Gray Books

This book, along with Serge Dedina's Saving the Gray Whale: People, Politics,and Conservation in Baja California, is required reading for anyone who plans a whale watching trip in Baja.

This splendid book is aptly named, for the powerful glimpses in these chapters, full of emotion and drama, carry the resonance and significance of a sighting of the heart-shaped breath plume and knuckled back of one of the largest, gentlest, and most enigmatic creatures on the planet.
Sightings is beautiful reading. Each of the short chapters is rich as a poem, and indeed, many read like song or poetry, each woman's distinctive voice blending and harmonizing with her co-author's.
This book is not the standard National Geographic fare--though the authors are skilled reporters and intrepid travellers, following the whales in kayaks, small planes, boats and ferries. Theirs are the sightings of writers who don't merely observe, but who feel their subjects and feel them deeply, who use their intuitions and emotions as well as their intellects to come to their powerful conclusion: that, in this era of mass extinction, to kill such a creature as the gray whale is "an act against creation."
How lucky are we that these talented, spirited women have written this compelling and important testament to that truth.

SIGHTINGS is an incredible book to read on the plight of Gray Whales. Although I started reading SIGHTINGS the last day on a cruise ship in Cabos, (literally, moments after photographing a large pod of dolphins leaping out of the ship's wake)... my husband and I even skipped meals because I could not pull my head up from non-stop reading of this fine book. Linda Hogan's proses through a Native American's eyes were very beautiful and insightful... Brenda Peterson pucked my heartstrings with her naturalist perspective for this amazing mammal's plight and journeys through an OCEANPLANET, all the while a majority of humankind believes it owns it, yet refuses to accept responsibility for what befalls this watery world's consequence. I encourage all to read this book... its pages will open your eyes and one will not be dissappointed. Several years ago, I was one of many that wrote letters to the Mexican Government concerning St. Ignacia's breeding grounds of the great Gray Whale. The book finally told me of the outcome. When I am sailing on my boat named Rumbledoll in Neah Bay, WA this summer, or in Mexico next year, I will be searching for Gray Whales and their children... with a renewed hope of their perservation for many milleniums to come.

Jadia Ward/Bright Eyes Creations

I first heard RMP read at an outdoor conference in the late 1990s. Late that evening some of us shared single malt with him around a small table in a little trailer. I was hooked.

First I read his Sasquatch book, which is not about sasquatch, except for a little bit. Then there is his beautiful western butterfly book, a book to be studied and treasured. It opened my eyes to much I had never seen in my many years of wandering the hills.

Enough; this volume is near poetry.

But in it, you will find RMP a bit whimsically professorial. For instance when RMP walks through thistles in his shorts, he remarks on itchy scratches.

Incidently, Gray's River is in SW Washington across the Columbia River northeast of Astoria, Oregon.

Of all Mr. Pyle's books this one is the most lyrical and delicious. Just read a page before you go to sleep and you will dream of lush forest and lovely creatures on land and in the sky. Every sentence is filled with wonderful images of nature. It would make a nature lover out of any reader.

An imapssioned life, observing and enjoying all around him. A great read for those interested in people and nature, the interconnected web of a rural world. We can all learn something from this book. Thanks Bob!

This is absolutely one of the BEST books on wolves I've ever read! It is packed full of information but does not come across like an encyclopedia. It's easy reading with lots of colorful photographs. I was overcome with sadness and angry when I read McIntyre's account of the story of "Raggs the Digger," one of the famous and incredibly clever so-called "outlaw wolves" that eluded federal government capture for years. The book gives a lively and animated detail of how a famous bounty hunter "finally" killed Raggs, an indomitable spirit. It is an important reminder that there is no animal who will EVER be a match to a human being with a gun intent on killing it.

Excellent and readable book. I couldn't put it down. If you care about wolves, are simply interested in wolves and want to know their story, buy this!

Running a wildlife safari company in Yellowstone, the wolves that we view have become a major attraction. I have learnt so much from this book that it is now a requirement for all my guides to read it from front to back, so they are totally educated on wolves. Rick McIntyre's A Society of Wolves captures everything you want to learn about wolves, including their behavior, pack structure, and how similar they are to us. This book is a must if you are interested in wolves, wildlife and Yellowstone.

Rick McIntyre does us a great service with this book. It is an excellent compilation of written material and photographs that will prove transformational to anyone interested in wildlife. A moving account of day-to-day life in a wolf pack, it also provides an invaluable history of wolf persecution in this country. He also lists excellent resources to contact to learn more about the fate of the wolf and how to become active in their reintroduction. This book answers the questions "Where did all the wolves go?" and "Why do we need them back?" An important and compelling read.

This work represents that kind of excellent artistic expression that makes being a human wonderful. "Luce" does a fantastic job of combining solid commentary with powerful images. Outstanding!

First off I want to say this is an excellent display of what life is though the eyes of the author. I lived in Baltimore City for two years before moving to the Washington D.C. area and his book is so reflective of the city and its people. The plus' and minus' ---the strength's and weakness'. The words in the book are as thought provoking as the photography, almost to the point that the books could of been all words or all pictures and still spoke the same message. TP Luce shows the issues revolving in Black America as more than just "Black Issues", but as world issues...issues that effects the poor,rich,advantaged and disadvantaged. The photography is well shot and proves his years of photography experience. Looking through his eyes shows the lost and the found of a city that America tends to forget (for many unfortunate reasons) that less than 40 minutes away from the nation's capital. This book is a must have for people with an interest in socialogy and photography. Because this book covers that and much more!

"thaBloc"is one of those rare statements by an artist who lives the life he documented, yet is careful enough to apply rigorious standards of observation to make this book an extraordinary look at one neighborhood. The poems and photographs build a rhythmical case against the things that mess with the lives of those who live on the block.

True, some of the photographs could remind you of all the stereotypes of urban life...until you look again, look again and see how what you see isn't always the truth.

Simply unforgettable.

Megan Barnett is about to have an Adventure. She is leaving home (a Nebraska farm) to live with her sister on a riverboat for the summer.

She gets on the east-bound train, and her transformation begins. She talks to strangers; she, who has a gift of "seeing" learns that things, especially people, aren't always what they seem.

She has harrowing experiences, exhilirating experiences, and life-view changing experiences.

This book is chock-full of fantastic characters and situations. It is well written - you won't want to skip a paragraph. You fear for Megan, you cheer for Megan, and you want to read the last 1/3 of the book over and over; or at least I did.

This is a fantastic story for a young girl; I whole-heartedly recommend it!

(*)>

Teen Megan is bound for the Mississippi River via train - and headed for an encounter with strangers that will change her life during the journey. Ignoring her mother's 'dos and don'ts' may affect her life in ways she can't predict in this excellent story of encounters and growing up.

If you have a young girl reader in your life, YOU MUST GIVE HER THIS BOOK. Part historical fiction, part adventure mystery, part love story, it is exquistely crafted and deserves a place on everyone's shelves. Don't miss this one!

Both items I recieved were in great condition and arrived very quickly after ordering.

Fun Book to taking camping. We love the full size pictures.

I bought this book for my five year old daughter who enjoys hiking with her dad in the forest preserves near our home. She loved it and couldn't wait to go out to the trails. Each page has a life size picture of the animals' footprint which is very helpful because several animals (i.e. wolf and coyote) have similar footprints. Sometimes the difference in size is the only noticiable difference. Each page also has a picture of the animal, so my daughter, who is unable to read, is still able to tell to which animal the footprint belongs. My only complaint is that the book does not show both the front and back footprints of each animal. But the book is small and lightweight, easy to throw in a child's back pack, and clear enough for my five year old to understand on her own.

A great stocking stuffer! This book is very encouraging. You'll feel as though you're having a cup of tea with Alice while she imparts God's wisdom and promises through her delightful stories for the storms of our lives. And Jesus said, "The storms will come," and believe me none of us will escape them, they will come sooner or later. Be ready to withstand them by growing spiritually through these treasures for women. Buy this book for your friends who are hurting . . . sometimes it doesn't even have to be a huge hurt either, for the little ones can really plague us, too! Almost everyone I know will benefit from Alice's deep abiding faith and trust in the Heavenly Father.

Alice Gray's book is a treasure-trove of hope. I was captured from the moment I read the prologue through to the last chapter. She made me feel I was sitting across the table from her as I enjoyed her stories and heartfelt words of wisdom and comfort. If anyone is in despair and can't see the dawn for the dark, this book will reassure them that in truth, we can dare to hope for that joy that comes in the morning.

Marilyn McAuley
Vancouver, WA

I've had the privilege of reading this book. What an encouragement of hope it is in my life. I've gone through some bleak times, and this book hits the "hope" nail on the head! It not only will be a "re-readable" resourse book for me, as I share in many women's lives, but I plan to give this book as gifts to those ladies needing its advise and encouragements. A "must" read for "every" woman, and then propagate it to other ladies!

The United Methodist Women's Reading Group has given this book an honorable "Recommend Read," and it is such a deserving book by such a deserving author. Carolyn Gray Thornton writes a weekly column, and she is the author of 3 other titles, and has co-authored a 4th book. She is a distinguished writer of great merit, and her work is getting an amazing amount of attention. Ms. Thornton is a Methodist minister's wife, and this book highlightes, with humor and grace, her journey through life and travels living with her husband and raising her children while being involved in the church. Classy and wonderful, Ms. Thornton is an amazing author with an immense talent. 5 stars to Whither Thou Goests. Best News.

These essays will have you giggling aloud at times, rejoicing at the changes in our society at others, and just plain counting your lucky stars for family and friends most of the time. In the fine tradition of Erma Bombeck, C.G. Thornton finds the universal humor in her particular life challenges. Though the book details her struggles to accept her role as a minister's wife, anyone anywhere who has felt out of place or uncomfortably challenged by a new situation can find humor and insight aplenty in these easy-to-read, bite-sized chunks of a wonderful woman's life story.

I have been a long time fan of Ms. Thornton & always look forward to her newest publications. As a Psychologist and a Social Worker, this book gives a human perspective of the struggles of being thrust into a position that Ms. Thornton did not feel prepared (A minister's wife). She describes her ordeals with humor, but also with some pain. If I was teaching grad students in psychology or social work, I would have this on my mandatory reading list. The author's words are a macro and micro of our society, not only in the 1970's and 80's, but also are applicable today. Ms. Thornton's words apply to everyone. Great reading for any age. Enjoy!

David C. Mayer, Ph.D., LCSW

This is a tender and cheerful story, and Ms. Wolff's illustrations are fabulous. Her little wild horse is so warm and alive I expect him to gallop right off the pages. Get this one for every young --or old--animal lover you know.

Running free and wild as many of us would like to be able to do again. This story was precious. I loved it as much as my granddaughter.

This book by Rita Gray is an encouraging book for children to feel the freedom of adventure with the confidence of supportive and close by parents. Even though the book is about a horse and his parents, children will be able to relate to the message of the story for themselves.
(I read this book today to 26 first graders and they loved it.)

This book is an excelent source of knowledge and pictures of wolves. Covers Myths, nature of, and wolves everyday life. Book is FULL if excelent pictures.

Wolves are a species that have been feared for centuries, perhaps because they are reckless and free, like lightning in a storm. Their history has been written down in an immensely enjoyable book called wolves by Candace Savage. In the book, Savage suggests many plausable reasons why man has always feared the wolf, reveals the routine habits of wolves, and tell the general lifestyle of a pack of wolves. Additionally, dozens of amazinly close-up photos of wolves in their natural habitat help support what Savage is saying.

Few creatures have been so misunderstood, so shrouded in myth... and such inaccurate myth... as canis lupus, the wolf. Wild and beautiful, in my mind the most beautiful of all creatures still walking our earth today (although in painfully diminishing and harrassed numbers), the wolf inspires fear in many. But then, ignorance often inspires fear. We need books such as this one - with text and photographic selection by Candace Savage, foreword by L. David Mech - to banish such ignorance and reveal to us something of this wild and wonderful animal. For not only is he beautiful, but he is also highly intelligent, and, yes, highly "civilized" in his ways.

Henry Thoreau, author of another of my favorite books, "Walden", said: "In wildness is the preservation of the world." I believe this with all the healthy wildness in my heart. On a journey some years ago to Alaska, I brought along little luggage, but many books... and many of these were about wolves. I realized how little I knew about this incredible animal. Like so many, I knew more the myth reaching back to my own childhood... the nasty child-eating beast of Red Riding Hood, the ravaging monster harrassing three little pigs.... and, later, Jack London's Call of the Wild. I saw movies that portrayed the wolf as a fearsome monster who freely stalked and killed human beings. I visited museums where the taxidermist had so positioned the wolf as to fully expose bloodied fangs in a nightmarish snarl, dear little bunnies lying gutted in the red snow before him. The wolf kills, as all animals must to survive and eat and feed their young, but the more I read and researched this animal, the more I was impressed with his intelligence and integrity. The first myth to go was the one that wolves will hunt down and attack a human being. That is simply false. They are intelligent enough to avoid if at all possible every encounter with man, but will defend themselves and their young with respectable ferocity. Rarely have I known of any species that has such a strong sense of family as does the wolf. If only we cared and nurtured our young as does a pack of wolves... Faithful for life to his mate, the wolf not only provides nourishment for his young, but fosters a sense of family that we can only envy in our society of broken families and latch-key children.

This book provides not only fascinating information about wolves, but is filled with a breathtaking selection of photography that allows the reader a glimpse into the lives of these magnificent animals. I would follow this book up with an evening in a log cabin, fireplace roaring, wolves on the snowy horizon singing, with my favorite movie, "Never Cry Wolf," based on Farley Mowfat's book by the same name.