North America Books

DK Eyewitness books are great and informative. I am teaching ESOL students who are learning English and taking content courses at the same time. They are unfamiliar with American History and Native American history is an even greater enigma to them. This book which supplies graphics and photos, allows students to gather a lot of information visually at a time when they have troubling reading English.

Great pictures and lots of information throughout. This book captures my 1st grader's attention. Will be a good resource for homeschooling. For those concerned, this book acknowledges that archeologists do not agree when human beings "trekked across the Ice Age land bridge from Siberia". It states various theories as to who & when people were in the Americas. Love the organization of the book and so will be wonderful resource in our American studies.

THIS WAS THE MOST THE BEST DK BOOK I EVER READ
AND I JUST LOVE HISTORY

KYLE VENTURA
(...)

Fue el estalinismo -el contrario del comunismo- que cayó en 1989-90. Ahora es el capitalismo mundial que está en crisis. En este libro se explica el derrumbe de este obstáculo a la participación de la clase trabajadora en la politica en la URSS y en la Europa Oriental -la burocracia estalinista pequeñoburgués- y como las fundaciones económicas, sobre todo las relaciones sociales, de esos estados-obreros permanecen hasta hoy en día. Explica por que el único camino que tiene el imperialismo yanqui para restaura el capitalismo en esos países, más China, Corea del Norte, etc., es el camino de fuerza y violencia: es decir, el camino de la guerra mundial. Un dirigente del Partido Comunista Cubano plantea en este libro que la única alternativa humana a un futuro de esta barbarie capitalista llamada "globalizado" es tomar el poder estatal los trabajadores y los campesinos en alianza. Más que nada, aquí se ve como la experiencia de un núcleo proletario del partido revolucionario en los EE.UU. sirve para forjar el camino de ayudar a dirigir la resistencia de hoy y mañana contra la crisis del sistema de ganancias y del Sagrado Mercado hasta la victoria, hasta la construcción de un gobierno de los trabajadores y campesinos aquí en los EE.UU. llevado a la últimas consecuencias: la muerte de la bestia imperial.

He encontrado en las revistas de política y teoría marxista Nueva Internacional una fuente indispensable de información, análisis y orientación política. Como su título indica, las revistas de dedican a educar y forjar una nueva vanguardia de la clase obrera a nivel mundial. Bien vale el tiempo necesario para leer y estudiarlas y compartir los artículos con otros trabajadores.

Los documentos presentados aquí ofrecen un análisis detallado de grandes cuestiones de nuestros tiempos: raíces de la crisis capitalista y la consecuente decadencia y debilidad del imperio norteamericano; perspectivas para la construcción de una sociedad socialista, superando la opresión, la explotación y la miseria que nos imponen sociedades divididas en clases; los retos en la lucha para forjar una dirigencia combativa y de conciencia de clase de la clase obrera a nivel mundial.

Los argumentos comiencen con las conquistas políticas históricas del movimiento obrero, desde Marx y Engels hasta Lenin y los Bolcheviques -- y las hacen más ricas, más concretas en base de la experiencia de la revolución cubana, de la caída de los regimenes estalinistas de la URSS y Europa oriental, y de las luchas de trabajadores y campesinos a través de las últimos décadas.

Me gusta sobre todo el espíritu de optimismo de los autores, su confianza en la capacidad de trabajadores y campesinos para transformarse y transformar el mundo entero. ¡Sí se puede!

¿Era una victoria para el imperialismo estadounidense el derrumbe de la URSS? No. ¿Porqué? El fracaso del estalinismo comprobó que una capa parásita no es tan fuerte como las fundaciones del estado obrero. Pueda que en un momento dado el sistema basado en explotación no parece estar en crisis plena, no obstante estamos inmersos en una época generalizada de la caída permanente en la taza de ganancias, y la única manera que el capital tiene para revertir esta caída es destruir capital y quienes lo producen, es decir, llevar a cabo una nueva guerra mundial.

Editado en forma de tesis cuando el Bush mayor dio el primero grito de victoria frente la caída del Muro de Berlín, El imperialismo perdió la guerra fría representa la única corriente que ha entendido como ni los mismos capitalistas se sienten libres, porque son esclavos de su capital -un capital que encoja de forma permanente-.

El derrumbe del estalinismo nos representa para los trabajadores y campesinos la mejor oportunidad en más de setenta años a arrebatar de los superricos el poder estatal para construir su propio gobierno, y así acabar con el último imperio que pueda desgraciar la faz de la Tierra.

This is about the REAL Southwest, neither the Tex-Mexified version east of the Rockies, nor the touristy version of Santa Fe, nor the mythical version of the OK Corral.

Most of this book deals with the largest U.S. desert -- the Great Basin desert. A land of rugged climatic extremes and even more rugged geography, it has largely bent men to its will rather than the other way around.

Beginning with his own childhood reading and first trips to this area, Turner paints a portrait of the Southwest's natural and social history while also describing how he, too, has been shaped by this land.

A wonderful new edition of this lovely book has recently been done by Fulcrum Publishing. The ISBN is 1-55591-486-1. It includes new essays, including one on Gerogia O'Keefe that looks at the west from an artist's perspective that I thought was particularly special.

As of this writing, this well written collection of essays seems to be out of print, and it shouldn't be. Turner has a sharp eye for detail and an ability to craft personal experience and an encyclopedic scale of information into engaging reading on subjects as varied as saguaro cactuses, chili con carne (with a recipe for Basic Texas Red), management of wild horse herds, Billy the Kid, Basque sheepherders in the Great Basin, and a Czech festival each autum in Deming, New Mexico.

Especially interesting for this reader is his essay on the lives of two early 20th-century writers who turned their own frontier experiences into best-sellers that shaped American awareness of the West: James Willard Schultz ("My Life as an Indian," 1907) and Will James ("Lone Cowboy," 1930). Based in Santa Fe, Turner roams over the southern arid states where inhabitants set their clocks to Mountain Time. And his essays are fine examples of travel writing that appreciates both landscape and centuries of human history. This is an excellent addition to any bookshelf of nonfiction Western literature.

Fresh out of Yale, McClintock went to Montana in 1891 as an employee of the forest service. He ended up living with the Blackfoot tribe and learning their way of life. One elderly chief, Mad Dog, adopted him and taught him tribal culture and rituals so that someone would write them down. This book is the result.

The bison were gone and the Blackfoot economy lay in tatters. Still, McClintock's band was following his traditional seasonal movements, keeping the Sun Dance, and trying to live as they always had - - even as everyone realized that their way of life could not survive in the face of the white man.

McClintock serves as a very sympathetic scribe for the tribe. He was clearly a good listener. One Blood chief in Alberta told him that he had vowed never to speak with white men again, and yet he ended up adopting McClintock as a son. Because the tribe trusted him, he was admitted into a tribal society, invited to participate in rituals, and so forth.

Through most of the 500 pages in this book, McClintock takes a very fair-minded approach to both the Blackfoot and to white society. He often notes how tribal norms, such as sharing, are superior to the behavior of more "civilized" peoples. He takes both Christianity and tribal religions seriously.

Oddly, all this falls apart in the last chapter, where he endorses destructive policies that take away tribal land, convert the Indians to Christianity, and force assimilation on white terms. This chapter contradicts the tone of the rest of the book so deeply that I can't imagine what he was thinking when he wrote it.

Aside from that last chapter, this is a fascinating record of the tribe's traditions at the last possible moment that the tribe was still living its traditional life.

Walter McClintock was a young man who came to the Blackfeet Country at about the turn of the century. He was a trained scientist who could use a camera and he kept careful notes. This is not a romance novel nor anthropological interpretation. McClintock was simply there and made friends well enough to be accepted. He recorded stories, rituals (also took photos), and daily incidents as well as much natural history. He was really there and he is an honest and graceful reporter.

How could it be possible to adequately describe such a powerful -indeed, magical- account of a young man's time with the Blackfeet in the early twentieth century, a time when much of the Old Ways still lived among the Blackfeet people. I have owned or or another edition of The Old North Trail since 1970, and have ever since then been entranced by McClintock's unselfconscious limpid prose style, his descriptions of a summer snowstorm, or a grand encampment of the Blackfeet, the way Indian people in northern Montana prepared and stored food for the coming of winter, or the simple, deep, and everlastingly real relationship with a culture which was even at that late date still indescribably precious and beautiful. Both a superb travelog and a microscopically observed anthropological account of life with the Blackfeet, this book is an extended love letter to the Indian people with whom Walter McC lived. As I write this review I'm transported back to my early twenties, a California surfer just out of college, immersed in a hot deep bath, reading The Old North Trail at sunup in Inverness, Scotland, and forgetting where I was, so completely did this book cast its spell. This is one of the very, very few books with which I am still in love.

Editor Barry O'Connell performs a signal service in making these forgotten texts available to a wider audience (and also
his very useful introduction). The writings of William Apess are, regrettably, still highly relevant even now. This is partly because of the universal import of the issues of religious conversion, ethnic identity and the personal challenges he confronted, but even more because American Indians are still denied the civil and human rights enjoyed by other Americans. Apess's fiery prose and profound insights into the American experience from his Indigenous perspective are guaranteed not only to shed much light on his life and times, but will shatter cherished misconceptions of European Americans concerning the presumed fairness of our society.

Opponents of multiculturalism would probably complain that yet another insignificant author has been dredged up from the past. But Apess is not obscure, rather, his brilliance was obscured through the neglect of those who most needed to hear his message. There is much more to his work than merely documenting the victimization of Indians. As author, minister and also activist on behalf of his congregation of Mashpee Wampanoags in the 1830s, Apess's life work testifies eloquently that Indians have always exercised agency in shaping their history and ours as a whole---even in circumstances not of their choosing.

Editor O'Connell has done something very valuable in making these forgotten texts available to a wider audience. The writings of Pequot William Apess are, sadly, highly relevant even now. This is partly because of the universal import of religious conversion, ethnic identity and the personal challenges he confronted, but even more because American Indians are still denied the civil and human rights enjoyed by fellow citizens. Apess's fiery prose and profound insights on America from his Indigenous perspective not only shed much light on his life and times, but will shatter cherished myths of Euramericans about the presumed fairness of our society. Opponents of multiculturalism would probably complain that yet another marginal author has been dredged up from the past. But Apess is not obscure, rather, his brilliance was obscured by neglect of those who most needed to hear his message. There is far more to his work than merely documenting Indian victimhood. As author, minister and also activist on behalf of his Mashpee Wampanoag congregation in the 1830s, Apess's life work testifies eloquently that Indians have always exercised agency in shaping their history and ours as a whole---even in circumstances not of their choosing.

Eurocentric assumptions perpetrated by white males have obscured the incredibly brave and noble work of Native American writers. As a feminist who is interrogating those eurocentric paradigms, I am delighted to come upon this wonderful book.

This is an adorably illustrated book. I teach preschool and need a book with simple language and great pictures to get the point of the Thanksgiving season across - I think this one does a great job.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims is a delightful children's book for the very young. B.G. Hennessy's writing is clear-cut, and doesn't overreach, as many Thanksgiving books have a tendency to do. There is no mention of death, or the hardships the pilgrims endured. This is a pleasant story recommended to the 3 to 8 crowd, but I say children 2 to 5 are more likely to appreciate it. The illustrations are equally delightful, and bursting with color. The text is rhythmic, and entertaining. If you don't mind singing the Thanksgiving version in the shower, or when drifting off to sleep, then check it out. It's an addictive read, but very effective, and worth a look.

This book is a wonderful story for the preschool crowd. It is sung to the old Ten Little Indians, but is a little more multicultural. It shows(with very cute illustrations) the Pilgrim & Wampanoag Indian children ina positive yet accurate light, and also depicts the different foods that were eaten at the first thanksgiving.

When I received this book I was surprised at its size. It is larger in format and thicker than you will expect, and given the high quality glossy stock on which it is printed, it's heavy.

Each chapter of the book covers another subspecies of huntable game in North America including the jaguar (which the author darts). Each chapter is broken into two parts. In the first part Dr. Jones discusses the game itself, describing its ecology and history. These sections are very informative without being dry or boring. In the second section of each chapter Dr. Jones describes his own personal hunt for the animal.

I found this book impossible to stop reading. My procedure was to read a chapter each night before bed. Unfortunately, this led to some late nights for me. Sometimes I wanted to read the next chapter so bad I stayed up another 45 minutes just to get it in!

You may never hunt musk ox, or Peary's caribou, or a desert bighorn or jaguar. But this book will make you feel like you were right there with Dr. Jones as he hunts these animals.

This is not a how to book. While there are recommendations of equipment, these hunts were all guided and Dr. Jones focuses more on describing the game and hunt itself and his experiences than he does in trying to teach the reader how to hunt a particular animal.

This is superior piece of work. You will not regret buying it, even though you may lose a little sleep.

If you happen to like books which are impossible to quit reading, this is one you must buy. However, being a large, well designed book mandates caution - other responisiblities will be easily forgotten in the Dr. Jones' writing and wonderful color photos.

My personal hunting library has grown over the years, and now number well over 200 titles. Dr. Jones' volume deserves to be recommended reading for every big game hunter, regardless of his personal aspirations or abilities, a distinction shared by few hunting books. However, the incorporation of a modified "peer-review" process in the development of this book is essentially unprecendented in the hunting literature. By utilizing this process and the input of several experts, J.Y.'s book is becomes the most authoritive book on NA big game. More importantly, he has established a model which should be closely followed by outdoor writers everywhere. I hope this proves to be the legacy of this book.

This book is truly a hunting book.
For those who would like to know what type of hunting situation you'd encounter in north America than this book is for you.
It doesn't discuss guns and other equipment in detail, but that's exactly what make this book a HUNTING book.

Daniel Richter, in this astonishing book, does an excellent job explaining social, political and economical aspects of the Iroquois people with strong evidence. This book is a resutl of a big reserach and Richter's dedication to the subject. I would recommend this book not only to students who need to take Native American History, but also to anyone who is interested in learning about the Iroquoi's life and their impacts on the French, the England, and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though i am not a native speaker, i really enjoyed reading this book because of Richter's plain English.

I've found this book to be both insightful and easy to understand. Though this is a well researched and referenced academic text it is accessible to the average reader, assuming an interest in the subject matter.

The Iroquois were a centerpiece of North American colonial life and I would highly suggest this book for those interested in History or Anthropology, as Dr. Richter takes broad approach to his analysis and documents cultural practices and history of interest to many disciplines.

The Ordeal of the Longhouse is an excellent start to gaining an understanding of how the Iroquois were affected by the onset of Europeans in their territory. This book does an excellent job of looking at Iroquoian culture and how it developed both before and after Europeans arrived. Europeans changed the cultures of all groups that they interacted with as each took on some of the characteristics of the other and the Iroquois were not exception. Richter takes great detail to play out the various council negotiations and treaty discussions that led to the formation of the five nations council in the view of the Europeans and how this affected diplomacy in the new world. The British, Dutch and French all were forced to deal with the five nations and having a book that so expertly captures their negotiations is wonderful. This is an essential study for anyone who wishes to understand colonial history. While newer books have been coming out on the subject this still remains the gold standard and one of the excellent studies on the Iroquois. A great addition to any colonial or native American historians library.

There's an implicit question raised by The Other Game, which is relevant to all of us. Which is the game we want to play? Dahl-Bredine and Hicken depict lives that are productive and rich in meaning, wisdom, and sharing. They demonstrate how the unwritten protocols of this Oaxacan village keep the society tending towards a more inclusive distribution of wealth. This is accomplished through festivals of generosity, self-funded and rotating leadership roles, and work projects in which everyone contributes to the community's well-being.

In an interlude at the center of the book, the authors detail the unwritten assumptions by which we operate. I found this a good common ground for discussion.

This book is particularly useful for those of us trying to figure out how we can be *individually* such good people and *collectively* doing such terrible things. We're focused on winning a game whose rules benefit the casino owners. It's time to walk outside and see how the other 80% lives. It will prepare us to walk back inside and change the game.

There is much to learn from other cultures. We can look at them and then examine ourselves to see what's really important. "The Other Game: Lessons from How Life Is Played In Mexican Villages" is an historical survey focusing upon villages that have existed for thousands of years, and a look at their inhabitants and their way of life. Alternatives to our culture are presented to make a better future for ourselves, and while it is far from being a romantic view of the past and in the Mexican villages, it is simply meant to offer another option for life. Recommended for religion and social issue community library collection shelves, and those who seek to learn about how others live day to day.

Authors Dahl-Bredine and Hicken have given us a very clear description and analysis of the situation in the Mixteca Alta Region of Oaxaca, Mexico. They show in a detailed and documented fashion the damage done by agricultural policies and trade practices coming from the North. Then based on the life experiences and stories of the local people, they show us another way to live and produce food. Reaching back to the wisdom of the Mixtec ancestors they offer a vision of hope for the future.

I use this book in school as a student, and it is probably the best book to learn a detailed history of the United States.

I am a secondary education history major and I use this book in my US history class. I find it to be simply outstanding. It reads like a novel and not like a text book. This is a must have for any history buff.

History textbooks are usually inadequate and painfully boring. This book is exceptionally well-written, accurate and interesting. It's great!