South Dakota Books

I love most of the Little House on the Prairie books, as well as the stories of Laura's great-grandmother, Martha, her grandmother, Charlotte, her mother, Caroline, and her daughter, Rose. I've read every one I can get my hands on. My all-time favorite of the all the series is These Happy Golden Years. This tells of Laura and Almanzo's courtship, and it is so chaste and sweet.

This book definitely belongs on my 10 favorite children's books.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars. It tells of Laura Ingalls years between the age of 15 to 18, and her first teaching job where she goes to live with a family where the wife doesn't treats her shabbily. It's a good story but it mostly told more of her and Almanzo than her teaching.

Although the "Little House" books do not appear to be quite as popular as they were a couple of decades ago, I shared all the books with my grandchildren in the form of audio books. We would listen to them as we drove on both long and short rides. They, and I, enjoyed the first three books(Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek) but then felt the next three were just fair to listen to. When I first started These Happy Golden Years, I heard a grumble or two from the g'kids, but as the story unfolded their listening delight picked up. Soon they were begging me to drive the longer way home so they could find out what happened next. These Happy Golden Years is a sweet love story full of interesting historical facts, plus enough action to keep my grandson interested. The only flaw we found with the audio version of the book is the singing of the actor (Cherry Jones) that did the reading. It was a bit grating at times when she pretended to sing as Pa. (Poor Ma if Pa really sang like that) Other than that it is a five star recommendation.

Now fifteen-years-old, Laura Ingalls can't help but crave getting a job in order to help her family. Ever since her first taste of earning her own money, she is determined to find another position that complements her skills. Besides, with Mary away at college, as much as Laura misses the companionship of her beloved sister, she can't help but feel compelled to assist her family in keeping Mary in a place where she is learning, and happier than ever. To do that, however, she'll have to do what she can to find the perfect job. Now that she has her teaching certificate, she'll be able to do just that.

It seems like only yesterday that Laura Ingalls was racing around the schoolyard with the boys, playing ball and sharing secrets with her friends; now she is basically all grown up, and beginning her career as a schoolteacher. But being a teacher isn't as easy as Laura hoped it would be - especially when many of the students are older than she is. And, to add insult to injury, she's forced to contend with boarding with a couple who spends the late nights hurling insults at one another, and living in miserable conditions. The only consolation is that Almanzo Wilder drives in to town each and ever Friday, to pick her up and bring her to her folks house for the weekend, before she must start another grueling week. It is during these long rides that Laura begins to spend more and more time with the older man. But it also makes her question why he is so willing to drive the twelve miles to her aid each week. Laura is unsure of his motives. She is also too tired and busy to spend much time thinking about them. Instead, she thinks of the paycheck that will soon come her way; and the beauty and splendor of the items she can buy for her family as time goes by.

With each and every book in the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE series, I have seen Laura get older and older. I have also grown to love her as much as an old friend. Laura is such a responsible, mature individual - quite different from the little rascal she was during her younger years. She seems so caring, and eager to assist her family, and see that her sister gets the education she has always craved. It is so refreshing to see a character who puts others ahead of herself. Like in LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE, the reader has the opportunity to learn more about Almanzo Wilder; however, the more you learn, the more you see just how much older he is than Laura, and how strangely the relationship between the two of them develops. Another winner from Ms. Ingalls-Wilder!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

"These Happy Golden Years" is one of the best books I have ever come across. (And I have come across a lot, so don't doubt my taste!) Everything is detailed in an interesting sort of way, and the emotions and lovering part is kept well under control so it's not an immensely disgusting romance novel but not exactly a plain sensible book either. Laura Ingalls Wilder allowed the sequence to be somewhat unpredictable but it exemplifies a good plot that a true book-lover would cherish.
The plot is about fifteen-year-old Laura, now leaving home to teach school. It is a rather big challenge as the weeks drag by, but she learns to deal with unruly Clarence, pouty Martha, shy Charles, and the little ones, Ruby and another boy whose name I cannot remember. And at her boardinghouse, she has to learn how to cope with fussy and quarelly Mrs. Brewster, and spoiled baby Johnny. But the highlight of this part is every Friday Almanzo Wilder comes to pick her up to go home and back again on Sunday. When the term is finished, something has happened and soon Laura finds herself subconsciously in love with handsome Almanzo, and he with her. Of course, they don't just go ahead and marry, because a long-time rival of Laura's, Nellie Oleson, is also after Almanzo, and Laura's older snotty sister Mary is taking all her teaching money to go to college and Pa's claim must be fixed up before the winter. But these things soon pass, and Laura learns the joy of early womanhood as she and Ma make dresses, Laura learns how to deal with money, and realizes Almanzo is really the guy for her. And soon they are engaged. And that is just the beginning of a whole new chapter of Laura's life as a pioneer of America.
This heartwarming little book provides all the things you could want, some romance, a girl's troubles and hopes, and most of all, a glimpse to the daily life which we now look back to as precious American history.

For this book review I read Little Town on the Prarie by:Laura Ingles Wilder. This book is good reading for preteen girls. The story is historical and is about living in the pioneer days.

In this book Laura and her family work hard to send her older sister to Collage and keep her there untill she finishes. Laura and her little sister Grace have to go to school when they move to town for the winter. Laura is very exited about going to school because she wants to get her teachers certifacit when she is sixteen. To find out what else happens you will have to read the book.

This book was fun to read and kept my intrest. It was a little confusing at timeskeeping up with who was talking. It was very interesting also to learn about how they lived back then. Over all it was a good book and I would consider reading it again.

It's wonderful to see how my children love listening to these books over and over, now that we've been collecting the CDs. The little details really stick in their heads, and have been surprisingly useful tidbits of information on several occasions, as they hear or read other things that relate!

When I first bought the CDs, I was unsure about Cherry Jones' accent, but it just brings a nice, down-home aspect to the reading. Of course, the readings are unabridged - the only way to go, I think!

My favorite part of the CDs, though, is hearing the songs, often accompanied by a fiddle. As a child, I remember skipping over the songs as I encountered them in the text, especially those I didn't know, and it has really added to the experience of the books to hear an actual tune for them. Often, the songs reflect the mood of the moment exceptionally well. Cherry Jones sings them out (usually as Pa!) in her low alto voice, and you do really have to hear a few of them to get used to it, but we love them.

Laura Ingalls thought that being thirteen was difficult, but now she is on the cusp of her fifteenth year, and things around her are changing like crazy. After a difficult winter full of one blizzard after another, Laura is happy to be back on the claim shanty with her family, away from the hustle and bustle of town. But she knows that her family will most certainly head back to De Smet to live in the shop before winter comes again, to protect them from the harsh weather that may lie ahead. Weather aside, however, Laura can't believe how many new things are arising. Especially the most important one of all - changes for Mary.

Laura couldn't be happier to be back in school again. After so many months of studying on her own, she is thrilled to be back in the classroom with her old friends Mary and Minnie, and Ida. But there's someone new in the classroom. A person from Laura's past who makes Laura shake with anger - Nellie Oleson. Laura, however, is determined to ignore the nasty Nellie and study as hard as she possibly can in order to gain her teaching certificate, and help to send Mary to college. But even without her being a part of the workforce, Mary is able to go off to college, and Laura couldn't be happier - or more devastated. But seeing how much Mary loves college, Laura resolves to study even harder, and begin earning the money to assist in keeping her there. Of course, Laura never imagined that things could possibly stand in her way. Such as the selfish new schoolteacher who thrives on taunting and humiliating both Laura and Carrie in front of the other students; and working as a seamstress in town. But the most shocking of all, is Almanzo Wilder's sudden interest in young Laura. Almanzo is a handsome fellow, whose Morgan horses are the talk of the town, and now Almanzo seems to have taken a fancy to Laura - something that leaves her confused and excited at the same time. But no matter what, she must remember to continue her studies, or else Mary may have to return home before her education is complete.

It seems strange to bear witness as someone ages, but that is exactly what readers have had the opportunity to do as Laura Ingalls grows in age, height, and maturity. The love she holds for her family is so refreshing and charming, and truly keeps the reader's interest peaked; while the constant maturity Laura displays in each and every one of her decisions is just unbelievable. Laura has completely grown up before our eyes, and each year she just becomes more and more lovable. The inclusion of facts regarding the changes taking place during this era are interesting, and present a fun learning experience for readers; while the sudden budding romances springing up around the young people of De Smet indicates just how much older these characters have become. Almanzo Wilder has grown on me over the past few books, and I love reading the scenes where he is present; and Nellie Oleson, as nasty as she is, will always remain a fun character whom you absolutely love to hate, but hate to love. This series just gets better and better!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I read this book to my two sons, 7, 9 and my husband, during long drives. We all loved it. Even though the main character is a girl, my boys were interested the entire time and identified with Laura. The descriptions are great and the characters are well-drawn. We're now reading These Happy Golden Years and my family is loving that, too. I recommend this book for a family to read together.

This is a charming, entertaining, and educational story about what life was like among homesteaders in the Dakota territories in the 1880s. I mostly agree with the other positive reviews here. But there is a teaching moment in this book that should not be overlooked. The parents in this book are paragons of virtue, and their behavior matches the highest standards - standards of 1880, not 2006. There is a short scene during one of the "literaries" where several men perform in blackface. Although it occurs with innocent intent, modern readers might find it in questionable taste if they don't allow for the historical context.

If they're smart, parents and teachers will embrace this as an opportunity to open a discussion with children about changing standards, and the work it took to improve those standards.

It's 2008, I'm at my computer and start reading-- suddenly it's 1900 and I'm submerged in the harsh, beautiful, brutal world of Charity, South Dakota. I've never been there; don't know what it's like or how anybody could survive (or if I could survive), but Ms. Callen's story sweeps me into the steel sky and knifing wind and people who survive and dream, nurture and destroy in the complexity of their `simple' lives.

This is a tease--ravishing, poetic storytelling that stops way too soon. I want to know what happens to these people and this place NOW. I fervently hope to be reading more before too long. Bravo!

The story starts with a hard child birth. A drunken husband gets a vet instead of a doctor, but the local midwife along with some other women save the day. This seems to be a saga about the lives of these women in the beginnning of the 20th century, starts in 1900.

The characters are well drawn and would be interesting to follow. From this beginning it does seem a sparse, hard life they are leading on the prairie. Well done, as much as I was able to read.

Paulettes writing has texture and depth. I need to know who these characters are as I drop into their long ago world and guard my senses against the harsh environment. I know I will get "lost" in this novel when I read it in its entirety.

EDITED: This writer has beautiful style. She states the facts and bang, gets right into the drama.

Fervent Charity hints at deep spiritual awareness as Rose begins to narrate her story, which began before she was born. She refers to the energy that the wind carries and how it exposes imprints of incidents that happened long ago.

Then the story begins: Lena is in labor, but her drunk husband goes for the vet and the vet proceeds to treat her like a horse until Alvinia and three of her daughters arrive to rescue her and save her life. Gurtie travels all night to get there.

And there is Mary, who's thoughts of her Polish Babka (grandmother) who taught her the Rosary and all that (which she recites while praying for Lena after the birth, recalling her love for her Babka), remembers how everyone thought Babka was crazy when the locusts came and she fought for three days to save the roses. So, the roses have received great care. I had it wrong, Rose, who narrates, is Mary Kaiser's love child, not Lena's. Sometimes when there is the introduction of a lot of characters, I keep reading in the excitement and go back and figure it out later. I was really excited to read this, the way the writer gives such uniqueness to her characters. I really get the feel of the early 1900's.

Gurtie ritualistically tends three transplanted trees for three graves and roses and nurtures them as well. They are in South Dakota, you see, the Bad Lands, so to speak. And now the story changes it's pace with Lena and Alvinia discussing her children and Lena's gratitude for Alvinia's children who have taken over Lena's household chores. The women have joined together to care for this woman who is ill-married. Lena cried out for both Gurtie and Alvinia when she was in labor being handled by the horse doctor. As is noted, most everyone's had to step over her husband once or twice (as he lie drunk).

This story starts with great promise. The birth is exciting, the stories of how the women came to be in South Dakota and Rose's excerpts as she poetically sets the scenes are well done. I enjoyed the Catholic prayer Mary recites with her rosary beads. Some of the words I will cut and paste because I can't seem to remember them as they are being said as I watch the Rosary on Catholic Television.

The excerpt ends with Lena and Alvinia siting around caring for their infants in Lena's small home. Everything has been quite spicy so far and now settles into dialogue regarding the paths some of Alvinia's ten children are taking. Alvinia seems to have a bit of prejudice against Polish people, so I wonder how that will come to play in the story, as Mary Kaiser and Lena's husband are of Polish descent. Alvinia tells Lena she doesn't want her daughter to marry 'that Polack.' It was a bit of a downward shift, the change to more dialogue. I would definitely continue reading this story, especially considering the fact that interactions with Native Americans are to come, as I understand from the PW review.

As many other reviewers have noted, this excerpt is beautifully written. The language instantly captured my interest and the richly drawn characters held it. Lena's anguish, Alvinia's tenderness, Mary's devotion - the author painted such clear pictures with her words that I was transported to the turn-of-the-century prarie and lived among those who populated the pages - I regretfully returned to my world and my computer when I came to the end of the excerpt. For me, one measure of excellence is when characters live on in my imagination long after I finish a book, and these characters are still with me. Wonderful!

I was hesitant to read this book despite the recommendation of a friend and despite the accolades written here. How foolish. Reading this book was like sinking into a great mattress. I was near hypnotized by the beauty of the text which simply flowed. At times I was so overcome that I had to put the book down, the sadness of it all is wrenching. But never is the book depressing or is it hateful while describing the hate that people so easily engender. This is an extraordinary work.

This book was a gift to me from someone who knows my love of the Irish and of writers from that country. I began it hesitantly, not sure of the country I was entering, until I got perhaps ten pages into the book. The protagonist was describing how his mother sliced bread:

"..She did it in a trice. In the sewing of a wren's mitten."

I never looked back. His writing is brilliant, evocative, heartbreaking.

The Irish have always been known as great storytellers, but now they're all turning into great writers as well, and it seems they're coming out of the woodwork. Sebastian Barry's The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty places the protagonist in the small village of Sligo where he is an innocent among angry partisans. When he chooses to alleviate his problems of employment by taking a job with the Royal Irish Constabulary, the British-led police force, he irrevocably alters his life - as you might imagine! With beautiful language and ethereal descriptive passages, Barry allows readers to follow Eneas' travels and travails - all of us hoping for a happy ending.

So good that after I had read a library copy, I purchased my own so I could read it all over. This novel takes on indirectly (as in his more recent "A Long, Long Way From Home") Barry's own family's experience as Irish divided between serving the British and aiding those who rebelled against the King. The other reviewers here cover much of the plot, but I might add that a touch of magic realism near the explosive climax makes for a nice touch, and the tension between truth-telling and perceived loyalty moves the story of the modern-day Aeneas along his wanderings efficiently and poignantly.

Barry, also a poet and best known--at least before this novel--as a playwright, brings to his fictional characters a narrative style somewhat at odds with what one might expect. He's not Joyce, that is, striving for a correlative voice to match his character's interior musings. Rather, he takes the rich legacy of Joyce and makes it impel his own telling of the interior life of those that Barry finds empathy with, and whose inner as well as outer itineraries this author feels, you sense, he must tell. This impelling of a writer to find release through his creations makes for a very effective novel, indeed.

...and sure, Mark Twain would likely love the hero of this wonderful book. Eneas is truly an innocent - he never shies from hard work, he loves his family dearly, and (his gift and his damnation) he has no neither mind nor care at all, at all for the politicks. He's not really a simpleton, merely a simple man. Born in 1900, he comes of age with the Irish struggle for independence so vividly painted by events such as the Easter uprising of 1916. When his mates - especially his best boyhood friend, Jonno Lynch - are enlisting in the fight to throw off the British oppression, Eneas, finding it difficult to locate gainful employment, enlists first in the British Merchant Navy (which in itself might have been forgiven by those who deemed themselves his judges later), then in the Royal Irish Constabulary. The RIC being mainly a police force, Eneas couldn't see the harm in lending a hand in that quarter - but as the fight for independence grew more fierce and factional, the RIC was tied too closely in the eyes of some to the hated Tans, who were responsible for some right bloody work. Eneas, finding himself on a blacklist kept by those calling themselves patriots, is given a choice - get close to and kill the much-hated and feared Reprisal Man of the Tans, or suffer the consequences of a death sentence. Our hero cannot bring himself to kill a man, so he refuses - and when he sees that those who have threatened him with extinction mean just what they say, sees no other choice than to flee his beloved Sligo and his native Ireland altogether.

Thus his adventures and travels begin. He signs on with a merchant vessel and winds up in Galveston, Texas. He enlists with the British Army for World War II in order to save France (a country for whom he bears a great love, of unknown origins) from Hitler. After being shell-shocked on the beach at Dunkirk and lodging with a French farmer for a growing and harvesting season, he makes his way back to England, pays a quick visit to Ireland, then winds up in Nigeria, digging a canal for a British company. He finds the best friend of his life in the person of Harcourt, a Nigerian national he first meets on a boat heading to Ireland, then again in Nigeria. Harcourt's friendship becomes one of the true treasures of Eneas' life - and a lifelong friendship it is.

Barry's language and prose capture his characters, the setting and their story perfectly. The reader can't help but feel a great empathy for Eneas, and for others in the book as well. Through the story of one man - and a very believable story it is indeed - Barry lays bare the pain through which Ireland has passed in its journey to find itself. There's a lot of sadness to be found here - but there's a lot of joy as well, so.

Read this book - and read Barry's novel ANNIE DUNNE as well (even better, I think, but that's me...).

This is a great book that takes you on a real live journey deep into the daily live of Lakota people (and a stray Mohawk) on the Pine Ridge reservation. Vic Glover opens a window and allows us to peak inside his world and the world of his people, unknown to the majority living outside the boundaries of the reservation. Vic writes with a great sense of humour.
Although he appearently has the skills, he doesn't cut into 'the bigger political or environmental issues'. In his book Vic makes it clear that the issue of surviving under harsh conditions and to maintain the social values and traditional structure is big enough to handle. All of this with a wit. That makes that the book stays close to the heart, his home and the land and makes it very recognizable, even for readers unfamiliar with Rez live. Highly recommended!
Since I read Vic Glover the novel Skins by Adrian C. Louis became my second best book on Pine Ridge.

A group from our church has gone to Pine Ridge on Mission trips for the past three years and we have gotten to know quite a few people there. We always seem to have gained more than we have given during our week stay. This book tells it how it is for much of the population on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It is a very helpful book for the leaders of our Mission to share with others that are joining us. We love the people there. They focus on what really matters in life and brings us back to where we all need to live. Most of us are so far removed from nature, family, giving our all to each other. This book shows us how and points out how far removed we are. It really brings questions to the way that I am living my life. It points out just how differently I need to live to become apart of life as Jesus would want me to live it.
Thank you, Vic Glover. And thank you to our Native brothers and sisters.

A moving glimpse into the everyday lives of the people that live on Pine Ridge. The blending of Lakota spirituality into the challenges of life in an impoverished society is outstanding!

This is a beautiful collection of short stories and is a real life account of living on in Indian reservation in todays modern times.
Vic Glover has an amazing talent and style of writing that 'just takes you right there'.
With much humour and sadness, Vic takes you on a journey, that whets the appetite, always leaving you wanting to read more.
This is a great read, I highly recommend it.

A must read for anyone interested in what life on a western Rez is really about. BroVic captures the humor and pathos of daily life in a marvelously clear, straightforward way that simutaneously makes you wish you were there to share in it and glad that you're not.

Yes, I'm biased. Despite my connection with the authors, I truly promise a fine read. It took me a little over one year to finally finish the book because of my emotional connection. It's really tough to relive some of the most difficult moments of my life. I guess you did your job--reader pathos. Awesomely done, Dad & Krissy!

This book is fabulous. A great introduction to the art and science of paleontology which is easy to follow and reads very warmly. It also tells the maddening story of a justice system gone absolutely berzerk. It is a fascinating example of how a handful of horrible judges, attorneys, agents, and other ne'er-do-wells can ruin lives. It really makes you shake you head in disbelief that this could have possibly happened in OUR country only a few years ago.

"Rex Appeal" is the amazing story of one of the most significant fossil discoveries in the last fifty years. The story of "Sue" the fossil Tyrannosaurus Rex discovered by Peter Larson's associate Susan Hendrickson spins a web of intrigue from the moment the dinosaur's bones are discovered. With splashy headlines and national press coverage "Sue" becomes the darling of science, then the bane of Larson.
The landowner from whom the fossil was "bought" cries foul. Maurice Williams who is one eighth Lakota Sioux had put his land in trust with the United States Government. When Williams realizes the fossil may be worth many multiples of the $5000 he was paid for its excavation, the United States Government gets involved and when that happens it makes an IRS audit look like a toddler's birthday party.
The problem for Larson is that he is not strictly a scientist, but has established a for-profit organization called the Black Hills Institute. Not to say that Larson has nothing to contribute scientifically to the study of dinosaurs. His science is outstanding by current standards. But, the government suspects that Larson has nefarious intentions and pursues him with the fury of, well, of a pissed off T.Rex.
"Sue" is seized by the FBI and the South Dakota National Guard and the ensuing legal battle is extremely one-sided, according to Larson of course. He is confronted with an over-zealous prosecutor and a biased judge. Without hearing the other side of the story it's impossible to pass judgement on the veracity of the case against Larson. But it is safe to say that the judge in the case certainly defied all logic when he declared "Sue" real estate. 65 million year old bones hardly qualify as real estate, especially if the landowner was paid a handsome sum for their retrieval.
In the end Larson winds up in prison for nearly two years, his marriage to co-author Kristin Donnan dissolves, and his Institute is nearly bankrupt. Somehow Larson manages to emerge at the other end of the tunnel a changed man. He still pursues fossils with vigor after learning what many who have gone before him could have told him, "you can't fight City Hall".
The only criticism of the book is the complete lack of any intimations about Larson's relationship with co-author and ex-wife Kristin Donnan. Donnan is a free-lance writer who covers the "Sue" story and eventually falls in love with, and marries Larson. There is nothing in the book about their affairs. Whether that is intentional or not it would have at least contributed something to the story and clarified some of the events.
In all the book is highly recommended. Larson's theories about T.Rex and other issues related to dinosaurs are well thought out and informative. This book is a must for all us amateur paleontologists who can't get off our couches to go out west to do a little digging ourselves.

This is not just another dinosaur book. It is not just another dinosaur book with some fascinating facts about T-rex. This is THE book about T-rex by one of the foremost authorities on this bad boy of the Cretaceous.

Peter Larson's intimate knowledge of this beast comes from excruciatingly hard-earned experience. While it is a recounting of the nightmare saga surrounding the Sue specimen, it is also a manifest of the current thinking regarding T-rex, its lifestyle, and place in prehistory. Despite his own grievous experiences with the legal system, there is no self-pity in Mr. Larson's book. He simply states the facts as he knows them to be, as any researcher worth his salt should.

An A+ all the way.

I found reading Rex Appeal to be highly entertaining and informative book. I learned quite a bit about the people who dig dinosaurs and about the T-Rex itself. The author's legal problems smack with pure malice by the justice department. I wondered why such a thing was allowed to go as far as it did. Highly readable book, it revealed the world of paleontology and its rewards and risks. I wonder if Judge Battey can look in his mirror and see a honest man?

If you are interested in developing new skills in how to do the relationship dance, this is the book for you. Fearless Loving is a must read. It doesn't matter whether you're currently in relationship, whether you would like to be in a relationship, married, single, recently split up, or divorced. Rhonda has a talent for bringing together concepts and distilling them into bit size, chewable skills for taking action, which most any one of us can implement, given our commitment.

This book is a valuable tool for me, personally and for my sixteen year marriage/partnership. I'm finding new ways to really listen, communicate, to set boundaries, to clarify perceptions, to honor my feelings and to play.

Fearless Loving also offers an insightful and helpful protocol for people who are interested in a new way to date. I highly recommend this book to my friends and anyone interested in Love.

Rhonda Britten just gets it. This book is so wonderful. She can guide you along your path to loving in a way you never thought you could, but always wanted to. The most poignant truth for me is that everyone is innocent. That's so hard to think and act on, but she's so right about it. I would have everyone believe me innocent until proven guily, so it only seems fair for me to believe that about everyone else. This book will help you with understanding any type of love and how to do it best! She never coaches you to be someone you're not, and even highly discourages behaving as if you were playing a game. She teaches you how to test your prospective partner, or current partner so you can hear what they're not saying (which is more insightful than what they are saying). Rhonda will fill you full of courage and you will feel that you can love confidently without ever sacrificing who you are, or ever compromising what you need from a loving relationship.

Fearless Loving is well-written and packed full of useful tools that if followed will send you on your way to building new love relationships, enhancing the one's you already have and uncovering and discovering the ways in which we block or deny ourselves love. The author jumps into the trenches with you as she reveals her own personal experiences. This approach made it feel real and tangible. The best self-help book I've read in a long time!!

If you've ever been through divorce -- if you've ever had a failed relationship and aren't quite sure why things couldn't have worked out better -- if you're tired of playing relationship roulette -- READ THIS BOOK!! It's the guidebook for finding and keeping love that you've been looking for. And don't forget to read Fearless Living, too! It's your ticket to freedom and to the real YOU!

ok, i only first heard of Rhonda by watching the TV reality show "starting over" + then got hooked onto watching the amazing clarity with which she brought women from all walks of life to.
so my roomate bought this book to assist her from dating another jerk, and boy, is this book stellar! its not thick, not complicated, but really packs an emotional + mental punch. i have even more respect for this woman, who has been through so much + has found a way to positively help others. i've been telling all open-minded pals of mine who really do want to change any "failures" they have to read this. its really good stuff!

Oh wow, am I happy to have read this book.
Do you remember the movie "The Duel," with Dennis Weaver? Terrifying!
"French Creek" had, for me, the same level of intensity. Read this and
you'll never drive by another junkyard in your life without thinking of
this book (and driving quickly past the junkyard). Through all the
terror, however, there is a lovely, well-written story about a man, his
hopes and his dreams. The characters are so well drawn that they'll
live in your mind for a long time. Even the characters you wish would
go away quickly and leave you alone because they are SO evil. Excellent book!

The lesson to be gleaned from Peter Rennebohm's "French Creek" is this: In life, bad things really do happen to good people, more often than we'd like to believe, and I guess the best we can hope for is that we, ourselves, are never selected by the vagaries of life to be one of them. John R. Rule is "good people" and when he ventures out one wintry February day from his Minneapolis office deep into the Minnesota hinterlands, searching for a remote auto salvage yard to find a part for an old truck he's restoring, he soon meets some very bad people doing some very bad things. In tone, mood, and geography this novel reminded me of the movie "Fargo"; which in my opinion is one of the ten best American films ever made. Although the two stories are really nothing alike, the landscape in "French Creek" couldn't be bleaker, the bad guys couldn't be worse, and John Rule's predicament couldn't be more desperate. Besides being an author of crime fiction myself, I am also a full time police officer, and let me tell you, Rennebohm has absolutely nailed his worst evil doer in the book, Ray Steckel, from the shop grease embedded beneath his fingernails, to his foul onion and nicotine breath and his stained, yellow teeth. Rennebohm keeps the story moving at a brisk pace and even though "French Creek" isn't so much a "whodunnit" from a pure mystery standpoint, it is a great suspense novel that positively will not disappoint readers of this genre. This one is definitely in the "two thumbs up" category, and I highly recommend it.

Little Blue Whales: a novel

The main character John Rule goes to a junk yard to buy the truck part he needs. He realizes he should not have gone to such lengths to find the part, as he goes to leave the owners of the junk yard have much different plans for John.

The story takes John through many threatening scenes. John looks at his hopes, his dreams, his failures and his successes and is determined not to give into his feelings of hopelessness.You will experience John's terror as he adventures through everything that is being thrown his way.
French Creek is an excellent novel; I could not put it down. Wonderful character development, unexpected story lines, terror, thrills and suspense are incorporated into the story. The novel jumps off the pages, you can visualize the characters and the action taking place as you read.

Sometimes the simplest step can put a person in big trouble.

Peter Rennebohm uses that premise to build a novel that stokes up tension at a consistent rate and won't let you put French Creek down until the last page.

John L. Rule goes looking for a part for a pickup truck he's restoring. His search takes him to a salvage yard in a desolate rural area of Minnesota where he confronts danger that puts him in a struggle for his life.

Time after time, Rule escapes one threat only to face another. And, each is a logical, realistic possibility of what could happen to a person in such circumstance. The plot is deftly orchestrated and keeps one turning the pages, seeking just a little more of the same.

Intertwined with this central theme, Rennebohm gives us insight into Rule's character and his relationship with his wife and children and the father-in-law who, while not entirely trusting the man, goes to great lengths to rescue him.

The story is an adrenalin rush that will have you begging for more.

The beautiful serene winter scene on the cover of French Creek belies the terror that awaits the reader inside. John L. Rule, Minneapolis salesman, understands the benefit of combining business with pleasure. He books client appointments near the Minnesota-South Dakota state line so he can finish the business day locating a steering wheel for his old pick-up truck. He was told French Creek is the place to go to get exactly what he needs.

He wasn't told it was also the place to go for the fight of his life. Although he thought the rude junkyard owner was a bit odd, Rule had no idea the owner had plans to make sure Rule and his Ford Explorer never left the junkyard.

Rennebohm knows how to keep a reader turning pages. I could see the characters, see the scenes, and hear the different voices he created. He's also good at weaving the various scenes within a chapter so I never had to wonder too long about what was happening in another part of the story.

Armchair Interviews says: If you want a page turner, this is it.

Wonderful workings of writing the whole truth. A must have, must read, must distribute widely!

This book is about the relationship between the United States and the Sioux Nation from the signing of the 1851 Ft. Laramie treaty up to the present. The book centers around the efforts of the Wounded Knee Survivors Assoc. and their attorney Mario Gonzalez to obtain a formal apology from the U.S. government for the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre and the establishment of a National Tribal park at the massacre site. This book includes:

*Gonzalez' diary entries from 1989-1992--an excellent window to see firsthand how contemporary tribal governments work and how Native Americans on reservations interact with each other on a daily basis.

*Commentary (called chronicles)by Elizabeth Cooke-Lynn explaining events described in the diary entries including Gonzalez' efforts in stopping the payment of $100 million claims commission for the Black Hills in 1980, and his efforst in Europe from 1981 to 1984 to get the World Court to issue an advisory opinion on the illegal confiscation of the Black Hills.

*Appendices that include a complete chronology of Sioux land claims from the signing of the 1851 treaty up to the present--a must for anyone interested in Indian land claims.

*Excellent footnotes with valuable information found no where else including information about Chief Crazy Horse's family members contained in the probate records of Chief Crazy Horse's father.

This book is FASCINATING and should appeal to everyone! IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING IN EVERY NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES CLASS!

what elizabeth and mario have done is to create a work that will stand for the test of time! my favorite part of the whole book was when Elizabeth proudly states THAT NATIVE AMERICAN, ABORGIONAL, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE NOT CITIZENS OF THE WHITE MAN'S NATION ! FOR EXAMPLE A PERSON WHO LIVES IN THE DINE NATION IS NOT A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE THEY NEVER ASKED FOR NOR DID WANT TO BE CITZENS OF THIS PATHETIC NATION! THEY ARE CITIZENS IN THEIR TRIBE AND NATION NOT OF THE PATHETIC UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THE WORLD FOR THAT MATTER! READ THIS BOOK TO LEARN THE REAL HISTORY OF WOUNDED KNEE AND ABOUT A PEOPLE WHO ARE CHANGING HISTORY EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Wonderful workings of writing the whole truth. A must have, must read, must distribute widely!

What first strikes this reader is the very frank and engrossing personal narrative, as well as the description of the on-going political struggle of the Sioux in their battle for the return of the Black Hills in South Dakota. The diary entries of lawyer Mario Gonzales and the commentaries of Elizabeth Cook-Lynn gave me an opportunity to re-think important events in Sioux and American history over the past century (including Custer and the Little Big Horn, the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890, and others). The authors also show very clearly how these linked histories continue to influence the actions of individuals (white or Indian) and governments today. Cook-Lynn is especially deft at evaluating the political, economic,and racial motivations of the various stakeholders, from the factions within different Sioux tribes, the governors and congressmen, federal agencies, to the white landowners. The centerpiece of the book is the fight by the Sioux for the return of the Black Hills (preserved for the tribes by treaty in 1868), as well as the related fight for a monument to the Sioux massacred by government troups at Wounded Knee. But as the story unfolds, it became a means for me to understand the treaty rights and sovereign rights of not just the Sioux but other Indian nations in this country. Gonzales relates details of the legal battles and community struggles, and shows an amazing persistence and courage in his pursuit of justice for the Sioux. I hope that other readers come away from this book with as strong a sense as I did: of our need to resolve these ethical and legal dilemmas by recognition of Indian treaty rights and sovereignty. I'm grateful to the authors for their frank discussions of the real difficulties inherent in this task, and for outlining the rewards to all of us if they succeed.

I ordered this book for a friend who is very interested in this type of history and he was very pleased with the style and detail of the narration. Since my childhood was spent in South Dakota, I am reading the book myself and am fascinated by the tales of the cowboy life in the early years.

Ike Blasingame was a Texas cowboy working for the Matador Land and Cattle Company when the company expanded its operations in 1904 and leased just-opened range land along the Moreau River in South Dakota south of today's Mobridge. Blasingame was among the cowboys sent along with 3,000 head of cattle to this new area, and this being 1904 both men and beasts went the modern way - by train. Evarts (no longer extant) was the shipping point. For the next 10 years or so Blasingame punched cattle for the Matador, and this is his account of that experience, dictated to his wife who wrote it all down, many years after the fact.

Blasingame relates his story in a leisurely narrative style. His memory was obviously good - at least that's the impression given with many names given and events told as if they happened yesterday. There are the usual stories about bad weather, stampeding cattle, mean horses (and useful cowponies), branding, shy cowboys around the ladies, and the often dull times rounding up cattle or driving them to the railhead one finds in memoirs like this, but Blasingame keeps things lively and interesting. The Matador had a big spread in Canada, and sometimes Blasingame was sent there on his cowboy duties, but he was always glad to return to Dakota. When the company began closing their leases he bought a ranch on his old stomping grounds and ranched there with his wife and kids until the Dust Bowl troubles forced him to move to California, where he continued his ranching ways with an outfit there. Lovers of the Old West and the lives of the cowboys who worked the range will enjoy this book a lot.

Of all the cowboy memoirs, this is one of the best. Ernest "Ike" Blasingame was barely twenty when he went from Texas to South Dakota in 1904 to cowboy for the Matador Land and Cattle Company on rangeland leased from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. His account of that experience covers the next 7-8 years, and it's a well-told story full of memorable incidents, cowmen, and horses. There's an excellent balance between informative explanations of the work of cowboys on the ranges and amusing anecdotes, accounts of mishaps and accidents, and nicely drawn descriptions of personalities and behavior revealing depth of character (or lack of it) among his colleagues.

The roll of the seasons and the extremes of weather are well described, including the fatal winter of 1906-07. Indians also figure prominently in the narrative, and you can get a good understanding of the cattle industry itself in the years before the West was transformed by homesteading settlers and small farmers. Demon rum has a role to play in the fortunes and misadventures of these men, and there are insights into the social history of the all-male, bachelor work force who performed the hard labor of working cattle.

Remembered and told 50 years later (the book was first published in 1958), Blasingame tells his story as though it happened yesterday. It is full of youthful enthusiasm and wide-eyed enjoyment of his work and his growing reputation as a fine young bronc rider, taming the company's unbroken horses and winning the respect of the men he works for, who quickly trust him to rep for the Matador at roundups on other ranges.

It's not clear how much of the writing is really Blasingame's. He gives credit to his wife "who wrote this while I talked." And it may well be she to whom we owe the credit for this lucid, well-organized, vividly described memoir. At any rate, as a joint project, it provides a wealth of information and entertainment for anyone interested in the real West of working cowboys. It's a classic. And thanks to the University of Nebraska Press for keeping it in print.

Well-told stories of cowboy life in the Dakotas and Canada at the turn of the century. Highly recommended. A joy to read. A great plain-speaking, direct style. Lots of dry humor. Left me wishing I could spend more time with "Wild Ike." Overall, it is a bronc-buster's view of a slice a history - the arrival of cattle herds on a large South Dakota reservation, the heyday of the cattle business there, and finally the demise of free range ranching in that area and the arrival of the homesteader. I was a little concerned that it would be the story of cowboy life 20 years after the end of the cowboy era. But there are no pickup trucks or ATVs in this narrative, just cattle and horses, cowboys and Indians. His profiles of dozens of horses (woven into the narrative) would be worthwhile even without the other stories. (Here's a tip - there is a fold-out map on the last page. I figured that out when I got to the last page, but you will be happy to have the map as you read.)

I am the son of Ike Blasingame the author. This is not a fiction book. Every event and place are true. On the map all the creeks and places are in their correct places as well as the tributaries which run into the Moreau River, and Missouri River. There are 3 million acres of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation leased by the Matador Land & Cattle Co. of Texas who then sub leased to 10 other New Mexico and Texas cattle ranches, all having seperate brands, (like L7, Turkey Track, and DZ). Chief Sitting Bull died in 1899 but Ike Blasingame bought horse from Sitting Bull's brothers, One Bull and Lone Bull.

Ray Blasingame - Paisley, OR