Green Books

This is another cozy visit to Thrush Green and all our friends there. So much more enjoyable than the copy-cat Jan Karon books. Any Karon fans who haven't discovered Thrush Green are in for a treat. There are many books in this series and it is always fun to catch up with old friends.

In 1989 I had an unforunate surgery. I was recoverying from the latter, when I first read about "Thrush Green". I became enchanted with funny chractors in the villiage and Miss Read's delightful dry wit. I have never stopped returning to her books to smile and see who is doing what. I don't think there will be another exactly like this insightful author. I would love to be this dear woman's friend.

In the tradition of "Downfield" and "A Summer Up North...," Poling doesn't only let us poke our head in and take a look around, instead, he lets us tag along with him and go inside to see what's happened to some of our favorite players. While his writing makes you feel like he's sitting with you and telling you his story, his vivid descriptions will make you feel like you are at training camp and that Donald Driver just whizzed right past you. Or that you are sitting on the couch with Wayne Simmons' mother as she talks longingly about the son she misses so much. This one is a necessity for any Packer fan or anyone that wants to know what happens to the heroes after the lime-light fades.

Written by editor and columnist Jerry Poling, After They Were Packers: The Super Bowl XXXI Champs & Other Green Bay Legends is the true story of the 1997 Superbowl champions after they left the Packers. Some returned to ordinary lives; some tragically fell victim to powerful internal demons. Filled with career highlights and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the world of professional football, as well as a handful of black-and-white photographs, After They Were Packers is enthusiastically recommended for any Packers fan curious about what became of the ultimate winning team.

I checked out Amber Brown Is Not A Crayron and read it too my class. They loved all her adventures and some of my students could really relate to Amber Brown. Once I finished the book we discovered she had written more books. I read them each year to my class! I hope Amber Brown continues her adventures.

The Amber Brown series is good for everyone. I own the entire set, (all six books!) and think a lot about Justin moving away... I've already had a few best friends move away also. Although there are some sad parts, like when Justin threw away the bubble gum ball, it is a hilarious series.

I is wery fine book,and I'm will use this much I think.
Super

... and you have a thing of beauty when you're done!

I was lucky enough to scoop this book up in our public library. It was the beauty of the cover that attracted me. I had never quilted before, but had wanted to learn how. I knew this was not a how-to book, but was aimed at an audience who had more experience than I. It assumes you have some knowledge of terms and techniques, like strip piecing, but a short beginner's class will bring you up to speed fast enough! I have never been disappointed when buying a book by Liz Porter and Marianne Fons. The instructions are clear and concise, and you can avoid some pitfalls if you follow the instructions literally, as in assembling star pieces in the same order as they do - it makes it lie flat and you can ease the seams together better.

I also like the little tidbits they throw in. They're a wonderful team and they write wonderful books. I did my first strip-pieced Starburst quilt in a class that made alot more progress than I did and I used this book to finish the project. It's a great addition to any home quilting library.

MR PERSONS IS A WELL EDUCATED MAN IN THIS AREA OF AGRICULTURE THAT DOES NOT GET ALOT OF PRESS. HE DISCUSSES THE PLUS/MINUSES OF CULTIVATION, TYPE OF CULTIVATION AND LABOR INVOLVED, THE BOOK IS VERY THOROUGH. I WOULD HIGHLY SUGGEST THE BOOK FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING A HOBBY FARM, AN ALTERNATIVE STREAM OF REVENUE, OR JUST SIMPLY INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECT. AUTHORS STYLE OF WRITING IS VERY EASILY READ AND UNDERSTOOD.

The subject accuracy and abundance is great! I haven't found a more comprehensive source. The information presented is simple and straight forward. The pictures are invaluable to the person not familiar with the growing of Ginseng. The various recommendations are full of first had wisdom and hit the mark. All together- an excellent choice for any level grower!

Great book on the involvment of Native Americans in the Civil War. I especially enjoy the chapters covering the Oklahoma Cherokees.

The American Indian in the Civil War, 1862-1865 by Annie Heloise Abel; Introduction by Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green
University of Nebraska Press
ISBN:0-8032-5919-0
The University of Nebraska Press publishes here the middle volume of the three volume series "The Slaveholding Indians" by Anne Heloise Abel . These included " The American Indian as Slaveholder and Secessionist" in 1915, " The American Indian as a Participant in the Civil War" in 1919, and "The American Indian under Reconstruction" in 1925. Front papers of the edition lacked this identifying tag, and it would have added a helpful placement. This edition itself, however, although in paper back, represents a complete and faithful rendition of the original text with all notes, references, bibliography , and illustrations included. It is accompanied by a helpful introduction by two University of North Carolina professors , Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green, who together have published several books on North Carolina's original native peoples.
In the time span of 1862 to 1865 the participation of the American Indian, - settled only some 30 odd years in Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma by force - in a war he did not cause or desire , but could not avoid, has its own drama and tragedy. Fact on fact supports the unique solidity of this singular story . No matter what is tried it seems the inevitable will happen; and indeed we are told the American Indian suffered more than any other group from the effects of the civil war .The run of this story, simply in its telling , attests to the chaos of a civil war.
Historiography works by layering, each generation profiting by the work of the last and improving by new discovery of text and records. Thus Green and Perdue are quick to point out that Miss Abel's books is an excellent outline , a base on which to build further work in the area; work that will profit from original sources not available at the time such as the papers of Chief John Ross, pioneer diaries, and so on. Her work is not as complete a picture of the events as might be had now, moreover our attitudes and sensitivities have changed. While this is quite possibly true , it is important to note that Miss Abel's accomplishment has yet to be repeated, and in fact, yet stands quite alone.
Copies of the Abel three volume work on the Slaveholding Indians were once available in university libraries. However, they disappeared from open shelving after the 1960s. They are now most usually available only in closed, special collections and cannot be consulted at one's leisure. This fact means the University of Nebraska publication with the Perdue and Green introduction is specially important and provides an important contribution. Americana buffs, students of the civil war, the American west, or the American Indian ..... all will appreciate the opportunity to own this book.

By Sylvia Starr

I went through an interpreter training program in the early 1980's, and this book was considered our 'bible' for the entire program. It is not meant as a stand-alone for learning ASL, but as an adjunct when taking classes on ASL or enrolled in an interpreter preparation program. Even though it was written many years ago, the content is still salient today and is an important resource on my bookshelf. As a practicing interpreter for 25 years, I frequently look at chapters when I am mentoring someone or forget how to explain something in particular. The information on Deaf culture is especially valuable as well.
The technical nature of the book is akin to explaining the linguistical nature of a spoken language, something critical to anyone learning ASL as a second language. I still see it used in programs today as a means of supplementing classroom lecture information. Only individuals serious about in-depth learning of American Sign Language will appreciate and benefit from this book. It is not fluff; learning the linguistic nature of ANY language requires dedication and time, and this applies to ASL as well. You cannot learn any language from a book, you learn it from associating with native users of that language. This book is excellent to use for the linguistic and theoretical basis for what you see and use when conversing with native users. You will not be disappointed if you use this in conjunction with classes and conversing with Deaf individuals whose native language is ASL. I highly recommend this book. It gives you a well-rounded education in the grammar of ASL in one handy reference. Forget 12 years of taking English classes from 1st. grade until you graduated high school. If you use this book as it is intended, it gives you all that information and more.

This book is designed for a teacher as part of the "Green Books" American Sign Language series; however, it is a very useful guide to ASL Grammar and Culture for anyone studying American Sign Language seriously (I, myself, am not a teacher, but have a copy of the book).

I was introduced to the book when I first began learning sign language, and it was very confusing to me. I would have benefited, at the time, much better from an ASL dictionary or simpler sign book. My recommendation to those of you who have just begun learning (or would like to learn) ASL would be NOT to buy this book just YET! Start with something less daunting and sophisticated (after all, it is designed for those already familiar with ASL and preparing a class curriculum).

What the book will give you is an excellent explanation of the sociolinguistic nature of American Sign Language--something you typically will not receive from a ASL Dictionary. For example: how sentences are structured, topicilization, rhetorical questions, relative clauses, expression of time, pronominalization, subject and object usage, the use of classifiers, locatives ... to name a few.

All in all, this is a terrifically detailed, well researched, informative and valuable book; yet, not for a beginning student.

The concept of "anarchy" has enjoyed a privileged status in each of the two main schools of thought of IR, namely neorealism and neoliberalism -albeit in varying size and nature. I have always believed that this overemphasis on anarchy was unjustified and misleading. I think what is important is not the mere presence or absence of a governmental body at the international level, but rather whether any mechanism exists that functions against Waltz's assertion that "wars occur because there is nothing that prevents them" (1959, 232). In our modern global world, no state except the hegemon can get away with a "fait accompli" that will change regional of global balances of power. This simply means that every state except one has an "impediment" to behave like a "rogue" state. Thus, the absence of a material world government to punish the deviant states does not necessarily create an anarchic international environment, because the practical function of such a government is fulfilled to a large extent by the hierarchical nature of the international system. This is true for multipolar systems where there is a balance of power among major states as well. Throughout modern history, each state that sought a global hegemony found a community of others against her. Thus, balance of power has indeed been an ordering principle in international relations.

I found my inspiration as to the "order" in the international system in the writings of some British scholars. Contrary to the central place of anarchy in the North American theories of international relations, "international society" thinking and its resultant emphasis on "order" has been a tradition in post-war Britain. "The English School" argued that there is a persistent order in the international system alongside "anarchy" and that the preservation of a minimal order has been a common objective of the major members of the international system. Hedley Bull was one of the most influential scholars within the English School. In his The Anarchical Society he defines order in international system as "a pattern or activity that sustains the elementary or primary goals of the society of states," (p. 8). In further elaboration, he lists these goals as 1) the preservation of the system and society of states itself, 2) maintaining the sovereignty of states, 3) maintaining peace, and 4) sustaining the elementary goals of the individual, i.e. life, truth, and property (pp. 16-18). He argues that the maintenance of order is a common goal of states, because -whatever the further goals of states- the existence of a minimal order is a necessary condition to achieve these higher goals. Like individuals, states value order because they value "the greater predictability of human behavior" that comes as the consequence of conformity to the elementary or primary goals of states (p. 7).
According to Bull, "balance of power" is the primary and most effective instrument for the maintenance of international order. It is primary, because it provides the conditions in which other institutions of order (diplomacy, war, international law, and great power management) have been able to operate; it is the most effective, because by preventing the emergence of a hegemon, balance of power helps preserve the existent order.
Two of the instruments that Bull argues states use to preserve international order are particularly interesting. First, Bull directs our attention to the positive functions of war with respect to the maintenance of order. While in the traditional IR literature war is associated with conflict and disorder, Bull argues that war has widely been used by states (in particular the great powers) as a means of enforcing international law and preserving balance of power (p. 102). Thus, for Bull, war is a two-faceted phenomenon: a threat to be limited in most cases, but also an instrument to be used for order-related purposes in some cases. Second, he contends that great power politics contribute to the preservation of international order as well. Bull argues that great powers do so by preserving the general balance of power, avoiding major crisis among themselves, and respecting each other's "spheres of influences" (p. 200). In that respect, the English school warns us that the great power politics is not a wholly "tragic" story.
I think The Anarchical Society made two important contributions to our understanding of international politics. First, it persuasively argued that we are not living in an international "jungle". In Bull's (and my own) view, anarchy is an element of international structure, but neither the only nor the predominant one. States purposively try to limit the negative effects of anarchy by working together to preserve a minimal level of order in order to attain higher objectives. Second, Bull helped us realize that some crucial elements of international politics -war and great power politics-, which are generally associated with conflict, many times play positive roles in terms of the preservation of international order.
An important shortcoming in Bull's approach is that Bull remains quite when it comes to the "nature" of international order. The question of what causes the emergence of different international orders is outside the scope of The Anarchical Society. Actually, Bull admits this point when he says that "we are concerned only with what may be called the `statics' of international order and not with its `dynamics'," (19). Hence, Bull does not offer us a "theory" of international relations.

It was wonderful. I've never read something like that. I advise everyone to read it. Thank you.

What Mary said.. it has a powerful mysterious quality and describes the life around the mountains of NC well.

This is a strange story set in the mountains. I first read the manuscript as a galley proof. John F.Blair, publisher, asked me to do the book jacket design. Even though I only read it twice -- once to get the energy from the book for the cover design, and the next time for the story. Even after all these years, the energy of the book is still with me. It has a mysterious quality that lingers on in the consciousness. I feel that it is a story that makes a lasing impression. tt extends ones awareness beyond words.

I am a 3rd Grade teacher. To help you fully realize how much kids love this book I'll tell you that it gets stolen every year! I've had to buy this book 3 years in a row!!! It is always my class' favorite book. It has a very humorous view and introduces children to poetry. A+!!!!

I enjoy reading this book to my 15 month old daughter at bedtime. She enjoys the poems and verses as well as the illustrations. I have heard many parts of this book in my childhood, and this brings back great memories. I would recommend this book to any parent whose child likes to be read to and to any parent who enjoys folk poetry and verses. I find as a parent, this book is easy to read to a child and both members benefit from it.