Camps Books

This book tells the story of the build up of the USAAF training program in the U.S. prior to and during WW II. Each chapter focuses on an airbase to tell part of that story. For example, the first chapter (Atterbury Army Air Field)tells how they built these "temporary" bases in about six months time. Other chpaters tell about basic flight training,(Coffeyville Army Air Field), B-17 pilot training,(Lockbourne Army Air Field), etc. Bases include, Freeman Field, Chanute Field, Smyrna Army Air Field, Ephrata Army Air Field, and Hendricks Field. In total 12 former training fields are detailed. To write the book, the author visited the fields, researched their history, and interviewed those who were there. The book has about 220 photos that show the fields activities,and the field as it was then and is now. The appendix lists the names and locations of about 700 Army Air Force installations in use in the U. S. during late 1943,early 1944. Not all installations are listed because the list would change each month.

Forgotten Fields is an excellent comprehensive study of an often overlooked portion of American history. Few people realize how many now vacant airfields in the U.S. were once home to hundreds of thousands of men and women as they trained to serve our country. The book is written in a very accessable style - not filled with data, but rather it is intended to serve as a reference guide and ultimately as a tribute to the men and women who sacrificed so much for our country. The book is filled with pictures, both from the 1940's and today, giving the reader a sense of what a vast undertaking it was to build our air forces in WWII. The appendix of the book lists USAAF airfields and approximate locations. The number of airfields is astounding! This is a simply wonderful book for anyone interested in US history, particularly aviation history. It's amazing to realize that our victory in WWII was started in our very own backyards!

If you're looking for an interesting and informative summary of WWII air training bases and the people who lived and worked there, this book is the one for you! I've read it cover to cover many times, and see something new each time. A must-read for all aviation buffs - and a bargain to boot! Buy this book!

"Four Feet, Two Sandals" is a powerful book,
introducing readers to the experience of
refugee children in Pakistan. This is an
excellent teaching tool for having conversations
about sharing, donating and receiving clothes
and shoes, and developing friendships. Bravo!

This book deals with the concepts of friendship, hardship, sharing, and the reality of life for some children in the world. It is sad but heartwarming. The large number of children around the world being displaced because of war, famine, natural disasters and more make this book an important tool in helping to discuss this uncomfortable subject with your children.

Based on co-author Khadra Mohammed's experiences with refugees in Peshawar, a city on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Four Feet, Two Sandals is a children's picturebook about ten-year-old Lina and her young friend who each discover one of a wonderful pair of sandals. Together they must solve the problem of how to share one pair of sandles between four feet! As they wait and hope for their names to appear on a list for a new home, the sandals become a symbol of their fast friendship - a bond that will endure even when one of them finally has the opportunity to escape the hard conditions and live in a new land. The broad brush strokes of illustrator Doug Chayka draw the reader in to the harsh and barren world of the refugees, where positive human relationships are an particular treasure amid the daily difficulty of survival. A thoughtful yet serious picturebook, highly recommended for children's public library and personal collections.

I'm not a great reader but this book saved my life. I was in GB with girlfriend and girlfriend dumped me. In London. She left this book behind. I took Kristina Cordero's advice as godspell and traveled alone all over the island. All the places where just as described in the book. When I wanted to be alone, I went where she said so and viceversa. A really great book for anyone who wants to travel. But it's also a great read. I never went to Scotland but I read about it anyway! And laughed! Josh Remsen, San Diego, CA

Cordero's guide provides a to-the-point analysis of the premiere budget retreats of the region, and she does so with wit and spunk. Her guide is noteworthy in that it also guides readers to the major sights of each area, including some more funky, less-touristed ones. Cordero's in-depth hostel reviews do not hesitate to comment on virtually any aspect of the hostel: whether it is a long trek from the train station, whether the roosters awaken guests at the crack of dawn, whether the hostel cooks make a mean breakfast...it is a pleasure to read a guide written by a fellow budget traveler who obviously relished her experiences traversing the British Isles, and who delights in sharing them along with her great money-saving tips. A-one guide

I backpacked the UK in September of 1999 by myself. This book helped make the trip one of the best times I've had in my life. It was frequently the envy of fellow hostel-goers, and was often seen on hand in the hostel libraries. The directions to individual hostels can't be beat and the 'things to do' areas are great as well. I realize that this book is out of print now (why?), but if you plan on backpacking the UK, FIND A COPY! If you absolutely cannot, email me at bryan@n-o-s-p-a-m.dugger.com (remove the n-o-s-p-a-m.)

This book was very helpful in seeing as much as possible in a short visit. Lots of information - worth the price to have on your vacation.

I bought a few books on Bryce Canyon and Zion while planning our family vacation and this book was the most useful and helpful. We just returned from the trip and were very happy with this guidebook.

The book provides all the information needed to plan your trip to the parks, including when to go, what to take, and any permits needed. There is also information on where to stay and camp, and also where to eat - though we ended up bringing most of our food with us and cooking on a camp stove.

The book has great guides on best day hikes. This was particularly useful since we have two young boys - 4 and 6. We did a lot of day hikes. Our favorite hike was the Queens Garden Trail. We did that one twice - it is only about 2 miles round trip with great views!

Overall, this is an incredibly useful book that easily fits in your backpack!

This guide proved to be an excellent resource during our recent trip to the Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. Highlights of this book include how comprehensive it was despite its relative brevity, the easy-to-read writing style, and its off-the-beaten-path recommendations.

The authors discussed all the subjects I was looking for in a travel book. They covered the usual "where to stay" and "where to eat" topics very well, including reviews of the campgrounds in the parks. We were very satisfied staying and eating at the places recommended by the authors.

A particular strength of the book was its overview of the numerous hiking trails of the two parks. The trails were organized by length, and the authors gave good recommendations about which trails to do. One hike that they recommended as a "find" was a beautiful, short stroll to an icy cave, but because of its location off the main park road, we were completely by ourselves. The authors even discussed some of the backcountry hiking, if you are inclined to strap on your pack and head off into the wilderness.

The chapter on the natural history of the parks was also excellent. There was a description of the geological events that formed the parks, the flora and fauna, and the diverse ecosystems. The geological discussion in particular was especially helpful for understanding how the layers of rock were laid down over millions of years.

The authors gave good sample itineraries for experiencing the park in a day or two. Recommendations on seeing the sunrise across the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon and on visiting some of the less traveled sections of Zion were very worthwhile.

Nice bonuses in the book included information for kids, RVers, and people with disabilities. The book also had information on practical things like where to get gas, buy supplies, do your laundry, etc. There is even a section on places to visit near the national parks such as some of the Utah state parks and nearby national monuments.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone heading to Zion and Bryce Canyon. It definitely enriched our experience and made planning a whole lot easier.

Heger, Heinz. "The Men with the Pink Triangle", Alyson 1980. 1994.

Living in Hell

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

In looking for information about the treatment of gays in Nazi Germany, I remembered a book I had read years ago and decided it was tie for a rereading. For many years Heinz Heger's "The Men with the Pink Triangle" was all we had dealing with the subject of gays during the Holocaust and was and still is considered a classic despite its small size of 118 pages.
Until quite recently history has not looked at the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany and the subsequent rise of the gay movement there. Like other groups gays were considered to be "undesirable" and they were persecuted by the Third Reich. This book is an account of what went on
"The Men with the Pink Triangle" is but an introduction to that horrible period of history when so many lost their lives at the hands of the greatest depot to have ever lived. Here is the true story of an Austrian who did not break his silence until 1971 when he confided in the author of this volume. Few Holocaust survivors were willing to describe what they went through and those that did come forward waited many years to do so. This is the story of Frederich Paul von-Groszheim, a man who was arrested and interred on three different occasions for crimes against nature and state. He managed to survive but he waited more than 50 years to tell his story. The author of the book, Heinz Heger was arrested himself for being a "degenerate'. Gays were forced to wear the pink triangle to show that their crime was homosexuality and they were imprisoned under the most terrible of condtions. What is missing in the book is due to either loss of memory or the desire not to remember. They lived in filth and the constant presence of death and suffered cruelty that cannot be imagined.
Even with the loss of memory this account is rich in horrible detail and you want to just yell at the top of your lungs when you read this. I came to realize that we were created with an attraction for the same sex and not the Nazis nor society can change that and that even some f the Nazis were forced to suppress their own same-sex feelings for "the good of the Fuhrer".
The Nazis were determined to eradicate us along with the Jews from the face of the earth. Heger gives us an overview of the entire situation along with an in=depth study of the treatment of gays. This is a harrowing story but beautifully written as it tells the tale of the darkest period ever known by man.

I was amazed at the detailed account of the author. I had no idea the Homosexuals were treated like this until I read this book. It is very sad, and even though you want to scream at the top of your lungs in anger at these atrocities, the lessons in the book are many. For instance, God does shine his light down on men who are attracted to the same sex. The story of the priest who also wore the pink triangle was amazing. He was beaten, tied up, tortured, and still forced to stand up or be beaten more. As the Nazi SS gaurd was ready to strike him again, a narrow beam of sunlight peeked from behind the clouds and only shone upon the priest's face while He murmured prayers from his lips, crying tears like a river. But how that light from God shone only upon His face as all those men with the pink triangles stood shoulder to shoulder was a miracle. Even the author says it was amazing and something that all those men can never forget. The SS gaurd seen it and slowly put his hand down. The preist was greatly comforted and knew he was to be with the Lord that day. He died shortly after that and was relieved of this hell in the camp.
I highly recommend the book to anyone seeking a better understanding into to persecution of Gays in the Holocaust. The other lesson I have learned is that you come to a realization that God created men who have same sex attractions. Not even the Nazis could force these men to have sexual feelings for women. It was simply unnatural for them. Another thing I learned from this book is that all those in charge in the camps were not denying themselves relations with some of the male prisoners with the pink triangle. Those who became the sex slaves of thier superiors were fed more and looked healthier. But most of them were not so fortunate. They all suffered. This was an eye-opener! Read it.

Almost everyone has heard of the Nazi"Holocaust"...Usually this term is associated with the extermination campaign directed against the jews...indeed,for some today "Holocaust" and the extermination of jews by the nazis during WW2 are synonomous..However the nazis were not only determined to wipe out jews...Gypsies,the mentally ill,jehovah's witnesses,the slavs,the poles,communists,even blacks figured into the nazi death plan,and all of these groups have had some sort of recognition given to them on account of the suffering they endured under the nazis...Homosexuals on the other hand,although targets of this same nazi campaign of extermination,have had little or no publicity given to the hardships they suffered under this brutal regieme..Forced to wear a pink triangle when captured and confined in concentration camps,Homosexuals suffered doubly under the nazi program;on the one hand they,like jews and others,were viewed as being undesirable and worthy only of extermination,but unlike jews and the other groups listed earlier,homosexuals also carried the stigma of being assigned criminal status on account of thier sexual orientation,a blot that was not rectified after the nazis were defeated in 1945,and the concentration camps were liberated...
This book gives an overview of the situation and tells the in-depth story of one Austrian homosexual who survived six years in the nazi concentration camps...It is at once both a harrowing and yet elequent document,revealing a chapter in the brutal history of Hitler's Germany that has otherwise not been told previously.

I attended a lecture by the author of this book at a community college in the San Diego area. He obviously has done his homework and then some, including rare photographs along with his text. Reading the book after or even before a trip to this picturesque town in the hills above San Diego gives one an idea as to what was the past lifeblood here. And the book is worth its weight in--yes--gold when actually scouting out sites of past mines. Of course, after such an excursion, a piece of apple pie--containing Julian's agricultural treasure--brings you into the present.

A Good Camp: Gold Mines Of Julian And The Cuyamacas is an informal hand fascinating istory of the San Diego gold rush of 1870, and provides the reader with a lively cast of local characters blended with a geology of the region and an exploration of early mining processes. The result is a history which blends historic photos and details of a Southern California mining spree.

This book showed a really interesting side to San Diego history--the gold rush! I've lived here all my life, and didn't know there was so much to learn about gold mining in the Julian area. I especially liked the parts about the people who lived then, and how they worked in the gold mines. I've been to Julian before, but the book made me want to visit again.

Many literary reviews and criticisms are so technical theyare almost unapproachable, but Owen's analysis of The Grapesof Wrath is accessible, clear, and provides many useful bibliographical resources. Stolen from many university libraries, it is so useful. Buy your own; let the library keep its copy!

Owens was a fine Steinbeck scholar, and this text is one of Twayne's best sellers due to his careful examination of the text and generous interpretive skills. For fans of Steinbeck who require scholarly discussion for their research, Owens is excellent.

Many literary reviews and criticisms are so technical they are almostunapproachable, but Owen's analysis of The Grapes of Wrath is accessible, clear, andprovides many useful bibliographical resources. Stolen from many university libraries, it is so useful. Buy your own; let the library keep its copy!

This is a readable, witty, informative look at the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. Author L. Sprague de Camp describes the trial, the prosecution led by ex-Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), and the defense headed by famed agnostic and Chicago attorney Clarence Darrow (1856-1938). Readers get a look at the competing legal strategies, and much actual testimony including when Bryan took the stand as an biblical authority. We also get a look at the carnival like atmosphere in which the town of Dayton, Tennessee attracted international journalists, fast-buck hawkers, preachers and fundamentalists - one of whom actually denounced Bryan for saying that the earth was round. The book reads quickly and does a nice job of outlining this battle of giants over ideas, faith, reason, science, and intellectual freedom. As expected, Bryan and the prosecution come off rather poorly, while the event's significance is well illustrated.

This book mentions some of the trial's many ironies. Defendant John Scopes (1900-1970) was a football coach and substitute teacher who was talked into challenging the law by local businessmen - and he'd once attended school in Bryan's birthplace of Salem, Illinios. Bryan died of a stroke days after the stressful trial ended, but Dayton rewarded him with a Christian school (Bryan College) that opened in 1930 on the site of the high school where Scopes apparently taught evolution. Overall, this is a very interesting and amusing read of a serious subject.

"The Great Monkey Trial" was begun in 1957, abandoned when the author learned of the imminent publication of Ray Ginger's "Six Days or Forever?" only to be eventually revived and published in 1968. Consequently, de Camp has the advantage of access to not only John T. Scopes' published memoirs, but the archives of the ACLU, newspaper files and published accounts, as well as correspondence and interviews with participants. The volume contains a handful of the colorful editorial cartoons published on the trial as well. "The Great Monkey Trial" remains the most detailed account of the Scopes Trial available (I say this as someone who did their dissertation on this particular event).

Not surprising, given his reputation as a writer of sword and sorcery novels, de Camp's writing style is the most distinctive aspect of his book. Guided by the recollections of those who had actually been in the Dayton courtroom in 1925, de Camp includes vocal inflections, facial expresions, gestures and movements, as well as various crowd comments and reactions. Consequently, de Camp breaths life into the trial transcript, a well as being able to add to the historical record such things as the comments lost in the commotion following the request by the defense to have William Jennings Bryan take the stand.

The chapter titles provide a decidedly military flavor to the story ("The Challenge," "The Crusade," "The Champion Falls," etc.). Although some of the chapter titles touch upon the religious nature of the conflict, overall they are fairly netural. However, de Camp's position is clearly revelaed in the choice of literary quotations at the start of each chapter. For "Single Combat," the chapter detailing the cross-examination of Bryan by Clarence Darrow, de Camp's quotation is from "Alice Through the Looking Glass," where the White Queen tells Alice, "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." This certainly has significant rhetorical implications, coloring our reading of Bryan's answers to Darrow's questions.

Ultimately de Camp succeeds in both replicating the ridicule associated with the trial by detailing the circus atmosphere and to legitimate the legacy of ridicule. Although he does avoid taking "an extreme position," de Camp's subtle approach proved just as effective in its time and place as the barbs offered by Darrow and H.L. Mencken during the trial. Perhaps equally important, de Camp's literate retelling of the trial made another detailed examination, or critical assessment, superfluous.

Aside from telling the facts of the famous trial, the author gives the reader a wonderful account of the reason the trial happened, its effects, the birth and decline of the Adamist movement, sketches of all major (and minor) players in the trial and plenty of humorous anecdotes! This is a book you can spend hours soaking up and dip into at almost any time. L. Sprague deCamp writes in an amused and witty style which is a joy to read. All the same, he never forgets that he is telling the story of the attempts of ignorance and fear to blot out knowledge and truth in this country. He treats all the players as human beings but never wavers in his stern condemnation of the prosecution. I urge all intelligent people who care about freedom to read this book!

One day a kid name Harry went to his father meat shop after school with his best friend Alex.Harry wasn't a ordaniary boy he was a werewolf.He told his parents he wanted to go to camp with his best friend. But his parent said no because it was a full moon that day and he wold turn into a werewolf.Bot somehow he convinced them and he got to go.At camp Harry was stronger,faster and hairer and human.That nightit was a full moon and everybody was around the campfire telling spooky story.Suddently Harry turned into a werewolf and he destroyed the campfire.

One Day a kid name Harry went to his father meat shop after schoolnwith his best friend Alex.Harry wasn't a ordaniary boy he was a werewolf.He told his parents we wanted to go to camp with his best friend. But his parent said no because it was a full moon that day and he wold turn into a werewolf.Bot somehow he convinced them and he got to go.At camp Harry was stronger,faster and hairer and human.That nightit was a full moon and everybody was around the campfire telling spooky story.Suddently Harry turned into a werewolf and he destroyed the campfire.

One day a kid name Harry went to his father meat shop after school with his best friend Alex.Harry wasn't a ordaniary boy he was a werewolf.He told his parents he wanted to go to camp with his best friend. But his parent said no because it was a full moon that day and he wold turn into a werewolf.Bot somehow he convinced them and he got to go.At camp Harry was stronger,faster and hairer and human.That nightit was a full moon and everybody was around the campfire telling spooky story.Suddently Harry turned into a werewolf and he destroyed the campfire.

Three of Steinbeck's social novels--In Dubious Battle, The Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men--are enhanced after reading this work. This work is the prelude to three of Steinbeck's most socially poweful novels. To fully understand what Steinbeck is striving to accomplish with Battle and Wrath, and to fully round out your history/literature lesson, it is essential to understand something about the socialist movement--birth of communisim--and the general exploitation of the fruit-pickers of California. The big businesses of that day, not much different from various big businesses of today, treated employees like machines--replacing them as needed--after being hurt on unsafe equipment, etc.--without regarding their well-being, or considering the hungry mouths of their families. The Harvest Gypsies is a crutial text in the study of California before uniouns began revolting against the machine.

Were the "Grapes of Wrath" published today, it may like other recent books, have been classified as historical fiction as opposed to a novel. I am thinking specifically of "Artemisia" that was published as both in different countries. How the work is classified is not critical, as either way it is one of the finest pieces of literature that has been written, and for many people, Steinbeck's finest work.

"The Harvest Gypsies" is a collection of 7 articles that Mr. Steinbeck wrote as a journalist. All were concerned with the issues he dealt with in the resulting book. This small volume is greatly enhanced by the photographs of Dorothea Lange, and the introduction of Charles Wollenberg.

One of the people the book was dedicated to was "Tom", actually Tom Collins, who was a manager of a federal migrant labor camp in California. The lines of fact and fiction are eventually blurred with him, as Tom Collins was the model for the character of "Jim Rawley" manager of "The Wheatpatch Camp" in "The Grapes Of Wrath". Ms. Lange's photographs could have been illustrations for Mr. Steinbeck's book, for when viewing them you can pick out the faces that could have accounted for the members of Steinbeck's epic.

This is a very brief book, but it portrays the migratory farm workers lives, as being even worse, if that can be imagined. A novel always offers the ultimate refuge of being fiction; these 7 articles and their photographs take away that solace. The brutality, random murder, and disease that was rampant, and the State of California that allowed the behaviors, are atrocious. In the context of one of the writings, one of the large growers who sanctioned the killing and starvation that was part of the agriculture industry stated that, "without a peon population the economy of California could not function". Steinbeck takes this statement of arrogance and ignorance, that is routinely spoken by any exploiter, and logically demonstrates that were this indeed the case, the state could no longer exist. For were it to continue to exist with its fascist policies, the most basic of Democratic rights would have to be absented.

Milk, that played so prominent a role in the book is spoken of extensively in the articles. Many of the most painful parts of the book were so common in reality, that the book may seem mild at times.

No matter how many times you have read the book, once this collection of articles are read, the experience of the book will not only change, I believe it will be enhanced.

Readers seeking a full experience of John Steinbeck's literary style won't want to miss Harvest Gypsies, a selection of seven articles that Steinbeck wrote in 1936 about the plight of migrant farmworkers during the Dust Bowl migration. Black and white photos accompany his report on conditions and experiences, weaving a masterful selection of insights which go beyond history into personal observation.