North America Books

A compelling storyline full of facinating bits and pieces about North Carolina's coastal heritage. It's a must read for NC fishermen.

This is a very well researched book about the history of charter fishing off Hatteras Island. The author combines archive research with annecdotes collected from his repeated trips to the island. The reader also has a feeling of sadness as the author's wife slowly succumbs to MS while he is doing his research.

Well worth the time to read.

HATTERAS BLUES: A STORY FROM THE EDGE OF AMERICA is part biography and part regional history: it uses the experiences of one long-time fisherman on North Carolina's outer banks to reveal the issues of a fading industry and the development of Hatteras Village in the heart of Hurricane Alley. Tom Carlson's involvement with his subject leads him to the heart of a family and a town's struggles and faith in a warm first-person survey which at times reads with the quiet drama of fiction.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Great book. I love to hear the stories of the people in this book, of course the fishing is always good. The weather and the constant movement of the cape was and is totally intriguing.

I have been visiting the North Carolina outer banks since 1970. I did not think anyone had as much love or reverence of this special place as I, but I was wrong. Tom Carlson in Hatteras Blues has established himself as a true devotee of these narrow islands off the Carolina coast. He captures the lure of isolated and wind-worn beaches and ever-changing off shore waters where fishermen (and women) from the smallest North Carolina towns to the largest international cities have searched for prize bill fish, bull drum, cobia and a host of other species for several decades. The reader is absorbed in the story of the Fosters and others who fought the harshness of life on the outer banks to create a thriving charter fishing industry that today is being challenged by corporations and those uncaring of the outerbanks special culture. Carlson is a waterman by birth and a "Banker" by choice. Hatteras Blues is a heartfelt story of great loss, love, spirit, transformation and hope set in one of the most magical places on planet Earth. Rates with Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea for bringing to life the conflicts, the turmoil and the serenity of what it means to be a part of the sea and the coast. Highly recommended.

Keepers Of The Children: Native American Wisdom And Parenting by Laura M. Ramirez (whose husband is a Pascua Yaqui Native American recently inducted into the American Indian Hall of Fame for his successful career in baseball), is the first "how to" parenting book that draws upon Native American concepts and teaching stories to show just how to raise children to know themselves and their strengths, as well as creative for themselves productive and meaningful lives. Of special value for Native American parents, Keepers Of The Children is informed and informative reading that can confidently be recommended to the attention of any parent, regardless of ethnicity or racial background, wanting to instill enduring family values into the character and lives of their children in our multicultural world.

There are many books on the market that give advice on parenting, but Keepers of the Children is much more than that. It is a book that expresses a living wisdom meant for nurturing the soul of every human being, child or adult. Laura Ramirez writes words that are like a flowing river. They move through us and impart a remembrance of who we really are and why we are here - to see the wondrous potential in one another, and to help bring that seedling to healthy growth and full bloom. In the process, she reminds parents that we are entrusted with a sacred mission, and in that we do not impose what we believe our children should be, but learn to listen and see the clues they provide to help us guide them to their own highest and best good. As we do this, we are given the opportunity to observe ourselves and grow with the children.

The chapters within the book are full and satisfying.(read them on Amazon's look inside the book). You can see from the headings alone that this is more than a "how to" book. It is full and rich in texture and content. I highly recommend Keepers of the Children to all parents, grandparents, relatives, teachers, and caregivers. This is a book about living a worthwhile life, and the wisdom within is relevant for all of us.

In her book Keepers of the Children, Laura Ramirez has combined her expertise in child development with her understanding of Native American perceptions and the customs and rituals that have grown from them to produce an analysis of the art and science of successful parenting that's both comprehensive and highly original.

This is much more than a 'training manual' for the aspiring parent. It's a deeply spiritual book that explores important issues of human nature and development that transcend both Native American and 'western' cultures. It will appeal to parents of all races and creeds who desire to expand their abilities beyond the mere mechanics of 'child management' to the attainment of true parenting success.

Laura Ramirez writes knowledgeably and with passion about the necessity of having a clear vision for our children and of understanding the sacred nature of our part in their lives; of the importance of honouring our children as unique individuals and of constantly promoting their wellbeing and development even as we work on ourselves to become the best role models for them that we can be.

This book, once read, can be referred to again and again for good ideas, for comfort and support, for hope and inspiration. Virtually every page is a reminder of something we can do as parents to make the world a better place for our children and for ourselves and others.

A work of meaning with its heart very much in the right place, Keepers of the Children is a very welcome addition to my personal library of parenting books and I'm sure it would be to yours, too.

Buy yourself a copy and join Laura in her mission: to raise a generation of children who use their strengths to create a sense of belonging, meaning and contribution. "Such children will grow up to be adults who are lights unto our world."

Keepers of the Children is an innovative parenting book that everyone young or old should read. Whether you're a parent or not, you will find words of wisdom that will touch and enlighten you with its sensitive natural approach. It will help to explore and deepen your understanding of life and how it can be led to the fullest of your potential.

Utilizing a blend of psychology and Native American methods, Ramirez has written a common-sense guide for parents to use in raising emotionally healthy children.

There is much here to help all of us as we deal with any inner demons from our own childhoods. She emphasizes the importance of adults working to identify the failures they personally experienced during their own childhood development. By doing so, they are able to ensure they do not pass on that cycle of failure to their own children.

We are reminded that as parents, we must first recognize ourselves as guardians and teachers rather than just mothers and fathers.

Through encouraging and practical examples in an easy-to-use format, Ramirez focuses on how being a parent is more than just raising a child. She stresses the need to cultivate and nurture our children, both physically and spiritually, so they may reach their fullest potential with the inner strength and skills to appreciate their own unique abilities--thus allowing them the ability to be a happy and productive force in society.

Armchair Interviews says: Overall, Keepers of the Children is an extraordinary guide that provides parents with thought-provoking strategies, information and skills to empower their children while assisting them to find their own identity and instill values which will help them flourish and grow throughout their lives.

Keepers of the Children is written with great love, wisdom, and sensitivity and is a book I would recommend to any parent of any child. The principles are psychologically sound, and the writing is almost poetic in its eloquence.
Highly recommended!
Sandra McLeod Humphrey
Retired Clinical Psychologist, Author, and Character Education Consultant

I purchased this for my 3 1/2 year old. He loves it. Most of it was pretty easy for him, but I am so glad I got it. He loves stickers so the first few pages were a neat way to get started. The one on one time with Mom is wonderful and he looks forward to it every day. We usually did 3-4 pages each day. It is bright and colorful and the paper is very sturdy.

My son received this book for his second birthday and absolutely loved it! He wouldn't put it down. We have had a similar experience with the other Kumon books we have purchased since then. Highly recommend.

My son and I went through the entire book last night -- he loved it! I'm going to buy the More Sticker & Paste. He really enjoyed the gluing. I thought this would be a great book to bring on a trip with the exception of the need for scissors (which wouldn't work on an airplane).

This is an excellent book for teaching fine motor skills to little ones. I am a teacher and I highly recommend this for toddlers. My three year old loved it and wanted to do the whole book in one sitting.

My 2 year old loves this little book!! We're working through this and Let's Color simultaneously, and she asks (to put it mildly) for them everyday. It starts off very simply, placing a colored, shaped (circle, triangle, square) sticker over a coordinating blank spot in the middle a picture of an apple, watermelon, etc. I explained to her that the goal is to place it very carefully to try and cover the entire white space with the sticker. The paper and stickers are excellent quality, and can endure a couple of retries if she's not satisfied with her first attempt.
Of course you have to cut out pieces for the pasting portions. That's where the coloring book is coming in handy. She can do one of those while she's waiting for me to cut out the pieces for her next project. The pasting starts off similarly to the stickers, but advances to gluing features on a face, decorating a birthday cake, and 2-4 piece puzzles. Her first face was rather picassoesque, but the next day her panda was pandalike with no prompting at all.
This is my 4th child and I've "home pre-schooled" them all. I wish I'd had these available sooner. I love the incremental approach to more challenging activities. We've recently ordered the "More Let's Sticker and Paste" and "More Let's Color" and we're going to try "Let's Cut Paper" as well.

Only having less than a week to visit this beautiful, stunning area of CA, I found this book to be indispensable. It made a short trip a quality trip by the descriptions of everything in and around Monterey. I loved the photography as well! Although my trip was nearly 2 years ago, I still flip thru this book on occasion to dream about my next trip, and YES I'm going back! There is so much I that I missed due to my short stay, but thanks to this book I got to see my preffered highlights and I wouldn't change a thing.

Monterey is a very visually stunning area, my absolute favorite having visited in the US so far, and this book is a great way to ensure you see what you want to see.

I have lived in Santa Cruz County for 15 years and thought I knew the Monterey Bay coastal zone very well--that is, until I read Jerry Emory's Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide. This Guide is the best--it covers both familiar territory and less well-known aspects of the Monterey Bay and its coastal towns. I've found myself consulting it whenever I make any kind of shoreline jaunt, from discovering where one can walk one's dog on a beach in Carmel to locating the best on-shore whalewatching sites. The photos are beautiful as well as informative. The organization of the book, which includes sidebar articles on specific topics, lends itself to easy access for both the casual and serious reader.

I have lived in Santa Cruz County for 15 years and thought I knew the Monterey Bay coastal zone very well--that is, until I read Jerry Emory's Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide. This Guide is the best--it covers both familiar territory and less well-known aspects of the Monterey Bay and its coastal towns. I've found myself consulting it whenever I make any kind of shoreline jaunt, from discovering where one can walk one's dog on a beach in Carmel to locating the best on-shore whalewatching sites. The photos are beautiful as well as informative. The organization of the book, which includes sidebar articles on specific topics, lends itself to easy access for both the casual and serious reader.

I received this book as a gift and was immediately taken by the depth and breadth of this book. If you are traveling from Ano Nuevo to Monterey get this book! The author and photograper bring this spectacular shoreline alive with great descriptive copy and super photos(you've got to see page 136). Hidden beaches and other great spots that I would never have known existed. Great information about how to get there, what to do and how it got there. Get the family together, pack a lunch and bring this book. Guaranteed great day!

I thought I knew the Monterey region fairly well until I was given this book as a present! It is packed with great "bites" of information: natural history, human history, and how to get to all the beaches and parks. The writing is easy to understand, friendly in a way, and even fun. The maps are very helpful, and the book even has resource sections with phone numbers, website urls, and directions. AND, the photographs are stunning. A great gift for visitors, home libraries, or the glove compartment of your car.

This is an easy read text, organized well for quick reference and very helpful in counseling.

Excellent book, those written more recently have different agenda, but this book was excellent in terms of creating a way to understand issues specific to Native people and counseling.

This book gives a brilliant insight into the issues that Native Americans are facing as a colonialized people. I don't believe America as a whole has come to the realization of just what it did to the indigenous people and the traumatizing effect the American Dream has had on the original inhabitants. To make matters worse, these people are normally treated by individuals that only come from the Newtonian-Descartian worldview of present day mainstream psychology. When treating people from another cultural background, you need to take into account WHERE they are coming from, and what their worldview are. To not do so, is just to continue the cultural genocide that has been going on for far too long. A highly recommendable book.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. I see it as basic material for any counselor or therapist. While the focus is on Native Americans, it is relevant for work with clients of all cultures. The discussion of intergenerational trauma and the soul wound is particularly well done. Highly readable and it can change the way you practice. Profound!

It's been many years since the first time I read this book, it was, and remains, a very powerful and very relevant analysis of anger turned inward in the Native American community. It is, nevertheless, a work that confronts a very sensitive issue in the United States of America - the impact on current generations of genocidal colonization practices against long-established Native American communities by European colonizers. Do not read this book if you believe the Americas were pristine, unpopulated lands waiting to be "discovered" by Columbus, or Erikson, or any other European. Do read this book if you want to understand why other colonized cultures have turned to violence and dogma to seek revenge for the foreign imposition of arbitrary and intentionally destructive rulerships.

I bought this book to help me learn about my family's history as a Native American Indian. I was always concerned that the Native American Indians had a unfair portrayal in American History. This book I think is a valuable literary piece. It breaks events down in historical order. They are easy to read. Once I finished with I felt I had read the Native Indian's perspective which is amiss in the Northeast school teachings of history. There were some interesting stories that were accounted as well.

Native Americans have been fighting for ages to tell their side of the story, but they haven't been able to get through to the mainstream. In this book, Nabokov presents us the Native American perspective from prophecy to present. By reading the testimony of Native Americans themselves, we get a clear picture of their plight. This book doesn't give a detailed history of Native Americans, but rather gives us a finger on the pulse of the Native spirit.

Native Americans have lost a great deal. When Europeans first arrived in North America, they did what they could to help these new brothers, and were happy to share what they had. However, the Europeans kept on coming and they started taking what didn't belong to them. The Europeans started fencing off the native lands. They destroyed the land and the animals with their greed. The Native Americans were continually pushed off their ancestoral lands and were driven to less desirable lands. They suffered the loss of their lands, traditions, and way of life. It's important for us as Americans to examine this sad episode of our history. We should take this lesson and apply it to our lives, and think about how we treat others who are different from us. I really recommend this book to those who are interested in reading the other side of the history of our nation.

Native American Testimony is one of the best books I have ever read regarding the real history of the native peoples. It tells of the first meeting of the white man through the present. This is all from the Native American perspective. All tribes are represented throughout this book showing the different expereinces they each had with the white man. And the white mans need to change a beautiful culture. This book should be read by everyone at some point in there life, it should be mandatory within the school system as well. It shows the strength these people had to survive and how they fought for there rights. I enjoyed this book because for the first time in my life I felt I was being told the truth about the relationship of the US government and the Native Americans. Past to Present.

Testimonies from all different tribes of Native Americans which are grouped by subject in part and chronically in part. Very informative primary sources. Wonderful for research.

Nabokov's book is a fantastic compilation of Native American history as remembered and documented by the First People of America. I bought this book for a class that I am taking and will definitely keep this in my library as a valued treasure. It's easy to read and is in somewhat of a chronological order