Carter Books

Speaking of which, the introduction states, "This book also includes ten `spiritual seeds'- practical and uplifting activities for you and your mate that will nurture your family's faith." I found this statement to be very true and appreciated these simple practical "action points" highlight in each chapter as well as the many other specific and practical suggestions listed throughout. Since it's a short book, it's great for time crunched people in our overly busy society.

I have tried many of the recipes that are included in this book and all of them have been easy to prepare and fun. The rose petal jelly was very easy and was a big hit at my office party. I used the recipes on making herbal vinigers to make Christmas Presents.

The craft ideas are not impossible. I liked all the ideas for wedding using herbs/flowers. How very nice. The nosegays, wreaths, and other crafts were lovely.

There was a wealth of information regarding uses of herbs, recipes, garden plans, crafts, meaning of herbs, storing herbs, drying herbs, and other ideas.

I find that I turn to this book many times when looking for Christmas ideas, craft bazaar ideas, information regarding herbs etc.

I am glad I have this book on my shelves.

However, as Allene began rummaging through the remnants of the soldier's life, she discovered a lot more than she expected. It seemed her father-in-law had much more of a story to tell than Allene had ever imagined. Through her tireless efforts and extensive research, Allene Carter rectified the injustices committed against Eddie during his life.

This book is much more than the casual recounting of a soldier's story. Instead, it is a glimpse into the world as it was for a black serviceman returning home from war in the 1940's. Though there are countless others who lived a similar experience, the personal aspect of knowing this soldier by name affords a much heavier impact. I applaud Allene Carter for discovering the truth and clearing the name of an innocent victim of a racist era.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

REVIWED BY: Erren
MBC 2004

While reading I reminisced of my late father who served in very close proximity with Sergeant Carter during and after WWII. They never knew each other. My father saw Sergeant Carter after the war - how could he miss him - the sharp and deadly soldier that Carter was described to be and one of the very few African Americans holding the Distinguished Service Cross. My father understood all too well what happened to many good men during this era. I look back on living in Germany as a youngster during the Cold War with my avid interest in WWII. I explored bunkers and shopped flea markets searching for relics. Most had the dreaded swastika on it. My father observed my hobby and explained to me in great detail how it was dangerous and in bad taste, but I could keep the collection. He then told me in no uncertain terms: "If you come across anything with a Communist marking on it ......etc, etc, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME SON!!!" I shook my head yes - I was speechless. Honoring Sergeant Carter provided clearer understanding of why I couldn't speak that day.

Sergeant First Class Edward A. Carter, Jr., affectionately known as Eddie, was one of the seven African American soldiers honored at the White House with the Medal of Honor. This long overdue tribute (over 50 years) took place on January 13, 1997. When you read Eddie's story - that is backed with strong research and solid documentation - you will see how fact (in this situation) is stranger than fiction.

A must read for WWII historians and buffs who are sincerely interested in balancing their understanding of WWII. Honoring Sergeant Carter is a great companion book that will complement Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation.

Jeff Sparks Paralegal Tomorrow

California Native Americans used acorn as a staple food, and still reverence it. "One must create a relationship with the tree, one must understand the ground which cherishes the fruit so lovingly." But that understanding is not mere words, it is a vast array of knowledge -- and a special technology of place. Julia Parker, Kashia Pomo, who married into the Yosemite Mono/Paiute family headed by elder Lucy Telles, spent many years learning the lifeways that Lucy taught by example.

Julia tells anthropologist, writer, and friend Beverly Ortiz the story. of acorn preparation through a seasonal round. It is Julia's story, but it is also the story of California Native women over thousands of years. Many photos (by Raye Santos, of Julia preparing acorns; family activities and people from the Telles and Parker family albums; and from 19th and 20th century Yosemite National Park Service collections) make clear the intricate technology these women developed. The process, followed step by step from the story and photos, is shown as part of a life-and-seasonal cycle. The acorns, gathered from the ground, should be dried for a year before being shelled and pounded into meal and flour. The meal is then leached of bitter tannin in shallow sand basins, then separated and cooked with hot rocks in water-tight woven baskets.

The careful explanation of each step in the long process of food preparation is enlivened by Julia's personal recollections of traditional family life, and the cultural/spiritual/social meanings of all the activities. This is a fascinating way to understand Native lifeways, full of life and meaning. Readers will understand, from this woman's inside view, why the book's title -- It will live forever -- is true. This is not an academic account of a dead past; it is a lifeway still alive. At Native events in California today, women still take the time and trouble to prepare this traditional food and experience their closeness to the earth, and their cultural survival as a people.

There is enormous contrast between this lively account of Native women, maintaining life, and the distancing, dead accounts by male anthropologists and historians, which mount Native cultures and lifeways with a freezing academic objectivity, as if they were bagged specimens dead and long gone. This book is highly recommended for young people, as an alternative to the deadly, boring, and incorrect accounts prepared for young people that purport to present archaic Native societies. Those awful books form a minor industry among textbook publishers. This book is a delicious antidote to such multicultural poisons. -- Reviewed by Paula Giese, editor, Native American Books (http://www.fdl.cc.mn.us/~isk/books/bookmenu.html)

Acorn is central to The People -- it is the primary staple food of the Indians of California and sustained them through the winter. A bad crop of acorn meant possible starvation, so the food is treated with respect and tradition throughout the process of turning it from a bitter nut to a sweet flour for making soup or bread.

The book is beautifully photographed and gives detailed instructions for how to make acorn both the traditional way with a granite mortar and sand pit and the modern way with a blender and kitchen sink. I have watched the Indians of Yosemite Valley make acorn many times and have made acorn myself, so I can assure you that the instructions will help even beginners make acorn for themselves.