North America Books

John Lewis Gaddis is probably the foremost historian of the Cold War.

Strategies of Containment provides a complete basic overview of the subject of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. It is specifically a history of the U.S.'s containment policy toward the Soviet Union and the Communist-bloc and its evolution over time.

It begins with U.S. diplomat George Kennan's famous memomorandum or "long telegram" from the Soviet Union which provided the guide for interpreting the intentions of the Soviet that was used by the State Department and the Executive Branch in formulating U.S. foreign policy towards the Soviet Union and the Communist-bloc nations - especially during the early stages of the Cold War. If a U.S. foreign service officer or other U.S. official wanted to understand the Soviet Union's foreign policy or history and the considerations which would impact the Soviet leadership's behavior - he or she was directed to read it.

The initial assessment by Kennan and his subsequent use of the term "containment" in a Foreign Affairs magazine for the first time, was controversial and volumes have been written on what he meant.

His approach basically was to advise against a wholesale reordering of the world order based on U.S. values which would cause consternation in the Soviet leadership and trigger Soviet defensive diplomatic (and potentially more drastic measures) in opposing the new international framework.

Kennan wanted diversity in the international system, to allow the Soviet Union to participate within it, and not undermine or be alienated from it, and thus transformed by it over time. The history of the Soviet Union's participation in the UN and its institutions confirms his analysis.

Kennan initially argued for a particularist approach as opposed to a universalist approach. He also argued for strong point as opposed to wide-scale perimeter opposition to expanding Soviet spheres of influence.

Kennan's writings set the stage for an interpretation of Soviet behavior and intentions. He studied Soviet and Russian history and knew that the Soviet Union would seek to build buffer zones between it and any potential adversary. The Napolean invasion, Germany's invasion, etc. as well as the Crimean War, and the Russo-Japanes War of 1905, and the U.S. and European intervention in the Russian civil war, all shaped the Soviet leadership's thinking.

Kennan wanted to restore a balance of power at the interface between the East and West in the European theater as well as in Asia, but without contesting every Soviet move for influence along its borders and without alienating the Soviet Union from the new international order.

Truman subsequently instituted a policy review process that led to NSC-68 which expressly stated that the U.S. policy was to promote U.S. values of freedom and human dignity. Containment then moved into the shape of a perimeter-type defensive strategy in which Soviet moves on its periphery for political and military influence was to be contested.

The book then describes U.S. national security policy and how U.S. containment evolved over time into Eisenhower's "New Look" policy in which no further Soviet expansion of its power into other nations was to be uncontested and then later into "flexible response" under Kennedy and Johnson and then detente under Kissinger.

The book is an excellent introduction to the Cold War, the U.S. policy of containment and its evolution.

This book show us the strategies of Containment in the Cold War Era; an important beginning had been made with the Truman Doctrine and the Containment thesis, which established a defensive position holding back Soviet expansionism.
In 1947 the US had an exclusive monopoly on the ultimate weapon, the atomic weapon, and this monopoly should be used -the bomb "makes politically possible....the domination of the world by a single sufficiently large state". The architect of containment was George Frost Kennan, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War.
He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers. The NSC-68, the most important of all Cold War documents, was "a plan of military rearment and development is at present going forward". It's the central document of the Cold War that transformed containment into a global crusade. Approved by Harry Truman in April 1950, it still lacked Congressional funding and support, and Truman was too weak a president to push it throught in the absence of a major crisis.
It would have been interesting if the author of the book had also used an approach from the Soviet point of view, as well as one in the West and the United States. In addition, Henry Kissinger has been widely studied and detailed, but it seems that is not mentioned in the book the figure of the first Secretary of State of the Nixon presidency, William Rodgers.

Strategies of Containment, by John Lewis Gaddis, is a description of the evolving strategy of containment that was the basis of US policy toward the Soviet Union from 1946 through 1989. Gaddis traces the concept of containment from its inception by George F. Kennan through the modifications applied by five administrations and assesses the strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness of each version. This book is more than another chronology of the cold war; it provides deep insights into strategic thinking and is essential reading for any serious student of the cold war. Here's a brief summary:

Kennan's Original Doctrine of Containment

* Identify and defend vital interests based on the centers of industrial strength - Britain, Western Europe, Japan -don't try to defend the entire world.
* Use all instruments of power: economic, diplomatic, political, and cultural power as well as military power. Rebuilding the economic vitality of the above areas is a high priority.
* Seek to divide the communist world. Our primary adversary is the Soviet Union. Other communist countries, if not actively supporting Soviet policy, may be led to serve as quasi-allies by depriving the Soviets of their support.
* General war with the Soviets is unlikely, so we can afford to take risks. We can limit our defense spending and not try to defend the world. A point defense of our vital interests is probably adequate.
* Define threats in light of US vital interests, not in terms of Soviet capabilities

Truman and NSC-68

* The policies articulated in NSC-68 moved toward a perimeter defense covering the entire world rather than a point defense of vital interests.
* Primary emphasis was switched to military power and to the entire spectrum of war
* US interests were redefined in response to perceived threats (anything that is threatened must be an interest).
* US strategy became based on a symmetric response to threats - responding in the same time, place, and with the same means as the adversary (e.g., the Korean War).

Eisenhower, Dulles, and the New Look

* Eisenhower's guiding philosophy was that defense is not just defeating the enemy - it is the preservation of our economic and political systems.
* Spending too much on defense could destroy these systems by leading to either inflation or the imposition of autocratic controls. He reduced the defense budget by 33% from Truman's last year and held it at about that level for eight years.
* Alliances relied on allies for ground forces with the US providing Air and Naval support.
* The nuclear threat became the cornerstone of deterrence across the spectrum of conflict - with goal of avoiding war - in belief that any war was all too likely to escalate to nuclear.
* Asymmetric response to threats - response need not be in same place or using same methods as Soviet threat
* Anti-colonial Conundrum: The communists are fomenting wars of national liberation while the US is trying to rebuild Europe (the colonial powers). If the US backs decolonization, it undermines the European allies it is trying to rebuild. If the US backs the colonial powers, it loses any chance of support from the colonies. The Soviets really put us in a no-win position on this issue.

Kennedy, Johnson, and Flexible Response

* Kennedy and Johnson return to NSC-68 reasoning by lowering threat of nuclear response and replaced it with flexible response, requiring a direct, symmetric response to threats - a respond in same time and place using the same means.
* These administrations applied a circular logic: Threats create interests which demand responses which require capabilities even where no interest previously had been identified. This was articulated in the "bear any burden, pay any price" rhetoric.
* This strategy necessitated greater reliance on military response versus economic, political, etc which increased demands on the defense budget.
* Kennedy abandoned Eisenhower's commitment to a balanced budget and relied on Keynesian fiscal policy to stimulate the economy. Spending was predicated on the potential of the economy rather than its actual performance. Lack of budgetary constraints led to inability to prioritize, to distinguish the essential from the peripheral, the feasible from the infeasible which encouraged more "bear any burden, pay and price' reasoning because it wasn't real money.
* Flexible response led to graduated escalation in Viet Nam which became "never enough to defeat the enemy, just enough to prolong the war". Stakes were repeatedly raised to prevent the humiliation of a defeat but this only made the eventual defeat more humiliating.
* Calibrated escalation yielded the initiative to the enemy - allowed him to define the terms of conflict. Deterrence can be made effective only if the adversary can be made to doubt that he can retain control of the situation. Taking the nuclear option away encouraged adversaries to call our bluff.

Nixon, Kissinger and Détente

* Nixon and Kissinger moved the US government from a bi-polar to a multi-polar world view by positing the existence of five significant power centers: US, USSR, Western Europe, China, and Japan. They recognized that these five power centers were far from equal. Only the US and USSR were superpowers able to exert substantial influence via military, economic, political, or diplomatic means. This strategy was a return to the balance of power envisioned by Kennan.
* In the military arena, they focused on sufficiency rather than superiority over the Soviet Union and sought to persuade Brezhnev that a similar policy would be in his country's best interest as well. Sufficiency won the logical argument over superiority because the latter invariably provoked the other side into matching every military advance, producing and endless and unwinnable arms race.
* Conceptually, Kissinger and Nixon changed the country's strategic definition of US interests and threats to those interests. For most of the interval between Kennan and Nixon-Kissinger, the US strategic view had started with the USSR, its capabilities and intentions, then identified the impact these capabilities could have. These impacts became viewed as threats and US interests were defined as anything thus threatened. Nixon and Kissinger reversed the logical flow, much as Kennan did, starting with the identification of US interests, independent of any adversary. They then identified as an adversary an entity with capability and intent to harm these interests.
* Again returning to Kennan's approach, Nixon-Kissinger sought to use negotiations to influence Soviet behavior. They took a long-term approach to negotiations, discarding the tendency of previous administrations from Roosevelt on to use negotiations and agreements with the Soviets for domestic political purposes. They discarded the approach of seeking agreements on specific areas where they could be reached and adopted a strategy of linkage - maintaining that Soviet unwillingness to negotiate in good faith on military and strategic issues of importance to the US would result in US refusal to accommodate Soviet desires for economic and trade relations and recognition of the post war division of Europe.
* The next step in the Nixon-Kissinger strategy was to seek an accommodation with China to reduce US-Chinese tensions and, thereby, free China to take a more assertive stance in its own dealings with the USSR. This was a return to Kennan's goal of dividing communism and redefined our prime enemy as the Soviet Union

Reagan

Reagan continued the return to Kennan's original concept of containment:
* Adopt an asymmetric strategy - don't let the enemy determine the time, place, and terms of conflict
* Apply economic, political, diplomatic, and moral power more than military power. A prime example was his Berlin speech: "Mr. Gorbachev! Tear down this wall!" He put the Soviets in the same kind of no-win position that they had inflicted on Eisenhower over colonialism in the 1950s by setting the Eastern Europeans at odds with the Kremlin.
* He recognized that Soviet system was bankrupt financially, intellectually, morally and turned up the pressure until it collapsed.
* Reagan was also lucky. Kennan had hoped to transform the Soviet Union with the help of a new generation of Russian leaders. Gorbachev turned out to be the leader Kennan had hoped for. He and Reagan together ended the cold war and transformed the Soviet Union from a totalitarian system to one that might have evolved into a more liberal one had the 1991 coup d'état not destroyed it first.

Now in a revised edition, Strategies Of Containment: A Critical Appraisal Of American National Security Policy During The Cold War is a revised and expanded edition of Bancroft Prize winner and Cold War expert John Lewis Gaddis' classic on understanding the history of containment as a policy, its role in bringing the Cold War to an end, and its possible value or pitfalls in the future. Originally published during the Regan presidency when the Soviet Union was still a superpower, Strategies Of Containment includes a greatly expanded chapter on Reagan, Gorbachev, and the completion of containment, as well as a new epilogue. A welcome scrutiny of history with the advantage of post-Cold War hindsight.

This book is still useful even 20 years after publication. Gaddis view US policy toward the USSR as a pendulum that swings between"symmetrical" and "asymmetrical" approaches. The periods are split into: Kennan's original containment, NSC-68, Eisenhower's "New Look", JFK and Nixon's détente. There is a coda covering Carter, but it is less helpful.

The symmetrical approach confronts the USSR wherever the USSR chooses to probe. In this approach, wherever the Soviets seek to advance is, by their very actions, a US interest. In contrast, the asymmetrical view seeks to identify those areas that are inherently vital US interests and protect those.

The first seeks to build a fence (containment) around the Soviets. The second approach builds its fences around US interests and lets the USSR do what it wants - within reason - elsewhere. Heck, why let them do that? The answer is "means." Gaddis stresses the point that US means are not unlimited. The US must balance means and ends and this leads to the pendulum swings.

The reasons I do not give the book the last star are: It does not cover the Carter-Reagan-Bush era and Smith over draws the magnitude of the swings. The book makes it sound like there were tremendous differences between the various administrations and does not pay enough attention to the essential consistency of US Cold War strategy. Smith acknowledges this in a retrospective on his own book available at the Hoover Institute web site.

I designed shopping carts for 5 years. After I left that company, I saw this book. I bought it as a gift for my former boss who was the owner of the company that made shopping carts. I thought that he would get a kick out of it. Before I gave it to him, I decided to glance at a few pages and ended up reading through the whole book before I gave it to him. I sort of felt bad since the book is now officially used. He loved it anyway. It was interesting and it has inspired me to do something similar.

When I first heard mention of this book (in The Believer magazine), I laughed out loud at the concept...

I laughed out loud when it showed up on my doorstep, too. The effort and thought put into the development of this silly book is tremendous. The result is an excellent play on the concept of field identification guides.

Whenever people see this book on my coffee table, it becomes a conversation piece. Funny, funny stuff.

Received the book last week- funny read and the pictures are amusing for a while...then the "field guide" aspect of the book may be a bit too complicated for a "fun read". It's quite a complicated work-up that the author had contrived, and while impressive- I was using too much brain power while reading something that should be entertaining. I don't think I have enough room left in my brain to store field guide info on shopping carts- even just to make it til the end of this book! But maybe YOU do! :)

As a certified straycartologist I applaud the effort to publicize this issue. I only hope we can convince those crumb bums in Washington that expanding our coverage to the rest of North America can only be achieved with copious federal spending.

Like the question burning in the loins of Lewis and Clark before us, what will the West reveal? My crotch is afire with this question: what will the West reveal about...ourselves? [For full effect, deliver that last word in a fervent whisper]

This book is easily one of the top four reference guides for shopping carts available on the market today. It does an excellent job of covering the following topics:

* Shopping carts

Overall, I heartily endorse this product.

After reading Earl G. Graves's bitter autobiography, I fully expected John H. Johnson's manuscript for success to be riddled with distain. I was pleasantly surprised however to find that Johnson; through such works as, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, and How to Win Friends..., by Dale Carnegie, made a fortune turning social negatives into profitable and professional positives. Having met eight U. S. Presidents along the way, Johnson's autobiography is a refreshing treatise on determination. It should be noted that much of Johnson's success came about before integration, when the African American community lived by the, "it takes a village," mentality. The nurturing he was provided during the early years provided for a favorable turn of events ultimately guiding him; not without the requisite obstacles, toward a life of success. John H. Johnson's, `Succeeding Against the Odds,' is a testament to the spoils of desire, determination, delayed gratification and a strong belief in one self. Bravo Mr. Johnson, well done! I issue this glowing review however with a caveat; there are a few grammatical errors; thus, my conservative rating, nevertheless, this was a fun read.

I bought this Book way back in 1992.I always Admired Mr.John H.Johnson for all that He overcame&also for providing Ebony&Jet into my early childhood all the to the present. what He overcame&what He Accomplsihed is truly incredible. He created magazines that spoke&gave Black America a Fair shake at the Newsstand&also showed our world in a up-lifting light. John H.Johnson is a true Pioneer who trail-blazed so much for the better.RIP&this is a Must have Book.

I could definitely related to Mr.Johnson's story. It is inspiring, insightful, and truly a guide to those of us on the often obstacle laden road to success.

Never allow your personal feelings or emotions to close the doors of oppourtunities. Where the is a will there truly is a way. His story is remarkable and his book enables you to understand that yours is too.

Think and Grow Rich...

This book uplifted the self esteem of me and many other African Americans. It was the story of a black man raised in rural Arkansas who had a dream. He figured out at an early age that African Americans wanted to know about what was happening in their community. There where only so many if any stories about us in Life Magazine. And if they did publish something about us it was negative. Why couldn't African Americans have a magazine of their own? One that told stories, positive stories about our lives, our heroes, and our history. This book gave me hope to know that even a lower middle class, African American boy from the Bronx like myself could grow up and strive for greatness amongst our people and the rest of society. John H. Johnson's publications are over 50 years old now and are still giving us stories that uplift our minds, bodies and spirits. Reading this book is not only a joy and a honor but it should be required reading for all African Americans and focal point of reading for all others.

In his book, Johnson states "There is an advantage in every disadvantage, and a gift in every problem" and "I believe that the greater the handicap the greater the triumph." By this he means to say that disadvantage creates opportunities and forces one to do more with less. He believed that disadvantages were "...challenges to be overcome and not facts to be accepted." A disadvantage provides a challenge that, with the proper motivation and mindset, forces one to try a little harder and work a little smarter.

Two distinct disadvantages that Johnson cites are early in his life: 1) Arkansas City (his birthplace) did not provide a high school education for African Americans, and 2) The economic depression stemming from the Great Depression. These two disadvantages, when taken together, provided a sort of "critical mass" that propelled Johnson on the trajectory that is his story -- his move to Chicago and subsequent business endeavors.

The fact that the disadvantages cited above were realized so early in life is worth note. There is a scientific discipline known as "Chaos Theory" that, among other precepts, states that the time evolution of a series of interrelated complex events is extremely sensitive to the system's initial condition. The analogy that may be drawn to Johnson's life is this: had he not moved to Chicago due to his ambition and his Mother's tremendous sacrifices for her son's education, it would have become increasingly difficult for Johnson to have succeeded to the extent he did, as chronicled in his autobiography.

This statement is supported by the many references he makes in the book about the seemingly random events that led to his success as a businessman; Johnson states, "I'm scared someone with pinch me and wake me up." Thus, it seems that the many disadvantages the author faced throughout life, most notably (in his words) early in life, created an advantage, which led him to great wealth and notoriety.

"Teaching Virtues" adds to our understanding of the connections between the teaching of virtues and the practice of moral reciprocity within community. -C.A. Bowers, Professor of Education, Portland State University and author of "Educating for an Ecologically Sustainable Future" and "The Culture of Denial"

Here is an educational approach that honors the interconnectedness of the world and helps our young people engage it with wisdom and integrity. The result is a refreshing perspective on character education. -Ron Miller, author of "What Are Schools For? Holistic Education in American Culture" and publisher of "Paths of Learning Magazine"

This book offers a new but ancient perspective on teaching virtues. Like the American Indian people who practiced it for thousands of years, it does not allow us to separate character from content, and by this, makes it possible for us all to "walk the talk." -Sunita Gandhi, President-Worker, The Council for Global Education and Dignity

With clarity and directness, the authors provide an inspiring and practical guide for teachers to infuse character education throughout the curriculum. Their framework adds much needed meaning and integrity to learning and honors the creativity and wisdom of each teacher. -Rachael Kessler, author of "The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Compassion and Character at School"

I read this book with much interest. The topics addressed here are of great importance for educational practice, and hence, as the authors rightly emphasize, for the larger society. They approach the issues of character education from a variety of directions, including a highly suggestive American Indian perspective that has been far too little understood in our culture. "Teaching Virtues" is a stimulating and thoughtful contribution. -Noam Chomsky, Professor, M.I.T., and author of "Language and the Problem of Knowledge" and "Manufacturing Consent"

In the tradition of Wagons West and White Indians comes the thrilling saga of a frontier so wild, so free, so magnificent that only men and women of unyielding courage could claim it. This novel begins the saga of the Elk-dog People, the first Native Americans of the Central Plains to tame the horse for use in hunting and war. The first in an incredible ten-volume series.

Don Coldsmith paints a picture of a time almost forgotten. I own the whole "Spanish Bit" set. What a great journey.

This is the best book i have ever read and the whole Spanish Bit Saga is GREAT!!! You can't go wrong. Don Coldsmith has a gift of painting a picture of how it was. You will feel true emotion for the Native Americans. You have got to read it, you wont put it down and you will want to go out and get the next one.

Anyone who has held an antique in hand and felt the magnetic pull of the history of the object will enjoy this book. I had not previously been a student of Native American history or a fan of the western book genre, but Coldsmith succeeds in creating characters to whom I could relate as fellow human beings. The device of linking past to present through the spanish bit is ingenious.

In "Trail of the Spanish Bit," physician Don Coldsmith brings to life an interesting and varied cast of characters as they very well might have been at the time of early European contact with North America's native peoples.

Coldsmith's "Elk Dog People" are a prairie native nation that is a composite of a number of horse culture tribes. However, when they first encounter "Heads Off," the marooned Conquistador, the People are part of a pedestrian, stone age culture. For better or worse, this first Euro contact changes the People and their way of life forever.

Coldsmith is an excellent story-teller. His characters are well-developed and not the cardboard stereotypes usually associated with the genre. Dr. Coldsmith is a literary talent with a great imagination.

If you have any interest whatever in Native Americans or western history, buy this book!

this was an excellent book about a journey to the innerself and womanhood
i would recommend this book to anyone

Shamanic wisdom, mystical spirits, Native American culture--if these are your heart topics, and you love the way Lynn Andrews writes, you will love this book.

Lynn Andrews returns to the familiar magical storytelling mixed with the idea that we can all be mystics if we only follow her shamanic wisdom. I'll admit a love-hate relationship to her books. "Jaguar Woman" moved me from my cynical, career-driven bent, but as my own path developed before me, I followed Andrew's less. Possibly because I could not match her shamanic travels, uber-human experiences and amazing way of life.

This paperback is another of the Sisterhood of the Shields series. Here, Andrews explores the inevitability of aging and death. She examines the many "little deaths" that occur in life--getting let go or fired from a job, a death in the family, divorce, the long-term illness of a loved one.

The book is an introduction to 'elderhood' with a recognition of another transition--one in which we accept what is, even as we see our friends begin to age and die. We learn to withstand these times and to grow from them.

As Americans, we generally hide from death or simply defy it. This is a good book to grasp the reality of elderhood.

For about 25 years Lynn Andrews has written memoir after memoir of life as an urban shaman living between both worlds. Tree of Dreams examines getting older and balancing her two lives. This book is less fantastical and the passage of time has lessened the melodrama of her earlier work. I still don't get The Red Dog rival and wonder still if he is some imaginary antagonist to make this Native American like. Overall, an interesting perspective on getting older and holding the medicine wheel in Andrews' world. I just wonder if this belongs in the non-fiction section and whether the Cree tribe in Manitoba, Canada are getting royalties. Having known a Native woman who lived on a reserve in New York State, one thing seems to be common - they don't rejoice at Andrews or her work.

As I've followed Lynn's growth and teachings over the many years that she's written (I have an older copy of Medicine Women with the native women and crow on the front........pages have fallen apart, the cover taped back on, etc.), I was pleased when I came across this newer addition to her volume of work. In this book she descibes her feelings on what it's like to have an ailing parent and the process of death. She describes her on going search for answers which also proves that even for all she's learned, she still does not profess to have "the truth". Quite the contrary, she wonders about good and evil, duality, etc.. Her on-going relationship with Red Dog is put in a somewhat different light. It's almost a love hate relationship. A good read and very down to earth. What is interesting also is the process that was involved to write her first, Medicine Women.

Tree Of Dreams: A Spirit Woman's Vision Of Transition And Change by Lynn Andrews is a deeply moving narrative of her quest for growth, spiritual fulfillment, and better understanding of sacred things. Embracing the power of healing and coping with "little deaths" such as divorce or the sudden loss of a job, as well as the great losses of loved ones to "Time's Eternal March", Lynn Andrews' Tree Of Dreams is a powerful and moving metaphysical reflection. Also very highly recommended are Lyn Andrews' previous books: Medicine Woman and Jaguar Woman.

These DeLorme maps are great. I plan on visiting the state of Utah next spring and do some hiking while I am there and these look great. The details of the roads and all campsites are awesome. I plan to purchase more of these of other states. They even have details about fishing being available.

Quick delivery, good price, excellent travel guide for the state of Utah where you want to see terrain, not just highways.

I think the title says it all. It is very useful. I got it really fast and it is flawless.

Great maps as always from DeLorme.. I have 6 different states, great for fly fishing, fishing and hiking.. You can use the GPS cordinates to get to specific locations. A must have for the fisherman, hiker and camper.

I love these DeLorme maps. I love traveling in the West but since I live in New Jersey, I get a little nervous sometimes when driving around Utah or Arizona - it's just so empty compared to what I'm used to. These Delorme atlases are my security blanket. They're so detailed that no matter where I am, I can look at the map and find a road or a landmark that will reassure me that I'm in the right place.

If you are interested in Native American history and culture, this book (like all of Arden's books) is a great place to provide insight. Wisdom is the key point in this work as well as his others. A fantastic piece and one that will grab your heart, mind, and soul.

I have had the pleasure of knowing both Harvey Arden and Steve Wall for many years now. Their books have touched the heart of many people around the world. This book is one of their best ever! The photos and stories/histories of the Wisdomkeepers within awaken your senses in a profound way. Journey with these two former National Geographic icons and learn with them, through them, and find what you've been looking for - an understanding of what it is to be human, through the journey of these amazing purveyors of hope, wisdom and truth.

Very informative, Well done and a listening pleasure...Something you can listen to over again and pickup something new each time....

The book is so well done, but the talking book is far better. You enter the jounery with them. You hear the wisdom of the spirtiually elders and long with the creaking of the doors and beatiful pow-wow/drumming in the background. You get a great opportunity to hear the calling of the eagle out of the sky at wounded knee that was prayered out of the sky by Frank Fools Crow. The best part that makes me laugh is when Steve Wall and Harvey Arden go and see one of the elders. Steve doesn't have a chance to go into his spell when the elder tells them I know why you are here you lost your orginial instructations. Also when they go and see charlie Knight and he asks them each time when Ya Leavein.

She:Kon (Sago)(Hello) To all who read this and hope you are all well. I personally know some of the Wisdom Keepers, Elders whose words are in this book and know them to be of good mind and person. I am Mohawk and Odawa and I come from upstate New York near some of the Reservations and I fully recommend this book for any person who needs to come back to the reality of the living world around them and bring them back to the basic relation between humankind and all the life that is on this earth and surrounds us in the cosmos.

This is a well researched and written book about the Indian wars on the New York and Pennsylvania frontiers during the American Revolution. It tells the stories of the Wyoming Massacre, the Cherry Valley Massacre and the Sullivan campaign providing the details on each but in a very readable format. It also provides some details on other not so well known events on the frontiers like the situation around Pittsburgh and in western Pennsylvania. Consequently, this book fills in a gap in the American Revolution and worth the purchase for any individual interested in reading more about that period.

After two years of fighting in America with limited success, the British felt they were, to coin a popularized modern term, in a bit of a quagmire, and sought a new strategy for their overseas war. The new strategy involved moving the war away from the more populated northeast and into the western frontier. This move would not only disperse the already diminutive American forces, but would also allow Britain to utilize its strongest North American allied force, the Iroquois Indian Confederacy.

Glenn William's book, THE YEAR OF THE HANGMAN: WASHINGTON'S WAR AGAINST THE IROQUOIS chronicles the events that took place in those western frontier skirmishes and battles. The book derives its name for the year, 1777, which had become popularly known at the time as the `year of the hangman' due to the three sevens appearance of gallows when written, though the majority of the events actually occurred in 1779. Though using that title for his book was too good of an opportunity to pass up, William's title is slightly misleading as to the dates of the primary events.

The Iroquois, though primarily located in Western and Central New York, were quite possibly the strongest Indian nation of North America for a span of over 500 years. Their control reached across the Great Lakes into Central Wisconsin and their rise to prominence came at the cost of driving out, and driving to extinction, numerous other Indian tribes of the region. They were, to be sure, a force to be reckoned with.

Both the Americans and the British had heavily lobbied allegiance with the Iroquois, but in the end, the Indians felt their best chance for future lay at the hands of the British and consequently, four of the six main tribes of the Iroquois sided with the British. This error in judgment would prove fatal to the Iroquois nation, when, as a primary result of the Sullivan Expedition, the Iroquois nation would virtually lose all of its military and political power.

While the Sullivan Expedition is the primary focus of William's book, other major events are deftly chronicled as well, such as the Battle of Oriskany and the Wyoming Valley attacks. By 1979, Gen. Washington had successfully developed the army making it capable of taking the fight to the Indians and literally destroying their economical stability and rendering them harmless, not just for the remainder of the revolution, but into the subsequent years of frontier settlement into the traditional Iroquois homelands.

That Washington was able to develop a force the size of the Sullivan Expedition (5000 men) is in and of itself, a testament to Washington's military leadership abilities and, though today, only an afterthought in Revolutionary history, stands as one of the General's greatest military accomplishments.

This is good reading. Glenn William's had put together a readable and valuable presentation of a rather forgotten aspect of America's fight for independence.

Monty Rainey
Junto Society

Mr. Williams recent book describes in excellent, understandable detail what caused the Americans to invade Iroquois territory and the effects of the invasion. His book is an excellent companion to another book I have read titled History of Wyoming, by Charles Miner that was originally written in 1845. Miner interviewed people who survived or were connected to the Wyoming Massacre, while Williams had access to all the archives. The two books fill in details and each makes the other more rewarding to read.

I read this book because I have Loyalist ancestors who were members of Butler's Rangers and almost certainly participated in the battles described in such detail. My ancestors, William Pickard and his 2 sons James and Benjamin, two privates and a drummer boy, did not get mentioned in the book, but that was not a problem since around 900 people were in Butler's Rangers. They survived to move to Canada after the war and they started large families after leaving their homes in Tryon County.

The book has a nice section on the key personalities that I found useful since there were Butlers on both the Loyalist and Patriot sides. The book would be improved by detailed maps. Unless you can imagine where places like Tioga, Unidilla and Stone Arabia are, you will read the book in front of your computer with Google Maps open as I did. The book would also be improved with contemporary photos of the battle sites; some of these, like the Battle of Newton, were easily found on the web.

I learned much from the book and enjoyed it. It was very interesting to see that the Rangers contained a good number of Black soldiers who lived with the rest of the Rangers and the Indians. It was also interesting to see how both sides courted the Indians and tried to win their support. The book really makes the Revolution look much more like a civil war than people typically think.

The book was well written to the point that the book rich in detail was not lost by the tremendous amout of utilized quotes and reference points. More detail on the life style and pressures (for survival)of settlements along the frontier border would have been benefical.

This is a very informative quilt history book with fantastic, close-up photos of fabric. This will be a great addition to your Barbara Brackman collection. I had mine laminated and spiral bound!!

An invaluable resource for the quilt historian ,conservator or just an interested quilter. The illustrations helped me to identify fabric by period,style and color. The text gave me invaluable information to help identify a puzzling old quilt which was found stuffed in a chimney undisturbed for 90 years. Barbara Brackman is the author to read when one seeks information about quilts and their history. I enjoyed the chapter identifications allowing me to quickly access the fabric type I was seeking.

This is a good resource for the history of textiles with the purpose of dating quilts or construction of period correct clothing and quilts.

This book gives a very good compressive over view of fabrics in a certain time frame. While I bought it for reference I discovered it is quite enjoyable just to read. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in fabrics. It would be especially useful to a beginning fabric aficionado.

what a wonderful resource book for anyone who is interested in fabric/fiber arts.
i'm a quilter who likes to create quilts with a flair from yesterday. this book not only helps me to be closed in my interpretation of that time, it does guide me through the decision which colors have been more used than others. the contents/pictures are very clear and the instructions to recreate some of the quilts are outstanding. i would give this book 6 stars!