback. It does something to show Lincoln's virulent racism and should act as a supplement to THE DEVIL'S OWN WORK.

Barnet Schecter's magisterial study of the five day insurrection that erupted in New York City, "The Devil's Own Work: The Civil War Draft Riots and the Fight to Reconstruct America", is one of those historical accounts that illuminate more than just the times the work is set in. By providing a multilayered analysis to the issues that marked this breakdown of social order, and through a deft, perfect-pitch, use of basic sources, Mr. Schecter lets the contemporary voices of those living through these events and, at times, driving them, speak for themselves. The result is a tableau of compelling immediacy that is rarely seen in a historical study. Some of the expected characters are here: Lincoln, Seward and Lee, etc. but it is the less well-known characters of that era that permit the real force of the book to be felt. By knitting together and contrasting the recorded dialogue of the restive ferment of the slums of New York and Boston with the tense interchanges originating in the mahoganied board-rooms of these same cities Mr. Schecter recreates the social tensions of these turbulent times. With what seems to be an unerring sense of how the character of a subject will define for him the peculiar social reality that he may act in, we meet figures who by virtue of the author's skill and sympathy are never rendered as simple, one-dimensional heroes or villains. Landmark works in any field of study require that a sense of scope, sensitivity and balance be observed throughout the effort. But such traits alone cannot mark it as memorable. For this the electricity of personal exchanges in statehouses, boardrooms and back alleys must be captured in their raw force and then be woven in into a narrative that flows with seeming effortlessness, from it its own momentum. This is what Mr. Schecter has accomplished.

This is a first hand account of his life in Montana after getting off the boat in Ft. Benton and going into the trading business with a friend. It is a well written account of their life with the Blackfeet Indians, hunting buffalo, daily life, traveling, his marriage to a Blackfoot, the demise of the buffalo, and the arrival of hordes of whites. He also gives us an insight into local politics and business of the times. It held my interest of this period and place of time. I found it to be a delightful book and recommend it for its entertaining and historic value.

This is a terrific story of a young white man's time with the Piegan Blackfeet. James Willard Schultz came west for adventure and joined an Indian trading post 45 miles north of Fort Benton, Montana.

He not only traded furs, gold, liquor, and dressmakers goods to the Indians, but became fluent in the language of the Blackfeet, sharing in their hunts and wars and even taking a young Indian wife.

It's a somewhat self-conscious story from a masculine vantagepoint during a time when warrior bravado was in vogue and the buffalo were still thriving. This book portrays a segment of Native American life and culture just before the buffalo were diminished and the people were forced to reservations.

Given that _Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian History of the American West_ by Dee Brown contains only 2 or 3 pages in reference to the Blackfeet, a book such as _My Life As an Indian_ is a superb addition to one's bookshelf. Recommended.

I just came online to see if it was in print. I have had a copy of this book from the 1935 paperback that my Grandfather gave me when I was a boy. Not that I was a boy in 1935, it was actually in the early 70s. . .I was captivated by the stories JW Schultz lived! Helping his friend steal his wife from under the nose of the ever watchful father. It still grips me even today. Alas, my old copy is just that, old. That is how I came to write these words. Ordering a fresh paperback.

I cannot recommend this book more highly!

This is an excellent first hand account of the major transformation of Plains Indian culture that occured during the nearly complete extermination of the buffalo which was so central to their life. It starts with the buffalo in plenty and ends with reservation life. This is a bittersweet book. Schultz marries into a band of the Piegan branch of the Blackfoot confederacy. But although he lives among them, and loves them and their lifestyle, he never completes his assimilation. This is evident when he writes with almost distant amusement of some of their religious beliefs. Adding to this is the problem that while he loves the life of the buffalo days and deeply laments their end, his occupation as a trader in buffalo robes is hastening the end of the very thing he loves. His description of the post-buffalo, early reservation life is the most distressing, complete with corrupt reservation Agents, and sometimes rascist newcomers.
His stories are not all downers though. His writing is a very detailed, intimate, and at times amusing description of his life and those around him. I've loaned my book to a number of people and they all have liked it. If you read this and like it too, you'll be glad to know he wrote a whole series of books of his life in early Montana, and of the lives of prominent people he knew. I've read many, but not all of them, and I prize every one.

This is a eye opening I can't put it down book! Seeing how the Blackfeet lived, their culture, social structure, horse raids, war, etc., through the author's eyes is fascinating. As he joins their society, marries into the tribe and lives as the tribe did you will find it informative and insightful. As the old ways pass away you feel his sadness and the end will break your heart. A beautiful, lively, fun book that takes you into another time and place as you ride with Schultz and the tribe. A must have!

Book about Warblers
this reference book is very helpful in identifying the migrating warblers.
It arrived in very good condition.

This book is much more than just a field guide to the warblers. It contains a wealth of information on identification, but it also functions as a summary of the scientific literature on the ecology of each species, complete with references to the primary literature. This guide is a great way to not only get more serious as a birdwatcher, but also to help this interest develop into an interest in and understanding of ecology.

As a field guide, this book is exhaustive and excellent. The illustrations are extremely clear, and there are distinct illustrations of different sexes, ages, and plumages (fall/spring) whenever these plumages are distinct. In addition to the illustrations of perched birds, there are also excellent illustrations of undertail patterns, which are very important and useful. Throughout the text as well, there are a number of detailed color photos. Visually, this guide has it all! The range maps are large and clear, although I wish that the range maps would mark migration paths more clearly.

The expanded chapters on each species are outstanding. While some of this information, especially the plumages, range, song, habitat, and behavior, would be interesting and useful to birders, this book goes above and beyond by discussing in depth the ecology of each species, taxonomy, and conservation status. The writing is clear and concise, and there are numerous references to the primary literature as starting points for people who are interested in further reading.

Bottom line? If you like warblers, you have to get this book! You will not be disappointed.

Several years ago, while watching the bird feeders at Muskatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Seymour, Indiana, I heard a voice behind me pointing out that there were two races of White-crowned Sparrow at the feeder. He went into detail about the subtle differences between the two. At first I thought to myself, who is this guy? Later, I realized that it was Jon Dunn! I have had a high respect for him ever since.
Years later, he was the guest speaker at our bird club meeting. He presented some of the plates from his, at the time, upcoming new field guide to warblers. I fell in love with the plates from the very start. Thomas R. Shultz and Cindy House did a remarkable job, and the detail that was carefully gathered from museum specimens is second to none. I knew from the beginning that I had to have this new field guide and I couldn't wait until it appeared on the shelves.
When I bought my copy of the finished product, it was even more than I expected. Aside from the detailed plates making fall and female warbler identification easier, the text is filled with information on virtually every aspect of life history of each species, with cross-references that will aid any serious researcher. More than just a field guide for identification purposes, this book belongs on the shelf of beginners and experts alike who share a passion for warblers.

This book provides good color plates of the warblers in various stages of plummage. The distribution maps are easy to read and color coded. I bought the book because of the multiple pages of natural history information on each species. The birding guide I use in the field has excellent illustrations but totally lacks in the supplemental information. So, when I get home, I grab this book to learn the biology of the species.

Kimball Garrett and Jon Dunn worked together once again to produce a masterpiece. The information on status and distribution is remarkably accurate given the exceptional detail in which it is presented. The identification discussion is thorough and accurate. The discussion of subspecies, their taxonomy, and their identification (as is possible) is remarkable. The books only failing are the illustrations, which are flat and unrealistic for the most part. Their usefulness is limited.

A nicely researched and insightful biography of Florence Lawrence, one of the most shadowy yet important figures of early cinema. Many things about Florence's life and career will perhaps always remain vague, but Kelly Brown gives a worthy account of America's "first movie star." It is refreshing to know that Flo is finally getting the recognition she deserves. This book is a must for the true film buff.

This slender volume is fascinating because it finally paints a well-researched picture of the long forgotten Florence Lawrence. I've always been fascinated by her after seeing publicity stills of her from the mid-1900s. She appeared to be warm, charismatic and fascinating. Her greatest tragedy is that none of her films have been shown in eighty years. I have one of her shorts, "Flo's Discipline" which only lasts about twelve minutes but it gives you a hint of how dazzling she was before the cameras. While her cohort, Mary Pickford, went onto a spectacular career that included mind-boggling salaries and a world-famous Hollywood castle, Pickfair, poor Lawrence was living in a small, hotel room, being paid a few dollars a week as an extra at MGM. Her life would make a wonderful movie--and a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of how fleeting fame is, and how fickle is the public when it comes to remaining faithful to the flavor of the month.

Florence Lawrence was an enigma I had always wanted to know about, having been interested in silent films for many years. Information on her was scarce, save for some still photographs in silent movie history books. Kelly Brown really did her homework, in what must have been a difficult task, digging up information about a star whose heyday was almost 90 years ago! Congratulations, Kelly, on a job well done! I can't recommend this book highly enough!

I always enjoy a good biography, especially those of the nearly forgotten silent screen stars. This biography of Florence Lawrence was well researched and had many wonderful photos. The author did a good job with the resources available. Most of the films and people involved in silents are gone now, so the job is doubly difficult. Although pricey, this biography is well worth reading.

Florence Lawrence was "big" before there were movie stars. She was the original "Biograph Girl" before Mary Pickford was given that name by movie fans. After losing her job at Biograph, she was hired by Carl Laemmle's IMP company (later Universal). As a publicity stunt, Laemmle started a rumor that she was dead. Then she made a personal appearance in St. Louis and was mobbed by fans.

Unfortunately she was pretty much out of work in five years. Poor managemet by her husband Harry, as well as a painful injury forced her into bit parts. She was still acting in very small parts into 1938, when she gave up on life and committed suicide.

Kelly Brown has done an incredible research job. Using Florence's surviving correspondence, as well as trade magazine artices and advertisements, she has reconstructed Florence's life. The book has many footnotes noting sources, and there is a very detailed filmography. Instead of a book full of dry facts, Ms. Brown keeps Florence's story interesting. If you are interested in early cinema, or even important women actresses, you should definitely read this book.