Howard Books

Having known both James and Willie was a priviledge. This book provides some wonderful insight into the life and philosphy of Willie Lena and his belief system as a tradtional Oklahoma Seminole. Willie was a tremendous artist (many of his illustrations are included in the book)and used his skill to capture Seminole material culture, social and ceremonial practices. Is the book flawless? No. However, James did an excellent job telling the story from Willie's viewpoint. If you are interested in Oklahoma Creek/Seminole culture, read the book.

What James Mooney's "History, Myths and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee" did for the Cherokee, this book does for the Oklahoma Seminole. Another excellent book in University of Oklahoma's "Civilization of the American Indian" series, this book provides a wonderful ethnography for the Oklahoma Seminoles, covering medicine, religion, ceremonies and beliefs. Howard worked extensively with Willie Lena, a Seminole traditionalist, and his work shows a great respect for the Seminole people. Furthermore, Howard also makes it clear in his preface that this book is concerned with the Oklahoma Seminole specifically, not those in Florida (or Texas, Mexico or anywhere else). Those looking for specifics on the Florida Seminoles or the Nation as a whole must look elsewhere. Despite many similarities, there are differences in culture and (interestingly enough) because of the Trail of Tears many more traditional beliefs were preserved in Oklahoma. Furthermore, he also points out the many differences of religious persausion within the Nation, ranging from Christians (mainly Baptists and Presbyterians) who are 100% assimilated into white society to ultra-conservative traditionalists. The book then goes on to a wonderful foreword by Willie Lena which is well worth reading.

The book itself starts with a brief history of the Seminole Nation, from their origins in Florida to the Seminole Wars, the Trail of Tears, life in Oklahoma and ultimately modern times. Understanding the past is essential to understanding the Seminole Nation. The book then moves on to Seminole herbal medicine. In a brief introduction, Seminole beliefs of disease, medicine and tools used are examined, and occaisonal comparisons are made to other Southeastern Nations or with Euro-American views. It then gives roughly 60 or 70 herbs, with their names in English and Muskogee, scientific names, medical properties and notes on their uses amongst other Nations. A few medical compounds and formulas are given as well, such as cures for hot weather, whooping cough and high blood pressure. This chapter is followed by a brief section on non-herbal remedies, such as animal parts, minerals, bleeding, scratching, shooting with a minature bow and arrow and so forth. This is quite interesting reading, though I don't recommend people try these remedies at home unless they know what they are doing. After all, Seminole doctors and healers need to train for a long time before practicing.

From there, beliefs of magic and witchcraft are mentioned. These include practices such as love medicine, weather control, sapiyas (magical stones used for love and hunting), horned water snake medicine and magic dolls. There are also many anecdotes about witches, malignant people who eat hearts and fly around in the shape of an owl at night. In the next chapter, a general overview of ceremonialism in the traditional Seminole world view is given, including symbolism, practices and paraphernalia. The book then focuses much attention on specific ceremonies, such as the Green Corn Ceremony and the numerous night time dances. These are especially important to traditional Seminole beliefs, being the main religious focus. These are followed by mention of sports and games, mainly stickball. This may seem odd, until one considers that stickball played both a social and religious or cultural role not only to the Seminoles, but also to the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and other Nations of the Southeast. Indeed, the game seems to go back to the Mound Builders, and has parallels amongst the Aztecs and Mayan Indians of Mesoamerica. The book then gives some general aspects of Seminole life, including birth, childhood, hunting, folktales, warfare, pottery, flute playing, sign language, picture writings, folk lore and so forth, and a short chapter on mortuary practices.

Closing out the book is an thought provoking epilogue in which Howard mentions changes he saw in Seminole life, as more and more youth adopted Pan-Indianism and saw themselves less as Seminole and more as North American Indians. He mentions how tipis, powwows and Plains-style dress and dance has become more common, and contrasts these to uniquely Seminole things like Green Corn Ceremonies, Stomp Dances and stickball. These same comments hold true for the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Shawnee, Yuchi and other Southeastern Nations too. Ultimately, this is a wonderful book, and well worth checking out. As I said, the focus is on Oklahoma Seminoles rather than the Nation as a whole but the book is still an excellent ethnography. Indeed, the fact that it was written with the help of Willie Lena and shows great respect towards the Seminole makes it stand out above other studies of Native American culture. I strongly recommend that an interested reader purchase this book, and others in the series.

I was born in the southern tip of West Virginia. I move north at age 8. I would walk with my grandparents to church and simply loved the preaching styles. As I grew up in central Ohio, I would try to explain what I experienced in the Regular Baptist faith but couldn't get my thought across. Finally!! Finally I found this book and it is so well written and explains everything I couldn't. I can close my eyes and almost see my Grandpa lining out the music and hear my Grandma singing in her high soprano voice. The author did an outstanding job without bias. And I appreciate his hard work researching this. More people should know about this simple faith. As I have told so many people in my years in the north.. I have never met a people who shared such a faith! It's seems to be a dying art... that pure and simple faith that gets us through the hard times and keeps us totally reliant upon our Lord.

Too many times, the Old Regular Baptists have been either ridiculed outright or praised as "quaint" or "anachronistic". Such praise still condescends. The ORB's have developed a hesitancy about opening up to the outside world who do not understand their way of worship. They will not allow cameras in the church house (as a rule) and anyone who brings a recorder into a church needs to be discreet to the utmost. That is why Howard Dorgan's book is so welcome. It well- and, more importantly, respectfully written.
Before I continue, the reader should know this reviewer grew up in the Old Regular Baptist Church. My paternal grandfather, his father, and his grandfather were all ordained Old Regular Baptist preachers.
Mr. Dorgan's book reads well and helps explain some of the idiosyncracies (to the eye of the outsider) of the denomination. They do not believe in Sunday school (and there is an historic and doctrinal reason for it), they do not pass a collection plate, they do not have musical instruments in the church. But what they do have is a spirit of God moving through their service that is incomparable to any I have ever seen.
The service is simple. There is singing, an introduction from the moderator, prayer, and two or three visiting preachers preach for 20 to 45 minutes each, and a prayer to close the service. There is none of the "extraneous" items, such as a bulletin, a youth group, announcements, children's church, a nursery, etc. It is just a time for pure worship.
Mr. Dorgan explains all this and more and I believe that he has even helped many of the faithful understand some of the reasons behind what they do. He does this with readable history and the theology behind the doctrine and practices of the denomination.
This ought to be required reading for anyone who wishes to go to an Old Regular Baptist Church for a service. You will not be questioned, you will not be looked upon suspiciously. Instead, the entire congregation may make their way to you and other new faces in the church to shake your hand and welcome you. If you are looking for "the good old-fashioned way", you will have found it here.
I recommend you also take a listen to their songs. The Smithsonian has put out a CD/cassette of the music by some of the best-known singers and preachers in the denomination.

I read this book last year. I couldn't put it down. It was lent to me by my very good friend Peggy. Peg is Jim's sister,(also mentioned in the book). Because I Know Jim Little, it made the book more intriguing. This is a must read, weather you know Jim and his family or not.

I know this man & have spent countless hours with him. Both visiting him in prison (for 4 years, every week) and out in Texas. A remarkable human being. I trust him with my life and I don't say that easily. Jim Little is a unique person. I consider him as close as a brother. This book brought me into his life & I have renmained there. No one could ask for a more devoted friend in life. Jim Little is unique in so many ways.
Trust me, this is a great story. And an incedable individual.
We have been friends since I first met him in prison 13 years ago.

Perhaps one of the most interesting setting books for Werewolf: the Apocalypse, this book ventures into Egypt, the ancient homeland of the Silent Striders. After a wonderful piece of fiction telling the tale of Nepthys, kin to the Silent Striders who fell into vampirism and the punishment she recieved, this book starts out with a nice introduction to the themes and mood of the setting, complete with a lexicon of Garou specific words for Egypt, the Middle East and Africa. The next chapter covers the history of Egypt from the Garou's point of view (with input on the Mokole and Bastet), starting from Set and Osiris' war in ancient Egypt to the coming of Islam to the British, French and Turksih occupations to the modern era. Theres even a nice little timeline of Egypt's history with dates, and a chronology of rulers (the various Egyptian Dynasties, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, Arab Caliphates, etc).

In the subsequent chapter we get a look at major elements in Egypt's culture, politics, geography and environment including a look at Islam, political parties, indigenous wildlife, minorities like the Copts, ancient ruins, cities like Cairo and Alexandria and places such as Lake Nasser or the Sinai. More importantly, there is an examination of the supernatural side of Egypt, including a look at the Tuat, Egypt's unique cultural spin on the Umbra, which includes four Umbral Towers (one for each element and direction, spiritually marking the boundaries of Egypt's borders) and the Twelve Hours of the Night (twelve Umbral Domains from Egypt's mythology). There is also a look at major Garou and Wyrm Caerns in Egypt. The next chaper goes onto to cover major NPCs for each Tribe, including Cairene Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers, the Silver Fangs of House Wise Heart, Bedouin Uktena, Red Talons in the Western Desert, Sufic Stargazers, British Fianna and, of course, the Silent Striders.

The fourth chapter looks at major storyteller devices in Egypt, such as Jackal Fever, the Eaters of the Dead, the Egyptian Umbra, Sutekh's Curse and a secret Rite developed by the Children of Gaia that allows the Silent Striders to briefly return to Egypt. Theres also an examination of the Ahadi, an alliance of African Fera which includes Egypt in it's territory, and a look at the native Shifters of Egypt (Mokole, Bastet, etc), as well as some information for games set in ancient Egypt. Following this is a chapter on various antagonists in Egypt, such as the vampiric Followers of Set, Endron Oil (a subsidiary of Pentex), the Black Spiral Dancers, the Ratkin of Suez and even a few horrors unique to Egypt. This book does a wonderful job covering Egypt (and the Middle East in general), especially with the metaplot of the Striders trying to retake their homeland from the Leeches. Not only that, but your players can get in on everything from Jackal Fever and the fall of House Wise Heart to the sealing of the Ahadi. A great resource, and it fits in well with other Mummy and "Year of the Scarab" products in representing Egypt and the Middle East.

Since I started playing Werewolf: the Apocalypse, one of my favorite tribes has always been the Silent Striders. They are so enygmatic, so tragic. Now, there comes a time for this tribe to get payback! The coming of the Red Star has given hope to the Striders to gain back their ancient homeland. And they have allies in this war!

From the moment you take this book in your hands, it's amazing. It has one of the best cover arts in any Werewolf product I have ever seen (except, perhaps Werewolf: the Dark Ages). The book details the role of the denizens of the World of Darkness in Egypt, from the point of view of the Garou; it tells us more about the Curse that was laid upon the tribe; their connection to the origin of the Setite vampires; a very special kind of Bane that haunts the Egyptian deserts and their relationship towards other supernaturals (other Fera ans the Mummies, for instance).

If you are a fan of this tribe, or if you want to take your Werewolf chronicles into the lands of sand, buy this book!

I just picked this up and was surprised how insightful it is. I am just switching gears and my career and it is great to actually take sort of a refresher in how to communicate the business world. It is a very good idea to keep yourself in check at all times if you want to be successful.

This is an awesome book for kids going off to college. The books interactive approach to teaching about communication skills draws the reader into the book, making learning about the various nuances of communication a fun thing, and very understandable. I highly recomend it to students and non-students alike!

This is the book that helped me try to start following Jesus again, helped me to believe in God again, and helped give me the courage and inspiration to suggest the idea of a Pentecostal Charismatic Peace Fellowship.

I can without doubt say that this book has tremendously influenced my life and I am grateful for the biblical, theological, and Jesus centered approach that Yoder provides.

John Howard Yoder's collection of essays in "The Original Revolution" approaches the topic of religious pacifism on many fronts. It is a disjointed grouping, a fact which Yoder readily admits in his introduction, but it thereby allows for a fuller treatment of his convictions.

OVERVIEW: The book is divided into two sections. The first deals with Biblical perspectives of war and peace. From the political options which the inauguration of Jesus' kingdom might have taken to Yoder's discussion of the continuity of the Bible's teachings on war from the Old Testament to the New, this section remains firmly rooted in the Biblical witness and delves deeply into the world of the text.
The second section then deals with the ramifications of the first. Once the church has accepted a nonresistant Jesus, what will she do with him? Yoder suggests that we should proudly claim the position of Jesus, not because it is efficacious, but because it is obedient to Jesus' witness. The claim that "Jesus is Lord" is also the claim that "we are not." As such, it is no longer our place to see that history works out in the way we see fit (the self-conception of Christianity since Constantine), but rather simple obedience to Jesus, and thereby, a forceful proclamation of his gospel, his revolution.

"The Original Revolution" provides a vision of Yoder's view on pacifism, from its origin to its manifestation. It challenged my traditional views on war and led to greater reflection on the claim not only of Jesus' teaching, but also of his life.

Too bad Book IV is out of print; however, books I through III are still extant. Recently, I decided to rediscover my high school Latin I-IV. Having no current clues to available texts, I browsed many bookstores, reading many reviews on and offline. Ms Hines' straightforward methodology begins with the first lesson and never flinches throughout all three texts. Essentials of grammar are prerequisite since there are no conversational approaches to Latin; however, the author massages the student not with boring drills, but marvellous examples, never losing sight of Our Latin Heritage. Miss Donahue, my first Latin teacher, would surely be proud of these classic texts. To round out your fourth year, try Jenney's as an alternate.

Our Latin Heritage (Book III) continues to offer a traditional, "old school" approach to Latin 3 in which Cicero's four orations against Catiline form the backbone of the text. An extensive, complete review of basic Latin morphology, syntax and vocabulary introduces the text. This ten-unit review features continuous readings adapted from Sallust's Catiline together with form drills, sentence-level Latin composition, and Latin-to-English sentence exercises. Well-organized syntax and morphology charts, an important element throughout the Hines' Our Latin Heritage series complements this comphrensive, introductory review.

Before the four Orations against Catiline are presented, section two of the book offers an introduction to Roman government, law and oratory in the time of Cicero as well as pertinent biographical details of Cicero's life and literary output. Section three, then, brings on the four orations against Catiline, the oration for the Manilian Law, For Archias, and a selection of other Ciceronian works from De Republica to the Tusculans, all carefully glossed with notes appropriate to the intermediate learner of Latin. As usual, the text concludes with morphology charts, a good syntax summary and a full Latin-English glossary and a somewhat shorter English-Latin glossary.

The only real competition for this solid, third-year school text is Jenny's Third Year Latin, which is similar in format but lacks Hines' introductory review. From the perspective of a traditional Latin teacher, who instructs students who require more review than I would wish, Our Latin Heritage seemed the best choice for Latin 3.

I received this book as a gift. I enjoyed it so much I'm ordering 5 books for friends! I wouldn't have chosen it by the title, I thought it would be lacking spiritually: I WAS WRONG. This book is very spiritually moving yet the author writes it as if you are curled up on the couch next to her for storytime. I can't say enough about the book: Great, Enjoyable, Insightful, Deep, Humorous, Tear-jerking. A GREAT READ.

I am still reading this little book because I have been spending too much time on the computer but I have to say I am enjoying it very much. I find some of the content surprising but as I read on, an understanding of the person and the times etc make a lot of sense. So far I am feeling very comfortable with this read. Thank you Mary Jenson for bringing it to us.

This short, inexpensive book contains the best collection of anagrams and palindromes I have ever seen. My copy is dog-eared from repeated use. The book contains an enormous amount of top-notch palindromes that are far from over-familiar. Some samples:

* A new order began; a more Roman age bred Rowena.
* A dog, a pant, a panic in a Patna pagoda.

Those samples may strike you as silly and meaninglesss, in which you are not a palindrome person, and this book is not for you. Or they may make you want to see more, in which case you should definitely buy this book. The palindromes by J.A. Lindon, which make up the book's grand finale chapter, are amazing tours de force.

Trust me -- this book has the goods. If you are a wordplay enthusiast, you'll love it. If you know one (perhaps a co-worker), it could make a great inexpensive gift. Strongly recommended!

Howard W. Bergerson, former editor of Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics, presents more than a thousand anagrams and hundreds of palindromes (with sources, where known).

This volume (an inspiration for many books including Michaelsen's "Words at Play" and Jon Agee's collections) is a must for wordplay enthusiasts, especially those with a penchant for these particular curiosities.

You will get your money's worth on this one.

An excellent Western involving a vicious killer, a missing little girl, a fiesty horse-trainer and a "ghost" horse. Characters are wonderfully drawn, settings vivid and action non-stop. I couldn't put it down! Mystery, the wild west, adventure and romance all in one book. I would recommend any of this author's books without hesitation.

Things were just not going Marshal J.D. Phips' way. First he was stuck in a job inherited from his father when all he really wanted to do was to raise horses. Then the mutilated bodies of tinhorns who had been on winning streaks began to appear around the town. Now there was all that trouble with the Gunderson family...

Bill Gunderson, his adopted Indian daughter and her horse all disappeared one wintry night. Autumn, the beautiful blonde daughter who had gone East to study dressmaking, had returned, determined to find out what had happened to her family. The ranch, now being run by her step-mother, Mattie, a former hurdy-gurdy girl, and a creepy hand named Lester, seemed strangely empty.

J.D. now needs to prove to the town and to himself that he is lawman enough to solve these mysteries. He better do it fast, too, before Autumn's own investigation gets her into more trouble than she can handle.

Palomita is a vibrant and innovative tale. Howard is a master at creating realistic characters. His heroes and villains are multi-dimensional, making his stories the most compelling and unique Westerns being written today. Each book is a masterpiece. It is hard not to read them in a single sitting. Lance Howard is THE author to follow in this genre.