Brown Books

That's the driving spirit behind this wonderful book -- Texas' missing National Park.

At one time, in the early 1930s, the National Park Service was looking at a national park at least 150,000 acres, and as much as 1 million acres, for Texas' Panhandle caprock. That's right, 1 million acres -- 1,600 square miles or so.

What happened? Don't blame the Depression; the NPS bought land in Texas at the tail end of the Depression to create Big Bend.

Lack of political will and a dime-store solution on the cheap are what happened.

After helping the state of Texas create Palo Duro Canyon State Park -- around 15,000 acres, not 150,000, let alone 1 million -- the NPS simply didn't carry that through. So all we have today is Palo Duro and another dime-sized state park, Caprock Canyons (Copper Breaks is not a canyon, per se, and it's not in the Caprock).

Flores, who once had a rough-it/hippie house in Yellow House Canyon, on one of the Caprock forks of the Brazos River, knows this land intimately and personally -- including the vast majority of the Caprock still in private hands.

Read this intimate account of what many of you may be missing who haven't visited either of the two state parks in Texas' Panhandle, and for those of you who have been to Palo Duro but not explored the rest of the Caprock, see what could have been -- and what Flores dreams still could be.

I paid over-due fines on this book twice at the Austin library...I wouldn't return it until I was finished. It was worth it though. Flores writes in simple terms and speaks from the heart. This book educated me while causing me to reflect on my life...Imprinted DNA from old relatives...I've believed this for years.

it might not be fair to comment, but i haven't read this book. nevertheless i was flying to san francisco from miami the other day and as the pilot mentioned that we just passed over texico, nm i noticed one of the most arresting sights i have ever seen from a plane.

seemingly endless plains, farmed into a quilted patchwork of green squares and circles, abruptly dissolved into a brownish red fractal universe.

at 34.946 north 103.438 west is one of the most striking features. you can check it out online at the terraserver or on any map program. of course they could never do justice to what it really looks like. i've been obsessing over this area for a few days now, although i hope it'll pass before i crank out bucks for yet another book i don't really need.

I paid over-due fines on this book twice at the Austin library...I wouldn't return it until I was finished. It was worth it though. Flores writes in simple terms and speaks from the heart. This book educated me while causing me to reflect on my life...Imprinted DNA from old relatives...I've believed this for years.

Having lived in the Caprock area of Texas for a few years I never knew what history and hidden geography were just beyond the flat, flat plain across the highway! After reading this book I must return to the Caprock to discover these things on my own! There is much beyond the state parks that Texans should claim as a part of their heritage and strive to better understand. Get this book and see if you don't agree!

I can't wait to read another one by Thrasher.

Despite being "amiably pro forma", as the Kirkus review puts it (and I generally tend to agree with the Kirkus reviewers), this is a fun, well-written mystery, with a charming, believable hero who has made something of his life and overcome some major hurdles yet continues to make occasional mistakes, all of which makes him very human and made me want to meet him again in further installments. Interesting characters, some witty dialogue and some thoughtful insights make this a balanced story, surprisingly lighthearted even though a lot of it takes place among the sad, bleak world of street children. A thoroughly satisfying read.

I literally could not put this book down. Characters where well developed and new twists to the plot kept me at the edge of my seat. Can't wait for the next one!

I read this book about two years or so ago and immediately added Thrasher's name to my list of favorites. Loved the characters and wanted to - needed to visit with them again. Nice to know another's on the way.

it's been a few years since I read the book. and it ranks up on the top of my list to reread. Cant wait for the next one by LL THRASHER . Keep up the good work. thanks for my two cents worth.

This is a story of two friends who only grow closer over time. Every adventure has a different twist on how whatever they do, and no matter if they fight, they are always friends in the end. This teaches kids at a young age that friends are important and that they are always there for you in every situation. This teaches kids to always keep friends close and never forget them in the end, they are always there!

in elementary school i checked this book out from the library so much the librarian actually made it a rule that i had to check out another book, and the next time i came back i could get chloe & maude, then another book, etc. i havent seen a copy since i moved from that town (1992), but i still remember the three stories, and the pictures that went along with each. this is a great book! considering the popularity of Boynton's other books, im surprised chloe & maude hasnt been 're-discovered' and printed again. i remember it so well! i even remember the page that was torn and taped with scotch tape - the first page of the third story, about the crack in the ceiling! and now the more recent generation of kids is missing out on it. tsk tsk.

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I used to have it, but it somehow got lost. I highly recommend it and am surprised that it is out of print. If you find it, hang on to it or give it to me!

My daughter (Chloe) and I got this book from the library years ago; unfortunatly another borrower lost the book and we have been searching for it ever since! We both loved this book!

I found Chloe and Maude in a bargain bookstore and it has become one of my son's favorite books! This book tells three tales of the experiences of Chloe and Maude, who are two young cats that live in the same neighborhood. The Art Lesson shows how these "kids" blend their different talents; Chloe, Maude and Sophia is a great lesson about pride; and Overnight is the story of a first sleepover at a friend's house. The dialogue between the two kids is authentic, the emotions are heartfelt and the action scenes are often an opportunity to practice acting out the characters' situations with my son. A great book for 4-8 year olds! Please reprint it!!

My 7th Grader LOVES these books. It a miracle to get him to read unless its homework and he is almost done the whole set.

19 and still love these books. Book 5 opens great and ends great. Book 6 moves on to more crazy ideas and some twist i never saw coming. And book 7 begins a a whole new adventure that will last till book 9-10.

Book 8 is one of my favorites and well throughout story. If you like 1-4 you'll love 5-8.

Anything that can get my 10-year-old to read is welcome in my house. This series not only has him reading, it has him sneaking a flashlight under the covers so he can read in bed. Hmmmmm ... I'll allow it!

Santa will definitely bring him the rest of the series.

He loves these books, takes them with him to read when every he can!!!! We never thought that day would come ... and so they have now sparked a more general interest in reading ... search for material he thinks he will like. He want to talk about them so I too am reading them ... OK not great adult entertainment but not bad either. Thank you, thank you thank you!!!

MY DAUGHTER LOVES THESE BOOKS THEY KEEP HER VERY ENTERTAINED FROM CHAPTER TO CHAPTER.

This is my first John Shannon Jack Liffey novel. I came across Shannon's name in a magazine article and decided to start at the beginning of this series with The Concrete River. I don't know why John Shannon isn't better known. This writer deserves much more attention by mystery readers--his writing is that good. His protagonist--Liffey--is a well-educated, down-on-his-luck child finder, a modern-day philosopher, whose sense of honor is the driving force of his actions and interactions. Los Angeles is a major character in the story, a sense of place--the bleak and the bizarre-- established by a writer who knows the city well. While the mystery is compelling and well told, it is the careful construction of Liffey by the author that brings this tale to life. I am already on the fourth book in the series and have not been disappointed yet.

This was my first experience with a Jack Liffey novel and it won't be the last. Rather than start with his later work, I ordered "The Concrete River" as this is the first in the series and I wanted to be in on the beginning. John Shannon is clearly an underated talent and I am pleased to see that there will be reissues of more of his earlier work. Shannon's writing is Chandleresque and Liffey is a great world-weary private eye. The descriptions of the underbelly of Los Angeles are spot on and remind me of Hammett, Mosely and Michael Connelly. Avid mystery readers owe it to themselves to check out Shannon. You won't be disappointed. My next Liffey novel is on pre-order!

Captures Los Angeles perfectly. Protagonist is believable, story is absorbing - I couldn't wait for the second of this series and bought it immediately when it came out (this is the first). Looking forward to the author's next book. If you like Michael Connelly, Abigail Padgett, and find Andrew Vacchs compelling (if not always palatable), give this author a try. You won't be disappointed.

There are writers in various genres (mystery, romance, westerns, etc.) and then there are Writers; they're the gifted people whose genre is scarcely relevant because their work always rises above the territory upon which they've staked their claim. John Shannon is a Writer.

This first of Shannon's Jack Liffey series is a work of lean, effective prose, spiced with startling dashes of outrageous humor (as was The Orange Curtain, my introduction to Shannon's work). Los Angeles, as portrayed through Liffey's eyes, is a series on ongoing atrocities and carnage that are so everyday as to be normal. Add to this mix a character with a tired, yet invincible, spirit who observes and accepts (but doesn't like) what he sees, and you have a hero unlike any other.

Liffy is the essential American of a certain age, (and a Viet Nam vet) possessed of heart and conscience, trying very hard to be honorable while he searches for missing children (in itself a profound metaphor for the lost innocence not only of the city, but of our entire society.)

It is a sad fact that talent is not its own reward; it does not guarantee success. But if anyone writing today deserves recognition on a large scale, it is John Shannon. His work is both insightful social commentary and an unflinching, wrenching look at the human heart. If you want to be entertained and informed, get this book! Go to out-of-print booksites if you must, or search your local library, but this is a writer who very much deserves to be widely read.

This book begins John Shannon's Jack Liffey series about a character who becomes an unintended and unlicensed detective tracing lost children. Liffey fits right into the tradition of other Los Angeles offbeat detective-protagonists. The random comments about the weirdness of L.A. are especially amusing. Recommend reading the series in order to appreciate the development of the characters.

Elisa...you have out done yourself once again...I have tried your recipes and ideas and even I can bake. Your book is just beautifully written and illustrated. You explain so clearly how to turn out a magnificent creation
that taste as good as they look.
This book is a must have for everyone whether you have children or grandchildren...this book works for all ages.

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Confetti Cakes for Kids is an amazing book that the whole family can enjoy. Elisa is known for her elaborate sculpted cakes, but this book shows us all how to bake to impress.

I am sure the beautiful photography and simple instructions will inspire children to have fun with baking for years to come.

If you don't already have it you may want to purchase the original The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery.

My fingers can't type fast enough to write about this wonderful new presentation from Elisa Strauss, of Confetti Cakes, her happy bakery in New York.

This latest gift of cake-baking delight is simply a wild ride of color and fun. Even when you first receive this book, the bright and neon colors of its packaging, will pull your curiosity.

Yes, there are many wonderful cake-decorating and cake-baking books out there, and as this particular art form has exploded in design and whimsy, the backbone of a good cake book is how it instructs. Through attention to true decorating education, as well as having excellent photography to explain it visually, once again, Elisa's book does it all. It is within the first three chapters of Cake Basics, Techniques, and Basic Recipes, that you will really learn. Some of the cakes are quite simple, so a first time baker will not be intimidated, but for those who want a bit of a challenge, you'll find a couple that will indulge your desires, in particular the cake section.

CAKE BASICS:
This was so well written. On one page is a large color photograph of all possible equipment and tools needed, with each one numbered, along with its sister page of explanation. Everything and anything you need to paint, mold, shape, and mix is listed for your understanding.

Equipment
Decorating Tools
Decorations
Baking Terms (all the types of icings and syrups you will use).


TECHNIQUES:
Basic Decorating and Cookie Techniques (with step-by-step photos of piping, drop-in flooding, overpiping, and how to make templates, with all templates needed located throughout the book).

Cupcake Techniques (creating a dome of filling and covering cupcakes w/fondant).

Cake and Mini-Cake Techniques (great step-by-step photography of how to split cakes, fill cakes, sculpt cakes, crumbcoating, covering a cake w/fondant especially those with odd shapes, dowling and securing sculpted cakes).

Decorating Techniques for Fondant, Gum Paste, and Marzipan (deciding which type of covering, how to store the different coverings, how to dye them, painting with gels, the use of a pasta machine for them, making loop bows, using egg whites/water as "glue").

Practical Techniques (planning your creations and transporting them).

BASIC RECIPES:
Vanilla sugar cookies, chocolate cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate brownies, chocolate cake, yellow cake, apple cinnamon cake, gingerbread cake, carrot cake, lemon cake.

Serving sizes.

Vanilla buttercream, peanut butter buttercream (something different to try), lemon curd buttercream, lemon curd, brown sugar buttercream, cupcake frosting (your standard, basic frosting), milk chocolate ganache, royal icing, simple syrup, rolled fondant, fondant/marzipan, gumpaste chart to determine amount.

COOKIES:
Star cookies, lollipop cookies, farm animal cookies, hula kids gingerbread cookies, Easter cookies, pajama cookies (these are adorable!).

CUPCAKES:
Ice cream cupcakes, garden mini cupcakes (chocolate mounds with little flowers and "insects"), counting cupcakes (numbered cupcakes w/ matching fishes ala Dr. Seuss!), burgers and fries cupcakes, ornament cupcakes, beach pail cupcakes (these are soooo cute!).

MINI-CAKES:
Slice of cake brownies (the use of brightly colored mismatched frostings and fondant were perfect!), mini heart cakes, mini spring cakes (little, brightly decorated "boxes" with bows and such), pumpkin minicakes (these are so whimsical with the exaggerated "faces" placed on them!), MP3 cakes.


CAKES:
"Gift box" with safari animals/theme (this is just precious and a bit more time consuming but totally worth it!), candy factory cake (with all kinds of childhood candies to use), Quinceanera cake (brush embroidery and delicate piping is taught; very glamorous for any special occasion), toy train cake, sock monkey cake, monster cake (from the front cover; absolutely perfect for anyone with a wild imagination), backpack cake.

CONVERSION TABLE
RESOURCES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INDEX

While some of the creations are industry standards, there are some very creative ideas that I haven't seen in other books. But my main reason for liking this so much is that it is a wonderful instructional book that would be an excellent teaching tool for a beginner, and for those who appreciate a good visual guide for learning. Thank you Elisa!

I just received this today and I must say that it is delightful! The pictures are great and it is full of step by step easy to understand detailed direction. She covers everything in detail from tools to the finished cakes. She gives you little tips throughout the book to help make thing easier too. There are recipes for cookies, brownies, mini cakes and cakes. I have not had a chance to try them yet because I can't put the book down.
The lollipop cookies and the farm animal cookies are so cute but I think I will be trying the pajama cookies first. Great for a sleepover with grandkids.
The burgar and fries cupcakes are the best and I think my neighbors will be getting the ornament cupcakes for christmas. There is an MP3 mini cake that is awesome, along with conversation heart mini cakes that are very well done.
Also there is a Safari Cake, Toy Train cake, backpack cake, and of course the Monster cake that is on the cover of the book. There is much more but these are some of my favorites so far.
This is a must have in my opinion, if for nothing else the pictures will delight you.

Seriously Elisa, you have really outdone yourself and exceeded my expectations!!! This is a magical, inspiration to cake decorators everywhere. I just spent an hour on the confetti cakes website because now I am obsessed with Elisa Strauss' work. So far I have been in love with Margaret Braun and Collete Peters, but I have surely added Elisa to my list thanks to this book.

Alot of books from great decorators are just "show-off" books that scream "good luck trying to figure out how I did that!" Colletes books are alot like that, not more than a page of instructions on a cake that probably has over 100 hours of work. Confetti cakes has a surprising amount of instruction. Some cakes have 3-4 pages of how to. Don't get me wrong you still need to know what your doing, but she doesn't leave you quite as high and dry. Amazing, super colorful, flawless, pictures!!

I slept with this book last night :)

If you have read any of the works by William Least Heat-Moon such as Blue Highways and River-Horse, it will be helpful to know that what he does for byways and rivers resembles in certain respects what Mattia does for 25 men named George Bush. She locates them throughout the United States, visits them, has lengthy conversations with them, and then shares her experiences (and theirs) in this book. I am impressed by the nature and extent of the variety of differences between and among the 25 as well as the nature and extent of differences between them and two other, more famous men who share their name. Mattia is to be commended on the care with which she organizes and then presents the material. Least Heat-Moon enables his readers to explore the byways and rivers with him as he travels throughout the United States. Mattia enables her own readers to explore the hearts, minds, and souls of 25 fellow human beings who share the same name, obviously, but who reveal their individuality with style, grace, and eloquence. I sincerely hope that the current occupant of the Oval Office reads this book.

Martha Boone Mattia has an astonishing ability as an interviewer! People give her the most intimate and fascinating details of their lives in America. She captures their courage, humor, and charm, making each person jump off the page. I did not want the book to end! G,T, Barnhart

The only thing that's remotely deficient about Mattia's text is the potentially misleading title. I was on a crowded beach, totally absorbed, when a passerby remarked "a conversation with George Bush...is that even possible?" "Conversations" should be on a required reading list for all Americans, especially those who think they know their country. Together, the author and her subjects paint a picture of the real America, not the distorted, media-blasted version that inundates us every day. Mattia says, "...I believe that I stumbled upon some truths along the back roads of the United States." Agreed.

... you will love this book. Extremely well-written, insightful, bittersweet, patriotic, pointed -- one to pass on to friends and family.

I don't read non-fiction as a general rule, because it doesn't hold my interest. This book grabbed me on the first page and didn't let go until the end. The lives of the Georges are so interesting that I quickly forgot they share a name with a President I don't particularly like. These are, as author Mattia concludes, quiet heroes whose inspiration is in not just in surviving life's trials and tribulations, but in triumphing over them. Mattia has a remarkable ability to step back from both herself and her subjects to allow the stories to command our attention without judgment or apology. The author's own internal journey as she travels from coast to coast is every bit as compelling as nearly 100 years of history told by the people who lived it. This is story-telling at its finest.

Dr. Ron Brown has hit a home run with his first book "The Courageous Life." If you are struggling with your career path or always felt you were suppose to do something else, this book is for you. Dr. Brown does an excellent job in helping you take specifice steps in living your life courageously.

As a newly retired hospice nurse,my imagination has been flooded with many diverse ideas,each challenging the others for priority as I chose how to spend the rest of my life. I found this book to be exactly what I wasn't even aware that I desperately needed. With the guided soul searching that this book inspires and facilitates, I became aware of the many transient ideas that have regularly and easily robbed the time and effort that should have been spent on living out my particular and peculiar life-passions and dreams. This book challenged my thinking, providing inspiring, scholarly, and thought provoking direction. Thank you,Ron Brown, for providing this book which has brought life changing progress as I strive to live the courageous life.

I began reading this book and couldn't put it down. I felt like Ron Brown wrote this book specifically directed toward me. I was able to relate and connect in a way I never had before compared to other "human potential" type books I've read over the years. I say that because of his authentic, humble style of writing where he reveals his own human frailities without that "I'm the expert, know-it-all delivery." Dr. Brown gives the reader a logical, systematic approach to achieving one's own dreams. The road map to your dreams begins with a lot of self introspection. There are several practical exercises to help clarify your dreams and aspirations and define the road map one must utilize to achieve those dreams. He's right...it does take courage to devote time and effort, but with Dr. Brown's encouragement and his explanation of the latest technology in human achievement and overcoming our fears(reinforced by quotes from the best of the best in the field), I couldn't help but get a journal and begin this journey to fulfill the dreams that have laid dormant in the back of my brain. I have a long way to go before I get to where I want to be, but I am inspired! I finally feel like I'm on the sailboat Dr. Brown refers to in his book, complete with rudder and the correct chart that will get me to my destination on the most efficient course. For anyone else out there who knows where they want to go, but doesn't quite know how to get there, I strongly encourage you to read this book. Thank you Dr. Brown!

The Courageous Life truly did change my life. I was at a stand still in my career, not at a bad place, but not living my dream either. In fact I didn't know what my dream was or how to figure it out. This book helped me take a look at what my dreams were, then inspired and equipped me to pursue them. I am now doing my dream job, and am continually reminded that Dr. Brown's words were a huge part of what gave me the courage and practical steps I needed to pursue this dream. I recommend this book to anyone who is ready to live the life they were made for.

The Courageous Life is a life that I've watched my brother consistently lead. Since he was a child the choices he has made in life were highly principled and based on his desire to be involved in living an effective mission-oriented life. Years ago, Ron began his huge project of studying the best academic and other resources that define how effective people discover and define passions/abilities/desires. During this time, he researched the best resources which instructed on how to pursue living these.

Ron's first academic pursuit was to earn a Masters in Electrical Engineering. And despite his other degrees and interests, I see him as an engineer when he approaches efforts like this book. He has written it with a typical concreteness of approach combined with passion. Then he mixes in to the work his dedication for the spiritual and altruistic that I think defines his life. After it all, he has created work with a welcome balance balance of the practical and inspirational --an enabling and functionally motivating manual to help you define and pursue your core callings/missions/goals.

Understanding that change needs to be had in attainable steps/successes, he writes the book almost as a workbook, allowing you to easily attain measurable milestones in first discerning and defining your core dreams/passions/missions. He then adding concretely researched steps to enable you to pursue these with clarity of purpose and method.

If you want to get a taste of Ron's writing style, he writes a weekly blog on leadership and the creative life over at a site named "Couragenet".

Bruce Brown,
biased brother, reader, fan

I have published an award-winning law review article on Federal Indian Law, worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (until I couldn't hold my nose any longer), and had the great good luck to learn Indian Law from Prof. Raymond Cross at The University of Montana School of Law. But Paul VanDevelder taught me new things about all three.

Mr. VanDevelder deftly explains some of the more arcane aspects of Federal Indian Law in a way that, at least for me, filled in more of the puzzle pieces - but while also making it easily accessible to even the non-professional. Mr. VanDevelder taught me that the Corps of Engineers can be even more insidious and arrogant than even I had suspected. And, given the good professor's reluctance to blow his own horn, Mr. VanDevelder taught me that merely having known Raymond Cross was far more an honor than I could have ever guessed.

If you have any curiosity about Indian legal rights, or seek understanding about the grave damage government administrators can do when they embody the worst kinds of ignorance, arrogance, and egomania, or merely hope to be inspired by a ripping good yarn about the undeniable perseverance of the human spirit, Coyote Warrior is your book.

At first glance this book would appear to be a rather standard documentary of the struggles faced by a particular Indian nation. That is true to a certain extent, as the book covers the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara), who until the 1950s were the most successful and self-sufficient Indians in the country, then saw their productive lands disappear under a Missouri River reservoir. After forced relocation and disenfranchisement, and political bullying from government agencies pushing through water reclamation projects that were probably a giant boondoggle, the tribes went instantly from success to destitution and dependence on the government. VanDevelder illustrates their long-term suffering through the decades-long travails and heartbreaks of the Cross family, whose father Martin led a valiant but hopeless struggle to save the tribes' livelihood and culture. The story continues through their traumatic uprooting and torn connections to their community, up to the current successes of son Raymond who has become one of the leading Indian attorneys in the nation.

VanDevelder's extensive coverage of the careers of Martin and Raymond Cross is what makes this book unique, and much more than your typical respectful but depressing expose on current Indian affairs. VanDevelder unveils the extremely complicated nature of Indian law in general, with issues of sovereignty and broken treaties from centuries ago still mucking up court cases to this day. He also gives in-depth (though occasionally over-detailed) coverage of the particular legal maneuvers and challenges faced by the Three Affiliated Tribes and the Cross family, which thanks to the legal brilliance of Raymond and some powerful allies, finally resulted in partial justice after several decades of suffering and cultural ruination at the hands of the U.S. Government. VanDevelder writes of legal maneuvering and governmental shenanigans with a surprising amount of suspense, and somehow even makes a Supreme Court exploratory hearing seem dramatic. A bonus is VanDevelder's unique descriptions of legal precedents going back to medieval Europe in the thirteenth century, and the far-reaching historical development of Indian law in America to the present day. [~doomsdayer520~]

Considering that very few people will witness Raymond Cross's dynamism in person or read his eloquent legal briefs and law review articles, Paul VanDevelder's "Coyote Warrior" provides a persuasive account of another Native community's fight for justice in America. The legal struggles of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara peoples for their land and sovereignty, as seen from their standpoint, provides valuable insights into the institutionalized bad faith of federal Indian policy. The author achieved his goal of making the compelling story of three tribe's contentious political relationship with the United States accessible to a wider audience.

This book is an eminently readable account of the disasters which befell the Arikara,Hidatsa and Mandan tribes when they were displaced by the damning of the Missouri.
It is also a disturbing revelation of the shenanigans of government, producing a sense of shame in those of us who look for"justice for all" from our representatives in DC.
It falls to bold Coyote Warriors,Martin Cross and later his brilliant son Raymond to combat in court,the injustices perpetrated on Native peoples.
As a piece of reporting VanDevelder's work is carefully phrased,occasionally lyrical, avoiding heavily loaded language.
It is also supplemented with an exhaustive bibliography(of which the author says there is more),one bound to satisfy demanding researchers.

An extraordinary look at the forces that disenfrnchised an Indian Nation from its heritage and its land. An insightful look into the destructive forces that rend family and community ties when frderal policies that de-humanize Native people are allowed to be implemented behind one man's ego, and a government's indifference. It is an all too familiar story -- well told -- of disenfranchisement of Indian people and governments. And finally, a story of the courage and incredible intellect of one families battle against irresistible forces.

Growing up, my Father and Step-Mother lived in Crested Butte and I would visit every summer and winter. Even though this novel takes place in the late 1800's (when Crested Butte became a town), it brought me back. I remember seeing the old mines, the Elk Mountain Lodge, the cemetary - and Main Street. It felt like I was there again in a warm cabin on a quiet snowy winter night or, a cool summer afternoon with the bluest sky with the 'Red Lady' - Crested Butte Mountain - towering over the quaint and romantic little town.

The town is unique and special - has obviously changed over the years - and makes a great backdrop for this historically congruent novel. I happened upon this novel and I was very surprised at how instantly it gripped me. I loved the characters, the plot was interesting and unpredictable, and the historical accuracy was a nice bonus. I highly recommend it.

Crested Butte is a novel that not only entertains, but educates. History comes alive and the reader is there, living it right along with Oden's characters. The main character, Vini, takes up residence instantly in the reader's heart. You can't help but love her and cheer her on. You cry with her. You laugh with her. And, you grow to love Crested Butte right along with her. Vini's life in Crested Butte keeps one turning pages. You can't put this novel down! Oden is a master with her pen--or nowadays, I should say with her keyboard. It's obvious she's researched this town and knows its history inside and out. Trust me, this novel will not disappoint. Buy it, read it and cherish it.
Diane Meholick, author of A SWITCH IN TIME

What a talent Marilyn Brown has for taking historical facts and weaving them into a novel you're glad you have waiting for you. Living part-time in Crested Butte for almost ten years I have come to know many people whose ancestors probably lived many aspects of the novel.

I read it while I was in Atlanta and each time I picked it up I was transported back to Crested Butte.

You'll like it even if you've never been to CB. And after you read it, you'll probably find a way to get there someday.

I found this book while searching for works on Crested Butte and bought it not knowing what I would find. Having fallen on love with the Town of Crested Butte and the surrounding wilderness I have tried to learn about the area. As a enter the book, I found myself walking the town through her characterizations. Having spent many days in town, I could feel the places and people of the old town and the lives of the early settlers. I could walk the Elk Avenue of old, envision the miners housing, the whistle of the train and the danger of the mines. Her research of Crested Butte brings life to her story. Although her characters are fictional the lifes they lived were real and can be seen even today in the twon. For anyone who has been to Crested Butte, the book is a great read about a special place and for those that have yet to see the jewel of Crested Butte, the book will give you the feel of the type of people that clung to a life in the hard times of the novel. After reading the novel, if you visit Crested Butte you can sense the history in seeing the CB Cemetary, the Old Town, the Forest Queen, The Company Store, the old Catholic Church and Donita's restaurant (built in the first floor of the original Elk Mountain Lodge). Read the book, visit the town, and fall in love with the beauty of both.

This first novel by accomplished non-fiction writer Marilyn Oden is a winner. As historical fiction it captures both the time and place of 19th Century Colorado, and Ms. Oden has a way of making you care deeply about her characters. She successfully captures the drama of the lives of ordinary men and women who are caught in a struggle for survival and dignity. Historical fiction not your cup of tea? Don't put this book down. She weaves an increasingly intricate tale with plots and sub-plots, and provides a surprise ending which is worthy of the mystery genre. By the time you get to the final chapters, you will be devouring every paragraph in order to discover the great secrets of Crested Butte, and the finale will bring a smile to your face, if not a tear.