Individual Parks Books

There are so few grizzly bears left alive in the Lower 48 that grizzlies have become mytholigized as either demonic carnivores or hapless river wading salmon fishers.

Adolph Murie was one of our greatest naturalists. His books on wolves, mammals, and grizzlies all share the same great style of writing; that mix of wonder and research that illuminates the true nature of wildlife and man's place among them.

There are so few grizzly bears left alive in the Lower 48 that grizzlies have become mytholigized as either demonic carnivores or hapless river wading salmon fishers.

Adolph Murie was one of our greatest naturalists. His books on wolves, mammals, and grizzlies all share the same great style of writing; that mix of wonder and research that illuminates the true nature of wildlife and man's place among them.

Murie's book (originally a scientific monograph) on Ursus horribilis, the great brown bear, is a 242-page collection of observations of the grizzly's actions and relationships with its habitat. Murie's first-hand observations date from 1922 to the 1960s and were made around Denali (the original native name of Mount McKinley).

Murie's observations are dispassionate and objective, seemingly free of any bias for or against the great bear (although, at the conclusion, his admiration for the beast and his passionate desire that mankind refrain from "managing" wildlife do emerge). His observations include such topics as bears' range and movement, mating, mother-cub interaction, food habits, and relationship with various types of potential prey such as caribou, moose, Dall sheep, squirrels, marmots and mice.

As mentioned, Murie's observations deal only with the grizzlies of interior Alaska around McKinley National Park. He occasionally refers to but does not report on the brown bears of the Alaskan southern coastal areas, although he does accept them as a variety of grizzly (some feel that they are different species or sub-species).

Before buying this book, the reader should understand that it is not a "story book" about bears. There is no connected "story line" throughout the book, nor is it a collection of harrowing tales about grizzly attacks on hapless humans. Readers looking for entertainment or excitement should seek elsewhere. However, the book is quite illuminating as to the normal habits of normal grizzlies in their normal environment, and readers who wish to understand the actions (and, dare I say, the thought processes) of these animals will find the book a realistic, down-to-earth resource. It does not propose any encompassing scientific theories or postulate new hypotheses about grizzlies; it merely reports on how they act, where they roam, and how they live. In the end, this fairly long series of observations is quite effective in painting a very realistic and useful picture of both the grizzlies and, to a lesser extent, of the animals upon which they prey or with which they coexist.

There are a few somewhat grainy, black and white photographs reproduced in the book, indicative of the photographic technology available to Murie. Somehow, though, their quality adds to the overall impression of the book as the product of a keen observer of wildlife half a century and more ago. In brief, I found the book interesting and informative, if not exactly a "page-turner," and it should be useful to those who would become naturalists, who are curious about grizzlies, or who, like me, will always feel somewhat entranced by Alaska, the Last Frontier, and its still-wild creatures.

Without question, Tod Papageorge is among our important American documentary photographers, having had an influential role in shaping the artistic trajectories of many fine young photographers who've gone through the prestigious photography program at Yale University's School of Fine Arts. However, I'm not sure if such recognition is noteworthy with regards to Papageorge's recently published "Passing Through Eden"; a distillation of his decades-long documentary photography of people and places in New York City's Central Park. It's a conclusion I've reluctantly been drawn to, especially after having seen a portion of this body of work on display a few months ago at the Pace/MacGill Gallery, and recognizing a few of these images from a portfolio of his work that's part of the permanent collections of the University of Arizona's Center for Creative Photography. So then why am I only marginally willing to give this book a positive recommendation?

Papageorge's Central Park photographs lack the visual impact of Bruce Davidson's magnificient documentary photography published only a few short years ago. And, unlike Davidson's mesmerizing, emotionally riveting, images, Papageorge's are not devoted to a single theme (In Davidson's case it is as a visual celebration of Central Park as a visually inspiring artifical, but also, "natural" oasis of pleasure and personal fulfillment set in the heart of Manhattan Island.), but are a curious assemblage of 1960s vintage protest photographs (which are stylistically similar, but not nearly as emotionally arresting, as, for example, contemporary images from the likes of Danny Lyon and Ben Fernandez), mixed with a few random shots of "natural" scenery and snapshots of people caught offguard; the latter still recognizable as "street" documentary photography but running close to mere voyeurism. For a long time I have greatly admired the few Papageorge images I've become accustomed to; sadly such admiration has diminished with the publication of this book.

Passing Through Eden is a book of photographs that rewards the reader who both looks and thinks. It is carefully sequenced, with a selection of pictures depicting a real place, Central Park, in a deliberate and too-simply-labeled "documentary" style to approximate--at least in the first third of the book--a modern day visual parallel to the opening chapters of the book of Genesis. Look again without that "document"- tag; this book is pure fiction, the best sort of construct. The work stems from a honed sensibility embracing transparency and mastery of the medium's most powerful quality, verisimilitude. The photographs consistently demonstrate a profound combination of both self and world. Central Park, metaphorically Eden, is the setting for the world Papageorge creates with his lens, the agent of light (is it really that good there?) and his deep, unrelenting, complex understanding of human nature. Oh, let's not forget the shutter; perhaps the most gracefully, and precisely, used physical tool in the making of his pictures.

People do not purposefully arrange themselves in public, especially in a park where one goes for solitude and to commune with nature (god?): if a picture made there is to have a purpose it is the artist's task to create it. And Papageorge, with unimaginable facility, does this, imbuing each image with purpose and meaning, as much as photographs can convey those elusive qualities. It is not luck or happenstance that the ball floats mysteriously inches from a young woman's face like a global apparition (or Eve's apple); he PUT it there, in his picture. His photographs are the result of intuition, intellect, and experience in forming distilled fabrications from the actual raw material you, I, and seven million other New Yorkers are constantly shaping and undoing as we move through the city's greatest park. He does it by using the medium of photography with consummate skill and grace and by being completely in tune with its transformative powers. He brilliantly knows the difference between the actual and a photograph and he exploits that difference to make pictures expressing his specific understanding of the world. For this clearly is his world, filled with humor, tragedy, mystery and of course the first gift, light.

Buy this book; make it a gift to yourself!

I have spent the last few years feeling underwhelmed by most photographers' work & photography books I've seen....and then I received this book in the mail. All I can say is THANK YOU TOD PAPAGEORGE! I mean this book is what photography is about. I am blown away by not only the emotional range, but the visual intellegence Papageoge conveys. What a gift!

I literally spent 3 hours looking at the book last night and am about to buy several more copies. This book WILL be a classic, if you have any taste in the visual arts or buy books as investment pieces, look no further.

I enjoyed this book. It is a follow up to Tyler's Descanso, a story about a woman's life following the loss of her partner. My personal spiritual ideas and practice brought me to this book. I have done a lot of "shadow work" on my personal healing journey and was interested in how Tyler would tackle such a topic in fiction. I sort of wish she'd written more about that healing process, though. She illustrates how the shadow operates in the lives of many characters in the book - and how unconscious they are of its presence and impact on their behavior.

I wanted more from this book...more confrontation of that hidden side of self and more exploration of how the characters embark on that journey. But perhaps I am expecting too much from fiction? I did like how the main character moved through each expience with the shadow she encountered - both her own and the shadows of others in her life.

All in all, a good read. Kudos to Tyler for tackling a topic one doesn't typically find in literature.

Shadow Work breaks out of the self-conscious, claustrophobic boundaries of the genre in its exploration of characters' inner landscapes, relationships, the workplace, and the world at large. I particularly like the agency setting where Chris Cameron deals with daily craziness, and I don't mean her clients. It has been said that there is a dearth of writing about the work setting, where we spend a good chunk of our lives. Most novels timidly touch on it. Shadow Work takes it on expertly and with humor.

Tyler is one of my new favorites because her affection for her characters and her passion about contemporary issues shine in her unique minimalist style. No tiresome filler here. This is a thought-provoking, entirely enjoyable, sensual, and intelligent story with characters I hope to encounter again.

If you like your protagonist rich, perfect, employed in a fantasy profession, never reflective on the meaning of life, and involved in endless sex scenes, move on. Shadow Work is not another retelling of the endless summer romance were everyone lives happily ever after and never worries about bills or bad hair cuts. Shadow work is Reality Reading for those who like to mix an entertaining escape with, well, reality.

Tyler's writing style is reminiscent of the classic detective novel. She makes you think. Shadow Work is a first person narrative; the main character sounds tough, assured, and sometimes sarcastic, especially when she's pronouncing judgment on the latest social break down. She is ethical, in her own life and in her chosen field of psychotherapy, and she moves through a noir landscape of psychological intrigue. For literature snobs, some of these traits may be off-putting, especially if one is looking for the queer equivalent of The English Patient. But this is a fine book and I hope that is not the case.

There is an exciting element to Shadow Work, one I don't really see much in the lesbian genre and it is the underlying theme of spirituality. Not the variety that drags one into a church or synagogue or mosque or revival tent. Chris is not an automatic believer in the Big White Man in the sky. Cameron's seeking is the brand of personal spirituality that asks, "What is the meaning of life?" How can I be a better healer?" "What forces hold me back?" How can I be healed?" She is looking for a direct experience of the Sacred. Her first level of knowledge is psychology. Now she is finding a more evolved understanding and it's happening in the Mojave Desert with the assistance of a Deathwalker who is assisting Chris in taking on the role of Wounded Healer, whether she recognizes it or not. Chris continues to walk through her initiations and wastes no time applying new knowledge to her life. As Chris walks this path, Tyler uses Jung's concept of the shadow (Evangelical Christians might refer to shadow as the devil) to reflect the need for spiritual healing both in her characters and in America as a nation

Oh. The book and characters are also sexy, some are quite funny. There is some sex. More would not have been wasted on this reader. It is sex of the tasteful variety that fits the story, so good for Tyler. This is not a "how to" manual disguised as romance. Chris Cameron is just not the kind of person who defines herself by her Rolodex and her `scores'. That said, she is a sexual being and feels no need to repent on Sunday for sex on Saturday.

Tyler has a superb ear for sound which makes the dialogue real. Likewise the rhythm of the words and texture of scenes are a pleasure to read and carry one from beginning to end like a fine symphony.

Characters:

Chris Cameron. She is smart, compassionate, emotionally vulnerable, and finally overcoming her widowhood via murder by falling deeper in love with a woman in a high risk profession: Police Officer Linda Vasquez. In this book, second of the series, she has the challenge of deciding whether to apply for the position of agency director, but a shadow (a mysterious and hidden piece of herself) that she doesn't yet understand is holding her back. Will she fight or will she fold? Other challenges await her as well and come with the personalities who people her work and life.

Linda Vasquez is self assured and gorgeous. Hot. Hot. Hot. She is head over heels in love with Cameron. Cameron, however has not, in usual lesbian style, attached the U haul to her car. Instead she has obtained a young collage boarder to help pay the rent. Linda has a plan. They are going to meet her Mom and Dad. What could be more natural than that for advancing a relationship? Linda also discovers a Big Secret about Chris' recently deceased boss Brother Billy who died mysteriously in Las Vegas while attending an Abstinence Education conference leaving the Sunny Horizons mental health agency with no executive and Chris in charge by default.

Peggy Lee is Chris' new boarder. She has identity and family issues. Her emotional status has hit code red. Not only that, Homeland Security is after her father adding a little drama to this Korean meets American culture clash. Will she learn to sing a different tune or go home to Daddy?

Dee Baxter has a Big Secret. She has been betrayed by her former psychotherapist who published intimate details of her sessions in a well known academic press. The result was catastrophic. Dee's partner found the article, recognized her in the case study and left Dee in an angry huff. Wounded and lonely, Dee has come to Chris for help even though she no longer trusts therapists. Can Chris win her confidence? Will Dee sue her former therapist, or contact the California Ethics Board and perhaps take her license way? Could it get worse? Yeah, how will Chris handle this knowledge about a popular colleague who lives in the same city and is widely known as the perfect and ascended guru of lesbian feminist therapy?

Harris is almost 18 and he can't wait to be free of his divorced parents. He has the Biggest Secret and its rocking everybody's world coast to coast. Chris helps him figure out how to grow up while managing the nuclear power of the blogosphere.

Luella is a Texas transplant. She is very sexy, likes to wear red while working and hikes naked. She's the new accountant for Sunny Horizon's and has found a Big Secret that will impact the agency's survival and Chris' decision on pursuing Billy's old position.

Tim is a Vietnam vet. He has been seeing Chris for a couple of years in a last ditch effort to cope with intractable pain and addiction. He touch's Chris' heart and life in a unique way. His story provides an inside look at what makes therapy hard work for the therapist and captures another aspect of America's shadow while playing out his own story.

There are others in this book whom were with Chris in Descanso (book one). They make welcome appearances here. Cory, Kay, Aunt Willa and Willa's lover Rae all add to the humor and touching scenes that weave together in these 191 pages making the fine tapestry of story well told, that is the book Shadow Work.

This is a very good book on the best years of Wright's work. It's a shame some of the houses were lost, but it's refreshing to know that so many have survived and are treated like the treasures they are. The text is highly informative and the images are crisp and well presented. I appreciated the guide at the back of the book, that informs the reader how to locate these buildings. Wrights work is so unique and elegant, yes he was a narcissistic, control freak, with a serious God complex, but his buildings are 100 percent his creation, he would exept nothing else. He made the clients use his designed furniture and his fixtures, but in the end, he was always on the mark, though many of the beautiful chairs look very uncomfortable, at any rate..good book, highly recommended.

Although he died in 1959, almost fifty years ago, Frank Lloyd Wright is probably still the most famous architect in America. Fifty years before his death, say from 1890 to 1910 he was living in a Chicago suburb and was designing a series of houses that are usually called his 'Prairie Style.'

This style was the first of his breakaway styles from the traditional European and East Coast styles to develop something that fit into his vision of the prairie. To be sure, sometimes other influences came into play, such as a short Japanese period.

While Prairie Style houses were built all across the country, the Chicago suburbs of Oak Park and River Forest are home to the largest concentration of prairie houses. This book describes 27 of his homes in this area. Most of them are available for tours. And in looking at these houses, it is hard to believe that they are a hundred years old.

The book is beautifully printed and cloth bound and supplied in a slip case. Another recommended book on a Wright Prairie House is Frank Lloyd Wright's Rosenbaum House which describes the house, but also the effort that it took to restore the house ot its original form.

This is a great book if you are interested in the academic study of wolves. It can be a bit dry if you are not used to academic prose, though this didn't bother me (I'm an academic in a different field). Allen's text is enriched by extensive charts, figures, and BW photos. On the down side, he spends more time than I would like on non-wolf topics and on the logistics of the long-term wolf study on Isle Royale. I would also have liked more comparisons with wolves living elsewhere in North America as the Isle Royale environment has its peculiarities.
Criticisms aside, it's a very good book and I almost gave it five stars.

I read this book years ago when it was first published in hardcover. It was the best book on wolves I have ever read. The fact that it is scientifically accurate actually made it more readable, not the least bit dry or dull. The wolves are complex, intelligent creatures that you come to admire even more as you read about their elaborate social rituals. I am buying this book for the second time!

Life isn't easy when you're over forty, an academic and not publishing. Apparently, English universities are not ready to let you perish immediately, they just crush you with the teaching load. No fun.
There isn't much of a plot here - two middle-age academics face the failure of their respective emotional hopes. He takes some two hundred pages to realise he was wrong about his not-quite-lover, she within approximately the same space finds her lover cheating on her. But when life takes something away, it gives something else, so they won't be that unhappy when the book ends.
My praise for the book is not for the plot - fairly slim as it is - but for handling the subject matter. Quinn very adroitly presents little politics of a provincial university, failed, not-quite-failed and almost failed academics and their petty lives. He adds a touch of sympathy and a handful of humour which makes the book quite readable. A very decent debut - let's see what comes next.

Quinn, Vincent. "Worth Fighting With", The Haworth Press, 2007.

Looking for Love

Amos Lassen

Many of us do not realize how much more difficult it is to write comedy as opposed to writing any other form of literature. Vincent Quinn has succeeded beautifully in writing the comic novel with "Worth Fighting With". The comedy and wit are acerbic are very wry and campy.
Danny Whelan is a 40 year old academic who realizes that the academic world is catty and academic (take it from me, I know) and very competitive. He is living an existence as unloved and unfulfilled gay college professor with a half finished book on the shelf. Danny is not the only one in this situation and we are all well aware of the number of gay men in English departments. Danny is in the Midlands of England at a small university (this is starting to sound oh so familiar and perhaps that is why I like this book so much) where one's worth is determined by power, sex and identity. Danny's career is stagnating along with his emotional life, mainly due to the fact that his point of focus is on young soccer players who do not reciprocate his feelings. We feel his anxieties and resentments along with those of his teaching colleague, Barbara Barnes. Neither of the two expects sex or love but they do attempt to find them. In the academic atmosphere they realize how hard it is to make contact with the world outside of the college campus nor are they able to gain a perspective on their lives. Here we deal with the lack of connection and the inability to fit in the world. Quinn explicates how when we think too much about ourselves, we overlook the most important things about ourselves.
Whelan's English department is like English departments everywhere. The professors have hard times accepting the realities of modern life and many live in the past with hopes and dreams for the future that they must fight to achieve. It is a world in which creativity of the intellect is measured by the way a class in conduced and a lecture is delivered. Quinn gives his social observation on how hard it is to way a place in the world where love is little more than a label and separate worlds are created by individual insights and insecurities.
Whelan prefers rereading his favorite books rather than finishing his own and the college seems to be a harbor for inflated egos, rivalries based on very small issues and ridiculous bureaucracies. I love novels about campus life and "Worth Fighting With" is now ensconced on my list of books on the subject and takes its place as one of my favorites. For a first novel, Quinn has written a book of which he can be proud. His story of passions both denied and fulfilled is a wonderful character study and a look at academic situations that we do not get very often. Many are not aware of what goes on behind those ivy-covered walls of the modern university and Quinn takes u there with wit and aplomb.
Quinn's characterizations are A-one, his social vision is biting and his imagination is simply wonderful.

This was a delightful read. I simply could not put it down. The storytelling was so beautiful I felt like I was transported to the underwater world of the mermaids. The characters were quirky and outlandish yet somehow believable. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This book is for anyone who has dreams of re-inventing themselves,starting with Dolores Walker aka Dolores Taurus who,while on a family vacation with her family to Florida goes to see an underwater show with girls performing as mermaids. The high point of her rather drab Existence in the Bronx living her constantly arguing parents and her beloved baby brother (who was conceived during the family''s Florida holiday. After her father leaves one night,never to return,Dolores plans her escape(helped along by her father's rare coin collection) to Florida to become a mermaid herself. Once there,she deals with the eccentric, tough(but caring)owner,and the other "mermaids"(and one merman,each with their own reason(either sad or strange or both) for joining the show,which is in danger of extinction from the newly opened Disneyworld (the book takes place in 1972) Delores blooms in her new existence and through an unusual turn of events,becomes a Weathergirl(in Mermaid costume) and is eventually reunited with her father. Much more happens,but without revealing the ending,I'll say alot of coincidences happen along the way,which kind of bothered me about the book. That said,it's a fun,different story about making over your life and dreams coming true..

Delores Walker is ready to get the heck out of dodge, er New York, the Bronx to be precise and chase her dream of being a Mermaid. One summer long ago on a family vacation she witnesses a swimming spectacle that left her breathless and yearning for a chance to be graceful. And since water is the one place she feels at home it is natural to hop on that bus and head south to sunny Florida to live out her dream. With an unexpected gift from her estranged father, Delores head on out and begins her new life. However there are issues she doesn't consider on her path to self enlightenment and Delores learns that there is more to life then what can be seen on the surface.

This was a sweet tale full of nostalgic commentary regarding the time period and location of the book. Ms. Carter brings to life a time that is past but not forgotten. Delores is an endearing character as are the rest of the secondary casts and you will find yourself rooting for her from the beginning. My only complaint if you would is that there were a couple of things brought up through the story that I just don't think were resolved which made me wonder as a reader why it was introduced to begin with. Otherwise this is a charming story one that will appeal to all ages.

I found Betsy Carter's SWIM TO ME a total delight to read. This is a novel about people who seem fated to remain underdogs, yet by using their wits, imagination and pluck, they manage to find meaning and joy in life. You can't help but root for them. Carter writes about her characters--including those who behave badly--with humor, wisdom and tenderness. The story is full of surprises, unusual twists that nevertheless have an aesthetic and emotional integrity. The writing is wonderful: spare and at the same time filled with startling details that bring Weeki Wachee and its inhabitants to life. Carter offers profound insights into family dynamics while dishing up an entertaining, thoroughly satisfying read.

"She was two years old when her mother dropped her into the shallow end of a lake...Delores Walker always claimed she had a vivid memory of this incident...Her body moved with the flow of it, the most natural thing in the world. From then on, the water was where Delores felt most at home." Thus begins the story of Delores Walker, a young girl from New York who leaves home to follow a dream.

On a family vacation to Florida, Delores is introduced to the world of real live mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs. She knows right away that this is what she wants to do with her life. But the realities of her dysfunctional family make the realization of that dream seem impossible until the day Delores discovers a stash of gold coins left behind by her estranged father. Using some of the coins to fund her trip to Florida, Delores sets out to join the ranks of the Weeki Wachee mermaids.

Carter has crafted a cast of characters who are as charming as they are eccentric. What gives this book its "just can't put it down" appeal is the way in which Carter intersects the lives (both past and present) of the girls of Weeki Wachee, a newsroom manager from nearby Tampa, the dysfunctional family members from the Bronx, and Thelma Foote, who runs the Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaid attraction.

With careful attention to detail, Carter has incorporated some of the very real attractions and issues of central Florida during the 1970s. There are the rumbles of the economical impact of Walt Disney World on other nearby, smaller attractions. There is the strong desire to preserve the heritage of the area in such endeavors as the Mermaids of Weeki Wachee and the home base for circus acts, even a hurricane threatening the Tampa Bay area of the western gulf coast. Readers are treated to delightful characters, the power of keeping dreams alive, the real possibility of hopes come true, and the importance of friends and family.

by Lee Ambrose
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

This book is beautifully photographed and the scope is enormous. The author covers an enormous variety of handsome solutions to storage and leisure time which actually become an historic perspective. Taunton Press actually publish Fine Homebuilding magazine and I wish there had been more floor plans. This is not a "how to" book but rather a photographic essay. Perhaps, they will add a website or link in future editions for readers who might want to build such garages.

My garage will soon be turned into a workshop (and hopefully still park the car in there), and this book has given great ideas. I only wish I could find the book "Your Garagenous Zone" mentioned on page 98 written by Bill West.

Garagenous Zone

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-18

Loved "Garage." And for the reader who was looking for the book "Your Garagenous Zone," you can hunt it down at www.garagenouszone.com.

Isn't a garage a place to store some things, work, park?

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-04

The book is almost nothing about the garage you already own. It is about fancy buildings with garage doors to use as offices, dwellings, exhibit spaces, furniture factories, archtectural statements. If you want to keep your car dry, you will need to build another real garage.

Not garages exactly

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-08

This book and the great mass of the photos relate not to the garage, ie, a covered space where cars are stored or where a hobbyist workshop is located, but converted space or living space above a garage. If you're interested in creative garage layout, workshop arrangement, automobile-related storage, etc., this is not the book. If your desire is to turn a hardworking garage into a granny flat, this is for you.