South Dakota Books

I came across this book at Powell's books and am so pleasantly surprised. I can't believe I never heard of it in the press or through word of mouth, considering how many subjects/topics it covers that I happened to be interested in, and how amazingly well written it is. The story centers around women in the Victorian Western, who are living in hard times and who struggle in various ways. So many subjects that I am interested in and have a passion for are in this book such as native American sprituality, lesbian romance, western living, farm-life, Victorian-era, female/minority empowerment, and the plot is full with various mysteries involving murder and other dangers. This book is amazingly well written, so beautiful that I actually have memorized a few lines here and there that I have been quoting to my friends. A haunting story rich with strong female characters, and a dark, spiritual, nostalgic, passionate, intensely female mood to it. I was sad as I neared the end of the novel because I've been enjoying it so much. It isn't often that I come across a book that is both literary and a page turner, What a treat!
I truly hope this author writes more, because I will buy anything she writes.

This book was so well written I felt I was discovering who the culprit was along with the writer. I love the way the words wove together and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. On the same note I didn't want the book to end because I wanted the words to go on. The characters were real and the mystery was exciting. I highlty recommend this book and look forward to many more from this author.

I can't wait for her next walk into fiction. It's one of those books that will always stay with you to recommend to others. Wonderful testimonial to the strength of women and how they unite in the face of adversity!

I read this book without having read any reviews, thus I went into it without any pre-conceived ideas. It then became a pleasant surprise to have the story reveal itself to me. I found it to be thoughtfully written and with a lyrical feel. I highly recommend it.

A recent Lambda Book Report has a long and thoughtful review, which I thought was spot-on. A good book, and fills the need to see sexual identity handled well in a realistic way in an historical setting.

Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-RelianceDown Country RoadsBarnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and CowsStorey's Guide to Raising Chickens: Care / Feeding / FacilitiesLittle Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great DepressionI Am America (And So Can You!)The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

This book is coffee-shooting-out-the-nose funny! No need to leave your Park Ave sky rise to tear up with laughter. The stories in each individually wrapped chapter are told with such relatable, descriptive comedy you'll feel Kelsey's pain no matter what your lifestyle. So many humor books only elicit mild giggles; I found it a pure pleasure to read a humor book that tossed me into fits of outright roaring laughter. This is the second book I've read by Kelsey and I'll watch for more in the future!

Bitch Unleashed: The Harsh Realities Of Goin' Country is an hilarious statement describing certain universal truths involved in a move from city to country. Author Nola Kelsey satirically presents the raw realities contradicting the misperceptions of so many anticipating an urban change of pace and mentality. Bitch Unleashed is a practical guide and strongly recommended for anyone dreaming of moving to the country -- and women thinking relief from the pressures of city life will easily and reasonably be found in the "ease" of the life in the farmland.

Harsh, but very funny! Don't move out of the city without reading Bitch Unleashed! At first I thought the author was being a bit to rough on her townsfolk. By the time I finished reading she had laughed at herself more than any of them. This book is honest. I tried moving my family to the country once. Unlike the writer I did not make very long. Kelsey nails the real reasons why.

Nola Kelsey's recounts of small town life, dealing with country animals (wild and pets) and trying to make it after life in the city are tragically accurate and extremely hysterical. It is nice to see a humor writer who does not think life and books all have to revolve around family and diapers. Her advice on removing bats in your home alone is worth the cost of the book, even if it only happens to you once. The laughter is just a bonus.

Like many urban dwellers, the author yearned for the simple life. She wanted to live in an environment where the air was clean, the days were slower, and everyone knew their neighbour. Upon moving to Bison Flats, however, the author received a startling education in rural life. Instead of friendliness she was greeted by distrust and male chauvinism. Instead of quiet relaxing days she found herself busy shooing cows from her front lawn.

Bitch Unleashed: The Harsh Realities of Goin' Country shares the author's humorous experiences while learning to live in Bison Flats. She also imparts her insightful and often sarcastic advice on how to survive rural life. Some of the most hilarious bits come from the authors lists including Signs of how screwed up you may be for those that need to move to the country, indicator that your are settling into the simple life, 10 things about lawn moving, and bat ejection techniques as well as rural definitions and translations to help city folk.

Nola L. Kelsey has some very interesting insights into country life. I admit that I wanted to read this book just because of the title - there are times I feel like a bitch unleashed myself and felt I could relate. Unbeknownst to me, this book made my day as I laughed through the pages.

Kelsey tells it like it is, or at least as it happened to her. No one is immune to her wicked wit or is safe from the telling of just how stupid the people of Bison Flat appear. From tales of everyday life, to stories of bat infestation, this is definitely a book that entertains. Ok, so maybe it shouldn't be entertaining to laugh at other people's idiotic remarks or escapades, but I must be blessed with the same warped sense of humor that Nola Kelsey embraces.

Bitch Unleashed focuses on the normal everyday events that take place in country settings that most city dwellers would find unusual. Events such as bats finding hiding places in your closet or stove; bulls charging as you use the outhouse; goat mischief; chicken coop mishaps, etc. The recounting of these tails is short and to the point, even if that point is with a very dry humor.

One of my favorites was the story of Old Floyd - what a riot! I only wished Kelsey had delved into that story more and given us more Old Floyd fodder. We were given a glimpse of his character as she tells of how he pulled the wool over her eyes when selling her his house. Yes, Old Floyd could have had an entire book dedicated to him!

Another favorite was the country linguistics. Oh my! Definitions of "pert near", and "a doin's" was absolutely priceless when used in context. I laughed until I cried!

But what Nola Kelsey does best is relate a story and toss in a bit of humor along the way. The part about prairie dogs being responsible for a finger in a fast-food chain's chili was priceless! And I could envision tourists feeding buffalo Oreo cookies!

On the downside, there are numerous editing errors, including spelling and grammar mistakes, along with word choice slips (such as "residence" instead of "residents"). If the editing had been done properly, this book would have been "pert near" perfect!

Bitch Unleashed is a fast read with short chapters and not much cerebral impact. What you get is a quick chuckle followed by a burst of gaffawing. And the ending... well the CRAP list is amazing (Currently Recognized As Pissed). Even though unnecessary (we guessed who'd make that list) it was a fun reminder as to the characters depicted in this book.

If you have a sense of humor and don't mind strong language at times, then this book will be very entertaining. For those straight-laced people who prefer a normal sense of humor, you may want to find a different book depicting country life.

This is really a question insteadof a review. I have a copy of Boots and Saddles written by Elizabeth B. Custer. The copyright is 1885, by Harper & Brothers. The first page has a note wrote on it "To my friend Richard Dec 25th 1890 then a signature of the giver M L Malis ? Would you know anything about this particular book?

This is the first of three books George Armstrong Custer's widow Elizabeth Bacon Custer (EBC hereafter) wrote about her life with the General. It begins with Custer and the 7th being assigned to North Dakota, and ends with the expedition which led to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. EBC is a good writer within the limitations of the "style" of 1880s-1890s nonfiction. One has to allow for the fact that for her, G. A. Custer was the tallest, strongest, smartest, wittiest, bravest and most omnicompetent man alive. [It's worth pointing out that she often also describes all the troopers riding with Custer as "physically perfect, absolutely splendid specimens of manhood in its prime."] Also following the style of the period, EBC almost entirely omits the names of those she writes about. But otherwise her word-portrait of the life of an officer's wife in the utter desolation of the frontier forts during the Plains Indian Wars is effective, vivid and often moving.

There are so many good stories here I don't want to spoil any by hinting at them. The most famous is EBC's account of "Old Nash," a Mexican laundress who earned several small fortunes with her expert sewing and tailoring, was much sought-after as a marriage partner despite her dark complexion and broad shoulders, and who turned out to be the best midwife around... despite....

A few of the many things that impressed me with EBC's powers of observations--- When the great chiefs and warriors of the plains came to visit Custer, she noted that they (contrary to modern stereotype) were physically almost completely undeveloped, with geek-like pipestem arms... and she understood the reason: that males among the Plains indians did essentially no physical labor whatsoever. Another fine passage involves the relationship between Custer and his favorite indian scout, the famous Bloody Knife. According to EBC Bloody Knife was relentlessly sarcastic concerning the skills and abilities of white men, and Custer in particular. When on a hunting expedition with Custer, Bloody Knife would keep up a running narrative of belitting remarks concerning Custer's unfamiliarity with and incompetence with firearms. As soon as Custer got off a good shot, Bloody Knife would fall silent and express his admiration with a brief smile, which Custer obviously treasured far more than many sentences of insincere and overdone flattery. It reminds me a bit of a comment supposedly made by Wyatt Earp about his great friend Doc Holliday: "He can always make me laugh!"

There is no gossip about Custer's notoriously poor relations with many of the other officers and men of the 7th Cavalry. EBC defends this by saying that Custer deliberately did not tell her of feuds and enemies, because he wanted her as hostess to treat all members of the 7th with equal courtesy. However, this excuse is contradicted within the book by extracts from letters written to her by Custer, which refer to feuds and enemies in ways that would have made no sense if EBC were not fully informed,

Recommended for anyone curious about the life of Cavalry officers, troopers and their families on the "rim of empire" in the 1870s.

There are so few well written and personally lived books about the people of the northern great plains, but this is one of them. Mrs. Custer gives intimate details of life in the cavalry and the Dakotas of a time now gone.
She tells of blizzards, heat, insects, dangers and people in a most readable way that draws the reader in. This is a special book that speaks to the plainsman's heart.

Althought the opinions of Custer and life with the calvary are viewed through (very) rosy glasses, Mrs. G.A. Custer is a witty and prolific writer. She also gives little-known insight into everyday happenings in life on the prairie and how women survived the journey. Particularly interesting are the dynamics of relationships between women when living literally in the middle of nowhere, surviving the harshest of climates, with few friends, the same friends, for extended times. Also interesting is the relationship between people of color and the white soldiers. Custer is an enigma, and readers should read this book but also others ("Son of the Morning Star" is the best thus far) to get a glimpse at the man. Libby Custer falls into poetic verse at times, but this can be refreshing - there are not many writings of women in these times available.

My husband first purchased this book for me quite a few years ago, knowing my fondness for Laura Ingalls and also because I am named for her. It is a wonderful compilation of letters, recipes & pictures from Laura's personal collections. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for history and those whom have lived it.

This book reads as a companion book to the Little House series while including information on Laura's life. It isn't a biography as I was hoping - though the author thinks that a complete biography is called for.

What this book was for me, was a farther glimpse into Laura's life. It touched briefly on the time during the books but seemed to focus mostly on the Ozarks. This was mainly because the author was striving to record recollections from people still living who knew Laura. I agree with the author, in the wish that someone had done that right after Laura's death or even before. There are also a couple chapters of Laura's writings, one on her thoughts of war. The pictures were nicely added as well. I also enjoyed the recipe section and appreciate the updates on the measurements and the ingredients.

The most unsatisfying chapter was the mysteries. I had more questions that I wanted answers to, and hardly any of them were asked in this chapter. It made me want to know more. In fact, the whole book seemed to be asking more questions than it was answering. In a way that is a good thing and perhaps soon, there will be other books on Laura that addresses more of her life.

You can easily pick this book up and read chapters out of order, gleaning the information you want at the time. It also reads well cover to cover, though I did do some skimming on the war articles. A valuable book if you're looking for another glimpse into Laura's life.

I am a longtime fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have read many books about her life and visited most of her homesites. But I have always wanted to read a biography about who she really was, what her personality was like, her relationship with her husband Manly and her daughter Rose. It is difficult to imagine what a person is like when all you have to go by are a few books and pictures. I was thrilled by the detailed accounts in this book, it really gave an in depth peek into her likes and dislikes, her dogged determination, stubborness and unfailing love in the face of much adversity. I felt like I knew her, all of the friends and neighbors who shared thoughts of Laura and Manly paint a picture of a homey, loving atmosphere, that Laura truly lived what she wrote about. The stories made her seem more real, something tangible outside of the juvenile stories I had read (the Little House books) and several other journals and biographies. These are people who actually lived and breathed with her, amazing. I applaud the efforts made by the author, this book is truly a detailed and fascinating account of this beloved lady who has come to represent so much to so many people.

I realize it has been hard to come up with enough material to write a first-class biography of this cultural icon. This book is a teaser. There are some interesting bits in it, and Laura's unique writings are part of it. Needs a bit more illustration, but to all Laura fans it will scratch an itch to learn more about her.

Letters From the Enemy is a wonderful love story with deep truths hidden in the story itself. At first I wasn't so hot about her feeling something for the local guy when her fiance was in Europe fighting the Great War, but as I got to know the fiance better I started cheering for her relationship with the same guy I originally didn't want her to be with. My emotions were pulled into this story and the "dark moment" looked so bleak it just about killed me. Their bond was intense and very romantic and the gift he gave her was...priceless! If not for the fact that I paused for over a year before finishing this book, I'd have given it five stars. Terrific story!

Letters to the Enemy is another example of why Susan May Warren is one of my favorite authors! This is a deep and thoughtful love story of a young woman during WWI. Her beau is fighting the Germans in Europe, and she writes to him faithfully as she prepares to become a pastor's wife. Then she meets Henry, a German living in her community. She struggles with her desire to befriend Henry because of his nationality as well as her engaged status, but when the community mistreats Henry, she can't stand for it! Then, she agrees to teach Henry to read. But will her kindness become a betrayal of her country and her fiancée? This is a very thoughtful and well-written novel that thoroughly entertains.

This is a sweet love story by Susan May Warren. She is one of the best authors I've ever come across. Her characters are always authentic. Thanks for keeping it real Susan.

Susan May Warren never fails to delight the reader with a good story told with skill and finesse

Although I grew up in the city and have had no exposure to ranchers, I read this on a recommendation from a fellow nature/animal lover. The author describes her daily life with crisp and matter-of-fact - yet warm and insightful - prose that is difficult to put down. I agree with the previous poster in that I, too, read through the glossary at the end just because I didn't want the book to finish. By the end, I felt that I knew the author, her family and friends well enough to want to know what's happened to them since. This book made me think about what the future holds for the author and the dwindling number of privately-owned ranches and farms that continue to persevere in the face of Corporate America.

This book is about people living strenuous lives in an environment of extremes -- drought and prairie fires in summer and fierce cold and blizzards in the winter. And there seem to be no moderating seasons in between.

The author, a writer, poet and environmentalist, has returned in mid-life to the South Dakota ranch where she grew up. Here she lives with her husband, a Hodgkin's-survivor, helping her parents make a living by raising cattle. The year is 1987.

Forget the Cartwrights. This is a book about real ranch life -- the endless hard work, the human and financial cost, the losses and disappointments that become almost routine.

Only a stoic acceptance of forces far beyond one's control seems to keep these people facing one day after the next. There is also the redemptive power of work itself, whether fence mending, working cattle, or putting up food supplies for winter.

Add to this an appreciation for the beauty of one's surroundings. Hasselstrom often stops to record the stark pleasures of life observed on the plains -- carpets of wildflowers on the pasture slopes, migrations of birds, the appearance of deer and coyotes.

And there are the starker observations of weather. Each day's high and low temperatures are noted, and brief descriptions of cloud cover, the many varieties of snowfall, wind, rain, and the unrelenting sun and heat. There are sub-zero winter days with wind chills below -50, and one summer morning that dawns with a low of 90 degrees.

Although she denies feeling isolated (a highway passes by the ranch, and they are only miles from a small town), there is a sense of lives lived without much contact with other people. Horses, pets, and even wildlife provide the social environment. You understand the appreciation she articulates when her rural community gathers for the end-of-summer county fair.

And to know people is to know adversity and vulnerability -- there are frequent brushes with death. An uncle on a nearby ranch suffers a heart attack. The members of a family from another ranch are seriously injured in a car accident.

The author herself is trampled by her horse. Her husband undergoes tests for cancer and is hospitalized for surgery. Her husband's spirited teenage son, from a previous marriage, spends a few summer weeks with them and then is gone again, the house suddenly filled with an unwelcome quiet.

It is a compelling book that leaves you in wonder, with feelings welling up at the end that make you reluctant to part from these very real people whose daily lives you have come to know so intimately. Far from the farm I grew up on, I relived something of that demanding life as I read this book and was also helped to see it with new eyes.

As I approached the end I thought, "If I have to read about feeding cattle or fixing fences one more time, I'm going to scream!" But these are major elements in ranching and, and this is a diary of one year in a rancher's life, so they must be included.

Hasselstrom keeps a candid diary of a year in her life as a woman rancher and spares nothing from castrating steers and the dead pile to doctor visits and a fur-trader rendezvous re-enactment vacation.

This is a family ranch owned by her father who lives just down the hill, but by now he sees his daughter as an equal partner. During the winter, her father heads to Arizona. She and her husband wonder if they will have enough feed for the winter, they struggle through snow to feed the cattle, they worry about the cattle not on the home farm, and are saddened to see the toll that a winter takes. In spring, calving dominates their lives which is complicated when a late April snowstorm catches them without cattle feed. During the spring they mend fences, sort cattle, and watch coyotes play with mice.

However, her life is not all ranching. She is constantly writing about her struggle to maintain her writing work which flares and sputters but never completely stops. She also gives writing workshops and campaigns for environmental causes. Hasselstrom is also very open about her past, a failed marriage, her step-children, her decision not to have children, and her relationship with her husband. She allows us to follow the ebb and flow of her marital relationship from the claustrophobia of back to back snowstorms and the fears of a looming surgery, to planting the garden together and the anxiety she experiences when she can't help her husband outside.

Although it contains many crises, this is not a compilation of the best and worst of a ranch life, but the honest daily activities of a ranch year involving cattle, humans, and nature. This will strike a chord of authenticity for anyone who has ever cared for cattle.

Is there anything GOOD about ranching, except seeing baby grass erupt in the spring and hearing the birds? The ranchers I knew when I lived in SD (1987-90) didn't leave piles of afterbirth and dead calves lying around for weeks at a time, although they existed. I don't know where they were, but of all the time I spent on ranches, they were never apparent. And, none of the people I knew lived within 1/4 mile from a highway. Why would a rancher keep breeding a big Charolais bull to little Angus heifers if it's going to tear them apart to deliver, or deliver calves that have to be sawed in pieces to get them out? I grew up on a farm with cattle, but I must be missing something here.
I realize this was a diary, but it became very tedious reading what with doing basically the same thing day after day.

These are great reference maps for generalized recreational activities. Not as detailed as a topo map, but still packed full of outstanding information. I have one for every state and I don't leave home with out them. An improvement over simple highway maps.

The map is beautiful and (reasonably) accurate, but its small scale limits its use for hiking. Many of the contours are so closely spaced, faint, or interrupted by text that they are nearly useless. The publishers tried to squeeze the entire national monument onto one map sheet, which makes for a good overview and planning map, but a poor hiking map.
Unfortunately, you have rather limited options, at least when it comes to paper maps: The USGS 7.5 minute topo sheets are great, but they don't show the trails, local hiking maps are hit and miss (some can be great). State-wide mapping software that lets you print customized hiking maps might be the way to go, but I haven't tried them yet.

This map is part of the Trails Illustrated series covering many national parks. These are all sturdy and convenient.

Your map choices are essentially this one, the National Park Service map, and USGS topos. The NPS map is fine if you're staying at Rock Harbor Lodge and doing light day activities from that base.

If you're backpacking, or doing long day hikes, the Trails Illustrated map is absolutely essential because the USGS topographic maps are outdated. For example, the topo shows a no-longer-existent East Feldtmann trail on the southwest part of the island.

The topo also shows inaccurately the trail that goes over White Oak Ridge in the same area. The Trails Illustrated map shows the trails correctly.

This map also shows (1) group and individual campsites and (2) distances between trail junctions that accord with the NPS signage. Both features make it useful for planning your trip.

My family was recently transferred to North Dakota with the Air Force. Before we moved we wanted to learn more about it, since we had never been here. It was very difficult to find ANYTHING in print about North Dakota. I finally found an older copy of this book in a book store in Anchorage, AK, and then went on-line and ordered the new edition.

While I think this book is pretty decent, I wish I could find a book with more pictures. While North Dakota is hardly considered a popular tourist destination, there IS some pretty scenery. I think this book would be better if they added some sections with pictures. Otherwise, the book is pretty good. I would recommend it to anyone considering travel in North Dakota (or South Dakota, it also has a section on that state), but then again I have not come across a single other book that focuses on North Dakota as much.

I really enjoyed reading all about the Dakotas. I plan on traveling to learn more about my roots. This book will really help me plan my travels.

I used this guidebook for a visit to the Black Hills of South Dakota. If there's a more interesting place to visit than the Black Hills I haven't found it. The scenery is great, the wildlife abundant, and the history is fascinating. For example, the guidebook led me to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Red Cloud Heritage Center and Red Cloud's grave. (Red Cloud was a Dakota chief who defeated the U.S. army in 1868 and forced a withdrawal from Indian lands.) On a different level, the book also led me to Kevin Costner's casino and restaurant in Deadwood, as well as Will Bill Hickok's grave in the same town.

The guidebook divides the Dakotas into six regions and lists interesting places to stay, old-time restaurants, museums and art galleries, annual events, and assorted trivia. Sidebars recount tidbits of Dakota history, especially tales of its cowboys and Indians. This guidebook is light and small and well-organized and all you need to find your way to interesting spots, especially if you're the sort of person who's allergic to shopping malls and cooker-cutter hotels and restaurants

Smallchief

Wonderful glimpse into history from a very bright young girl. Names of those long gone are brought back to life in this narrative. Highly recommend!
T. Addison

This book was excellent. Written through the eyes of a young girl growing up in Deadwood, it makes you feel as though you are there. I live in Deadwood now and it is interesting to actually see the streets and parts of town that were written about in this book.

It was very enjoyable to learn about the west in the days of Deadwood, the place, people and adventures. Ofcourse the real thing is not as exciting as the T.V. series, but I really enjoyed it because its what really happened.