Indiana Books

Amidst all of the published books out today that either reflect on such a materialistic world we have become or those that place "famous" people upon a pedestal out of touch, it was extremely refreshing to read a novel about a genuine saint of our times! Julie Young deserves praise for her research and dedication in educating the reader about this amazing woman, Saint Theodora Guerin and in the journey of her recent canonization! I applaud Julie and the Indiana Historical Society Press for this publication and I look forward to reading any future publications to come from this gifted writer!

Ms.Young has brought to life the challenges faced by Saint Theodora Guerin in establishing a school for woman in the frontier of Indiana. This is a fascinating look at the hardships and trials that Sister Guerin overcame in a country where she didn't even speak the language. This book is wonderful for young people and an inspiration to readers of all ages.

Saint Theodora Guerin was a woman who endured, survived, and learned at a time when women held little power. This book details her challenges from disinterested Bishops to local Catholic bashing. Details are provided, but also broadstrokes of midwest history.

Interesting book tying history, and personality together. Saint Guerin was born in France, migrated to the wilds of Indiana where the politics of founding a school for women was almost overwhelming. And as with many faithful Christians, she suffered from an affliction that challenged her to strive.

This is a good book for history.... of feminists, of Catholics, of Universities (she founded St. Mary of the Woods in Terre Haute, Indiana), of Indiana, of the process of becoming a saint.

You'll find your own challenges in this book... if she could do so much, with so little..... how can I do more with what I have??

This is the first work of literary criticism that I read like a novel; I simply couldn't put it down. By combining literary criticism and autobiography, Miller pushes the boundaries of literary criticism in productive ways and forces us to rethink the field. Finally a book I can recommend and give to all my friends, regardless of whether they are academics.

Nancy K. Miller is one of my favorite contemporary feminist theorists. This study of several "Memoirs" written by adult children of deceased parents kept me interested in ways that scholarship often does not (I usually read it for work, not pleasure-- this book combined the two). With this book, you should also read Maus : A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman, because one of the most fascinating chapters is a study of Spiegelman's gripping Holocaust narratives. Autobiography shapes all writing in ways that critics are really just beginning to explore-- Dr. Miller is at the forefront of this field and deservedly so.

The opening line of Bequest & Betrayal came as a shock of recognition: "When my mother died, I thought my real life would begin." I read avidly the beginning pages, and then, suddenly, got frightened and stopped. What did it mean for me, a 28-year-old, to identify so strongly with a woman writing about her mother's death? Between the resentment and forgiveness that connect parents and children, Miller shows us, is the possibility of realization. We can realize that there is a separation between our parents' lives and our own, their stories about parents and children and our own stories. The succession of generations-dying parents and newly born children-does not necessarily resolve conflict, nor is it the only way toward realization. The chain of generations can be broken: the absence of reconciliation can be lived with. Can I begin to live my real life now?

For me, a first generation immigrant, family has been a source of both identity and difference, something essential but secret, unknown to others, and incompatible with public American life. In reading Bequest & Betrayal, the memoir of a woman who is not like me at all, according to the conventional terms we use to think of identity, I found that it was nevertheless family that linked us, the simple fact that we are all entangled in family plots of some kind. Families not only give us our unique differences and tribal markers but can become the foundation of non-familial communities. Differences between people are complicated, not always predictable; they don't always fall along party lines.

I often tend to read "too autobiographically" but had never encountered an author who freely confessed to the same extravagance. I thought that I read for what I needed because that was the only way I would find myself in stories about Americans not quite like me. Now I suddenly discovered that someone else, maybe everyone, reads this way. The cross-generational and cross-cultural identification that was the basis of my private reading experience became part of a publicly shared experience. If we are allowed to take seriously, as Miller encourages us to do, the "bonds of paper" that connect generations who don't share bonds of blood, then communal life need not depend solely on our parents or the body of the family.

This is a large beautiful edition of Michigan birds written by many of Michigan's ornithologists and most knowledgable birders. The illustrations and artwork are superb and I wish I could have them as artwork in my home without tearing them out of the book.

This is not a field guide or identification book but a resource of most of the knowledge about each species of bird seen in Michigan up to the publication date of the book.

I refer to this often when I wish to get more information on a birds history of occurance in the state or its population status or biology.

More recent information on species status and sightings can be found on the Michigan Bird Records Committee website.

Anyone that is interested in the birds of Michigan would treasure this book.

The Natural History of Michigan avifauna presented includes population fluctuation, habitat changes, current status; historical records verified from as far back as the 19th c. in some cases. Reasons for decline or increase in numbers and range are usually well known or theorized by ornithologists (there are a few unsolved mysteries) A less pedestrian look at these details: " Maurice Gibbs in 1879 reports the Cardinal or 'Red Bird' as an "accidental visitor"

Artwork: Full sized color plates = full page layouts featuring the male and female set amongst their preferred habitats or a vegetaional sample. A Bobolink chortles in his mellow hay field, The Towhees scratch leaves under the brambles and the Great Gray Owl is caught in the act of enchanting his Northern starlit forest.

Includes species extinct and extirpated as well as all species that have visited the State at least once on record. As an example, a McCown's Longspur is listed as a Michigan bird, a species that rarely if ever seen anywhere beyond it's breeding range in the Upper Midwest, (Colorado to Alberta), yet a verified record exists at Whitefish Point - Chippewa County in May, 1981.

What else? If anything it manages to capture the great beauty found in the details of a birds life. (The Great Horned owl female sits through yet another snowstorm on an old heron nest to keep her two eggs warm in the late winter incubation period.)

SB

"The Birds of Michigan" is more than an oversize picture book. It's a treasure. The 200 species of birds that nest in Michigan are depicted in original, full color paintings by Michigan artists, and the detailed text on over 400 birds that have been seen in the state is compulsive reading. The species accounts were written by some of the state's leading ornithologist-naturalists, including their own field observations, and I learned something new about my favorite birds on almost every page. Originally, I'd checked "The Birds of Michigan" out of the library, but once I'd read it, I had to buy a copy of my own.

The careful observations and the level of detail about each species sets a standard none of the field guides can match:

* The earliest published spring arrival date for Chimney Swifts in Detroit is 04/05/1981.
* Belted Kingfishers excavate nesting burrows in river banks, usually taking a week to dig a tunnel three to six feet long.
* Forest regeneration and winter feeding stations have extended the range of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker to the Northern Lower Peninsula.
* I'm glad I'm not the only birder in Michigan who misidentifies the Pine Warbler for a Chipping or Swamp Sparrow!

My heart-felt thanks to the artists, ornithologists, editors, and sponsors of this book: Sarett Nature Center; Kalamazoo Nature Center; and First of America Bank. It must have very expensive to produce, but the results are worth every penny spent. My only suggestion for the next edition would be the inclusion of a CD of Michigan birdsongs.

having read both versions i strongly prefer the older evan king translation for it's clarity and readability. this version was written, translated, and printed before the revolution under the title "rickshaw boy" by lau shaw. if you are new to this book try to find one of these increasingly scarce editions to read first. it is a tale simply told with easy running narration like in a first rate biography. it is a great portrayal of old china as seen through the eyes of the chinese.

(This book is also known as Rickshaw Boy and has had different translators. I read the version translated by Shi Xiaoqing and illustrated by Gu Bingxin that I bought in China. ISBN 7-119-00512)

This is the great classic novel of exploitation in Old China, before the 1949 Revolution. It's also anti-individualist. It's the early 1930s and Xiangzi arrives alone in Beiping (Beijing) with dreams of making a living as a rickshaw puller. He is a loner who constantly struggles against forces beyond his control. On more than one occasion his rickshaw is destroyed and each time he tries to bounce back. Class struggle is woven throughout the tapestry of this story.

I read this after Nawal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero. So what really caught my attention was the character, Joy, who enters in the last third of Camel Xiangzi. I decided to use both of these novels in my thesis on women forced into prostitution. Joy is sold to an army officer by her lazy greedy father. Joy learns that temporary "marriages" are the MO of her officer "husband." Each time he is transferred he just buys a new wife, because it's cheaper than hiring housekeepers and prostitutes, and he leaves them with the bills.

When Joy returns home she's damaged goods and her father forces her to prostitute in order to support his drinking habit and her two younger brothers. Her life becomes hell on earth. I don't really want to spoil the ending. Let me just say that Chinese novels rarely have happy endings.

In his 1954 afterword Lao She reflects back on how much China has evolved since those dark days and how "Today, nineteen years later, the working people have become masters of their own destiny." Tragically more than half a century later, while China has the fastest growing economy in the world, many of its citizens, especially girls, are much worse off. The great exploitation novel of 21st century China would be called Sweatshop Girl or Hostage Hooker. The protagonist would be a teenage girl from one of the inner provinces like Sichuan or Hunan. She would be forced to leave school and migrate to a city like Guangzhou. She would lie about her age to obtain a job in a sweatshop working around the clock, for pennies an hour, to support herself and send money home. Another worse, but unfortunately very common scenario (in Russia as well), she would be abducted walking home from school by a pimp from organized crime. When her parents try to find her the police sit back and do nothing because they are working with organized crime. A search engine turned up numerous articles about this. China is also the only country where more females than males commit suicide. Its one-child policy has led to a birth ratio of 119 males to 100 females. Rather than leading to a greater appreciation of women, who "hold up half of the sky," it has fueled a higher demand for trafficking in women.

I am reading Will the Boat Sink the Water: The Life of China's Peasants by Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao. It was written in the last few years by a husband and wife who are journalists from Anhui Province. The suffering of China's billion peasants seems even worse than in Lao She's day. I also recommend The Garlic Ballads, a novel by Mo Yan.

Lao She (pen name for the Chinese author, 1899-1966) wrote this moving story about a rickshaw puller during the 1920s in Beijing, China. An earlier English translation by Evan King (1945) was BOMC choice but not a good translation. King changed the ending and did other things a translator should not do. This edition is good. For a view of the ordinary people, the underdogs and poor of China during difficult times this is a most helpful book.

As AN INVESTIGATING OFFICER IN THIS PARTICULAR CRIME STORY, I CAN ATTEST TO THE HIGHLY ACCURATE REPORTING & RESEARCH THAT MIKE MCCARTY PUT INTO THIS BOOK. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AS A FIVE STAR NOVEL! DAVE BLUE (INDIANA STATE POLICE RETIRED)

This horrific crime took place in the area where I grew up and I have often wondered when someone would write the story of what happened that night. Mr. McCarty has done an excellent job of capturing the innocence of the time and how your entire world can change in one day.

This was an excellent book! I am from the same home town as Mr. McCarty. In fact we lived only blocks from one another and I remember this night very well. It was very interesting to get the details I never knew about this horrific crime and how it has changed my family, and the way we think about being safe in our own homes. It also brought back several memories of people I had forgotten that also lived and worked in our hometown, thanks for those memories. Thanks Mike for a great book--Laura Brady-Faurote

If chivalry and courtly love interest you, this collection of romances is sure to please you.

I've read several books on Arthurian literature, and this is one of my favorites. In Knight of the Cart, Chretien really makes Lancelot shine as he sacrifices more than anyone (Arthur particularly) to save Guinevere. Knight with the Lion is a little on the twisted side as Yvain falls in love with the wife of the man he kills, breaks a promise with her, then gets her back through trickery of words.

Very solid, very readable translation by Staines.

This is without a doubt one of the finest translations into English of Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances, which includes the seldom found "William of England".
In "Cliges" are many references to the "Tristan and Iseult" story found in other venues. The tale of Greek and English lovers is not typical of what one expects to find in Arthurian romances.
The term "courtly love" wasn't introduced until the nineteenth century, but according to French scholars, the story of "Le Chevalier de la Charette", or "The Knight of the Cart" (AKA, Lancelot and Guinevere) is the first lyric poem that dealt with this subject. I'm sure I won't be the only person who finds surprises in this early version of the tale.
For those who would like to see one of Sir Thomas Malory's sources, and enjoy a good read into the bargain, this is indeed a book to consider purchasing.

This book looks like it's going to be a GREAT asset in my mineral hunting! I like the way it's set up, by state and then by county within the state. It lists the various sites, tells what has been found at each site and (by a code explained in the front of the book) where in each site the minerals were (in a field, in a mine, in the water, etc.). There are directions of varying degrees to each site. That's the one thing I'd quibble about -- some of the directions aren't that precise. But I understand that some of these sites are private lands, or not completely documented, and he can't come out and say, "Go fifty feet past the blue house, down a ravine, and to your left." In general, the directions seem good enough to get you close, and after that it's up to you.

He lists the rocks and minerals found at each site and gives some information about the quality at most places, including size of crystals found, color (and quality of color), and so on.

My only regret? I don't know if I'll have time to visit each site he has listed! So many rocks, so little time........

Although light reading, the text serves as a functional guide; lean and concise requiring the reader to become involved in cross reference.

One of a fantastic series of 4 chuck full of informational volumes dedicated to a particular geographic area. A must for any rock hound weather you travel or just live in the geographic area of the volume. If you can afford it, get all 4 regional volumes. Start with your area. The location information brake down of the minerals to be found in each state counties is so valuable you can't do with out it. Saves time, eliminate barren hunting grounds and it's so detailed as to where and how you find the minerals. This is just one of a fact full accurate guide series you'll want to have in your rock library. Don't settle for an older printing, this one is reprinted and has been updated.

I actually haven't read this book yet but it is written by my Greek and Roman Mythology professeur. He's an amazing man. He knows so much about the subject that I'm sure this is a great book.

Dr. Hall was one of my professors as well, and he definitely knows what he's talking about. This book was extremely helpful in all of my classics courses, especially Roman History and translating Livy's Ab Urbe Condita. I'd recommend it to anyone.

This is an excellent book! I used it in one of my classes in college. It really gives insight into daily details of the lives of the Etruscans, which also helps you to understand the Romans better. Very well written, by good scholars.

I have a lot of material regarding piano pedagogy. This book digs down deep into history and reveals amazing details regarding technique and practice methods that seem to be left out of other books. In addition, it is easy to read but very detailed regarding historical fact.

Reginald Gerig has done a huge and wonderful job of amassing a complete history of the development of piano technique. I discovered this book while still in University and still use it today, 20 years later. Gerig doesn't just give you historical facts, but real analysis of the actual technical components of different schools of technique - there is practical information in here! Also, the valuable first section investigates the antecedents of piano technique in harpsichord technique, an aspect of the story too often overlooked.

Gerig gives you the whole picture - a 'must have' for any pianist's library.

Alan Fraser, author of The Craft of Piano Playing

Gerig's book on the history of piano teaching is a major work full of valuable information and is indispensable for any class on piano pedagogy. Gerig has done a great service to the piano teaching community by providing background information on the contributions to teaching by all the important figures in recent history, some well known and some lesser known but equally important. His insights into their contributions are well thought out and the bibliography is extensive. Highest recommendation.

The book reads like a diary, but it's a fictionalized story of the real Civil War surgeon Zabdiel Boylston, and it would make anyone grateful for modern medicine. Amputation was pretty much the treatment for everything, and that he was burned in love a couple of times during his period as a combat surgeon puts a very human face on this story.

I got it at my local library; it was part of a display in advance of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. The research and realism was amazing. I was fortunate to see the author lecture on the subject in Indiana. Dressed in the full civil war soldier uniform I thought the author to be an enthusiastic Civil War Buff. I was amazed to find out that the author was a modern day trauma surgeon whose interest in the civil war goes beyond the superficial, dry information one reads in text. His interest draws on real life experiences with bullet wounds and infections that he has treated in modern times.

An excellent novel of a surgeon who signs up to serve in the Union army during the Civil War. Written by a modern surgeon, Kernek obviously had researched his predecessors well. It might be a bit detailed for the squeamish, but for those who want a good "feel" for what a surgeon went through during the Civil War, I highly recommend it. It is a relatively short read, and the story line carries one right on through. This book belongs in every Civil War buff's collection, because it tells about an often overlooked part of the war and tells it very well. At this price, one can't afford not to buy it!