Canada Books

First of all, the title of the audio book "Canoeing With The Cree" is misleading. This work is not about Cree Indian canoeing style. Nor is it about a trip taken with Cree Indians. It is about two boys, Eric Sevareid (later a famous journalist and TV reporter) and Walter Port aged 17 and 19 respectively, who take the trip of a lifetime canoeing some 2200 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay over the course of one summer. Although they do occasionally paddle with or get assistance from both Indians and whites alike, they are pretty much on their own in the world of 1930- No GPS, no satellite phones and a route with long undeveloped stretches between towns and eventually trading posts. The route was incompletely mapped, and nobody could find record of this route having been used before. A better title might be "A Summer Canoe Adventure; Triumph Over Adversity" or just "From Minneapolis to Hudson Bay By Canoe".

Eric and Walter managed to obtain sponsorship from a local newspaper before they asked their parents for permission to take the trip. The parents reluctantly agreed... The boys quickly obtained a used canoe and christened it "Sans Souci". They packed a non-useful pup tent, mosquito netting, a .22 rifle, fishing gear, food, $5 and some traveler's checks and they were off!

From the beginning, they were doubted by nay-sayers who didn't believe they could do it. Even well into the trip, their final destination raised eyebrows. Indeed, it was a daunting task, and many miles had to be covered before the early winter freeze-up in the north country. In addition to pressure to beat the weather, Walter found out he was offered a college scholarship that would only be valid if he showed up at school in late September. The boys risked their futures and their lives by undertaking this trip.
Along the way they encounter blistering heat, and freezing cold, illness, injuries, doldrums and windy weather, flat water, rapids, and wind-blown whitecaps. At one point, they cheat a little and ride aboard a ship when they were wind-bound on Lake Winnipeg, but the majority of the trip was just the two boys paddling through wilderness, even many miles going upstream! There were many miles of portaging their boat and gear between waterways, only occasionally aided by a friendly passerby. Most meals they cooked themselves- Even a dinner of (ugh) carp! You can almost feel their struggle as the cover mile after mile, hour after hour racing towards the saltwater of Hudson Bay.

Their struggles were not always against the elements. Sometimes they got bad directions, including instructions to run the rapids on the right side of the river, when the safer course was belatedly found to be the left side. They made it through, but it was pointed out that the local Indians sometimes didn't... Another struggle they faced was a result of stress due to the elements arduous journey, when they briefly came to blows. Fortunately, they got past their fight and continued on their journey and remained lifelong friends.

This audio-book is highly recommended, and is worthy of repeated listenings.

The late CBS News Correspondent Eric Sevareid's highly regarded adventure chronicle Canoeing With The Cree has been given new life in an enjoyable audiobook production released by Holton House Audio. The story, as written by the late Mr. Sevareid, is one of an epic journey through the Canadian wilderness during the summer and fall of 1930. Sevareid and his friend Walter Port, both just teenagers, set out from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in an attempt to do what no one else had ever done before: canoe over 2,200 miles north to the Atlantic Ocean.

Holton House Audio chose Mr. John Farrell to record Sevareid's epic tale, and it has chosen well. Mr. Farrell's pleasant baritone displays a wide range of emotion that consistently matches both the intensity and innocence of Mr. Sevareid's story, and Farrell's reading style adds what almost seems like visual and sensory components to the recording. At times, as I listened, I could see and sense the stillness of the Canadian wilderness that Mr. Sevareid experienced, while at other times, the tone in Farrell's voice led me to imagine the deafening roar of crashing rapids. I could sense the perils that Sevareid and his friend faced on many occasions. Also, Mr. Farrell's ability to give characters in the story their own unique voices added yet another enjoyable aspect to this quality recording.

I found it refreshing that Canoeing With The Cree was exciting, and yet profanity-free. The recording would be a great addition to any public library's audio collection, and it would also be appropriate for use in High School English classrooms. I intend to start using it in my own Alternative Education High School class this fall, and will make this wholesome and engaging story a regular part of my curriculum for many years to come.

Eric Sevareid's Canoeing With The Cree is a great story, and it's been well told by Mr. John Farrell. I highly recommend this new Holton House Audio recording.

This story is about two high school boys who decided to take a canoe trip during the summer of 1930. Not only is it an adventurous tale but it is a lesson about survival and the determination to accomplish a goal. It is well written and very descriptive making the journey very realistic. This is a must read especially for teenagers who love the sport of canoeing.

2250 miles in a canoe - a great adventure and a book worth reading. I can't add much that isn't already perfectly described in this book.

At the start of the trip during a brief stay in Fargo, North Dakota, a friend and doctor named Frederick Gronvold sets the boys on their journey in a proper frame of mind. "Don't let anyone, no matter who he is, convince you that your trip can't be completed. You have youth and strength, and courage too, I hope, and with a little common sense you can do it."

When the journey finally ends and the boys share their tale with the adults at York Factory, they are asked why? Bud responds simply, "Oh, for pleasure, I guess." A journey simply for the sake of the adventure. It is an idea lost on some of the adults listening to the boys. "Pleasure! What a jolly funny kind of pleasure!" Better yet, maybe the idea isn't lost. Colonel Reid continues, "Oh well, that's youth. Things look different when you're young, I suppose. My word, I almost believe I envy you."

Enjoy the beginning and the end; enjoy the pineapples and everything in between. Enjoy the journey simply for the journey; it's an adventure that is perfect for any reader of any age!

"Eric Sevareid made his name as a CBS news correspondent. But at a young age, Sevareid experienced an adventure most only dream of. Sevareid detailed the journey in his book "Canoeing with the Cree". Now to mark the 75th anniversary of Sevareid's journey, two Minnesota men plan to make the same trip." Tim Post

In 1930 two young men paddled their way from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay in Canada. A trip of 2200 miles. Everyone told them it could not be done. Eric Sevareid, then a 17 year old, fresh graduate of high school, and his best buddy, Walter Port, planned the entire trip. They garnered financial support, collected supplies and a canoe and paddles and off they went. Five months later after trials and tribulations, they made it to Hudson Bay. Their journey is documented by Eric Sevareid, who gathered the weekly diaries he sent to their local Minneapolis paper, and in 1935, he wrote this book.

I stepped back in time to the 1930's when life seemed to be more innocent and the world a safer place to be. Sevareid who went on to become one of the most revered journalists of our time, wrote in an unpretentious manner, and we can feel the excitement of their adventures. They traversed unknown land and water. No one, it seems, had ever accomplished this trek. Even the best canoeists in the country failed. How then, did these two young lads accomplish this journey? Intelligence and good luck, I'd say. They questioned everyone they met, took upon themselves to digest all of the information and made decisions based on their best judgement. And, most of the time they were correct. They had no radio, no maps( this was uncharted country), little preserved food except for hardtack, but they had their ingenuity and the assistance of all of the people they met.

The North Country was mostly woods. Camps, small towns and two larger towns had been established for hunting and trapping. Most of the humans they met were Indians who were kind and generous. As a matter of fact, most of the people they met were in awe of their journey and shared whatever food, equipment and conversation they were capable. The trip was amazing when we look at the obstacles they faced. Water, roaring cold water, sometimes rapids, sometimes falls, no maps, only the word of mouth of strangers, and cold brutal weather at times. Or hot humid weather with flies and gnats. They discovered all sorts of wild animals but were never in real danger. They had their tent, two paddles, food, water, ponchos and several blankets. This seems like a story of new adventurers discovering a new world, and in fact this is what they were. Two 17 year old lads set out on an adventure and one day after another they found one. Extraordinary when you think about it.

Since the time of Eric and Walter, several other duos have made the trip by canoe. However, they had maps, food that could be kept for months and the best of camping equipment. This is not to lessen these young men's courage, but to think 78 years ago, this was accomplished with such primitive arrangments and care.

This was an exciting read and one page after another flew by. The book was difficult to put down. Easy, simplistic writing. but some of the most important writing I have found. The boys parents and friends did not hear from them often and at times, I am sure the parents were worried. But the two lads persevered and the trip was taken.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 06-26-08

Not So Wild a Dream

The Eleanor Roosevelt Story

Excellent read. Understated and wry sense of humor. A must-read for people on both sides of the border who enjoy good writing.

David Eddie's Chump Change is nothing short of a triumph. Even more stunning when you consider it's a first novel. It is a snap-shot of a life going wrong, a character study told in a frank, self-assured style and loaded with laugh-out-loud moments of absurdity most of us can relate to to some extent; I know I relate to David Henry, our "hero". It also displays a keen insight into the human condition, our world, and the cost of following your dreams. David Henry wants to be a writer, but nothing is going his way, and he is his own worst enemy. From the opening line of the novel, you're drawn in to his tale of despair, regret, poverty, heart ache, momentary respect, and climactic descent. Personally, I related so entirely to this story, it's mood, it's circumstances, it's become my favorite. It is a joy and a comfort to read, and outrageously funny. And it's a good thing Mr. Henry has not lost his sense of humour, because then this tale could be considered tragic. David Eddie is a true talent. He has captured the spirit of our generation without losing sight of the importance of principles and integrity. Well done! Incidentally, he has a "blog" site you can reach simply by typing in "David Eddie's thoughts". More fine Eddie despair...and, of course, very funny.

David Henry is one of those characters you could just keep reading about and he would never get boring. Loved the book. The writing is so funny, thoughful and moving. The end really surprised me. It is very bittersweet. What happens to David? And where is he now? Great commentary on New York in the beginning and life in Toronto. The lead character also goes through quite a journey (a realistic one that never loses the reader's attention). There are so many great comic scenes in this book (i.e. everything with Kim, David going to strip bars in NY and smoking pot, his friend Max and all of the jerk newsroom people he has to put up with towards the end of the novel) and one particularly touching one where Henry cooks dinner for his father...Almost cried when I read that. Modern writing at its best. Highly recommended to fans of Oscar Wilde and even Knut Hamson.

This book is simply hilarious. David Henry is no hero. In fact, he's probably one of the most flawed characters I've ever come across in any of the books I've read. Jobless, up to his eyeballs in debt, without a girlfriend and an all-out immature child of an adult -- he's fascinating and gets himself into situations that are so funny that I've had tears in my eyes. Take a character like that and put him on a quest to land a real job and find true love and you get "Chump Change".

An excellent first novel from a very talented writer. His prose is well constructed, fast paced and laced with a tender sarcasm that makes the reader feel as if they are in a personal conversation with Eddie. Writing in the first person is difficult, and although Eddie occasionally becomes style-obsessed and glib, he quickly catches himself, turning his razor wit upon himself to the delight of the reader.

A superb first effort. Good job, Dave. I'm looking forward to your next book.

I love Leo Lioni and this is one of his prettiest books and is a favorite of my children. The artwork is beautiful and the story touching. I just bought a second copy because our original one is getting worn out!

This is a great book for people who want more than childish drivel to read to their infants.

OK, a lizard can't come up with a consistent color, but when he meets up with an older lizard, they decide to live the rainbow life together. All good and well, except
- goldfish are freaking ORANGE, not red!
There needs to be a reprint...

Very simple story of the search for self-identity and how it relates to friendship. Interesting water-color artwork and a clear, effective storyline make this a quick, five-minute read for an adult to his or her child.

Leo Lionni does good work and this offering is no different than in the past. A little Chameleon finds that all the animals, i.e. pigs, fish, elephants and more, all have their own color. He then finds that he does not seem to have one of his own, as each time he moves to a different location, his color changes. This is a charming tale of a little creature in search of himself, much like a small child might be. The art work in this little book is great and quite eye catching to the little ones. The art work and simple text make the story interesting and easy to read and I have noted that even with miltiple readings, I don't seem to get as bored as I often do with children's books after about fifty or so goes at it. The book of course has a happy ending, but you will have to read that for yourself. Highly recommened this one.

In the opening lines of chapter 3 Bryan Magee, paraphrasing Schopenhauer, writes: "If there is to be any point in my looking for something, I need to have some idea of how I shall know if I find it". Whoever comes to philosophy would be well-advised to keep this in mind. Can we really read philosophy without any idea, or to use an expression from Saul Bellow, any `metaphysical hunch' about what we think (or hope) to find? It was while reading this wonderful book on Schopenhauer that I suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, found the answer to the question, "Why do I read philosophy?". And the answer was not, as the expected knee-jerk response would have it, to find `truth', but to break away, if only for a moment, from the deadening gravity of the obvious and the mundane into an awareness of a reality more awesome and profoundly mysterious. For me few philosophers manage this better than Schopenhauer, and Magee is absolutely brilliant at conveying this to his readers in his book The Philosophy of Schopenhauer. Hardly surprising from a man, who, on another occasion wrote,

"At the heart of the mystery, it seems to me, must lie the relationship between the self and the empirical world in which it is not an object. In fact I am tempted to believe that the ultimate mystery `is' the relationship between the self and the empirical world. With his usual acumen Schopenhauer thought this, `the solution of the riddle of the world is only possible through the proper connexion of outer with inner experience, effected a the right point.' The first time I read those words I got gooseflesh all over my body, my scalp pricked and tingled, and I knew that I was going to read every word written by Schopenhauer". (Confessions of a Philosopher - Bryan Magee).

Perhaps this book explains Schopenhauer with amazing clarity and detail, but I couldn't make it past the first 50 pages. It's just one multi-page paragraph after another. The author needs to learn the concept of whitespace.

The introduction to "Essays and Aphorisms" provides a concise look at Schopenhauer for the casual reader.

I find it amusing that someone would give this excellent overview of Schopenhauer a two-star rating on the grounds that it is "difficult". Schopenhauer's philosophy is profound and requires much thought and reflection in order to grasp it. There may be "easier" introductions than this book but if you want to actually try and understand Schopenhauer then read this book. Remember, understanding Schopenhauer or any great philosopher will be difficult. If you can't do "difficult" then read Dr. Seuss.

Bryan Magee has done a superlative job in writing this work. It is both a review and explanation of Schopenhauer's philosophy as well as an exposition of his influence on artists such as Richard Wagner. There is also much biographical material on Schopenhauer. This is a 400 page book and will take a while to get thru. It is not an easy read, though well written. It's just that Schopenhauer's philosophy takes some time to get used to if you have not encountered him before. But you will be richly rewarded.

Perhaps the most unjustly neglected philosopher in the western world. I would hope this very readable introduction will encourage more people to take up the study of this great thinker. Bryan Magee, as usual does, what many professional philosphers are unable or unwilling to do: he makes philosophy accessible to almost everyone. While I haven't found Schopenahuer's writing all that difficult, reading this first has helped me grasp The World as Will and Representation better than I could have without it.

Philosophy needs more Schopenahuers and Magees and fewer obfuscators.

We love this book. Our four children - 19, 16, 8 and 6 - have grown up hearing this story over and over again.

this is a sweet story about a relationship between a grandfather and his grandson. the grandfather makes his grandson a blanket and as the boy grows and destroys the blanket the grandfather makes something new out of the material. i have a close relationship with my grandparents and they do everything to make their grandchildren happy. this story was kind of a reminder of that for me, how they'll always be there for me, and will help me and teach me with whatever tools they may have, but most of all how they'll always love me. i get almost emotional when i read this book. its a good one. get it.

A Grandpa's Love

This is my favorite children's book. It is warm, charming, and fills one
with a generally good feeling. Something from Nothing is adapted from a
jewish folktale. You don't have to be jewish or a child to be thoroughly enchanted with the relationship between grandpa and Joseph . Joseph is a little boy who goes to his grandfather to fix his tattered blanket because "grandpa can
fix anything". The story takes you through the passage of time when grandpa
converts the blanket to a jacket, a tie, a handkerchief, and then a button.
What to do when the button is lost... The pieces of fabric left over from grandpa's
mending goes below to a family of mice who end up with bedcovers, curtains,
table cloths, etc. The text is absolutely delightful, the illustrations magnificent. I have given and read this book numerous times to young children, They always ask me to re-read it to them, while they gaze at these wonderful pictures, and giggle over the mice family's good fortune.

Something from Nothing is a classic folktale retold by Phoebe Gilman in a delightful, playful way. My children love repeating Grandfather's refrain "Hmm, he said as his scissors went snip, snip, snip and his needle flew in and out and in and out. There's just enough material here to make..." along with me as I read and they love discovering new things the mouse family are up to under the family's floorboards or out on the town. They find something new every time! Joseph Had a Little Overcoat tells the same story but we like Something from Nothing much, much better.

This is one of my favorite children's books. I love the artwork and the retelling of an old story. It is a wonderful gift for all your best beloved children.

One of my favorite quotes came from this book:

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963
US black civil rights leader & clergyman (1929 - 1968)

Our hero Dr. Martin Luther King, PhD was a pastor, scholar and a master of the English language first, and this core excellence helped empower him to be one of the greatest change agents of the 20th century. In this book we see his heart and mind more than in any other writing; through this book the reader can sit in the pew and benefit from the deep, Godly wisdom of "Pastor King." In terms of precious spiritual insight, Strength to Love is in the top ten books of all time. - Paul de Vries, PhD, NY Divinity School

Martin Luther King Jr. uses very apt exegesis in his Sermon about the Good Samaritan. The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, with your Soul and with all your mind. The second is like unto it to love your neighbor as yourself. Sum of the Law and prophets hang on these two commandments. This truth taught by Christ was demonstrated through the telling of the story about the Good Samaritan. Martin Luther King JR's sermon on this story is an excellent analysis what it takes to be a loving neighbor. Dr. King tells how the Samaritan overcame prejudice, fear of physical danger, expenditure of money, along with inconvenience; time and effort.

In the sermon titled: Death of Evil on the Seashore, Dr. King acknowledges the existence of evil in all men's heart. The theme of this sermon is how a Christian should overcome evil acting upon oneself and respond with love. One should overcome evil with good. In this sermon, Dr. King states Jesus never made a theological statement about the origin of evil. He does state man's evil does not come forth out of mistake or misguidance. Man should be held culpable to his evil. Love is truly made manifest when in response to which one knows wishes harm or ill towards. This type of love does not come naturally to any man.

Martin Luther King Jr. was taught in his youth to hold the truths taught in the Bible are inerrant. In the final chapter, Dr. King says he entered seminary as a fundamentalist. In his senior year he introduced himself to various theological theories and critical thought when he read various books. Dr. King says at one time he became enamored and held liberal theological uncritically including the belief that man is generally good. Objective appraisal and critical analysis are terms Dr. King acquaints with liberalism. Dr. King says liberalism taught him to have an open and critical mind. In reading the `works of Richard Niebuhr made me aware of the complexity of human motives and the reality of sin on every level of man's existence.' Pg. 136 I would think Martin Luther King Jr. would have been taught about Total Depravity in his years going to church. Dr. King rejects the concept of God being Holy other: hidden and unknown. Dr. King states the influence Walter Rauschenbusch's book: Christianity and the Social Gospel had on him. Then student King searched other philosophers who were not theologians about how to bring social change. Student King was in despaired until he discovered and learned about how Mahatma Gandhi brought social justice to India through nonviolence and the term Satyagraha. Satya means truth which equals love. Graha means force.

Paul's letter to American Christians is a sermon by Dr. King in which he attempts to use the voice Paul's letter to instruct the Christian Church in the United States about disunity in the Body of Christ and unchristian thinking among its members. Cultural, political, and the state of Christendom are the focus of the sermon. I think Martin Luther King Jr. tries to invoke the sentiment of Ephesians 4:1-3:

As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you to live the life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. In this letter Dr. King criticizes the multiplication of denomination of churches in the United States. He praises the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. He argues for unity with the Roman Catholic Church with no note that there are some things Christians cannot compromise about. Racism and disunity is the only sin taken to task. I do believe racism is an unfruitful of darkness and Paul did address this in his letters-it is not the only unfruitful works of Darkness:

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them.
. Ephesians 5:11

A quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
Pg. 3 "The historic- philological criticism of the Bible is considered by the soft minded as blasphemous and reason is often looked upon as the exercise of a corrupt faculty. Soft minded persons have revised the Beatitudes to read, blessed are the pure in ignorance: for they shall see God."

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes from Matthew 10:16 - Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as Doves.

Later Dr. King equates science as reality and religion as values. He sees the tough minded as those who incorporate their faith to fit science. Dr. King does not believe the Bible is to be taken at face value but be interpreted trough the lens of science and other philosophical thought. Theological thought is used and the Bible is quoted to make the argument, but only when facts are determined elsewhere. Values are not defined through God's written word but to collaborate outside sources. Values are determined and thought processes are discovered with the Bible as the secondary source.

Let's not just sit in silence on *Martin Luther King Day* - - We must ask ourselves how WE can carry forward Dr. King's message & become agents for change. Reading his words in "STRENGTH TO LOVE" makes an excellent beginning.

Remember those words from the Bible that challenged us "to love justice"? King's sermons (collected mostly from the time of the bus boycott) prod us today to carry forth "the Power of One" and make this particular holiday a statement of our own acts of Love. To love takes courage as well as strength.

Since the Gulf state hurricanes, we have witnessed injustice toward blacks as blatant as any experienced in the 40's. To summon up the hope and optimism that kept Martin Luther King's message alive is an absolute necessity today. To exercise King's principles, to work for justice, to not allow ourselves to sit in silence - - that's where our beliefs must take us. " . . . the day we become silent about things that matter" IS THE DAY "OUR LIVES BEGIN TO END."

Love is where non-violent action begins. In his sermons King expanded on how the tactics of Gandhi can & do work a mighty force for change. For "Strength to Love" the cover art, a wood cut by Stephen Alcorn, makes another strong statement. Dr. King's words most forceful to me are about *love* and *redemption* - - (the latter is an under-used word these days) - - and the last chapter in which he shared his amazing *PILGRIMAGE* through philosophy and experience. Reviewer mcHAIKU echoes the hope of many: that we act responsibly, energetically and courageously to speak truth to Power. "I ain't gonna study war not more." (Martin Luther King Day, 1-16-06)

Timeless. As relevant now as what it was when it was written. Addresses the issues of hate and indifference and argues that the solution is love. Love does sound all too simplistic but it is one of the hardest things to face but its rewards are beyond words.

I LOVED this book! After reading the first I rushed to the store to get the whole series. This is a great series for girls who love God and love sappy cute romantic stuff. I would def recomend the whole series.. I think I finished them all in like 2 weeks.

I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the rest of them in this series. I very much like Elizabeth and I admire her strenghth and courage to move so far away and to change her lifestyle in such drastic ways. She gave me hope as I too have recently moved far from friends and family and at times it can be so lonely and tough. This book not only had hope and courage and love -- it also had elements of humor and even horror (at least the mouse on the chair made me gasp!!!).

I absolutely loved this novel.

I am a Christian, and I enjoy Janette Oke's books dearly. They are so wonderfully written--such wonderfully story lines, great details, great plots, and great faith in God.

I have read many of her novels, but I must say this one was my favorite. Something about this wonderful story made me just couldn't put it down! I found myself wanted to read it until I finished.

The story is wonderful, with Elizabeth's heart for teaching and her courage to moving to the west, and I love that is a love story at the same time. And her faith in God is so wonderful as well...

It's so neat cause when I read Janette's books, I don't just read a great story, but I learn something at the same time---great principles to apply to life - every time

If you want to read a great story (with no worries if younger readers want to read it) I truly recommend this story!

I loved it!!!!!!!! And you will too.

This is my second favorite Janette Oke book. (My first is A Gown of Spanish Lace.)I am currently rereading it for about the tenth time and once again falling in love with all the characters.
It is about a somewhat pampered and sheltered young woman named Elizabeth who decides to accept a teaching position in western Canada where life is backward compared to her hometown.
She encounters a few obstacles with courage and spunk. She adores her students and is an awesome teacher and role model.
She is determined not to marry right away, but when an attractive Mountie comes into her life, her mind changes. Mine would too if I met someone like Wynn! Jannette Oke has good taste in men. :) I highly recommend the entire Canadian West Series for females ages 15 and up. I especially love the first 2 of the series. It is easy to fall in love with both the characters and Canada.
In order to really enjoy an Oke book you really have to read it slowly. So if you don't have the time and patience to spend a few days quietly reading a book, this isn't for you.I often have a hard time settling down for the first chapter or two of her novels since they are slowpaced, but then I am able to really get into the story and am glad I decided to slow down and smell the roses.
I hope someday Hallmark (or anyone else)makes this book into a movie.

When Oke Engages My Heart, by Sara Larsen

Anyone that likes a quiet, sweet story about the experiences, joys, and sorrows of life from the perspective of a woman will love "When Calls the Heart" by Janette Oke. Oke effectively engages us and connects us to her protagonist by using strong characterization, sensory details, diction, and appeals to emotion.
On the first page of the novel, Elizabeth thinks to herself. "And how are you this delightful spring morning? I asked myself. Why, I am just fine, thank you, I silently answered, and then almost blushed as I quickly looked around for fear that someone might be able to read my thoughts." This is one of the first glimpses we get into the life of our protagonist. By developing the thoughts of her character and letting us into her brain, Oke has quickly helped us understand the personality of her character, and thus we become involved with the character on a more personal level. By connecting us to her character, Oke can then communicate messages, emotions, or ideas to us through her protagonist.
The powerful sensory details used by Oke when Elizabeth is spending her first night out in the Wilderness allow us to almost see what our protagonist sees and smell what our protagonist smells, thus inviting our sympathy and involvement. "...the tall grass had recently been cut but had been left to lie, browning where it fell. It smelled musty and insects buzzed busily about it...the riotous colors flamed out over the sky in shades that I had no words to describe..." (73) We get a glimpse into the newness of Elizabeth's experience by reading these sentences and can vividly picture the scene before her. Because of Oke's use of imagery, we feel as though we are experiencing Elizabeth's world because we have a detailed description of what her world is like, which is essential because then Oke is able to get us to feel what she wants us to feel.
Oke lets us know the terror that Elizabeth feels when she hears a sound that she's never heard before, and we become further engaged in the story because we can almost hear these sounds for ourselves and feel the heat on our faces because of the details used. "A wolf pack!...They had smelled new blood and were moving in for the kill...the sharp stubble of the grass and weeds bit into the palms of my hands, but I crawled on. Another howl pierced the night...the flames were robust now...I continued to feed the fire and huddle over it, coughing and crying into the woodsmoke." (74) We can imagine what is happening, almost feel the thorns in our own hands, and we also feel the same fear that Elizabeth does. Oke entices us, by using such imagery, to experience this with Elizabeth, to take an active part in the story and connect with her protagonist.
On the fourth page of the novel, Oke's carefully-chosen words effectively illustrate her characters when Elizabeth is describing her family; we are invited to see these characters as she sees them, thus aligning our point of view with our protagonist's. She uses words like "flighty one," "adventure-seeker," "the romantic," "silliness," "dainty," "pretty," "plenty of male attention," and "never enough" to describe her sister Julie. By using four rather short sentences with well-chosen words, Oke develops a single character, letting us get personally involved with her description. It is easy to paint in our minds an accurate, though unique, picture of Julie. But again, we see these characters through the eyes of Elizabeth, and Oke can then get her message across to us by using her characters--characters that we now view in the way she wants us to view them.
Oke superbly uses diction to get us involved in Elizabeth's dilemma with the school stove, and just by reading these words we understand how she feels about herself and how she feels about her friend, Wynn Delaney. When Wynn Delaney walks in, we read words like "gasp," "choke," "embarrassment," "self-conscious," and "predicament," causing us to feel Elizabeth's humiliation. Words we read about Wynn Delaney include "benefactor," "save," "purposefully," and "friendship," (133) making it clear that Elizabeth was appreciative of Wynn's help. Oke strategically uses these words to cause us to subconsciously feel the same way that Elizabeth does; thus we see the following events from Elizabeth's point of view, which is Oke's objective, because then we become attached to our protagonist and sympathize with her feelings when things go wrong for her.
Oke gets us emotionally involved when Elizabeth is about to return home and leave behind the world she has come to love. She pauses when she hears her name. "A hand was placed on my shoulder, and through the mist in my eyes I saw a red-coated chest and I looked up into the face of Wynn Delaney. His eyes looked troubled as they gazed deeply into mine." (219) By this point in the story we have a firm understanding of Elizabeth's confusion about her relationship to Wynn, and we also know how reluctant she is to return home because we, too, have come to love this wilderness through Elizabeth's experiences. Oke now effectively touches our emotions, but is only able to do so because throughout the story we have come to know, experience, and love her characters, which she has effectively done through characterization, sensory details, and diction. Now that Oke has fully and completely engaged us with the story and with her protagonist, she gives us one last gift of connecting with our emotions. We leave the book feeling our hearts touched in some way.
Oke does an excellent job of connecting us to her protagonist and engaging each of her readers, no matter what background they have. If you want to be left with a happy feeling and you enjoy these kinds of books, you will love "When Calls the Heart."

December 14, 2005

Woonsocket Harris Public Library Board of Trustees
Diane Rivers, Chair
Dorian Parker, Vice-Chair
Lisa Sparks, Secretary
John Pellizzari
Ernest "Buddy" DiSpirito
303 Clinton Street
Woonsocket, RI 02895-3214
Fax: 401-767-4140

Dear Members of the Woonsocket Harris Public Library Board of Trustees,

On behalf of the 2,900 members of PEN American Center, an international organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression wherever it is threatened, we are writing to express our deep concern over the fact that the Woonsocket Public Library Trustees are considering a request to ban It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl written by native Woonsocket author-artist Charleen Touchette.

We understand that a citizen request to ban the book was made at the Library Trustees' September meeting. The Library Trustees removed the book from the Woonsocket Harris Public Library shelves after the September meeting pending a decision.

It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl, the latest work by author-artist Charleen Touchette, invites you into the provincial world of a French Canadian girl in Rhode Island who cannot tell anybody her family secrets. Years later when she has her first daughter she must relive her childhood to heal the future generations of her family. It is a story of survival and triumph as a victim of childhood abuse and was written for an adult audience. The novel tells a realistic story with complex figures. Such books help readers approach sensitive topics and figure out how to deal with them. Even if the novel's themes are too mature for some, they will be meaningful to others. No book is right for everyone, and the role of the library is to allow community members to make choices according to their own interests, experiences, and family values.

Author Charleen Touchette, a member of our colleague organizations PEN USA and the Author's Guild, advocates for the freedom to write worldwide. It Stops with Me has been praised by authors Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Louise Erdrich, Margaret Randall, Ana Pacheco, and Winona LaDuke, and received a Foreword Book of the Year 2004 Finalist Award.

PEN American Center respectfully asks you to deny the request to ban It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl and to return it to library shelves. By doing so, you will be upholding a fundamental principle of freedom: the right of all Americans to read, inquire, question, and think for themselves.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Hannah Pakula

Larry Siems
Chair, Freedom to Write Committee Director, Freedom to Write
and International Programs

An autobiography of a spunky Franco-American woman from Woonsocket, Rhode Island gives cultural storytelling multi-generational appeal. Too many Franco-Americans (with ancestral roots in French-Canada) are quickly amalgamating into the mainstream of American culture without writing their special family stories. Fortunately, Charleen Touchette, a Woonsocket, Rhode Island writer and artist now living in New Mexico, puts both of her pleasingly creative talents together in "It Stops With Me: Memoir of a Cannuck Girl".
Touchette writes about her Franco-American roots by relating simple, often bittersweet and even brutal experiences growing up as a typical French Catholic girl in Woonsocket and later as an accomplished artist.
Moreover, Touchette energizes her autobiography's prose with a series of original black, and white and color print blocks. In other words, "It Stops With Me" expresses Touchette's Franco-American creativity using prose accentuated by her surprisingly cutting edge original art describing absorbing coming of age experiences. Her journey from a parochial Franco-American into her adult life is fraught with opportunities, along with unexpected harsh challenges. Her life is ordinary in some ways but hardly a nostalgic cake walk.
"It Stops With Me" is at its best when Touchette looks back and elevates normal Franco-American experiences to familiarities we can identify with. For example, she describes cooking with her "Ma Tantes" or getting ready to receive First Holy Communion at Woonsocket's Eglise Précieux-Sang (Church of Precious Blood).
Discord arises at a young age. Growing up as a French Roman Catholic girl is an underlying theme. Touchette's typical childhood is without the benefit of feeling safe at home, as she depicts in one of her portraits of a "Not a Picture Perfect Family".
Rather, Touchette's absorbing life story endures familial stress, social and personal conflicts, even leading to physical ailments, which haunt her into adult years.
Touchette's hard hitting narrative is set apart from others of the modern autobiographic genre by the intimate and complicated relationships she shares with her family. Delving even deeper into her private spiral are the intense personal investigations Touchette undertakes with regard to her sad relationship with her father.
Nevertheless, in spite of the particular circumstances, it's typical of Franco-Americans to harbor deep attachments for their relatives and parents regardless of obvious flaws, shortcomings or even family violence. Female family role models are especially strong in Touchette's life. "Although my Maman was a devout Catholic, she was a strong supporter of my right to freedom of expression," writes Touchette. In fact, her female relatives were outraged when Touchette even considered not going to college after high school. In her Woonsocket Franco-Americans world, Touchette writes about how curious it was to be singled out for college when no other woman in her family ever went beyond a high school education.
Throughout the autobiography, her French heritage is front and center, even when she embraces the peace of Judaism.
Many of the book's chapters are charmingly led by simple French titles.
Touchette's talent as a creative writer moves the reader beyond the dark side of her autobiography. Using the power of words, she inspires us to learn more about her as an individual woman with a spellbinding story to tell. Touchette does a good job explaining the pros and cons of the personal contrasts she inherited from her religious and ethnic roots. This is a well written autobiography, nominated for book awards, with a progressive social focus.

"This book is incredible." Louise Erdrich
"beautiful book." Lawrence Ferlinghetti
"Tough, evocative, border-crossing, honest, unflinching...large enough so it can embrace its readers. Margaret Randall, Author. PEN NM Lifetime Achievement Awardee 2005
"An emotion-charged story of initial struggle and ultimate success...a must in any library collection." Book Wire
"magnificent in its courage and decency." Sam Ballen Author Without Reservations.

Great Reads - New Mexico Magazine, April 2005 p. 45.
Personal Journeys: More Than Just Survival by Michelle Miller Allen
"Our girlhood years, formed in various cultures and family configurations-from the most abusive to the most loving-and tempered by the social prejudices and taboos of one's time-are where we begin our journeys into adulthood. These factors have much to do with whether we will just survive or become empowered by the most demanding, even devastating, events on our individual paths.
It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Canuck Girl by Charleen Touchette (TouchArt Books 2004) Touchette's memoir opens the doors into the lives of women who shaped her childhood into adulthood-the healers, storytellers, homemakers, and artists. This most compelling book includes fascinating color and black and white reproductions of the author's artwork over three decades. The book charts Touchette's journey from a French Canadian/RhodeIsland childhood at the hands of an abusive alcoholic father, to Wellesley College, to New York City's culture of arts, to Minnesota and Indian Country.
Touchette combines the voice of the reminiscing adult writer/artist with that of a child obsessed with "making things" as a survival mechanism. Abusive parents seem to bank on the false assumption that their children, as adults, will not remember abuse. Yet anyone who doubts the intelligence and level of awareness in a young, abused human being should read the end of Chapter "Forsythia Blossoms": "I do not know when I started fighting back. I do not have a memory of when Daddy started hitting me. I was too young. But I do remember clearly the moment when I looked up at my dad's face, and realized he was a fool. I was seven."

Reviewer Jennifer Lefkowitz chose "It Stops with Me" as the Book Special for "Girlfriends Magazine" November 2005 issue, p. 58 with two color photos of Touchette's art.

"It Stops with Me: Memoir of a Cannuck Girl"

"Charleen Touchette's memoir is healing and cathartic, a story of survival and triumph as a victim of childhood abuse. The author is an artist, and throughout the book she showcases her paintings, which resemble the work of painter Frida Kahlo. Like Kahlo, Touchette survived vehicle collisions; after a spine injury she is able to connect her past to her present. This compelling memoir dives into the dark trenches of that past, confronting memories with ancient practices. "I learned it is the task of all human beings to cut through the fog and illusion of maya, and reconnect with the light." A - Jennifer Lefkowitz

"Water Illumination" (top) and "Boom Boom Boom" are two of the many paintings which illustrate the author's journey."

Charleen Touchette's story "The Pie Religion" is online in the May issue of Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines

"What a loving, touching article! I could see, smell, hear everything, thanks to your beautiful descriptions. And what memories of my own childhood you brought back; we, too, had a pie religion among the women in our large family. My mother even had a modest business of making pies for the restaurants and the hotel in our little Northern Vermont town.
Indeed, the secret to pie-making is passed on from mother to daughter to daughter as a sacred tradition.
Thanks for a great read!
I've recommended your article to several people, with my comment that if I could write as well as you, I'd give up quilting and stitching...and making pies!"
Louise Dubrule

This product was shipped to me quickly and was in good shape when it arrived.

As a digital citizen and knowledge worker, I found this book valuable in explaining how, more than ever, corporations and their executives are being held more accountable by the public. And because information is instantaneous due to the internet, this book advises that corporations should have transparency plans built into their organizational strategies, lest they fall victim to bad press at some point. What is surprising, is unlike what companies want people to think, the average worker is now more empowered then ever to make companies have more integrity. The book also provides suggestions to planning around transparency and they site the companies who have come back after bad press. This book is complimentary to the books written by Peter Drucker and by John C. Bogle. Excellent!

This is from my blog (which is why it is written this way)

On the Flight to Fremont, I read "The Naked Corporation - How the age of transparency will revolutionize business". You likely think I must have issues since I always read about "naked" (Like "Naked Conversations") but don't worry - its not like that. In this age of Search Engine Optimization, I wonder if the authors thought they might get more hits but that is another topic.

The Naked Corporation talks about the transparency needed in todays post Enron, post Worldcom environment. The basic thesis of the book is that this transparency is good. I agree. It talks about the benefits to the company for being transparent and how it saves money and builds support for the company.

If I have a counter view, it is not to transparency it is to Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) which attempts to legislate ethics and in doing so imparts a huge cost and overhead which ironically might hurt the very shareholders they seek to protect. In some cases, SOX is like buying a safe for $1000 to protect $500 worth of valuables.

The book actually did make the point that often companies are not transparent because the law requires them to complicate things. Just look at the filings and annual reports of many companies. Warren Buffet says "you should be able to understand the financial statements of a company in a few minutes".

One part of the book I found interesting was the story of poor ethics and no transparency at Chiquita Bananas. Fortunately, they have moved to high transparency and appear to have mended their ways. (Fortunate because I like bananas).

One quote which I love (and will use) is by Warren Buffet "If you lose dollars for the firm by bad decisions, I will be very understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless." I have believed for a long time the reputation is far more important than money. I like many of Warren Buffets' philosophies and in a article some years ago, EMJ was cited as being a perfect Warren Buffet company. I am not sure when it comes to ethics though that selling sugar water (Coke - on of Warren Buffets' companies) would count as good ethics. So as with everything, I need to filter what I like about someone from what I do not. Learn from the good.

Authors Don Tapscott and David Ticoll examine the managerial implications of the age of transparency. Now that the Internet has enabled employees, suppliers, consumers, gadflies, critics and casual lookers to get and swap previously confidential information about companies, the business environment will never be its old self again. Companies have no confidentiality, no privacy and no way to dodge the truth. Those with nowhere to hide must to get accustomed to life in the open. It's not so bad. But to prosper in this wide-open world, managers need to understand that the new way of life has different demands than the old one. Although many of this book's recommendations have become fairly well known, we find plenty of insights that remain fresh and worth reading.

This is a very good book which has opened my eyes into looking for companies that are honest and transparent with their customers, shareholders and employees. This book calls companies to stop hidding behind secrets that destroy corporations (Enron and others) and start being transparent, by providing informaiton to your customers, shareholders and employees. Companies need to show that they are responsible to the environment, to their stakeholders and other corporations. This book is calling companies to be ethical in their daily transactions and gives example after example of corporations who have fallen because they tried to hide the truth. This book shows that we need strong ethical people to run todays corporations and we as investors need to reward companies who are starting to become transparent. At the same time we need to punish companies who are not taking responsibility for their actions and wrong doings. This book also points out that most investors are blind with their investments and don't even realize what their largest investment is invested in (for most people their largest investment is their pension plan, and I admit I don't know what mine is invested in). This is a very good book and has opened my eyes to at least see what's going on out there and provided me with the tools to do some research and make sure I reward companies that are making an effort to save our environment and be honest with employee's, investors, stakeholders, and customers. The one question I have is are we raising a generation that will be able to have the
qualities needed to run the corporations of tomorrow... Great book...

this book is my favorite, ive read it 3 times becaue i cant let any of that wonder book escape my mind because i want to remember it forever.if you are thinking about buying this book, BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!! you will love it and catch yourself wanting to read it over and over again.

this book is my favorite, ive read it 3 times becaue i cant let any of that wonder book escape my mind because i want to remember it forever.if you are thinking about buying this book, BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!! you will love it and catch yourself wanting to read it over and over again.

No Small Thing
By: Natale Ghent

Twelve-year-old Nathaniel and his sisters, Cid and Queenie, find an ad for a free pony, and they just can't believe their luck when their single mom says yes they can get it. But how will they afford to take care of it and where will they keep it? Well Nat has money he's been saving in a box his dad gave him. He has $95.36 from his paper route. He uses that money to feed and clean Smokey. But when they are on the way home from getting Smokey, (Queenie's riding) they get attacked by a big dog, which spooks Smokey and Queenie falls off and breaks her collarbone. They were all scared. But they make it through it, all the fighting and tears and form a special bond. -Smokey. Well one day the barn Smokey stays at, catches fire. It destroys the barn completely, so where will they keep Smokey? Nat sells him. It hurts to sell Smokey, but he knows it's the right thing to do.

i really liked this book at first i thought it was going to be about some sappy horse story but it wasn't it was a tale of the hardships the characters face and in the middle of it all is the horse the end

I absolutly love this book. It is a MUST read! If you want to find out more about this book take a look at the other reviews on this page.


I LOVED IT!!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!!

from a fellow horses lover