Nebraska Books

I have not read this book in its entirety as of yet, but have previewed it. A friend suggested I purchase this book, and I'm glad I have done so. However, the cartoon the author chose depicting pitcher Louis Leroy was in poor taste. Perhaps Powers-Beck had his own reasons for choosing this particular graphic. However, it portrays the pitcher in a negative way and it is likely many readers will find it an offensive stereotype. In light of the fact that there were other examples of period graphics the author could have chosen, one must wonder if this decision was made in haste.

This is a book that is long overdue. The author's research provides the most comprehensive account yet written about the integration of American Indians into baseball. I found the similarities with the Black Experience to be especially intriguing. This book will serve as a valuable resource for baseball historians and will stimulate interest in casual readers.

Jeff Powers-Beck goes much further than previous treatments of Native American ballplayers in his seminal work, "The American Indian Integration of Baseball." The book is extremely well-researched and examines the mixed legacy of Native American ballplayers as well as the roots of discrimination against them.

Surveying the careers of more than 120 athletes of Indian ancestry, Powers-Beck argues that professional baseball was "a crucible of both racial and cultural prejudices" against Native Americans. Caroonists made them popular objects of derision on the sports pages. Fans taunted them with war whoops and vitriolic jeers. Even teammates insulted them with nicknames like "Chief," "Nig," and "Squanto." "This was not simply a 'cultural prejudice' towards someone who looked differently," insists Powers-Beck. "It was a starkly racist prejudice towards someone who looked different."

Powers-Beck adds that the roots of discrimination can be traced to government-sponsored boarding schools, like Carlisle and Haskell. These off-reservation boarding schools used baseball as "a tool for assimilation as well as for the prestige and profit of the school." His coverage of Carlisle, in particular, offers insightful information that rivals only David W. Adams' work, "Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1923."

The biographical vignettes of Charles Albert Bender, John Meyers and Jim Thorpe, culled from a wide variety of sources demonstrate the kind of painstaking research Powers-Beck completed. Like the larger biographical treatments of Louis Leroy, George Howard Johnson, and Moses Yellow Horse, Powers-Beck offers a refreshing new perspective of these Native American ballplayers as "integrators" who not only survived the discriminatory treatment of the white baseball establishment, but largely succeeded in shaping the game on their own terms.

As a result, the book is more of a celebratory treatment of the Native American participation and contribution to baseball, rather than a retelling of the "tragedies" of such players as Jim Thorpe and especially Louis Sockalexis, which have become all too popular in recent years.

My only criticism of the book is that it reads more like a collection of esays than a narrative history of this important topic. To be sure, each essay makes a very significant contribution to the larger story of the American Indian Intregration of Baseball, but not a "seamless" one. The danger here -- and my fear -- is that an excellent piece of research will be dismissed as a "reference work" and not be given the kind of credit it is due as a seminal work on the topic.

The subject of Native Americans and the integration of baseball is often overlooked due to the prejudice of Academics to cover the more popular african-american integration of sports. But this wonderful books finally brings to life the characters and times that led to Native american success in Americas past-time, baseball. This is a thorough account of the subject and a great addition to t =he meek amount of academic resources on it. Highly recommended as an enlightening read, especially for anyone concerned with Native American rights in recent times.

Seth J. Frantzman

Powers has written a fine book about the Indian experience, showing many parallels with the later integration of black players. He gives a good deal of detailed biographical information on a half-dozen prominent Indian players, and mini-bios on a couple of dozen others. There is an explanation of how Jim Thorpe might have done better with a friendlier environment, also a list of over 100 full-blooded and part-Indian major leaguers. Finally, he makes an eloquent case for the abolition of current team nicknames that demean the Indian culture.

Pete Palmer, co-editor of The Baseball Encyclopedia by Barnes and Noble

It is my opinion that the three most famous battlefields on US soil are (in no particular order) the Little Big Horn, Gettysburg, and the Alamo. Each has a legion of students and enthusiasts accompanied by a number of printed resources. Stackpole Books has added to the printed resources on the Little Big Horn with its' collection of books known as The Custer Library. The most important of these books, in my opinion, is "The Custer Myth" It contains just about all of the available first person accounts of the battle known to exist. Many of the accounts are rather short but all are interesting. For the "Last Stand" buffs, it is like waking up on Christmas morning to find that you got everything you wanted except actual newsreel footage. For the casual observer of the subject, this may be the downfall of the book. After all, the stories greatly overlap and repeat each other. In doing so, they add another dimension of personalizing the battle even more. No Custer enthusiast should be without this book and no private library of American History is complete without it either. Do yourself a favor and add it to your library as well.

By far the best of the vast Custer literature. Graham gathers together in one place primary data and lets you draw your own conclusions. On Custer, Graham is the only author I have read who writes without massaging his data to support some preconcieved theory. This book, incidently, was published in 1953, not in 1993.(It would be helpful if Amazon would note first copyright dates in book listings.) This book was not bashed out to meet a schedule or catch a market window; Graham gathered data literally for decades. Being an army officer-- Judge Advocate Corp--gave him access to files and access to survivors who were eyewitnesses to the fight at Reno's end of the field.

This is Graham's great collction of testimonies about Custer and the Little Big Horn from the Sioux, Cheyene, Rees, Crows, scouts, officers, soildiers and others. An incredible collection of material laid out in categorical chapters. Graham lays this often quoted collection out without prejudice and although he questions the Indian participant's accounts due to their lack of perception of exact time and spatial realities, he presents it all the same. What is quite fascinating are the virtual raw letters of Benteen to William Goldin. The letters show Benteen's bitter side particularly toward Custer and demonstrates that Reno was also not held highly on his list, if anyone was. Also, has Godfrey's great history of the battle and the book even includes challenging letters from Grahams critics to his personal responses. A great book for those that want to know all from multiple perspectives of the participants.

It was great to find a book published well over 50 years ago, so I could see what "spin" the author had on the battle. Surprisingly, the author did not laud Custer--the title comes from the author's belief that Custer was more made up than real. The author, though retired military, made what appeared to be a fair attempt to reconstruct the attacks from the Indian's point of view. The book does not compare to "Lakota Noon" in analysis, but the author states at the beginning he is just presenting the facts as reported by others. The book also contained other interesting information from Sitting Bull that even my boss, a Lakota, had not seen. Be warned, though: It's a long book with a lot of self-serving statements by Army officers.

This book gives no definitive answers on the biggest puzzles of Little Big Horn ... which is its greatest strength. By pulling together all the available testimony, from both sides and all angles, it's proof of how 'the fog of war' -- as well as participants' own agendas -- makes any battle more confusing to its participants than to those who come after. For the reader, piecing together the conflicting accounts, and assessing the characters/viewpoints/axes-to-grind of those giving them, it's a total immersion not just in the facts but in the feelings, prejudices and atmosphere of the time. A wonderful book. And one that should be basic training for every student of history, whatever their period. This is how history is.

This is a book I would use to add to the list of the many books written by Eve Bunting.

This is a great introduction to the saga of the western movement. My daughter is almost 4...a bit over her head.

My third grade class read Dandelions as a large group. We loved the pictures and the characters.It was very interesting learning about the way families settled the land. We decided that the book was showing us that families are like dandelions and they both grow with love and caring.

DANDELIONS is a very moving story. It does an excellent job in describing the struggles and bravery of a pioneer family. Although it doesn't detail why the family had to leave Illinois (their home), it does show readers that even back then parents may not have always agreed on family issues. Through the dialogue in the story it is apparent that the family wants their apprehensive, pregnanat mother to be happy, and they strive to make her so. The painted illustrations by Shed were very true-to-life and warm; they establish the setting and mood of each page. Further, the pictures helped define the characters by showing emotion through facial expressions and body language. Of course, those factors contributed in reinforcing the text. Despite the fact that the artwork has a warm fuzz to it (almost giving a surrealistic feel), attention to detail was definitely established, giving the story realism and life.

This beautifully illustrated(Greg Shed) picture book tells the story of a pioneer family settling in the Mid-West. Mama, Papa and their two daughters, Zoe and Rebecca have left the security of home in Illinois to settle on the Prairie. Papa and Zoe make a pact that they will help Mama feel better about living on the Prairie. After Zoe and her sister plant a patch of dandelions on the roof of their sod house, Mama agrees that their family is hardy and will bloom just as the dandelions are sure to do. This book, told from Zoe's viewpoint, is a touching recount of the feelings of the sodbusters. Would be very useful for primary teachers and media specialists in the mid-west states.

If you've ever had a dream to travel outside of your own backyard, this book will give you the push you need to make that decision. Alexander Kinglake takes you through the exotic east by the most interesting modes of transportation. Horseback, Camels, Dromedaries, and fantastic sea vessels. You'll travel through places such as Stanboul, Constantinople, Cyprus, Galilee, Cairo, the Pyramids, and Jerusalem just to name a few.

A brilliant descriptive writer, Kinglake tells you every detail about what he's viewing along the way, along with the emotional side of traveling through history. Standing on a hilltop, possibly the precise spot where Homer did, that inspired his works, Kinglake takes you there with him, describing unchanged landscape and the flood of emotions that will definately touch you. When he arrived at the Holy lands, it left me in tears, and a great yearning to plan my own pilgrimage there.

It amazed me that this man made it through his travels safe and sound. He survived the plague which was rampant at that time. It was frightening to read about, let alone live through it! Which he tells about in depth. The extreme fear everyone lived in. Yet despite all the precautions taken, it still managed to seek you out and take you into it's unimaginable numbers. Day after day, he watched cavalcades of funeral processions pass through the streets, from sunrise to well beyond sunset. How he fooled it, I'll never know. He always seemed to be in contact with plague stricken people, and even thought for a time that he too had fallen victim when symptoms began to appear.

Through this journal you'll learn about the people of this era and before. The Ottomans, Bedouins, Monks, Jews, Catholics, and Christians. Aristocrats, such as Lady Hester, Sheiks, and Pasha's. Most interesting was Kinglake himself. Just who was this man? He tells little about his own background. But as you read, this intelligent, confident, diplomatic Englishman unfolds before you. With a sense of humor few can match!

This book was gifted to me, and sparked the desire to be a part of what Kinglake and others knew about life. Not to let each day pass by caught up in mundane routines, but live each one to the fullest.

This is a book to be treasured and I read it several times. It is hard to imagine the world Kinglake describes which is virtually extinct now at a time when lions abounded in Eastern Europe, Caliphs and Pashas smoked their pipes through long tubing and Lady Hester Stanhope gets esoteric.

Full of humour, the book is as British as they come with such sensitive nuances about the subject matter including disease, women, customs and issues of religion in the holy land.

I'm still looking for this brand of hero inside and out but don't think he's that common except as a carricature. Did Kinglake's world and attitude really exist?

Once asked how he learned to write so well, Winston Churchill growled, "Kinglake." That was Alexander Kinglake whose main works were this slim travelogue reporting on his tour as a young man through the Levant and a huge history of the Crimean war which occupied most of his life. Eothen is a wonderfully engaging tale of a traveler and the people he encounters in what was at the time a formidable journey. We are fortunate that it is back in print, bibliophiles treasure the early, leather-bound editions.

Eothen is a kind of quirky travelogue describing Alexander Kinglake's 1834 tour of the Near East; it was originally published in 1844.

Kinglake, like many an English gentleman (and lady) of his era, is full of prejudices and preconceptions about other cultures and races. He takes "the natural ascendancy of Europeans" as a graven truth, and doesn't scruple at making sweeping generalizations about Arabs, Jews, Turks, Greeks, and everyone else he encounters. The book, for this reason, probably reveals more about Kinglake than it does about the places he travelled. His descriptions of the customs and characters he observes are those of "a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant" outsider, and for that reason must be viewed with skepticism - but they are wonderfully entertaining all the same.

Here is an example of the witty style that makes this book delightful to read:

"Christianity permits, and sanctions, the drinking of wine, and of all the holy brethren in Palestine there are none who hold fast to this gladsome rite so strenuously as the monks of Damascus; not that they are more zealous Christians than the rest of their fellows in the Holy Land, but that they have better wine. Whilst I was at Damascus I had my quarters at the Franciscan convent there, and very soon after my arrival I asked one of the monks to let me know something of the spots that deserved to be seen... "There is nothing in all Damascus," said the good man, "half so well worth seeing as our cellars"; and forthwith he invited me to go, see, and admire the long range of liquid treasure that he and his brethren had laid up for themselves on earth. And these I soon found were not as the treasures of the miser, that lie in unprofitable disuse, for day by day, and hour by hour, the golden juice ascended from the dark recesses of the cellar to the uppermost brains of the friars..."

Highly recommended.

The author is apparently an anti-Catholic and his hate for the Church shines forth. He portrays monks as lazy, alcoholic social outcasts. Since he so thoroughly misrepresents Catholics, I can't trust his accuracy in any of the rest of this book. Of course, there will always be those who don't truly seek the truth in good faith, but who work to undermine Christ's Great High Priestly Prayer for Unity.

Good English-language materials on the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) in World War II are disappointingly rare. With the passing of Alvin Coox, Edward Drea is definitely the foremost Western authority. This volume collects a number of very valuable articles that he published in the 1980s and early 1990s. While recent work has brought clarification and amendment in some details, the value of his judgments and perspectives remains undimmed.

A unique and very valuable feature is the many direct comparisons between the U.S. Army and IJA, which do a great deal to illuminate both forces.

The articles are: "Tradition and Circumstances: The Imperial Japanese Army's Tactical Response to Khalkhin-Gol, 1939"; "The Development of Imperial Japanese Army Amphibious Warfare Doctrine"; "Imperial Japanese Army Strategy and the Pacific War (1941-1945)"; "An Allied Interpretation of the Pacific War"; "U.S. Army and Imperial Japanese Army Doctrine during World War II"; "'Trained in the Hardest School'"; "Adachi Hatazo: A Soldier of His Emperor"; "A Signals Intercept Site at War"; "Leyte: Unanswered Questions"; "Japanese Preparations for the Defense of the Homeland"; "Intelligence Forecasting for the Invasion of Japan: Previews of Hell"; "Chasing a Decisive Victory: Emperor Hirohito and Japan's War with the West (1941-1945)". Every one is very worthwhile.

This book is all but indispensable to a clear understanding of the Pacific War. The publishing of a more affordable paperback edition is very welcome.

Will O'Neil

PS. Virtually the only other comprehensive work in English on the Japanese Army in World War II is _Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War_, by Saburo Hayashi and Alvin Coox. (It is out of print and hard to find, but a text file is available on the Web.) Virtually anything written by Alvin Coox on the subject is well worth reading, and particularly his article "The Pacific War" in Vol. 6 of _The Cambridge History of Japan_. For an understanding of the Japanese Army as an institution, see Leonard Humphreys, _The Way of the Heavenly Sword: The Japanese Army in the 1920's_ (available from Amazon) as well as Shin'ichi Kitaoka, "The Army as a Bureaucracy: Japanese Militarism Revisited," _J. Mil. Hist._, 57/5: 67-86.

This book is a welcome addition to anybody's library on WW2 Japan but as always, the information is not quite up to date. That has always been the problem with books on the Japanese Army because only a limited number of wetern historians can actually understand Japanese. The book says, for example, that only 60 type 3 tanks were built during the war when the newest research suggests that over 200 rolled off the production lines. Also the photo of Lieut.General Adachi does not show him as a General but as a Colonel. Still, better than what usually hits the market with "The author has read the Japanese official history" on this or that battle with the author thanking his Japanese interpreters elsewhere in the book.

Good English-language materials on the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) in World War II are disappointingly rare. With the passing of Alvin Coox, Edward Drea is definitely the foremost Western authority. This volume collects a number of very valuable articles that he published in the 1980s and early 1990s. While recent work has brought clarification and amendment in some details, the value of his judgments and perspectives remains undimmed.

A unique and very valuable feature is the many direct comparisons between the U.S. Army and IJA, which do a great deal to illuminate both forces.

The articles are: "Tradition and Circumstances: The Imperial Japanese Army's Tactical Response to Khalkhin-Gol, 1939"; "The Development of Imperial Japanese Army Amphibious Warfare Doctrine"; "Imperial Japanese Army Strategy and the Pacific War (1941-1945)"; "An Allied Interpretation of the Pacific War"; "U.S. Army and Imperial Japanese Army Doctrine during World War II"; "'Trained in the Hardest School'"; "Adachi Hatazo: A Soldier of His Emperor"; "A Signals Intercept Site at War"; "Leyte: Unanswered Questions"; "Japanese Preparations for the Defense of the Homeland"; "Intelligence Forecasting for the Invasion of Japan: Previews of Hell"; "Chasing a Decisive Victory: Emperor Hirohito and Japan's War with the West (1941-1945)". Every one is very worthwhile.

This book is all but indispensable to a clear understanding of the Pacific War. The publishing of a more affordable paperback edition is very welcome.

Will O'Neil

PS. Virtually the only other comprehensive work in English on the Japanese Army in World War II is _Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War_, by Saburo Hayashi and Alvin Coox. (It is out of print and hard to find, but a text file is available on the Web.) Virtually anything written by Alvin Coox on the subject is well worth reading, and particularly his article "The Pacific War" in Vol. 6 of _The Cambridge History of Japan_, and of course his masterful book, _Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939_ (available from Amazon). For an understanding of the Japanese Army as an institution, see Leonard Humphreys, _The Way of the Heavenly Sword: The Japanese Army in the 1920's_ (also available from Amazon) as well as Shin'ichi Kitaoka, "The Army as a Bureaucracy: Japanese Militarism Revisited," _J. Mil. Hist._, 57/5: 67-86. And by all means be sure to remain on the lookout for further work by Edward Drea.

While there has been quite a few histories of individual battles of the Pacific War, there have been few studies of the Imperial Japanese Army. This is not only in striking contrast to the various studies of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS, but even in comparison with the Imperial Japanese Navy (Evans and Peattie's Kaigun comes to mind).

Drea's book is an admirable effort to start filling in some of those blanks. His essay on General Adachi, for example, provides interesting background into how a typical Japanese officer's career went; in this case, an officer who was not heavily politicized.

Similarly, his discussion of how Japanese recruits underwent training provides important background into the mindset of soldiers. This is indispensable in understanding the IJA as an institution and organization.

This book is a welcome addition to anybody's library on WW2 Japan but as always, the information is not quite up to date. That has always been the problem with books on the Japanese Army because only a limited number of wetern historians can actually understand Japanese. The book says, for example, that only 60 type 3 tanks were built during the war when the newest research suggests that over 200 rolled off the production lines. Also the photo of Lieut.General Adachi does not show him as a General but as a Colonel. Still, better than what usually hits the market with "The author has read the Japanese official history" on this or that battle with the author thanking his Japanese interpreters elsewhere in the book.

This is an interesting read for a history buff.
Written by a friend from Carson's oral reminiscenses.

Excellent read Milo Milton Quaife did a nice job on filling many facts, the only problem I had was with Mr. Carson wish he would of writtn more. Good read on airline flight.

Disclaimer: Kit Carson is my first cousin, five times removed! And that's why I read this book.

It took a while to sink in, but the compelling feature about Kit's autobiography is the editing. There are extensive footnotes throughout that put Kit's text in historical perspective, point out errors in his memory, and round out the story.

He describes his 16-year life as a Mountain Man in almost monosyllabic terms. In other words, he compresses a whole year into a single paragraph. A short paragraph!

But it gets better when he has something to say about his scouting and Indian relations roles.

Why does it explain it all? Because I have this wanderlust locked up inside me, and I've always wondered where it came from!

Kit Carson was everywhere and did just about everything. I must agree with other reviewers and Milo Milton Quaife in his introduction, that because of Carson's nature, the book seems somewhat curtailed of descriptive events. What may have taken a few months to happen, Kit says it all in a paragraph. That aside, he came out west at the age of sixteen to become a mountain man. As time went by he was involved with trapping adventures, expeditions with Fremont, the Mexican War and as an Indian agent. Maybe it was a sign of the times, but Carson certainly does not hesitate to boast about how many Indians he killed during his day to day adventures. This may have been brought about by his upbringing as a young child. The settlers in his part of Missouri where he was living at the time had to "fort" themselves against the activities of hostile Indians. This may have carried on into adulthood. Nevertheless, this was a good book on an extraordinary and remarkable man of the early American west.

Kit Carson was a man of few words in life and in his own autobiography. It is unfortunate that such a dynamic individual didn't write down more! Quaife does a terrific job with the notes. Explaining everything that Carson failed to include. This is a common problem as, for example, Kit Carson will say something to the effect: Fought indians today, and Quaife will fill in all of the details about what tribe, how many, who was killed or wounded in both parties, etc. I am fascinated by how much detail is known of Carson's time. Very readable, my only complaint was that it was too short! The editor has included a nicely laid out index. I found the book well worth the purchase price! BTW, for those of you looking for information on William F. Drannon, he is not mentioned anywhere in Carson's autobiography.

Not since Anne Lamott's "Operating Instructions" have I felt so...connected to a fellow mother - and the mother part doesn't even really get rolling till the final part of the book!
I loved reading about Michelle's process of 'getting there'... all the relationships we form, for better or for worse; the friends we make and lose; the loneliness and love... all that stuff we go through as women before we enter the most challenging relationship of all - that we have with our children. Thank you Michelle for baring your soul - I feel like I've found a friend.

There's so much in this book that should be thought & talked about that I've put it on my book group's list for this winter--we're a bunch of new or new-ish mothers and usually we DON'T read motherhood books or parenting books because the point of our reading group is to take a BREAK from thinking about being moms. But this book raises so many important issues, I think we have to break our own "rule." And it doesn't JUST talk about parenting issues, either. It also talks about what it means to be a girl and a woman in our world without, what friendship is FOR, and what it feels like to go through menopause--its like a one-volume encyclopedia of femaleness. Plus Herman writes about the one huge issue all new mothers have to deal with, which is how do you know what the right thing to do IS? She doesn't have answers but she asks all the right questions. As a mom of a bright and kind of challenging 4-yr old, I found every page interesting (and I am going to lend MY copy to my mom). My only complaint is that its kind of expensive. Wish it were in paperback!

I just read this book and I feel like I have to point out that (for me, anyway) what was great about it WASN'T the whole mother-daughter thing that the publisher and the reviews I've read concentrate on. There's stuff in this book about friendship, about BEST FRIENDS, that I've never read anywhere else. No one talks about this! I felt this jolt, like, FINALLY! My best friends have been my mainstay since I was little (and I'm 38 now!). I love my husband, I love my son, but it's my best friend Joanna and my second-best friends (they won't mind being called that, I'm their second or maybe even third-best friend too) who keep me sane. (I also think that Herman says some things about motherhood in general, in the last part of the book, that needed to be said and that NOBODY EVER HAS. Read it! I should be ashamed to say that I didn't buy it, I got it from my library, but I just ordered a copy for Joanna!)

I almost had a nervous breakdown just reading this book. Herman's writing for three quarters of the book is about herself and "restless" does not begin to describe the way she analyzes relationships. It's tedious and self-indulgent. The most interesting parts of the book is when she describes her daughter and the "breakdown". I will give her credit for being brutally honest about herself. As a mother, the most interesting thing said in the book is the criteria the doctor recommended when deciding what actions to take: "Is this for you or for her?" So in using this guideline, how wise is it to publish a book on your own child's psychological problems? A child who is probably still under 18 and cannot consent? How will she feel having such personal issues being aired out by the mother that actually caused them? How is this benefiting the child?

Extraordinary, highly recommended, poignant, powerful, entertaining, insightful, playful and profound. May provoke laughter and tears. An amazing frank, disarming and charming collection of essays on daughterhood, motherhood, adolescence, the artist as a middle-aged mother, romance, puppy love, the Beatles, need and want, and on the joys and sorrows, successes and failures, fears and hopes, pleasures and pains of being a mother, a daughter, and a hopelessly idealistic and romantic seeker of perfect love, perfect friendship and perfect communion. Through four interwoven essays spun around the author's relationship with her daughter from womb to eight years old, and the author's own lonely adolescence, a rich tale of yearning and discerning females from Brooklyn to the Midwest casts its spell with amusing anecdotes about growing up, about the phenomenon and need of best friends, about boys (answering her daughter's questions about all her old boyfriends, even the first loves who never knew) and men and pop songs and talking snakes and childhood dreams of stardom. Inspired by the author's all-abiding love and devotion to her daughter, the ultimate irony of this powerful book is revealed in the heart-wrenching episode of the daughter's near breakdown at age 6, when a conflict of needs--the mother's and the daughter's--grows out of the mother's overprotective love and provokes the daughter's crisis of individuation--her social and emotional adaptation to the world beyond her mother's orbit. Thankfully, all ends well, with the daughter gaining her own highly individual selfhood and the mother learning to let go and still support the neverending dream. And the reader learning about the heart in conflict with itself, and the courage it takes to be a parent and to admit faults, to forgive and to find yourself in your darkest fears. A moving tribute to the perils and ultimate power of love. Bravo.

It's not often that I can honestly say I enjoyed a collection of short stories. Ms Jeffrey was able to succinctly capture her characters' emotions and the complex relationships between people. I particularly enjoyed the last three stories.

This is a great read even if you are not a huge short story fan.

Great stories. Loved how each story delved into a particular aspect of the main charactor's past or caused them to question the life choices they made.They all had regrets and wished they has done certain things differently. As we all do! The stories were enteraining and made you think about your own past and the choices you have made. Can't wait until the next collection comes out.

Wonderfully fleshed out characters, moving stories and excellent writing combine to make this one of my favorite reads. Many of the characters and situations reminded me of events that took place in my own life. Good gift for the discerning reader.

Well-written collection with great character development. My favorite of the bunch was "Trail's End," followed by "Catch and Release." I look forward to reading more in the future by Erica Olson Jeffrey.

The short stories in Omaha Beach felt to me like messages from a writer well-acquainted with joy and regret, love and loss, anger and wonder. The stories reveal what is going on under the masks we wear in our everyday lives, hiding the ugly truths we don't want anyone else to see. Whether or not I've experienced exactly what the characters in Omaha Beach have lived through, I know their emotions because I've felt them too. In addition, her description of the 1970s resonated so much with me, I can actually see the off-color, grainy, instamatic photos we all took to chronicle that time. I contacted the author, Erica Olsen Jeffrey and she has offered to write discussion questions on these stories for my book group, or any other book groups or literature classes.

I discovered this book by accident many years ago, and have since purchased several more copies to share with friends (some fellow quilters and some not). I started quilting as part of my treatment for depression so it was deeply satisfying and encouraging to read of Janet's ongoing journey through fabrics. SO much to consider and feel. I've returned to this volume time and again and portions of it have even inspired some of my own quilting (notably Thirty Years Later, a quilt created along the lines of one essay titled "Smashing Those Dresden Plates").

This book didn't quite grab me the way it seems to have grabbed other reviewers. I can appreciate it, reading about her life and historical aspects of quilting were interesting, but it just wasn't my style. For me, having a visual reference would have helped. I would have loved for her to have added photos of the quilts she was making and writing about and/or photos of the historical figures and quilts she wrote about.

Although this is not a long book, I found myself spacing out my reading to enjoy each and every tidbit that Ms. Berlo had to offer. I didn't want it to end and savored each scrap. She is a wonderful writer that captures what it is to be a woman entreanched in family issues, life in general and how crafting can lift you up and out of a "funk". My only regret is that I can't see her beautiful quilts that she describes so poetically. That would complete the circle.

Berlo describes the way a sudden depression turned her from a highly esteemed, publishing professor to an almost obsessive quilter overnight.
She talks movingly about finding balance, and the way that "playing" with colors, patterns and fabric helped her find that, both in her work, and with friends and family.
In a society that undervalues "women's art" (especially textile arts), Berlo makes an interesting case that it is both therapeutic and historically significant.

I am PASSIONATE about this book! It's written as a mix between a journal and an autobiography and lays bare a lot of the feelings that I thought only I had about the importance of quilting. I love the way that the passion for quilting is woven into Janet's love for her sisters and her sometimes difficult relationship with her mother. As you read, you begin to see her working her way out of the depression that imobilised her, and it shows how she re-chanelled her creativity after her writing "avenue" of expression was blocked. This is a book for anyone interested in the stresses of 21st century woman, and even if you don't quilt yourself, you will still enjoy the sharing of emotions. I defy anyone not to say at some point "I have felt exactly like that!", whatever your interests or background!

I really liked this book. It only took me about 5 days to read it (and that was with my time being limited by life being busy!!) I liked how it started, it caught my attention. I liked the end too, a little surprising. I thought the characters were realistic and interesting. I love this time period too, historical fiction is always fun! I think the book was easy to read and very enjoyable. If you like this book you would probably also like Treasures of the North by Tracie Peterson (also about the gold rush - but only in Canada).

Stephanie Grace Whitson has done it again with this one! Indians play a part, the Army an even larger part-- as well as various and sundry "orphans and abused victims" all of which sway the reader one way or the other.

She portrays Laina in a positive light in spite of her infamous and horrible past. Boone is a leader in the Army who just cannot move on past the death of his wife 2 years earlier. The reader gets geared for a relationship that keeps you guessing, wondering and finally letting out a big sigh of surprise. Everyone's hero is Granny Max, her faith,healing touch and counsel and patience never waver. Tears will spill over Granny in this book, trust me.

Another "little lamb" who is running is Jackson, a young soldier with a past. He has a temper and some habits that make you want to alternately shake him and hug him. Good job, Stephanie!

When Laina feels she has done it all, borne it all and is finally is on her way to recovery from her dugout ordeal and her earlier past, she finds out she is NOT disconnected yet, and will be asked to bear the ultimate humiliation. Can she-- in this small, close-knit community? She has a plan. Is it God's plan, though?

Whitson definitely has another winning series and I am out the door to purchase book number 2, thanks again Steph, for your courage and determination to keep love, history, Indians and Christ all woven throughout this book and most likely the rest of the series if I know you!

Laina Gray is an ex-showboat singer sold into slavery by her unscrupulous father. Rescued by army officer Nathan Boone, she discovers a new life at the fort under the watchful eye of faithful Christian Granny Max. Will Laina escape her past or is it doomed to haunt her?

I enjoyed the first half of secrets of the wind. Laina is a truly likeable character and so is Granny max. Granny Max is the soul of the book, and so is Laina, and any scene with those two in it was heartwarming...

However, the preaching became quite heavy in the second half of the book, almost to the point where it was unenjoyable for this reader. I can handle it when it seems natural, but in many cases it seemed forced. Long discussions of characters faith or (lack therof) do not particularly excite me.

I also felt the author's depiction of male characters was pretty bland. Neither of the male characters (Beau or Nate) were particularly thrilling. Nate was a bit of a mary sue and Beau seemed like a loser to me. I found the romance between Laina and her chosen beau to be quite tepid. It seemed almost as though the last few chapters the author remembered it was a romance and tacked it on. The issue of rape recovery, childbirth, loss, and death are not particularly romantic subjects and these issues are being dealt with during the heroine's very brief 'courtship,' was a bit of a downer. I'd like to see Laina get a romance, but so soon after her ordeal didn't work out for me somehow.

3 stars. A little too much preaching and unappealing male characters, sloppy romance.

This is the first Christian "romance" book I have ever read, and was pleased that the Word of God was shared repeatedly throughout the book (KUDOS Stephanie) without sounding "preachy" or forced. A+ and how 'bout the hot girl on the cover!

Capturing a slice of history set in an outback U.S military post, the first book in the Pine Ridge Portraits series tells the story of three very different people who all want to make a new start in their lives. Saved from certain death, Laina struggles to overcome her hideous past and all the nightmares that resulted, with the gentle wisdom and support of Granny Max. Still reeling from the death of his wife two years earlier, Sergeant Nathan Boone endeavours to help Laina regain her footing, all the while unsure of how to move forward with his own life. And then someone who figured in both Laina and Nathan's past re-emerges with a new identity...
Stephanie Grace Whitson tells a story of hope and redemptive grace in the midst of 1870's Nebraska, bringing to life characters with heartache and determination. SECRETS ON THE WIND sets the pace for a gripping new series by this award-winning author. Recommended for fans of Janette Oke, Stephen Bly, Al and Joanna Lacy, Alan Morris and Gilbert Morris. ~~Ellie Schroder, owner of The Christian Fiction Site