Washington Books

Several sketches of colorful, eccentric Floridians. Maid, prisoner, store clerk, Seminole Indian, schizophrenic, etc.

The writing is excellent, the vernacular dialect is authentic, the scenes are familiar from my childhood.

What's marvelous about this book is the subjects have lots of dignity. It's not a collection of carnival freaks with tattoos and addictions and senses of entitlement.

Ray Washington treats his subjects with care and love. His love for language, too, is evident.

Everyone has a story, it is said. Washington shows us the stories of his subjects in a way that makes us understand, sympathize, and even, perhaps, like a group of people as varied as ranchers and murderers, ecologists and battered wives.

Although these short (2-4 page) studies are wonderfully crafted, they might be a bit too rich for steady reading, like a dinner of chocolates. Better to keep this book by your bedside, or even in your glove compartment, for a little treat when you grow weary of this get-ahead-kindness-be-damned world with which it is all too easy to get entangled.

These stories are hysterical. This guy has quite a gift for boiling down the human essence of the south in a funny sweet and painfully honest way. great book.

A comprehensive primer for software, internet, and e-commerce entrepreneurs. If you're new to the business, you'll find every chapter chock-full of critical information. And even if you're a "pro," you'll be amazed at how much you learn.

Cracking the New E-conomy has been a great help in developing strategies for my new company. I was not looking for an IPO homerun but this book has given me some great insights that have caused me to rethink my goals entirely. I really like the fact that I was gathering advice from 60 plus professionals rather than just one. It was like attending a weeklong conference without the cost. A great investment!

If only this book had been available 18 months ago when I set out into the world of high-tech entrepreneurialism! Not only would I have done things different - I would have done them smarter and quicker. This book contains, in a very easy read, everything you need to get your business venture up and running. The writers know their stuff and are happy to share it. They address issues that I did not even know to look out for, and they do so in a very readable way. Buy this book - even if your venture is not in high tech.

This novel concerns Mary Musgrove who was the Creek wife of John Musgrove, an Indian Trader who had a trading post near the Savannah River when Oglethorpe brought the first settlers to Georgia in 1731. After Mary's husband was killed, she was eventually forced to abandon her home and people. The novel sets out the problems she encountered and follows her children (Mary's Blood) on the trail of tears westward and ends up with some of her decendants involved in the battle of Little Big Horn. This novel transports the reader into the person of Mary Musgrove and allows us to feel the pains endured by the natives of this country during a period of disgraceful acts committed by some of our forefathers in the name of patriotism.

I read this book for the first time in high school. I have read it a couple times since then. For as long as I can remember I have been interested in the Native-Americans, their beliefs and customs. In this novel, Dee Brown, captures all their feelings from betral of the white man for unmercifully taking their homelands and the fear of being wiped out like the buffalo to the pride in their people and their faith in spirits who guided them through those devastating years. The story pulls you in and you become one of the Native-Americans, experiencing every joy and pain.

Creek Mary's Blood informs the reader about the good and bad of the Cherokee life. The reader becomes part of Mary's family and feels their pain.This is a book I will read over and over.I recommend this book if you have any interest in Native American history. I wish it was recommened reading for high school students.

I own the authors trail running book and liked it so I bought his new book as soon as it came out. It really fills the void in North Cascade guide books-it covers the Mt. Baker side very nicely, where other books ignore it. A definte must if you hike up here! I've carried it in my pack since I bought it. I like the rating system, the kid guide, the directions, and the topos - I also like that it isn't bulky or heavy. I met Mike Mcquaide at a book signing recentley - he really loves the trail!

I got this book because I read Mike McQuaide's "Trail Running Guide to Western Washington" and thought that anyone who could run more than 50 trails around here had to slow down eventually to write a hiking book.
This one is a really good hiking book, too, with quick reference information on each trail at the top of the page. You can get everything you need to know about the hike without reading the whole description. Of course, if you do that, you'll miss some fine writing.
This is another one of those new trail guides that provides the kind of information your feet will appreciate most, and there's none of the preaching and reminiscing you find in a lot of those older guides.
If you're looking for the best guidebook to the trails of the North Cascades, you don't need to look any more.

I only got to spend a few days in North Cascades Nat'l Park so I had to find a guide that gave me the most bang for my buck. This is the book...

One of the most frustrating things when trying to use a hiking guide is finding the trailhead to depart from. Not so with this book. It has good directions to the trails and nice, concise descriptions of the paths you'll be traversing. Two of the author's most recommended hikes (Maple Pass Loop & Cascade Pass) were also recommended by the ranger at the Newhalem Visitors Center. We took their advice and weren't disappointed, fantastic 6.5 to 7.5 mile trails, cool mountain temps and slopes covered with wild blueberries. We tried another trail near Mt. Baker but were turned back after thirty minutes thanks to a washed-out bridge over a raging torrent. That was OK, we used it as an excuse to spend the rainy afternoon enjoying our cozy cabin and its fire.

There are some black & white photos in the book that don't do the vistas justice but that's OK. The idea is to get out there and experience the mountains for yourself. Day Hike! North Cascades is a handy and helpful guide for those of us who don't have time to really get into the back country for overnight camping.

Logging in America's Northwest, an industry and occupation which arouses strong passions and polarizing viewpoints.

Jim LeMonds, though not neglecting the emotional and substantive areas of contention, focuses primarily on the human contribution and in some cases sacrifices of the loggers themselves.

This book should be read by anyone with even the vaguest interest in forest management and environmental issues. Although he is from a logging family, I feel that the author has been exceedingly fair in his description of todays industry and what the future holds for this industry and more importantly for logging communities.

To me the efforts and accomplishments of the people featured in this book, and the many thousands like them, are what has made our country great. It is ironic that their contibutions and in some cases sacrifices have not received the recognition that they are rightfully due.

Buy this book, regardless of your political viewpoint on the logging industry, and celebrate the spirit that has enabled all of us to enjoy the many privledges of being Americans.

They say write about what you know...LeMonds knows the soul of the past and modern logger and writes with as unpretentious style as I've seen in a long time. He uses the language (always loggers...never lumberjacks) and shares with the reader the language and techniques of everything from falling, bucking, setting chokers, to trucking the logs. Furthermore, he does it based upon the real-life experiences of his family. You learn how they used to rig a spar tree and what went through the climbers mind as he accomplished this task 150-200 feet in the air. LeMonds also shares the future of forestry (hand-seeding, herbicides, fertilizer & thinning) to move the life span of high-productive crops like Douglas Firs from hundreds of years to perhaps as little as 35 years as well as what the modern equipment does now and probably into the future.. Perhaps you might find the short chronology of the work history of each of his family members in the logging business too detailed but it's more than worth the wonderful stories and perspectives that go with them. LeMonds acknowledges the scars on the landscape of the past but also the enduring scars on these tremendous men who contributed so much to this Country's development of the 20th century. I don't think one could ask for a more balanced view of this industry and have it written with such class. This is the best book I ever expect to read about this subject, which is so dear to my heart having been raised in a nearly identical community in Southern Oregon. Today I ordered a second copy to send to a dear friend still working in the woods.

James Lemonds peels away the Bunyonesque macho image that has been falsely hung on the loggers of the Northwest and shown them as they are; broken down, disabled and discarded by the industry that exacted a terrible toll on both the workers and the forests.
Anyone wanting to research the human cost the industry extracted should start with this book. Death and disabilty rates beyond the range of nightmares were considered standard and acceptable, simply because the carnage took place outside the public view.
The hard work, honest efforts and caring that the workers brought to the job were repaid with lack of respect and now, lowering wages, no job security and disdain from the general public.
As bad as it is in Lemonds description, the list at the end of the book does not include all the co-workers of any current or former loggers that I have talked to who have read this book, nor co-workers of mine, who were killed on the job. The toll suffered by the workforce was at least equal to that suffered by the forests.
Lemonds tells the story in an even-handed, personal way through his extended family and community. This is a must-read book by any student of Northwest culture of the past century.

This book is a delightfully presented script that moves you to re-examine the notions you have about our justice system and about the root causes of the strife that separates us from fellow human beings and from God, the Creator, the One. I was challenged in each chapter to take a look at preconceptions I have had about the way things are. I eventually began to see that the incredible possibilities of changing the way I view the world and the principles that in part were given to us by the Founding Fathers that crafted the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. By the end of the novel I was able to look at our current state of affairs in an entirely different light and I came away with a desire to learn more and to shine this light for others. Bravo on a wonderfully insightful, imaginative and visionary novel.

This book lifted me up with its simplicity, clarity and truth, speaking to
both my deepest longings as a private person and my highest wishes as a
public citizen. A must read for anyone who has said enough with our current state of affairs at home and abroad.
-- Azim Khamisa, author of "From Murder to Forgiveness - A Father's Journey"

Destiny Unveiled is not only entertaining reading; it is enlightening at a deep and practical level with the potential for both individual and global transformation. I highly recommend it.

Once I picked up this book, I could barely put it down. I finished it that night. David Kohrman brings what would normally be a dull subject manner to life with interesting details and a captivating style of writing. I am eagerly awaiting his next work.

The Book-Cadillac Hotel and the Statler Hilton are two of the most magnificant buildings in Detroit, with it's amazing collection of 1910s and 1920s architecture. DK's excellent book describes in great detail the history of these two landmarks, and updates us on their current sad conditions with brilliant photography. I cannot say enough about the B-C, please check out ... after reading this book, and join the Friends of the Book Cadillac, to assure that the proposed Marriott-led rennovations occur so we can enjoy that landmark for years to come.

What a stimluating walk through time. David George Kohramn visits the history, past and present, of the Detroit Statler and Book Cadillac Hotels. The book is jammed with rare photos I have never seen. His deep research is evident in his concise, but detailed writing. This is a must have for any history buff and individual concerned with the preservation of our past. Thank you David, for an exciting adventure!

This is a very insightful and candid personal account by a top-ranking Malaysian diplomat of her experiences in the United States during a five-year tour of duty. Especially informative and interesting are the following chapters: "Black Washington" on Washington D.C.'s very poor Northeast and Southeast sections which are unknown to most tourists; "A District in Search of Statehood" on the citizens of the nation's capital having no voting representation in Congress; "The Rise and Fall of Dot-Coms" about the dismal fate of many Internet companies; "The Battle for a Legal Presidency" about the complicated and controversial 2000 Presidential Election; and "Beyond the Beltway" on the author's fascinating travels throughout the United States. In these and other chapters, the author's writing is interspersed with her keen observations and her frank impressions and comments. The book reads extremely well and is infused with her good sense of humor. The book is very useful to members of the diplomatic community and the general public.

"A Diplomat Arrives in Washington" is a non-fiction book, easy to read and rather compelling and most engrossing at certain stages. It is difficult to put down once you start reading it. Recommended for young diplomats or those interested in writing of their experiences while travelling or working in foreign countries.

A must-read book!

As a fellow diplomat, I found this book interesting and oft-times, funny to read. The language and the presentation style of the writing makes it easy to relate to, and is something that can be read anytime and anywhere.

I especially like the way in which one chapter has practically no connection with the other. There were some chapters I skipped, though, like the dot.com part - but that was just because I had no interest in the subject. It had nothing to do with the way the author presented it.

As far as the chapters concerning the United States is concerned, I found it to be a frank description of the way in which DC works, and of the actors themselves. It helps to understand the American system from an outsider's viewpoint. If this is what the book had originally set out to achieve, then I am glad to report that it has done exactly that.

All in all, I would recommend this book for budding diplomats, diplomats serving in the DC area, as well as for anyone who have entertained the idea of being a diplomat. Happy reading!

This short biography of George Washington's live is great for classroom use. Written on a 3-4th grade reading level does not take away from the informational value of this text. The text does not leave out the important details to be found in most documentaries. Negative = the book refers to Washington as "George" through out. This often is a problem with children attempting to construct non-fiction writing pieces.

I purchased this book for my 8-year-old son. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this wonderful book was full of interesting facts that even I didn't know about George Washington and the history of the United States. This book kept my son's interest throughout its 43 pages of text, which is a rarity. And it also includes interesting illustrations including a photograph of a set of dentures much like George Washington must have worn (fascinatingly disgusting!). "George Washington: Soldier, Hero, President" provided a learning experience for both parent and child, and should be a valuable addition to anyone's home library.

My 4-year-old loves having this read outloud to him. He is fascinated by Washington as a soldier and through this biography has learned a lot about the way in which the revolution led to a new government and country. I would highly recommend this book!

I highly recommend this book. It's easy to read, well researched and balanced. It belongs on the bookshelf of every Civil War Buff.

The author grabs the reader's attention at the very beginning of the book when describing Freeman's daily schedule (typically from 2:30 am - 8:30 pm), a schedule that would tire the typical person after only a few days.

Johnson reveals Freeman's interesting background as the son of a Confederate soldier whose interest in writing about history was conceived at a gathering of Confederate veterans at the Battle of the Crater in Petersburg, Virginia years after the Civil War ended. The author includes the excellent relationships Freeman enjoyed with his family (with the exception of his son), newspaper associates, academic peers, and other areas of his interesting life. These revelations personify the definition of a true Southern gentleman! I might add too - Freeman was also a vocal and determined opponent of racism.

I was particularly inspired by the author's description of Freeman's extremely disciplined (though not necessarily always rigid) life. While Freeman had a fulfilling and extremely busy life and was often away from his family, he did manage to spend time with them when possible.

An excellent and highly enjoyable read of the eminent biographer of Robert E. Lee and George Washington. Highly recommended!

David Johnson has done us all a great favor by finally writing a biography of the most amazing "Doc" Freeman. The son of a Confederate soldier, Douglas Southall Freeman's life is a study in self-discipline and perseverance. Freeman was a man who crammed 4 careers into one life - Pulitzer (One for the biography of General Lee and one post-humously for George Washington) winning author, newspaper editor, teacher and broadcaster. Ever since learning of Freeman many years ago, I'd wondered why no biography had ever been written of him. Freeman was a man that was faithful to his calling, to serving his fellow man and to serving his God. The book should be in every history lover's library. ~ Richard G. Williams, Jr., editor of "The Maxims of Robert E. Lee" to be released in November.