Douglas Books

I say "could be" because most of the book features the Comanches interacting with one another. It is possible the author captured them accurately, of course, he could be way off. Who knows? For the most part, I felt a sense of realism. But that's just my perception. It's a matter of taste. As far as the story goes, some parts drag and some parts were very exciting. But by the end though, I realized that this is just like real life.

One complaint is that Douglas neglects to explain how the white captive feels living among a people who killed her father, whose scalp she sees hanging from her captor's lance. And when her captor gives her away to his father later in the book, Jones once again neglects to explain how Chosen (the white captive) feels about this.

Despite this, by the end of the book, I felt that I had been on a journey with these people. Also, it should be noted that Jones is very fair to both cultures. The atrocities were a two-way street.

In closing, I highly recommend this book. I believe the follow up to this book is called Gone the Dreams and Dancing. I look forward to reading this book, too.

I knew for a long time that Douglas C. Jones was a well-liked author, as I worked in a public library and I shelved books for a living. One day, though, "Season of Yellow Leaf" happened to get into my hands, probably by someone else checking it out. I read the flyleaf and held onto it.

"Yellow Leaf" is the fictionalized story of a young girl in a remote Texas settlement who is captured by the Comanche tribespeople, adopted and named "Chosen." When "returned" to white culture as a married mother, she pines for the family she has been torn away from.

Loosely based on the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, it is a well-written story of the trials of the culture clash that has been going on for 500 years on this continent. The story is only repeated and repeated, families torn apart, then torn apart again.

Like so many tales involving native people, there is a "golden" time to Chosen's life, as there seems to have been to the lives of the tribes as well, that is to say, just before white culture influenced every circumstance.

I never read another book by this author, but I cherish this book for Chosen's viewpoint, albeit fictionalized.

I also do not know if this represents the Comanche viewpoint well, or is total supposition, but it's a very good read.

In the two existing reviews the date is off by 100 years. It should read 1830!

It would be hard to discuss one of Douglas C. Jones' books without mentioning the others. I have read all of his novels and found them to be well-researched, historically relevant and entertaining. Season of Yellow Leaf is one of my favorites, but Jones is at his best when writing about historical life in his native Arkansas (Weedy Rough, Winding Stair, others). I would recommend his books to anyone. He really knows how to bring history to life.

I found this book to be very well worth reading, everything is supported by factual evidence(e.g the letters and police reports)and Simmie keeps the story progressing very well from start to finish while keeping it clear and understandable for the reader to follow what is happening. It doesn't tell the story of a man consumed by love as most would say, but of a man consumed with himself and his selfishness, he wanted something and didn't care what or who he destroyed in the process of acheiving it.

All the letters and stuff were pretty boring to read. And the suicide attempt scene is probably the most horrible thing I've ever read and will scar me for life but this book was actually pretty...good. Especially since I hail from Regina, I reccommend this book to all the Skatchies

This is a great book! I would suggest it for anyone who live in saskatchewan. It shows how much control love has over one man. Enough power to cause him to murder, (...)

It's a horrifying story of a man who gains to much power in the mounties and kills his wife. If your from Saskatchewan, the places in the book are all close to home and give you a sense of realism.

Vernon Kitabu Turner writes from life about life. Thus does a good writer share with the reader on many different levels. You are in for an amazing discovery when you read this book. It is your book and your life.

Highly recommended for both beginners and long-time warriors on the spiritual path.

Vicki Woodyard

If I could write 1,000 words here about Kitabu's book Secret I would. However, I can't even put what I feel about his book into one sentence. This book is so many things in one, that you just sit back after reading it a say one word, "Wow." I very much wish I could convey my thoughts into words for this book, but I don't think they have words for what I feel. I was so moved. Thanks for another very well written book Kitabu.

A lovely mountain-mist prose, exciting insight, race, discovery, self, freedom: these are his tools. The result is The Secret of Freedom.

I am a journalist who met Kitabu while he was in Jamaica and had an opportunity to review his book for a national paper....

Extending beyond our 'limitations' Secret beautifully and almost poetically defines the idea that self is a great thing, individual and untouchable -- a core that makes the externals (like skin colour) irrelevant.

Written with such self-assured insight that you begin to feel: "Right, RIGHT, that's IT!", Secret offers a gently prodding look at the old problems. It is exciting to walk with Zafir through his discoveries that freedom lies within himself, and that the imprisoned can be free, even while those who imprison can be chained. The 'secret' isn't a secret at all, but something that is known if you make any attempt to find it within yourself: freedom is the acknowledgment of self, that untouchable core. And Kitabu communicates all this in a simple style that offers a greater vitality to the strength of these truths.

The book is a communion with the reader. You feel the freedom here, than read about it, you become Zafir. I cannot think of a better tribute to an author.

It quite obviously doesn't hurt that the author is a Zen practitioner and martial arts expert brought up in a Christian home, who has studied and published poetry.

His work is a blend of all these, and adds a behind the scenes richness to Secret...

How can you describe a book which touches you at so many levels? First it is a good story that forces you to reevaluate everyday life and things you take for granted. Then it show you how the powers of this world manipulate us to make our own minds our worst enemies but the book does not leave us there. "Secret" takes us on a journey of liberation and on a no-holds barred battle for freedom and justice. The reader clearly sees that there are some things we must do for ourselves. On the surface, one might think Secret was a Black book but it is as universal as Herman Hesse's Sidhartha or Homer's epic tale, the "Odyssey." You read it knowing that it is cutting through our deception with the authority of a Holy Book, yet it is not preachy. We are co-adventurers with the main character Zafir. We see the truth for ourselves, discover with him, moment by moment. I recommend The Secret of Freedom to anyone who is trying to make sense of this world and would like an uncompllicated but clear account. Written before the movie, "The Matrix," it reflects a similar Philosophy, while showing us that the power to break free is ours already. You will read The Secret of Freedom again and again.

Hold on to your seats reader, this novel is filled with so much action and adventure that it could entertain a statue. Filled with exciting chases, (chapter 3 and chapter 6) wild strange rides (chapter 5)edge of your seat canine confrontations, (chapter 10 and 12), and a powerful gut wrenching ending, the book will please all. And it is filled with constant humor throughout. A must read.

Four endearing canine characters embark on an oddessey to rescue one of the dog's human master while the other three strays long for the day when they will have master's of their own. But first there are dangers and a vast fantasy world in the Johnson City Canine Control Center! A story of great imagination that shows the power of love over evil. Excellent debut by author Rich Douglas, if it is his first, that I'm assuming.

Every once in a blue moon a great piece of artwork, whether it being a movie, a book or music, is created while at the same time possessing the two most important qualities of any piece of art: enchantment and emotion. Although these qualities are extremely rare in today's creative achievements, they do thankfully sometimes occur. Some examples of this include (in music), Coldplay's album "A Rush of Blood to the Head," and in film, the great "Field of Dreams."

And now in books: "The Secret of the Dogs," by Rich Douglas.

The Secret of the Dogs begins with four dogs, a greyhound, Basenji, a Pomeranian and Airdale Terrier, trapped mysteriously in a square city park. Dangerous, mysterious flames appear if the dogs step one paw print over the boundary layer and try to escape the park(as on the cover). They want to escape so badly and find human Master's of their own, but they can't. Yet when Leroy, a Basenji, discovers that a young boy who visits him at the park is being physically abused by his father, he finds a way to escape the boundary layers with the help of The Great White One, a magical dog who has the powers to take the flames away. But Leroy and the other dogs must find the boy and rescue him, and work together as a team and fight the Mastiff named Brick, a hateful beast who has evil powers and tries to stop the four dogs from accomplishing their mission.

The characters are engaging and very relatable, including Pooky, the cute girlish Pomeranian, the selfish but powerful Diggy, the Terrier, the complaining but quick Ms. Quickfeet, the greyhound, and the main character of the novel, Leroy, who the entire story is told from. There are also the smelly dirty but loveable mutts, Led, Sed, Sned and Fred, who are stinky but hilerous!

The Secret of the Dogs approaches spiritual issues without being preachy or demanding, emphasizing faith issues. In a contempory novel, it is hard to do something like this, but this novel pulls it off, showing that in the end good always dominates over evil, regardless of a particular beliefs, religions or creeds.

Last but not least, the novel's ending packs an emotional wallop that is so strong in may just be the one of the strongest conclusions to any book that I've ever read. I don't want to spoil it. You have to experience it for yourself. Every reader should.

The Secret of the Dogs by author Rich Douglas isn't like any novel I've read before. Told through the eyes of a dog named Leroy, I was at first expecting a boring kids book with no plot, excitment or emotion. But as I soon got passed the introduction, I couldn't put the book down. The fantasy, action, mystery excitment and humor is so incredible and runs so smooth, and the way the author so marvelously shows the powerful bond between a dog and a young boy who is taking physical abuse from his father, pleased my adult mind. There are so many interesting things to read about, like the secret underground tunnels of the city park, the flaming boundary layers, the strange Johnson City Canine control, the mystery that lies in the school, and the monsterous canines of the terrifying pound, invisible to humans of course! The charecters are incredible, funny and unique, like the fluffy Pomorarian Pooky, who wears clip on earrings! Then there is the independent terrier Diggy, who collects playing cards and has a secret room underground! Ms. Quickfeet is the greyhound, a nervous, rejected dog who loves attention and even wears a clown's mask to attract humans! Oh, I love these characters! I laughed so hard, I cried!
Finally the book leads up to the exiting, emmotional climax when the dogs rescue the young boy who is abused by his own father. I must say I did shed a few tears during the last chapter. You will too.

I manage information risks for a large organization on a professional basis and this is one of the best books I have read on this important topic. What I found most useful about this book is that it complements rather than competes with formal risk management methods. This book explains techniques and methods that you can use to enhance your existing risk assessment process like data gathering, impact analysis, evaluations and so on. This book should belong on every risk managers bookshelf.

Very easy to read. Very good details on how the security industry works, no more secrets.

I am taking a class on Threat Risk Assessment and one of our main references is Douglas Landoll's "The Security Risk Assessment Handbook". The great thing about this book is that it takes what would normally be extremely dry material and makes it interesting. The book has a conversational tone which is easy to read, and yet still manages to be very informative. A great tool for anyone who wants to learn about security assessments.

Finally Some one has heard our struggle!! We have a guide that is easily read and solves the blank sheet of paper problem. The book is based in a real world and shows almost step by step the process. The major selling point to me is it serves as a great reference book as well. When you need collection points or industry standards this is the book. Read it and you will not leave for a risk assessment with out it.

Sing a New Song: Portraits of Canada's Crusading Bishops is a captivating blend of history, biography, and religion told through the lives of four charismatic B.C. Anglican bishops; men who fought (and are still fighting) for change not only within the church, but in society. As someone without a religious background, I found Julie Ferguson's story of the Anglican church, and those who've made a difference, an easy-to-follow, compelling read. This book changed my perception of religion as an institution permanently stuck in the past and oblivious to current social concerns. It was encouraging to learn that there are clergy who welcome all people to the Anglican church, and who want to make the world a better place without attaching blame or judgement in their quest. Thanks to Julie Ferguson's knowledge and passion for this topic, I enjoyed an informative and thought-provoking read.

Julie's book is everything one might think church history shouldn't be: exciting, thought-provoking, invigorating, heart-wrenching, beautiful, and true. One needn't be Anglican or even religious to come to a deep understanding and appreciation of the fight for human rights represented between the covers of this book.

Julie Ferguson's Sing a New Song is a great read. It is carefully researched and written in an entertaining and fast-paced style that pulls you along. For anyone interested in Canadian history, this book is a must. The issues tackled head-on by the four bishops are among the central social issues of our time, and the way they were handled by the bishops and their church helps to define us as Canadians. Ferguson has handled some controversial material with care and consideration for her readers, while remaining rigorous to the history. Strongly recommended!

As readable as it is exhaustively researched, Julie Ferguson's Sing a New Song: Portraits of Canada's Crusading Bishops gives us intimate portraits of four courageous church leaders who faced dissent and open opposition, even risking their careers, as they fought for equal rights and social justice. These are four men who were prepared to push the envelope, within their own Anglican faith, and in the wider society of their time. Sing a New Song is a book not just for Anglicans, but for people of all faiths, or for anyone who enjoys a lively and absorbing biography.

Great to deal with. Very quick delivery. Very highly recommended. Thank you.

Airforce aviation expert Scott Libis presents "Skystreak, Skyrocket & Stiletto: Douglas High-Speed X-Planes", a 184-page history and survey of Douglas X-Planes, include details of the first Mac 2 aircraft (D-558-2) and the original March 2 flight by test pilot Scott Crossfield. Libis also covers the ill-fated X-3 Stiletto program. Enhanced with more than 300 photos and illustrations (including a full color section) "Skystreak, Skyrocket & Stiletto" also features the men who flew these plans and the rocket engine technology they helped to develop. "Skystreak, Skyrocket & Stiletto" is an impressive and seminal title that is a strongly recommended, core addition to personal and academic library American Aviation History reference collections.

I found this book to be a very readable, informative account of the development and testing of the Skystreak, Skyrocket, and Stiletto. I appreciated the extent to which the author sought out and included drawings of the subjects, especially the internal arrangements and cutaways. I would have liked to have seen some detailed multi-view drawings of the subjects, but realize that may not be possible these days in a book that is as reasonably priced as this.

very good and factual information. Super information for all Railroaders looking for any information of specific roads and types of motors. The typr of references that a model railroad person would go to for factual infoemation.

This was one of the most engaging books I have ever read. It is also the first Douglas Kennedy books I have read. It won't be the last. This was a story about Sally, a journalist who goes to Somalia to report on a major flood. There she meets Tony, he is also a reporter. He is attractive and very charming. So, Sally and Tony hook up. Soon after, Sally finds out she is pregnant. So, Tony offers to marry her if she would move to London with him. For most of the book, I did not care for Sally's character at all. You can't help but feel some compassion for her because of her difficult pregnancy and post-natal depression. However, I thought she was totally irresponsible with Tony in the first place and she never really took control of her life until it was too late. It is amazing to me that Kennedy did such a great job writing in the voice of a woman. Especially a pregnant woman. This was one of those books that kept me up late so I could finish it. I highly recommend it.

I am a foreign personn and I was trying to find a book to read in English. I tried so many but I have never finished any. But this one is The Book. I love the story, I cannot stop reading. Last night at one am. I forced myself to leave the book and sleep. Don't hesitate, get it, you will love it.

This is an extraordinary novel. It is extraordinary because the author writes from the perspective of a woman. Writing in the first person as a woman, might not sound that unusual, however Kennedy expresses her most inner feeling and insanities as a woman experiencing Post Natal Depression. You might say that a `man' would not have the slightest clue about such things, but after reading the novel and giving it to family and friends (women) who have experienced post natal depression or even the less serious, post natal blues, after reading the text, have come back to me startled and amazed at how accurate and spot on the mark the author was in terms of his unusual depth of understanding.

A thirty something journalist, Sally Goodchild, meets a handsome Englishman in Cairo while on assignment. Tony Hobbs is a foreign correspondent for a major London newspaper and as one thing leads to another, Sally ends up pregnant and Tony offers to marry her though insists she must come back to England. This all sounds rather mundane, but as the narrative unfolds, we find that all is not as it seems in their relationship.

Sally experiences all the cultural differences as an American living in London. She experiences `cultural shock' to a minor degree, but while reading her observations and feelings, and having lived in different countries as well, could relate, however her husband Tony, strangely, never offered any support, leaving the poor (pregnant) woman to her own devices.

Sally finally has the baby and it is not a smooth delivery. She comes out of the experience a total wreck, emotionally and less so, physically. She finds the hospital staff without empathy and in some cases, sadistic. Sally has no support from family as she is all alone. Tony becomes a phantom, occasionally coming home and ignoring the baby. Sally attempts to describe her dilemma, her feelings, but her husband merely scoffs and arrogantly disapproves, giving her the impression that she's being a child and should "grow up!"

Needless to say, Sally comes close to ending it all, hitting rock bottom.

Douglas Kennedy is a master at taking a character to the heights to then drag them down further than the reader would think possible: The Big Picture and his first novel, The Job, are good examples.

We feel Sally's desperation, her insanities, her frustration as a new mother and her various reactions to her situation. Does this poor woman bounce back?

This is an excellent novel, the author doing his job, immersing us into the character, feeling her emotions and her desperation and finally, her choice to climb out of a terrible, hopeless situation...and she does it with flair and style.

A Special Relationship is entertaining and informative, revealing what good writing is all about...A firm 5 Stars.

Sally is a journalist for the Boston Post based in Cairo, when she meets Tony, an English foreign correspondent. Their relationship develops quickly and within months she is married, pregnant and living in the UK. But her pregnancy is anything but smooth and a complicated delivery is followed by an acute dose of post-natal depression. What happens next is even worse and she is forced on the defensive as both a wife and mother.

This is an unusual subject for a male author to tackle, especially written as it is in the first person. It takes a while for Kennedy to find his stride. Initially Sally failed to win my sympathy and I thought the description of her new days as a mother was less than convincing. But the book picks up momentum as it goes and before too long I was riveted - to the point where I would wake in the middle of the night and seriously consider getting out of bed to read more! Although the story is relatively simple, there are some nice little twists and Kennedy sets a good pace. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in two days.

for a heck of a ride. Margaret and John are at each other's throats - they're enemies, not a thing in common. Then, their boss tells them they're engaged - and the sparks fly yet again. Except maybe this time the sparks are of another sort . . . maybe it's love?

I found Bonnie Tucker's first book, Hannah's Hunks and knew I'd added a must-buy author to my list. And Stay Tuned: Wedding at 11:00 just proved I have good taste! She has the abilty to tickle your funny bone while she's pulling at your heart strings.

What a great book! From page one on I was smiling. Hennessy and Megs are a great couple, ala Moonlighting with Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheppard. They keep the one liners going and the sexual tension high. Fans of romantic comedy will be *very* pleased.

with Stay Tuned: Wedding at Eleven! Bonnie Tucker once again takes us to Sugarland, Texas and introduces us to two people who are meant for each other --- only they don't know it yet. Margaret and John are coanchors who spend their broadcasts at each other's throat. Suddenly they're engaged and the ratings are soaring - the only problem is that neither of them did the asking, it's the station manager's idea. The story will leave you dizzy with laughter as John and Margaret look for their own Happily-Ever-After.

Bonnie Tucker's first book, Hannah's Hunks was such a delight I knew I was hooked by a prime catch - a romance writer who understands how to tickle your funny bone even as she touches your heart.

Back cover reads:
*First Luke and Laura ran away with our hearts. And we never doubted that Desi loved Lucy. But can John and Margaret stop fighting long enough to say "I do"?
Margaret and John--coanchors, adversaries...husband and wife? Not if Margaret could help it. Once, they'd been hot and heavy--until John walked out. So what if the raging chemistry between them was hot enough to burn down the set? Just because she really wanted him didn't mean she loved him, right? So why had she agreed to be his bride?
*Don't miss the wedding of the year, live at 11:00, only on KSLT!

Joel Sternfeld travels the roads of America, and takes pictures with his large-format camera. Although all his pictures include people in various situations (attending a party, selling coffee, hanging out in their own homes, vacationing, promenading, relaxing, observing, working), what he is really interested in, is the depiction of landscapes and soft outplay of the mid-afternoon light. There is an overwhelming sense of loneliness. His composition style is superb; his depiction of quality of light reflections of the industrial surfaces is without precedence. In my opinion, Sternfeld really stands on its own. Not since Robert Frank's "The Americans" have I seen such a collection. His compositions are best reminiscent of Philip-Lorca diCorcia's; but somehow people are not the center of attention (and sometimes not even of focus), what is important is the quality of landscapes and how they shape human lives.

"American Prospects," a landmark study of how the modern social order is revealed through landscape, published in 1988, brought brilliant photographer Joel Sternfeld to international attention. Sternfeld expanded this study with "A Stranger Passing." The sixty color portraits of ordinary Americans included in this book, and made over a fifteen year period, were first shown at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2001, and published at the same time.

Although Douglas R. Nickel describes this book as a collection of portraits in his introductory essay, Joel Sternfeld's vivid images are so much more than traditional photographic portraiture. The pictures go beyond reflecting a mere image of the subject, no matter how interesting or aesthetic. And Sternfeld's subjects are more than the people being photographed. He has captured here the very essence of our culture - Americans, depicted in the context of their daily lives, during odd moments between events. Many of the warmest images feature relationships between two people.

Each photograph tell a story. The volume's cover portrait is titled "Young Man Gathering Shopping Carts." A teenager, with blond bobbed hair, open shirt, loosened tie, stands in a parking lot cluttered with pink shopping carts. The ubiquitous strip mall is the backdrop. His stance, the look of discontent on his face, and the generic locale say much more than most narratives. Sternfeld stirs the viewers imagination. One cannot help but wonder about the subjects' lives - the before and after of each picture. "A Lawyer with Laundry," New York, portrays a seemingly reluctant subject, laundry in hand, leaning against a newsstand while warily suffering the photographer's attention. Some of my other favorites include: a colorful sari wrapped middle-eastern woman pumping gas in Kansas City; a young woman with bouffant hair, wearing a cotton-candy pink jacket holding her pet rabbit in a plastic carrying case; a forlorn woman on a New York City street holding a spectacular Christmas wreath; a man grilling a single hamburger on a broken patio in Cincinnati; and
"Motorcyclists," which shows a man on a motorcycle, wearing goggles and a leather jacket, with an adorable baby in the sidecar wearing a helmet.

Douglas R. Nickel, who wrote the Introduction, is director of the Center for Creative Photography and associate professor of art history in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Ian Frazier, who contributed another fine essay is an author.

I don't usually buy coffee table books, although some of them are gorgeous. I have found that while I may admire the work a few times, I wind up placing the volume in a prominant place and then only glance at it occasionally, while dusting. This book is special though. "Stranger Passing" is a "travelogue of sorts, a detached, understated but compelling portrait of the people with whom Sternfeld has come into contact during his itinerant journeys." The photographer compels us to question the assumptions we make about others. This is an extraordinary book by an American master.
JANA

This is the best photographic testament to the USA since Robert Frank came to shore and showed us how strange and beautiful our country was nearly fifty years ago. The subject of these photographs are both ordinary and extraordinary people, who we may cross paths with during any given day. The brilliance of Sternfeld's art is the way these images draw you into the world of each subject. Even the most superficially mundane subject such as two suburban kids standing in a cul-de-sac is cause for reflection. Most of these portraits economically use the scenery to define the world of each individual. In the end, the images are a celebration of anonymous Americans (one can't say "typical" because this collection shows you that there is no such thing as a typical American) in common settings. In my mind, the best images here evoke the mystery and power of a Vermeer painting. The way they heighten our experience of everyday images is what I think they call art.
A side note: If you have the chance, you must see the exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The hyperreal poster-size prints are a wonder to behold. And the cumulative effect of these images leaves one exaltant. (Oh yeah, there's also a pretty good Ansel Adams exhibit curated by John Szarkowski on the floor above.)

These sixty portraits of American strangers are rich with an intelligent, questioning beauty. I was dazzled by the exhibit in San Francisco, but now I'm especially glad to have the accompanying book. I rarely find it worthwhile to purchase museum exhibit catalogues, but what I love about "Stranger Passing" is that I can ponder a given image as long as I like, "reading and re-reading" it as I would a really good short story. Indeed, many of these portraits seem as laden with interpretive possibilities as a story by Chekhov or Alice Munro or T. C. Boyle. From a grizzled woman selling papers in the middle of a Colorado boulevard, to a solitary New York banker having dinner, his aloneness matched by a single tulip in front of his little bistro table: I found myself deeply moved by the lavish yet subtle artistry Sternfeld has bestowed on these people and places--each one unique yet somehow familiar--that he encountered in this strange and wonderful country of ours.