North America Books

This is a great sinopsis of NW Coast archeology with beautiful maps and pictures. Although the authors' theory of a connection between large pithouse villages on the Columbia Plateau and extensive shell middens on the coast has been brought into quesiton by recent work on the Queen Charlette Islands, the book contains insightful information and analysis pertinent to the area's prehistory.

This book is highly recommended for both serious students and archeology hobbyists.

It is all too often that the general public gets the impression that Native American cultures were monolithic, unchanging societies, with little or variation through the centuries. The greatest contribution of this book is to counter this misconception. Through its pages unfolds the story of a dynamic culture whose history contains as many twists and turns as any more familiar civilization. The text is enlivened by excellent illustrations and chapters focusing on specific aspects such as warfare and art. There is nothing in the book which should not be there, and very little that is missing, and although some less scholarly readers may get bogged down in the details, it is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in the subject.

Peoples Of The Northwest Coast presents a condensed thematic overview. "The evolution of ranking and stratification among Northwest coast societies is at the heart of any understanding of the coast's cultural history (p. 254)." The text goes on to say "..obsidian evidence shows large -scale exchange networks existed on the coast by...10,000 B.C." This is a summary-survey of Northwest Coast archaeology with an emphasis on the role of variability in prehistory and cultural development. Written by two renowned professors of anthropology, the style and language of Peoples Of The Northwest Coast have been made deliberately accessible . The spare text is enriched by copious black and white photos, illustrations, maps, and diagrams. The richness and beauty of the Northwest Coast from Oregon to Alaska is always present in this 13,000 year archaeological history of its peoples. Cautious in tone, wary of leaping to generalizations or stereotypic thinking, the text achieves the authors' goals of educating the interested public with pleasure, presenting Northwest archaeology for popular consumption, and introducing to specialized students the pressing research questions of Northwest Coast excavation, and finally to present some of the value of archaeology to First Nation Peoples, the fourth audience. It is seen as another means to supplement and display the Coast Peoples' traditional oral histories.

Writing such a book is an ambitious undertaking. The result is well worth exploring. The role of art in these prehistories is especially presented in the ninth chapter titled "Northwest Coast Art." Nonlinear prehistory is not the oxymoron it might at first seem to be. Focussing on ecology, environments, oldest cultures, later Pacific and Modern Period Northwest Coast Subsistence Status, Ritual and Warfare, the chapters lead to a condensed complex of conclusions about variability, regional similarities, and cultural richness. The pathway to conclusions about community organization and social stratification is well defined.

Peoples Of The Northwest Coast is a respectable rave of a book.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

Peoples of the Northwest Coast is a rich volume dealing with the archaeology of the Alaska, B.C. and Washington coasts. The thematic nature of the book allows the reader to explore topics such as Ecology: Environments and Demography, Northwest Coast Subsistence, and Households and Beyond. Photographs and illustrations offer an additional insight into prehistoric life on the northwest coast. Ames and Maschner have presented "their view of things", which may frusterate some readers; however, it remains the first synthesis of northwest coast archaeology and prehistory: a valuable book.

Katherine C. Grier has written a book that is both entertaining and informative. Although I don't think it was intended to be a textbook, it will be a very useful book to use in the college classroom...students will not fail to be engaged by it, which will result in good discussions and thus more learning about the way our society views companion creatures. Dr. Grier blends history and visual images in a way that supports and extends the reader's general comprehension and enjoyment of the many interesting facts in it. Beyond it's usefulness in my classes, though, I have to say that this book is probably one of the best reference works for the history of pets in America that has been written to date. It's also fun to look at the pictures. It is the work of a rare type of scholar: she "reaches the student before she teaches the student." I'm going to make this a required book in my classes next Fall. Thanks, Dr. Grier, for a job well done!Pets in America: A History

Pets in America: A History, was purchased as a gift to a friend who is a pet-lover. She seemed delighted with the gift. I skimmed but did not read the book in detail.

It's true that Americans love their pets. Ask anyone at school or work and your will usually get quite a story about the family pet. Katherine Grier's Pets in America: A History is a wonderful attempt to trace the history of pets in America. It is ironic to see how the social development of Americans so closely parallels the sociological importance of our pets.

This book is absolutely recommended for you or the pet lover in your life. It is filled with little pithy facts about pet ownership down through the ages. For instance, I was pleasantly surprised to read of George Washington's hounds and the level to which his personal correspondence referenced them.

Pet ownership has existed in some form since the 1500s and continues to grow in popularity. I found it intriguing how much of pet inclusion is tied directly to our sociological evolution. For instance, our incorporation of pets into photographs directly corresponds to American's desire to share memories with their posterity. The modern purveyor of the digital camera doesn't even give Fluffy a second thought to being included in a photo spread.

Grier also shares the realities for capitalism which increasing pet ownership brought to America. In some of these sections the minutiae will creep to the surface. You would be ill advised to sit down and read it in a few sittings. I did this and found myself absorbed in the details.

Instead, read this book in small chunks. It is filled with incredible information about pet ownership - and every pet lover will find it a must have for their library. George Bernard Shaw said it best: "Animals are my friends, and I don't eat my friends." I wouldn't recommend you eat your pets - but I do recommend you read this book.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a yummy book!

"Pets in America", an astonishingly comprehensive new book by Katherine C. Grier, relates the history of pets as we have known them from the earliest days of our nation. In doing so, she has given us a compelling look at the evolution of how different animals became popular pets, how we treat pets as a society and what their needs are compared to ours.

Grier begins by asking "what is a pet?" and then follows up with remarks about "why pets matter". She sets the stage for the reader to begin to view the animals we call "pets" (and what Americans in the nineteenth century called "favorites") in a different way than just furry little creatures that greet us upon our return home. One of the many surprises I found in reading "Pets in America" was that one hundred to one hundred fifty years ago the most popular pet to have was a caged bird. She explains part of the reason by saying that there was far less noise around then and songbirds added a cheerful level of volume that was most welcome in many homes.

While Grier's book understandably covers dogs, cats, birds and fish as the most common pets to find around the house, there is also a good deal of writing about livestock animals.....horses, swine, barnyard fowl and rabbits. There are many quotes from diarists of the 1800s and the most alluring ones come from children. Being much closer to "pets as dinner" she quotes a few girls who couldn't stand the thought of losing a newborn calf or lamb, knowing that it would end up on someone's dinner table....possibly their own. There's also a charming section on "the Bunnie States of America"....a club set up in 1898 by the children of an Albany, New York couple who had rules and regulations for their club, held meetings and wrote of the happenings of their beloved rabbits.

Grier takes an awful lot of time in the middle of the book describing the liberal goodness of the upper middle class and their views toward treating animals with kindness and respect. Although she presents her case effectively, it is the one place where "Pets in America" bogs down a little but she picks right up again with a chapter titled, "Pet keeping and its dilemmas". As animals moved closer to humans with their increased indoor contact, boundaries necessitated change. Understandably, at the same time, livestock became more foreign to many Americans with the advent of the automobile, as horses were decreasingly necessary for transportation. However, Grier describes in great detail what city life was like prior to that with pigs running through the streets, chickens cackling in many a backyard and the undeniable stench of horse manure. The seemy side of pet life....those who dealt in the selling, trading and butchering of pets is a terrific addition to the work. It's hard to believe, sometimes, that we are just a few generations removed from all of that.

The author finishes up with a look at the twentieth century arrival (on a large scale) of pet stores, pet food and other accoutrements such as "clothing" and bedding. There is not much about veterinary medicine in this book other to say that in earlier times, a pet's best caregiver (and often its only doctor) was its owner.

Many wonderful, early photographs and drawings accompany "Pets in America". It's a welcome addition to a fantastic book. I highly recommend "Pets in America" for its depth and incisiveness and I applaud Katherine Grier for combining a straightforward analysis with an outstanding narrative.

Good info, but reads like a textbook. Tons of references to other works and papers.

The most complete authority on the peyote cactus, Lophophora williamsii. E. Anderson includes every aspects of peyote- history and religious uses to ethnobotanical, phytochemistry and pharmacology. For anyone interested in learning all aspects of this mystifying plant, Peyote: The Divine Cactus, will allow just that.

This is a very informitive book that covers history, ceremonies,
users experiences, and much more. As a member of the Native American Church I recommed it to members and non-members alike.

This book was a true classic, if you are looking for complete information on the Peyote Cactus, this is the book for you to buy. I cannot recommend it enough, it is one of my favorite books in my collection. It is professional, well written, and informative.

Perfect size, fits in a pocket. Has two maps. Subway map, greater philly map, and independence mall area map.

I love this map. fits right in your backpocket and is perfect for walking around where you don't know your way. The only downside to the small size is, well, the small size. I wear reading glasses of +1.75 strength, which is not too much, but without my glasses it's a struggle to read it. For those who don't need reading glasses, it will be perfect.

I took a trip up to Philadelphia with some friends and the friend we were visiting gave us this map to use when we go around. This map is AWESOME. It is everything you'll need to get around Philadelphia and it fits right into your pocket, literally.

SIZE ASSESSMENT
I first kept it in my purse and it was actually kind of cumbersome to constantly take out, so we started keeping it in jacket or pants pockets, and it rested there easily. Also, it's very small and discreet, so you don't feel like a tourist-moron when you have to bust it out to figure out where you are.

MAP ASSESSMENT
It has maps of the greater Philadelphia area, the Historic District (where the Liberty Bell, etc. are) and the Subway routes. They even suggest a "walking tour" that you can take to visit all of the places around the Historic District (takes about 1.5 hours). When it folds out, there is about an inch margin on either side that goes past the protective cardboard cover, and the mapmakers use this space to detail information about the best hotels, restaurants and sightseeing attractions. Everything is easily legible and the legend is also easy to find.

OTHER NOTES
I liked the map so much that I wanted to buy one for when I go to Stockholm this summer, but the typical sites (Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble) garnered no results or results that had extremely high shipping charges. However, I finally found a site that sells all the Pop-Out maps available (http://www.mapeasy.com/prod_polist.html) and even charges only $2 for shipping. After contemplating paying anywhere from $11 (in the Buy New/Used part of Amazon) to $20 (Amazon.com.uk), I was happy to get it under $9 (total) from this reputable website. Also, it's easier to find every single one, since they're in a list style, on this webpage. No more searching for me! I'll always know where to look to get my next pop-out map.

This is an excellent map.
It is detailed, but the writing is clear (no need for the magnifying glass).
It has Downtown Philadelphia in a popout map on one side (which includes some of the major shopping areas!) and Historic Philadelphia in a popout map on the other side. It includes a walking tour around Independence Mall. The back has a handy at-a-glance guide to Downtown Bus & Trolley Routes.

It has all the information you will want, popout the section you need and it folds back down again and can fit in a pocket or purse.

This is a difficult, provocative, awesomely beautiful book -- easily one of the great novels of the twentieth century. I can only think of a handful of other books I've ever read that are as brilliantly and thrillingly written: Styron's The Confessions of Nat Turner; Robert Penn Warren's All the Kings Men, and Faulkner's Sound and the Fury come to mind. It is the story of a man looking for his place in the universe, a member of a dying tribe trying to keeps its legends alive. It is the story of an artist, the story of someone merely trying to live and make sense of what living means. It is the story of every person, every culture, every tribe. I loved it.

Back when the now-infamous Top 100 Books of the Century list was proposed, there were a number of glaring omissions, including Djuna Barnes's Nightwood, William Gaddis's The Recognitions, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and, yes, The Place in Flowers Where Pollen Rests. With the exception of William Gass's The Tunnel, I have never read such stunning prose so effortlessly rendered. The book centers around Oswald Beautiful Badger Going Over the Hill; too primitive to adopt white mentality, he is "too tainted with book smarts to be at ease among this tribe." He is overshadowed by the looming presence of his uncle, George The Place In Flowers Where Pollen Rests, a legendary carver of kachina dolls. Haunted by his involvement in the death of a porn actress, Oswald is forced to leave the low-budget film industry. A short time later, the Vietnam War pushes him to the perimeter of sanity. Whitmanesque in its simplicity and affinity for nature, West achieves a lyricism that brings concepts as overarching as constellations into the drawing room and hangs them there like bright mobiles. So detailed and incisive are West's descriptions-whether of life on the mesa, George's carving or Oswald's thoughts-the book is more an experience than a piece of literature. Uncle George tells Oswald "a doll covered with chisel scars is not more beautiful than the universe, of course not; but it is cut to our size, like the television." So West takes art, myth and Hopi cosmology and gives them to us in something handy enough to carry on the subway or leave on the bedstand. West's inexhaustible imagination and uncanny skill with language make the reader realize, as Oswald does, that she or he is part of something as eternal as the seasons and as incalculably vast as what surrounds us.

Back in the fifties, a writer named Jack Green wrote a series of articles blasting the critics for ignoring the genius of William Gaddis's `The Recognitions'. By and large, the reviews were incompetent and had been cribbed from one another-most reviewers had not even read the book. Green went so far as to take out a full-page ad in the Village Voice, at his own expense, exhorting people to buy `The Recognitions'. That is the way I feel about `The Place In Flowers Where Pollen Rests'. The reviewers were anything BUT incompetent-all the reviews I have read have extolled its lyricism, its out-and-out originality and the sheer vision of the author. Readers, however, seem not to have given it its due.

Set on the Hopi mesas of northern Arizona and in the jungles of Vietnam, the book is told alternately by George The Place In Flowers Where Pollen Rests, his nephew Oswald Beautiful Badger Going Over the Hill ("not so much a name as an expedition") and even Sotuqunangu, a Hopi god. "Unhandy names, these," West writes, but they bring something to life on the mesa: a touch of color, which is the obvious thing to say, but also, to the very act of naming, something narrative, as if all of nature had been in motion at the moment of your birth. It was."

Oswald, who has learned to speak English and made his living in Los Angeles as a porn actor, returns after the accidental death of one of the actresses he was working with. He tries to re-establish the relationship with his "uncle", George, a carver of one-of-a-kind kachina dolls (a kachina is a kind of Hopi angel) who is considered the Picasso of his art. Nearly blind and hampered by a failing heart, George, for the first time, has need of Oswald-who is in fact his son-not only as someone to guide him through his perpetual dusk, but to listen to his stories of Hopi gods, Jimsonweed girls and the ghosts of his past. Ironically, it is Oswald who, in his confusion of two cultures, receives guidance and it George's voice, perhaps, that is Oswald's salvation while fighting in Vietnam.

Returning to the mesa after his tour of duty, Oswald tries, after his uncle's fashion, to get up-close and personal with stone formations, with the desert wind and even, after picking up a book on astronomy, with the stars.

There is no page you can turn to in this book where you will not find a sample of an extraordinary prose style or an observation that a lesser novelist would have saved as the punchline to end the book. For example, on the topic of happiness, West writes, "Don't try. Don't try not to try. Happiness is an incidental thing like feathers falling from a bird in flight. Fly, be a bird, and feathers will fall." In these few sentences West has captured the essence of the Baghavadgita and its "Way of Right Action." The book is simply loaded with stunning insights and beautiful sentences--the kind that put many younger authors of "Big Books" (Franzen, DeLillo) to shame. One of the absolute best novels I have ever read, readers have far too long ignored this masterpiece.

PS -- the Voyant edition has two previously unpublished essays at the back of the book; "The Backlash Against the Novel" is a fascinating read all by itself.

To merely say that the prose is lyrically buoyant is not enough, to say that the writing is merely insightful is not enough. I'd probably need the gifts of Paul West to be able to adequately get across to you just how beautiful the experience of reading this book (3x) was for me.

For me to comment on the book's story or plot would be a waste of time, because turning the pages for me was not a matter of what will happen next but a matter of what deftly rendered prose was waiting. You can get lost in it like a Faustian moment, a Coltrane solo, or an inspiration that makes you miss every exit home.

This is West's best work by far, as well as one of the best works to come out of 20th century literature. He is in absolute command of his voice, of his subject, and of his characters. If you love to read for the sake of reading, read this book. You won't be disappointed.

The late Carl Sagan thought that science should be "user-friendly," presented not in jargon but in regular English. He believed that the general public could -- and should -- have access to the latest scientific discoveries.

Sagan would be proud of _Planet Ocean._ The central theme of the book is stated clearly on page 1: "Nature is a workshop, not a temple." Matsen spends the rest of the book supporting this concept, explaining that life is not a stately, well-executed design where species climb a ladder of progress; rather, evolution is an inescapable and completely random condition. Animals and plants breed, have offspring that are slightly different, and continue to become slightly more different with each successive generation until the distant grandkids look nothing like the original parent. In addition, through totally weird, sometimes avoidable and sometimes unavoidable circumstances, the species as a whole will either do very well, or get pushed out of the scene. The environment works like the stock market -- fortunes are made, and fortunes are lost. (The metaphor of "rolling the dice" comes up more than once.)

Matsen's prose is engaging, entertaining, and extremely informative. In one of my favorite sections, he describes the success of the trilobites (who survived for 300 million years in Earth's oceans):

"They would eat anything and breed anywhere, and they made themselves as unattractive to predators as possible. We all have relatives like them. From [trilobites] and their success and longevity, an evolutionary rule of thumb has emerged: 'The more specialized a species, the less able to cope with change it will be once the inevitable happens and old habitats change beyond the point of recognition' [...]. In other words, generalists usually outlast specialists, and evolutionary progress is not necessarily a matter of refinement. [...] Ninety percent of success is just showing up. Ask an arthropod, like a trilobite or a cockroach. [...] Generalism won't get you to Carnegie Hall with your cello, but a cockroach doesn't need a cello." (p. 14).

This conversational tone is used throughout the book, and it really works. Matsen's prose reminds one of an after-class discussion with a very generous, patient biology teacher -- the kind you always wished you had, and didn't. Matsen takes otherwise very difficult subject matter and explains it in understandable terms that don't insult the intelligence of the reader. He even suggests amusing mnemonics to remember the order of epochs in the Palaezoic and Mesozoic eras ("Crying over sleeping dragons may puzzle people, terrify, (or) joyfully convert") as well as for the Cenozoic era ("Palaeontologists eat only murky plankton porridge hot").

Interwoven with the education that Matsen offers is the story of his and artist Ray Troll's voyage of discovery. Brad and Ray actually travelled to many of the sites discussed in the book, and the little personal touches -- Brad's vision of the Cretacious sea as they drove across Kansas, Ray's discovery and naming of a totally new species of pterasaur, and the fishing trips enjoyed by both -- really draw in the reader. One becomes intimate with the friendly voice, the casual, personal stories, and history of life on Earth.

Not to be missed, of course, is the wonderful art. Ray Troll is a meticulous artist, and his offbeat sense of humor is perfectly in place with the spirit of the book. For example, his illustration of a lungfish's hesitant voyage out of water is captioned, "Out of the ooze and born to cruise." Not to be missed are his "ads" for a wrist watch that measures geologic time; Burgess Brand Primordial Soup; and that great French wine, Chateau Mosasaur. Doodles, sketches, and highly detailed pastel paintings are strewn throughout, and they are worth the price of the book by themselves. (Interested readers can preview some of Ray's art at his homepage, www.trollart.com)

This book is an excellent introduction to evolution, palaeontology, marine biology, and/or marine science. Alternately light and serious, one is sorry to finish the book. It -- like the 650 million year history it encapsulates -- is such a joy to experience. Highly recommended.

Brad Matsen and Ray Troll's "Planet Ocean" is a lively swim through the fossil record, beginning at the beginning 650 million years ago in the watery depths.

Troll's whimsical illustrations accompany Matsen's humorously accessible explanations of what we've learned - and think we've learned - from the earliest fossils. Matsen traces evolution from the primordial soup to the first colonies of multicellular organisms to the ubiquitous trilobytes - "the most diverse and successful animals on Planet Ocean until the Permian extinction claimed the last of them."

He discusses the engineering that went into chambers (the nautilus) and hard shells and the arrival of backbones and speculates (with the experts) on the role of extinctions in evolution, including our own.

Although he sometimes demolishes or supports theories without sufficient scientific explanation, Matsen's watery perspective is well-organized and refreshing and Troll's drawings and paintings are as likely to be detailed and informative as they are fanciful and quirky.

I bought this book essentially to serve as additional curriculum support to my 'Science & The Art of Discovery' workshop designed for kids, 8-12. I have kept it in the office library where the kids can have ready access.

Participating kids often like to take out the book to browse. I often find them transfixed with awe.

The book is a wonderful visual & intellectual treat. The printed text integrates natural history, paleontology, geology, & biology into a wholistic narrative about the origins of all life on earth.

I like to conclude this review with a quotation from the book: "We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started. And know the place for the first time. (T S Elliot, 'Four Quartets')"

I would enthusiastically recommend this entertaining book to your kids, particularly when they have an interest in science.

This book was a pleasure to read- even though it was mostly facts (and this is coming from a teenager)! Sure, I love learning about evolution and fossils, but I rarely sit down to read long, boring books about it. But this book is fresh, colorful, full of information, and INTERESTING!!! I congratulate the author and illustrator for putting out such a masterpiece! It is sure to recruit paleontologists for the next generation!

Charles Young's fascinating, intensely readable novel vividly recreates the relatively recent history of eastern Connecticut's Native Amnericans, how they lived and worked, interacted, squabbled and dreamed of a better future, soon to be realized. In riveting, cleverly evoked flashbacks, the author takes us back more than 275 years to dramatize how Potassett's forebearers survived tribal jealousies, betrayals, bloody warfare and meager resources to sustain hope for future generations. A marvelous reading experience which shows how indomitable spirit and will bring triumph in the end.

Charles Young has a neat way of combining history with fiction. The book describes the life of the protagonist, a native American male, from childhood to manhood in a modern Indian village set down amidst the populous Connecticut shore. Along the way he is surrounded and educated by crusty, eccentric, lovable characters.

There is a sweet love affair, and the solution to a mystery about the tribe's heartbreaking past.

The action precedes the establishment of the casino of the Mashantucket Pequots.

I found Potassett to be both entertaining and educational. Charles Young has done a masterful job of combining a story of the early history of the Indians of eastern Connecticut with a modern day account of Native Americans of the same tribe in the pre-casino era, and all in an engrossing and delightful novel. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of Native Americans in New England or who just want to read a good novel.

When legend and ancient civilizations converge narrowly on the past, it is up to our authors to recreate the world and let those long dead live again. Instead of paying homage to older notions of indian representation, Charles Young hits the New England coastline with a un-biased trowel and digs in search of his own arrowheads.

In his fictional account, Young sets his anti-hero in past and present and allows him to identify with his roots and find his place as a bright, contemporary, though somewhat nerdy, native american.

The story spans several eras from pre-colonial to the present day construction of the casinos in Connecticut. With the help of his girlfriend/teacher/mentor, the protagonist, a budding archaeologist, searches for the ancient past, and focuses his attention on one question: what happened at blood creek?

Young stretches typical conceptions of native americans, and even isn't afraid to portray Uncas as an unseemly character (in your face Cooper). The book was a good read, filled with authentic local flavor and historical faction.

Blending together elements from several eras, Young shows the native american as a man who can scoff at assimilation and flourish in the land that was his by birth-right. The main characters are generally handled with dignity, and compassion; however, some of the lessers act as negative metaphors or somewhat overbearing stereotypes.

The story is well written and worth the time. I recommend you take a look.

Hogan's voice is unique, poetic, fluid, and very rooted in nature. In both POWER and SOLAR STORMS, she explores the complexity of relationships with our own culture, the natural world, and the spirit world, creating rich and multi-dimensional stories. Both of these books have been beautiful experiences for me that leave me wanting to share them with everyone. All my friends will be receiving POWER for their birthday this year.
Kaya McLaren, author of CHURCH OF THE DOG, ON THE DIVINITY OF SECOND CHANCES, and HOW I CAME TO SPARKLE AGAIN

Of all Linda Hogan's three novels, this is her finest, with a mesmerizing lyrical voice, a young Native American narrator who is coming of age in a time when tribal and environmental law are in conflict. This story of Omishto, the One Who Watches, the endangered Florida panther, a hurricane which reveals family and tribal truths -- is elegantly told and a real page-turner. The courtroom drama at the center of the book, is more fascinating than that of Snow Falling on Cedars (David Guterson's recent bestseller). And I found the descriptions of place, people, and Native American vision and a rebirth of a culture of both panther and tribe to be deeply inspiring. This is one of my all-time favorite novels, and I bet it will be a classic.

Ms. Hogan has woven a tale that is a tapestry both complex and deceptively simple in focus. For many, this story could be told with other than Native symbology, from the point of view of living honestly and the struggles within the lives we inhabit, be it home, work, family, neighborhood, or, most importantly, self. She illustrates with reverance how deeply connected we are to all of creation and how, when we seek meaning in our lives in indifference to all of creation, how separate and fearful our beliefs can become. This is carefully illustrated by Ms. Hogan through the duplicitous nature of many of the characters (not unlike any of us) interacting with the young woman of this story. The fear Ms. Hogan exposes throughout the telling of this story is that which is held in many hearts when confronted with how we have moved from living with respect for life to the group-held belief and reality that being human is separate and above the rest of creation. This book tells of old ways which compel a young woman to herself, which is, in my view, both particular to this story and potentially to any reader that "sees" similar to that of the young Native woman whose story this book reveals. Ms. Hogan speaks of that which is authentic, sacred, and true. The book has much to say, but it also draws the landscape of the Florida swamps with its heat and searing presence indelibly in the readers mind. The book confirms the truth of life as an immutable force larger than any of our efforts to ignore it. I am grateful to have read her work.

In this story, there is a storm, a panther is killed, and there are two trials--one in a courthouse about the death of an animal protected by the Endangered Species Act and one among the Taiga elders, who abide by the old ways, on whether the killing was conducted in accordance with tribal law. We experience these events through the eyes, ears, body, and mind of 16 yr old Omishto as she accompanies her adult friend and "teacher," Ama, on a journey she knows is wrong but inevitable, experiences the chasm between the old and new ways of living for the Taiga people, and seeks to understand her own place in a chaotic and dying world. Linda Hogan's masterful writing led me to read this book with my heart, not my mind. This story is an exquisite masterpiece.

The previous reviewers said it all; this book is great! I used it with my Honors Social Studies and Language Arts class, and you could have heard a pin drop! Well done, Sally Crum!

Race To The Moonrise is a carefully researched adventure tale of two young Mogollon trader children who run an exciting race against the full moonrise in prehistoric (1200 A.D.) northern Mexico and southwestern U.S. Little Basket, the young girl prophetess and her brother Long Legs make the arduous journey from their village in northern Mexico to the area of Chimney Rock and Finger Rocks, near the Four Corners area of today, before the 19th full moonrise to participate in a religious ceremony. All details are carefully researched and help authenticate this exciting children's educational action adventure book. Note: Race To The Moonrise was approved for use with Native American children by the Intertribal Cultural Committee of the Council for Indian Education. It is fascinating to follow the ebb and flow of this exciting tale. So much of early Native American prehistory is not known, yet what can be surmised of these ancient MesoAmericans is both intriguing and of enduring value to the young people of today. Race To The Moonrise is a fine work to honor one's ancestors with.

Race to the Moonrise, by archaeologist Sally Crum, is a wonderful resource for teachers teaching the history and cultures of the Southwest and Colorado. It is a fictional story which contains a vivid picture of the cultures of the Southwest from Casa Grande to Chimney Rock in Colorado. I used it with my fourth grade students to enable them to visualize the people and their lifestyle, compare the environments, weapons, religions, clothing, tools, foods, building styles, use of natural resources, trade, household objects, and travel of the Pre-Puebloan people. The story is appropriate for fourth grade and above and through a fictional narrative with carefully researched background, keeps students interested and learning throughout. The author has also published a teacher's guide with questions and activities to use with the book. I would recommend Race to the Moonrise to other teachers. It has been a great addition to my unit on Colorado History.

I have a really difficult time reviewing children's books. Until now. I have just finished "Race to the Moonrise: An Ancient Journey" by Ouray, CO author Sally Crum. It is a wonderful book. It was written for the fourth grade level, but let me tell you, I think readers of any age will not only enjoy the book but will finish it with a greater understanding of native American culture and feel good about having read it. The setting of the book is around 1200 AD and centers around Little Basket, a young girl with some very special powers, and her brother, Long Legs. These two, with their uncle, embark on a journey from their home in Mexico to what is now southwestern Colorado. The purpose of the journey, which takes them through the country of the Mogollon of New Mexico, the Hohokam of the Gila and Salt River Basins, the Sinagua of Wupatki Pueblo, the Hopi, and the Chaco Canyon, Aztec, Mesa Verde and Chimney Rock Pueblo peoples, is to save their village. Besides being a great read, the book is impressively accurate in its description of the native American cultures, and geographic and archaeological places which exist today. On a recent trip which included many of those places I was amazed at the author's accuracy. Do Little Basket and Long Legs save the village? To be sure, it's not here today. But then, when a little girl has special powers and a strong, brave, and protective brother...who knows? Sally Crum is a working archaeologist and has worked for numerous national parks and monuments over the past 16 years. The book has been approved for use with Native American children by the Intertribal Cultural Committee of the Council for Indian Education and published by Western Reflections Inc., so you know the quality is second to none. This is a wonderful, enchanting book. It is truly for children of all ages...right up into geezerhood!

Whether an a railfan for decades or just getting into the hobby, this is a great book. Copy is informative and not overdone. Photos and graphics are outstanding. Although my interest in railroading in the Northeast, I found the collection of schedule graphics, promotional pieces, etc. very interesting and, simply, just fun to look at. I lent my copy to a few of my buddies and was happy to see they didn't glance over the pages, but were caught by photos and info. (Hats off to the graphics people). And these are former railroaders and modelers who are "rivet counters," so for the book to get their attention says something about it. A few commented on the price, and thought the book was a real bargain.

As a general book on railroading, this is an excellent book. The photos are excellent, and it covers all the major railroads (and most minor ones) across the USA. There are many chapters on various aspects of railroading, and it is very informative for those who are learning or new to the hobby.

Train travel enthusiast and photographer Claude Wiatrowski is a member of the Colorado Midland Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society; The Colorado Railroad Museum; The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad; Friends of the East Broad Top; the Nevada Northern Railway Museum; the Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation; and the Lexington Group in Transportation History. He is therefore in a particularly knowledgeable position to create a profusely illustrated history of American railroads, and has done so with "Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History", an amazingly informed and informative 256-page compendium of information and images ranges from the first steam-powered locomotives of the 1800s down to the high-speed commuter trains of today. Enhanced with a descriptive listing of historical societies and other railroad organizations, as well as a section devoted to preserved railways, museums and historic sites, ""Railroads Across North America" also includes a bibliography and a comprehensive index, making it an ideal and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Railroading reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Railroads Across North America is a unique book in this field. it illustrates in great color the historic rail lines that made America great. It also shows the breadth of railroad activites that were a part of operations. This book is just plain fun!

Bill Lock,
Founder Friends
of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad