Washington Books

In Soldier's Home, Hemingway's fictional account of a soldier returning from the Great War, the protagonist struggles to communicate his experience to the residents of his small town:

"At first Krebs, who had been at Belleau Wood, Soissons, the Champagne, St. Mihiel and in the Argonne did not want to talk about the war at all. Later he felt the need to talk but no one wanted to hear about it. His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities."

Captured Honor, a work of non-fiction, begins in similarly painful territory, with a moving description of Jack Elkins' homecoming after service in the War in the Pacific. Elkins had an extremely bad war as a prisoner of the Japanese in the Philippines and Japan, the details of which are frankly told in author Wodnik's compelling account. At war's end, Elkins finds himself pushed to the microphone on the stage of his small town church before an audience that includes his grammar school principal, old girlfriends, the hardware store clerk and his parents, among others. Their eyes search him for clues as to whether he remains the high school quarterback they remember, or has instead been transformed into "some sanitarium freak returned home to mom and dad."

Like Krebs, Elkins finds words inadequate to describe the enormity of his wartime experience. "You either tell all, or tell nothing" he thinks, and elects to keep the awful details to himself for more than 50 years.

Fortunately for us author Wodnik, a good listener and a fine writer, is able to engage Elkins and others who suffered as prisoners of the Japanese in their painful memories. Elkins, who fought bravely at Corregidor, survived the brutal Cabanatuan POW camp, and ended the war as a slave laborer working in the Mitsubishi shipyard in Yokohama, is a compelling subject, an ordinary man enduring extraordinary brutality in wartime. The book includes stirring memories of others including Fran Agnes, an apple picker turned Army aircraft mechanic who witnessed the Japanese destruction of Clark Field and survived the Bataan Death March and Henry Chamberlin, a medic, who is dispatched by his captors to Japan on a Hellship in conditions of unspeakable squalor.

Wodnik's important history is interspersed with scenes from the home front in Everett Washington, such as Veronica Lake flying in to sell war bonds to the star-struck citizenry. The correspondence of Ed Fox, an Everett hotel clerk and book fiend whose deepest influence seems to have been Dashiell Hammett, shows us the underside of a town emerging from the Depression, and fully engaged in wartime production of Boeing aircraft.

Captured Honor is a beautifully written book that presents with unsentimental empathy the stories of nine Americans who fought on Bataan and Corregidor. It juxtaposes these stories with an account of what was happening on the home scene -- specifically, in Everett, Washington, a town busy with war work -- as recorded in the diaries of a bookish hotel clerk. The juxtaposition works; it offers relief, and with these stories, I needed it.

Recently I learned much about the POW experience on the Bataan death march, on the "hell ships" and in the camps in the Philippines and Japan when I found a privately published 1959 novel written by a survivor. To me the other book was fantastical, so hard to believe that I started reading other veterans' narratives in an effort to make sense of it. Now Wodnik's nonfiction account has confirmed just about everything in it.

I think Captured Honor is an essential contribution to the history of the Pacific war -- and that Wodnik must be a gifted interviewer; these are often horrific, unglamorous memories that might have remained unrecorded. Time is running out for gathering these kinds of oral histories. But as hard as it is to read them, I am grateful for this book.

For anyone who is interested in the accounts of these brave men, this author has the ability to translate their memories into a fasinating and heartfelt read.

He put's you as much as is possible "at Corregidor, Bataan, and the infamous Zero Ward at Cabanatuan with Henry Chamberlain. Jack, Galen, Hanson, Johannsen,,, hero's all. It is to men like these we truly owe our right to walk in Freedom.

The book also gives you an account of what is happening at home which is an important part of the telling of the whole story. The auhor's command of the descriptive phrase makes people like Gracie, and Ed come alive. "the window in the room must have looked out onto a sky hanging so low in winter it seemed to scrape bricks from the faces of Seattle's tallest buildings".

Captured Honor .. thank you for capturing the memories for us before they were lost and faded...

If this book is all that Alan Sandage did for astronomy it would still be an enormous contribution. It provides semi-technical survey of all the work and people at the Mt. Wilson observatory up to early 1950's. Sandage does not merely list papers and projects and reproduces somebody else's opinion on them, he provides his own excellent authoritative analysis and summaries. As a scientist, he is known for strong opinions, but such personal angles can either be easily spotted or are largely smoothed by the perspective of a lifetime experience. The book is a work of love, actually worship. Anyone interested in MWO, or history of solar physics, stellar physics, or observational cosmology will benefit from this book.

I received my copy of this book in fine condition and very promptly. The price of $80 is in line with what everyone selling this book is asking. The price is a bit high but that is true with any book of limited release. The book itself has a few very minor errors. This is the best history of the Mount Wilson Observatory which I have every seen. The only way to get a more comprehensive history is to have access to the Observatorys libary. Then you would have to spend years reading thru hundreds of volumns of techincal work for the same information.

The first half of the 20th century was a golden age at the Mount Wilson Observatory. It was there that many of the most important steps in riddling out the secrets of stellar evolution and the expansion of the universe were made. Allan Sandage's delightful history recounts both the scientific advances made at the observatory, and tells the reader something of the brilliant but often eccentric people behind those discoveries. The author does have a distinct point of view -- he is a champion of the role of this observatory in the progress of astronomy -- but that brings a unity to the story. Some minor errors and typos have slipped through the editing, but overall this is a wonderful book. It is, however, a book that will be of most interest to readers who are already familiar with topics such as spectral classification and the Hubble Law.

This is an articulate and visually stunning book on Chinese Opera. Better pictorial research on the costumes, make-up and architype body poses is not available in English speaking countries. This is a must have research book for those in film and theatre.

If you're looking for a gorgeous book on the fascinating world of chinese opera, this is it. Has quite a good text featuring stories of the more popular operas. Furthermore, discusses regional variations, history and development and modern developments in the art.

This is an extraordinary book filled with pictures and information about every facet of Chinese Opera. It not only describes the operas and the regions from whence they originated, but also provides details such as the musical instruments used, and descriptions of the various the role types. Everything is illustrated, with color pictures on almost every page. The book certainly exceeded my expectations.

Ever wish you had a book that had certain qualities, and then find one that just meets your needs?

If you are interested in gardens around Washington DC, this is the guide book!
I have quite a bit of free time this spring and wanted to plan several garden visits, but couldn't find anything other than detailed histories of some of the major gardens in the area. In a stroke of luck, I checked out from the library and liked it so much I had to buy a copy.

It's a wonderfully detailed, yet readable description of each of the gardens with lots of nice historical detail without getting bogged down. I am very familiar with oneof the gardens and found the description to be very good.
It is aimed at the gardener, with descriptions of plants.

A real joy for the gardener looking to explore the gardens of Washington, DC.

Judy Karpinski's photos and Karen Thompson's illustrations enhance Barbara Seeber's A City Of Gardens, an impressively informative surveying of public gardens in and around Washington D.C. Any who live on the East Coast will find City Of Gardens to be an excellent destination-oriented guide which invites gardeners and tourists to enjoy the city's garden wonders. Notes on rare plants, old trees, and more pinpoint what makes each destination special.

I left D.C. over five years ago for Southwest Louisiana. Ms. Seeber's wonderful book "A City Of Garden's" allows me the priveldge to re-visit some of the most wonderful public gardens in D.C., such as Dumbarton Oaks and The Bishop's Garden at The National Cathedral, via a book. And, introduced me to a garden I have missed: "The Old Stone House," which Ms. Seeber astutley points out, "you could walk by and miss." For anyone interested in discovering the real splendors of the D.C. (and vicinity), the public gardens, there is only one source: "A City Of Gardens." Kudos, Ms, Seeber. This is a walk through my past, and a treasure of the utmost to anyone seeking the original and finest destinations in the Washington, D.C. metro area.: the glorious public gardens in and around our Nation's Capital, as the cover rightfully conveys.

Latino Voices in the Pacific Northwest is a collection of immigrant stories written as loosely translated spoken monologues, each written from the perspective of recent Spanish-speaking immigrants to the Pacific Northwest, with stories based in the healthcare setting, as well as at work and at home. The book speaks to the experiences of many immigrants and travelers across cultural boundaries. After reading this book time and time again, I still find myself laughing aloud or holding back the tears as different stories move me, which is especially impressive and touching as I wrote the book myself.

Wonderful book, reading it has been "deja vu" page after page. In my opinion, this book should be mandatory for all of those who work with the hispanic community in the medical as well as the legal arena in the United States. Like the author said: it makes you laugh out loud on one page, and moves you to tears the next. I'm seriously thinking on buying at least ten books just to have my community clinic co-workers read it!

A wonderful book. Sensitive and though-provoking. I look forward to more by this talented author!

What a marvelous compendium of African American spirituality! Readers will invariably find themselves adding their own "Amen" with every turn of the page. The value of the book is enhanced by moving pictures and illustrations. A helpful bibliography and index are also included. It is regrettable that the late James M. Washington is not around to see the full fruit of his labor. He has certainly produced a work that is both timely and timeless in its relevance.

Well-researched, wisely compiled, exhaustive in scope, encouraging in result, and providing worshipful hope. James Washington, in the spirit of Harold Carter's The prayer tradition of Black people, has collated over 200 prayers, poems, hymns, and stories reflecting the nature of African American spirituality. Lay people and academics will equally benefit from and enjoy this vibrant work.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction .

This is a collection of prayers that are beautiful, at times heart-wrenching, and always inspiring. I expect to read this book again and again.

I ordered this book, paid for it. Never arrived, you
are still offerring it for sale even after you
sent me my money back????????

I ordered this book, paid for it. Never arrived, you
are still offerring it for sale even after you
sent me my money back????????

This is certainly a MUST read for contract managers. It details every aspect of cost-reimbursable contracting and is an invaluable resource for day-to-day use. Great for "beginners" as well as the seasoned contracts professionsals. I only wish MORE of these types of texts were available.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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