Lewis Books

I wish every Christian would read this! A powerful spiritual fragrance emanates from every page.

This is truly one of the most revolutionary books ever written. It takes you right back into the heart of New Covenant Christianity. Chapman really did seek to live the Christian life as Jesus did.

I have observed a whole congregation transformed after almost all the members had read this book.

Please buy it, read it, see what you think, and write a review of it!

This book gives us a clear example of "countercultural" Christian leadership, as demonstrated in the life of R.C. Chapman. The reader will be inspired to walk in his example, even as he sought to walk in the example of Christ.

Robert Chapman provides an extraordinary example of godly Christian leadership -- something desperately needed today. Although very few are familiar with this 19th century British pastor, teacher, and evangelist, few will not be inspired by him. This account of his life and ministry may in fact be one of the most spiritually challenging books you may ever read!

The book sets forth the qualities of true -- agape, loving -- Christian leadership:

--Love for God's Word

-- Spirit-controlled character

-- Being patient and gentle

-- Maintaining unity

-- Disciplining and reconciling

-- Practicing hospitality

-- Giving to the needy

-- Continuing consequences

and more. Some excerpts:

To reform the church of God we should always begin with self-reform. Schisms and divisions will increase so long as we begin with reforming others. Wisdom is only with the lowly.

Humility is the secret of fellowship, and pride the secret of division.

The ruin of a kingdom is a little thing in God's sight, in comparison with division among a handful of sinners redeemed by the blood of Christ.

The best testimony that Stephen bore was his last: not when preaching and working miracles, but when he pleaded for his persecutors; for then he most resembled the Lord Jesus in patience, forgiveness and love.

(To a young missionary, heading for the field:) Keep low, look up, and press forward.

The Bottom Line: This book offers a much needed corrective to the kind of corporate (= worldly) leadership styles that dominate most church fellowships today. In that, it ranks with Schaeffer's Mark of the Christian. We highly recommend it be distributed widely, that we might see a generation of Christian leaders arise who are marked by their love, wisdom, and compassion.

This is a must read.

This brief glimpse into the heart of Agape Leadership in the life of R.C. Chapman is life changing, and brings one to the heart of the Gospel, and what a servant of Christ is supposed to be. If all pastors were like Chapman this would indeed be a much different world, and the church would be what Jesus intended. Millions more would be won for Christ if Christians would live, and love like Chapman.

Dr. Ray DeLaurier, Pastor

This book serves as a model for not only Christian leadership, but Christian life.

Throughout the book, we are encouraged to deal lovingly with people, and that becomes our witness to others.

You will be amazed at the life of R.C.Chapman.

This has truly become one of my favorite books!

Incredible insight into what it means to become more Christ like and be a Man after God's own heart. This is a must read to anyone in leadership in their local church.

This book is fascinating--it says it's a detective story, and it is, but with a twist--it's a detective story about people, and why they do what they do. It's a mystery where the writer tries to unravel how choices and fate and relationships and everything else all twist together to make and change lives, sometimes in sad ways. To me, it is the most interesting sort of mystery ever.

Which is why reading this book was such a total delight. It's like spending time with a really intelligent, engaging person dissecting events and following shreds of evidence, and there's this sense of loss when it's all over--you kind of want to stay engaged. A most excellent read!!

In the late 1960s the author's father and mother joined a countercultural enclave in New Mexico, where their marriage floundered and Anna's father committed suicide. Anna was five years old at the time. Twenty years later the discovery of some old photos sends her on a journey to learn more about her father: her reconstruction of her past is charted in ASSEMBLING MY FATHER: A MEMOIR and provides a moving personal history which will also inspire any conducting their own family history search.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I often randomly choose books to read, without reading reviews or recommendations. Sometimes that method backfires and I'm stuck with a stinker, but not in this case - I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Perhaps it was the writing, perhaps it was the loss of my own father when I was very young (probably a combination of both) - this book touched me in a personal way that no other book has for some time.

Prior to reading "Assembling My Father" I was lucky enough to attend a writer's workshop with Anna Oliver in Boise, Idaho, and I must say she is an incredible woman. She is not only intelligent and insightful, but also extremely well read- all of which show up in her writing. In "Assembling My Father," she experiments with style and form, including extensive primary records such as pictures, news articles and writings from her father's journal which add to the overall theme of a "detective story." The inclusion of Anna's own tale of personal growth alongside her discoveries of her father's untimely demise create a depth of emotion and a unique poignancy. This is a must-read for anyone interested in writing memoir, especially family history, or for anyone who is interested in the counterculture of the 60's and 70's. I cannot reccommend it enough.

I can see I'm in the minority of reviewers of this book here. I had high hopes for this memoir that haven't panned out.

The story is simple on it's surface- a woman grows up in an off kilter family and realises as a young adult that she is adrift because she doesn't "know" her father. Of course, she can't because he committed suicide, but what she doesn't have are his stories. Slowly- and it felt slooow- she sets out to discover what she can about him.

She talks to whomever she can locate who knew him, including his childhood friends, and she gets what she can out of her mother who often refuses to talk about any part of her past. She collects what photographs she can- a task made more difficult because her father was usually the photographer. She reads his journal and tries to obtain copies of college work, including his undergraduate thesis and tapes of a "college bowl" contest which "put Rennsalaer Polytechnic Institute" on the map as a better school than people had previously thought.

She experiments with different formats in her writing- including some lists of things he would never know about her, and how she feels that he will always be a man who died at the age of 35.

Be forewarned though- it's not an easy book. It's boggy and uncomfortable. It very well may be intended to be that way- after all, the subject is a young father and the events leading up to his suicide. I kept returning to the photo montage in the front, contemplating this beautiful man and wondering what could have caused him to pull the trigger. of course, only he really knows, no matter what anyone else can say about him.

Here's my confession- I haven't finished it. At 2/3 through, I feel like I know what he did, but his daughter, like all of us, will never really know why. And he'll stay dead for her- sad as it is. If I do finish, I wonder if my feelings about the memoir will change.

This espionage mystery is a thrill a minute.A real page-turner set in the explosive Middle East.Spy on spy in the fast paced world of professional tennis.The charachters were deadly and attractive and the action was riveting.Once I picked it up,I coudn't put it down!

Basha was one of the greatest books i have ever read. For someone who is looking for a fascinating thriller and finds the events of the middle east riveting this is a must read......

BASHA hooked me from the first sentence on. When I finished reading the last word, I closed the book and whispered "Wow." This is the best thriller I've ever read.
An avid reader.

Basha is a very well written, fast paced thriller, that you will not put down. Knowledgeably written, with a sense of characters, politics and an intriguing area of the world.

In addition to a taut thriller, this masterpiece of plot, timing and description spreads into the world of international tennis, where it scores ace after ace. Lewis is a master writer. Having enjoyed OPAL EYE DEVIL and SAMSARA, I approached this change of pace with trepidation. Not to worry, however, Lewis handles conflicting Middle Eastern tensions with the same intelligence and understanding he shows in the South China Sea. And with such flair. A totally satisfying read!

Totally enjoyed this book that reminds older women of all ages to take off their inhibitions and live life!

FIRST, THIS NOT A BOOK JUST FOR WOMEN. SECOND, MEN SHOULD NOT READ THIS SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE BIKINIS ON THE COVER. IT IS A BOOK FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY FOR BABY BOOMERS WHO REFUSE TO GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT....
As that great sage and philosopher of our age, Johnny Depp, once stated, we have to grow old, but we don't have to act old. That is the essence of the Bikini Team. Our parents/grandparents may have been the Greatest Generation, but we are definitely the most stubborn. We will wear bikinis until we are rocketing around in our turbo-powered wheelchairs.
Of course bikini is just a symbol for the way women "of a certain age" are refusing to act it. Not only is the bikini a symbol of defiance, it's also a symbol of our acceptance of our bodies at every age. Unfortunately, not every Baby Boomer gets it, but these ladies explain it very well and serve as standard bearers for those who do.
These women are not bimbos, obviously, as proven by their accomplishments and contributions to society. The envy they inspire among other women is understandable. But they put on their most charming Southern Lady smiles and kill these people with kindness--and now they are sharing recipes.
Something else we can learn from this book: Women can be friends. Most of the time, women are portrayed as envious, devious, conniving [...]. These ladies have overcome that stereotype and have remained friends seemingly forever. Any woman can tell you that this sort of comaraderie is only possible when every women involved is "comfortable" in her own skin." (Back to that bikini thing again!)Respect among women is an awesome thing.

First off, I'm a recent college grad not a baby boomer nor a midlife woman; this book that captures the essence of friendship, the poise of self-comfort, and the joy in creation and humor is for everyone.
Recently, my roommate of four years and I picked up this catchy little blue-bound book, hopped into a car for a five hour drive to a wedding, and started reading aloud. We couldn't stop reading--each page held new humor, coy satire, beauty, and an exuberance of creation. The Bikini Team certainly enjoys life despite its stumbling blocks (and they have clearly had a few) and that enjoyment cannot be hidden on these pages, a quality that makes this book irresistible. This manifesto of women friendship and ease is incredibly fun, witty, and satisfying (maybe that's the best word to describe my experience reading Bikini with an extremely close friend). The two of us aren't in our fifties as these fabulous women are, but we are still fabulous women and we recognized the genuine ease and simple fun that the Bikini Team requires. We resolved to form a Team of our own--maybe not a Bikini one (we are both rather fair), and certainly not a Team on the professional level like this one (I'm pretty sure we need to be in the little leagues for a while to get proper training and experience), but we were inspired by the Davidson Bikini Team and how deep their friendships are. We loved the book for its humor, its glimpse of close women friendships, its obvious joy in creation, and much more. I thank the Bikini Team for this marvelous nugget of truth, simple beauty, and unabashed wit. I'm sure that Jill is right in her predictions and that within a few years the book will be a best seller. And I can't wait for the movie!!

Read this book straight through (which I did in one quick sitting) or just open to any page and start reading aloud to your husband or friends. Laughter is guaranteed...page after page...even when reading the recipes!

I started out reading this for a voyeuristic good time, but I soon figured out that beneath the girls-just-wanna-have-fun premise, this is actually a dry social satire about how to do the single most difficult thing that people can set out to do: stopping giving a damn what anybody else thinks. It's about a bunch of middle-aged women having fun in the clashing gazes of (I would guess, though they never say this) envy and admiration and maybe some disapproval, an exhortation to tune out the values of the massive ant colony of middle-American social roles, whose cultural and sartorial demands amount to a code of conduct for women, complete with uniforms appropriate to a Soviet client state.

The Bikini Team, who live in a small town in North Carolina, really seems to have escaped the prison of expectations of age, status in life, and what anyone else might define as appropriate (or inappropriate) for them to do. (And they invite you along, any old you, and though it's addressed mostly to women, I'm a guy, and I thought of a few ways I could bikini-up my little life.) While the neighbors may cluck about you trimming the hedges in your halter top, they're going to cluck about some damn thing or other and screw em. Bikini is a state of mind, and so is Taliban. The Team's message is, Don't censor yourself in word or action, and you'll find that the world will pretty much leave you alone. If you try to act "age-appropriate," you'll find the goal posts continually moving and you'll spend your entire life having no fun.

Since this is about public near-nudity, you'd think this had been written by women obsessed with dieting, yet the book is filled with recipes -- an extension of the metaphor that Bikini is actually a sport ("You run, we bikini"), and while in training (read: getting ready to lie on an inflatable raft in a pool in the sun with your friends, with whatever degree of sun-block you need), the true Bikini athlete must stick to a severe regimen of culinary indulgence. It sounds as though they exercise, too, but they're not crazed about it. Though they work like dogs the rest of the year - most of them are teachers -- during bikini season they're not into being crazed about anything.

In a culture that promotes Xtreme Recreation so intense that a return to the office is a respite, the Bikini Team promote getting off the grid whenever you can, by not merely tossing the to-do list, but forgetting it altogether. The book seems to answer the question, To be, or not to be? And their answer is just plain Be.

Mary clearly writes from her experiences which is why this book is superb. An added bonus for me personally is that she comes from the high tech industry. For every roadblock and mindblock I have experienced each chapter of the book has an answer. Mary knows that when you're burned out you can't take having another 'to do' list so she has created a book that tackles one obstacle per chapter. Her personal experiences have provided her with the unique ability to know the order to approach each of the obstacles that need to be worked through. The chapters are short and action oriented. The book gets you moving quickly and easily onto a path of clearing the clutter and achieving what you really want. The beauty of this book is that the exercises apply to both your work and personal life. As a result I can't remember ever having felt as confident, happier and stronger than I do today. Results are quick!

I have read this book and followed many of Ms. Lewis' suggestions. As a healthcare professional, I have suffered burnout, numerous times. I was told it came with the job.I love my work but didn't love the stress levels. Ms. Lewis' suggestions are very helpful! I don't overload my schedule nor do I volunter to be everything to everybody anymore. I chose those areas that are near and dear to my heart and stay with them. I am very happy. My stress level is VERY manageable.This book was very helpful and well written so even, I could understand.

Exhausted? Frazzled? Can't stand to add even one more thing to your to-do list? You'll want to add following the advice of Mary Lewis...trust me. In "Break FREE from Burnout in 30 Days!" she takes your hand and leads you through a month of life changing, stress relieving tasks that are simple and positive. You will walk away from this book with a better outlook on life.

In the beginning, there were the top ten signs of burnout. If you recognize these things in your life, Mary can help you. Then, taking it one step at a time, one day at a time for a month, you will let go of those top ten signs and be free once more. Steps like not listening to your inner critic, saying no more often, scratching out your to-do list (except for finishing the book!), changing your attitude, changing your peers if need be, stop gossiping and start receiving what you deserve. It's all simple really, and it's all good.

Mary shares her own burnout stories and lets you know that she understands. It happens. But she also challenges you to stop it from happening. You can stop the cycle and you can take your life back. The first step is picking up the book, the second is reading it, one day at a time.

Review by Heather Froeschl of www.BookReview.com

My job was killing me, or so I thought. Like most professionals, I believed that the higher I went up in my career ladder, the more stress I needed to shoulder, and the less time I had to actually live life. I thought that giving 150% was the price for being successful, and that ulcers were a normal part of the rat race.

I was wrong - "the job" doesn't burn you out, your own mindset does! I learned how to stop being a slave to my email, voicemail, celphone and pager, and not only get all my work done, but of a higher caliber than before. This book walks you, step by step, through the process of taking control back and a being truly successful person - happy, healthy, and productive!

A must read for anyone who even suspects they may be burning out, in easy to handle chunks. I highly recommend it.

Mary Lewis has a clear and well thought out style. Instead of trying to change everything at once, she reccommneds a new item a day. Each new way of looking at your worklife builds on what you practiced the day before. Each item is readable in a quick burst instead of long chapters that overwhelm.

The examples are clear and a reflect the things most overacheivers (myself included) believe. Changing those commonly held beliefs allow you to be more productive and more healthy!

HIghly reccommned!

Not the best toddler cookboook I have found but suits it's purpose. A lot of the recipes seem based on British/ European foods that I am pretty sure my family would not like. I wished that there were more independant recipes for kids rather than breaking down the family meal into adult, toddler and baby. But, the suggestions I have used are simple and tasty, great to amuse the kids and healthy to boot. Some pretty good ideas in here.

I like to make sure my child is getting great nutrition and eating all the right foods. Who said that every child has to eat hot dogs, french fries, chicken fingers, etc. If you follow these recipes and get your child eating these types of foods early on, your chances are much greater that they will be excellent eaters as the get older. I borrowed my book and have to return it, so the publisher definitely needs to go back to the printing press.

i must agree with carol erkam -- i also cheked the book from the library

This is a wonderful cookbook with a lot of fun recipes for babies and toddlers. It has so many helpful ideas for foods to feed your little one during those "picky" stages! This definitely needs to go back into printing!

I checked out this book from my local library after the birth of my daughter. It's great for knowing when and what to feed your growing infant, as well as things NOT to feed them at particular times. It's complete, informative, illustrated-in-detail, and fun! I really enjoy this book. It's too bad it's out of print, or I would buy a copy. As it is, I have to keep rechecking it out of the library whenever I can get it. I'm the mother of 5 children and I sure wish I had had this book years ago!

For those of us fascinated by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, this new novel by Jeffrey W. Tenney uses fiction to bring history dramatically to life. With an engaging style and a superb breadth of knowledge, the author has crafted a masterpiece. Reading this book will reveal the challenges and eventual triumphs of this first "Man to the Moon" quest in the nascent United States.

This one, plain and simple, has made me a believer in historical fiction. Too much of what I have tried in the past has suffered from weak and glorified characterizations, improbable, synthetic, hyped, and ultimately lifeless re-portrayals of media-worn events. Jeffrey W. Tenney provides us with a ground-level view of the historical, wherein the epic is broken down into its smallest, untidiest increments, and characters falter as much as they charge ahead. Everyone knows the basic plot and the 'star' characters of this epic story. Who would not now, after so many conventional renditions, prefer to see the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the eyes of characters like William Clark's slave, York? Or through those of the hunters, who spend most of their time in the backcountry where 'captain's orders' pale in the presence of the onrushing grizzly bear or the hard-faced Indian warrior? Tenney's narrative, pacing, and dialogue take the reader on a smooth, entertaining ride, but characters are the heart of this novel. The soldiers, hunters, guides, and boatmen of the Expedition, as well as the Indians met along the way, come in those mixes of flaw and virtue that make people interesting and sympathetic. Characters must battle their own inner enemies while contending with the layers of outer conflict the author heaps upon them. Using a highly creative structure, in each new chapter Tenney shifts perspective to portray different characters' experiences with these struggles. This device makes for chapters as vivid as short stories, the whole of the novel unfolding like a carefully pieced and brightly hued quilt. I recommend Corps of Discovery highly for the history buff, but even more so for the novice of that genre, as a guide to what it can be at its best.

Excellent novel, interesting characters, both heroes and scumbags. It may have been just like this on the real journey.

This one, plain and simple, has made me a believer in historical fiction. Too much of what I have tried in the past has suffered from weak and glorified characterizations, improbable, synthetic, hyped, and ultimately lifeless re-portrayals of media-worn events. Jeffrey W. Tenney provides us with a ground-level view of the historical, wherein the epic is broken down into its smallest, untidiest increments, and characters falter as much as they charge ahead. Everyone knows the basic plot and the 'star' characters of this epic story. Who would not now, after so many conventional renditions, prefer to see the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the eyes of characters like William Clark's slave, York? Or through those of the hunters, who spend most of their time in the backcountry where 'captain's orders' pale in the presence of the onrushing grizzly bear or the hard-faced Indian warrior? Tenney's narrative, pacing, and dialogue take the reader on a smooth, entertaining ride, but characters are the heart of this novel. The soldiers, hunters, guides, and boatmen of the Expedition, as well as the Indians met along the way, come in those mixes of flaw and virtue that make people interesting and sympathetic. Characters must battle their own inner enemies while contending with the layers of outer conflict the author heaps upon them. Using a highly creative structure, in each new chapter Tenney shifts perspective to portray different characters' experiences with these struggles. This device makes for chapters as vivid as short stories, the whole of the novel unfolding like a carefully pieced and brightly hued quilt. I recommend Corps of Discovery highly for the history buff, but even more so for the novice of that genre, as a guide to what it can be at its best.

This one, plain and simple, has made me a believer in historical fiction. Too much of what I have tried in the past has suffered from weak and glorified characterizations, improbable, synthetic, hyped, and ultimately lifeless re-portrayals of media-worn events. Jeffrey W. Tenney provides us with a ground-level view of the historical, wherein the epic is broken down into its smallest, untidiest increments, and characters falter as much as they charge ahead.

Everyone knows the basic plot and the "star" characters of this epic story. Who would not now, after so many conventional renditions, prefer to see the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the eyes of characters like William Clark's slave, York? Or through those of the hunters, who spend most of their time in the backcountry where "captain's orders" pale in the presence of the onrushing grizzly bear or the hard-faced Indian warrior?

Tenney's narrative, pacing, and dialogue take the reader on a smooth, entertaining ride, but characters are the heart of this novel. The soldiers, hunters, guides, and boatmen of the Expedition, as well as the Indians met along the way, come in those mixes of flaw and virtue that make people interesting and sympathetic. Characters must battle their own inner enemies while contending with the layers of outer conflict the author heaps upon them. Using a highly creative structure, in each new chapter Tenney shifts perspective to portray different characters' experiences with these struggles. This device makes for chapters as vivid as short stories, the whole of the novel unfolding like a carefully pieced and brightly hued quilt.

I recommend Corps of Discovery highly for the history buff, but even more so for the novice of that genre, as a guide to what it can be at its best.

An outstanding book that I picked up in the children's section of my local library. The haunting photo on the book jacket drew my attention, and I just had to read the story.

It turns out that the photograph is rather famous; it was taken by Edward Hines and still resides in a museum. He had taken pictures of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, and became curious about what happened to them after arriving in the U.S. He "followed" them to the towns they settled in and discovered the issues of child labor laws that were not enforced. He used subterfuge to get access to some of the mills, and took photographs of the children who worked there for long hours in terrible conditions. Because of his efforts, social change eventually came.

The author's story is the account of fictional characters (other than Mr. Hines, who visits their town and mill). It is well written, from the viewpoint of a young girl who describes what life is like for her and her friends and family. I ached for Grace as she struggled to please her parents and do well in the mill, and ached for her to find the better life that she longer for

Twelve-year-old Grace, daughter of immigrant parents from Canada, is a bouncing, energetic, vivacious rural Vermonter. Grace is torn between her teacher's desire for her to make a better life through education and her mother's desire for her to work in the mills to support her family. Highly intelligent Grace is eager to grow up and go to work, but discovers that, being left handed, she is less capable than the other workers. One day, Lewis Hine, a photographer, comes to secretly investigate the mill and takes Grace's picture. This fantastically well-written book (completely in Grace's voice) is one of the best young adult novels I've ever read. Grace's world is very real, from the detailed descriptions of the mill to the characters that surround her and determine her destiny. The historical tale (set in 1910) makes us, as Lewis Hine's photographs do, look directly into the eyes of the child labor issue. Grace, in her excitement and need to work in the mills to provide for her family, but her even deeper need to do more with her life. Grace--as all young teenagers do--must face her domineering mother's expectations for her life and to become her own person. A beautiful, funny, clever, well-characterized, poignant, and powerful novel. Grade: A

When a children's author wishes to write a piece of historical fiction, there are a number of ways to do so. They can write about a specific historical moment. The fall of Pompeii, for example, or perhaps a battle during the Civil War. They can also just pick a period in time rather than any one single moment. The most difficult historical fiction, however, is when an author decides to incorporate a real person into their fictional narrative. This technique is a staple of poorly written children's books. You know what I mean. The old idea that falls along the lines of Martin Luther King Jr. meets a kid from the future and teaches him a valuable lesson, yadda yadda yadda. Ugh. It takes a careful hand and a steady talent to do what Elizabeth Winthrop has accomplished with, "Counting On Grace". Winthrop knows that if you were going to write a book where, for example, a small girl meets someone like Lewis Hine, you're going to have to give your hero (not the historical figure) enough of a backstory and life to make her just as real as Hine himself. The joy of "Counting On Grace" is that even though this is a story about a horrific time concerning horrific events, it's not depressing or much in the way of a downer. It's a beautiful, emotional, remarkable little book. Mangled hands and all.

Grace can't stand still. Every day her family goes to work in a Vermont cotton mill while she goes to school with the other mill children. She's a good student, of course, but she can't even read without her feet dancing about. That changes fairly soon, however, and much to her delight. She and her friend Arthur are going to go work on their mothers' machines in the mill, she willingly, he unwilling. But finally making some money for her family isn't as much fun as Grace had anticipated. She's incredibly tired and Arthur seems to have a dangerous plan in mind for getting out of working. It isn't until the two kids help their former teacher Miss Lesley contact the authorities about the working conditions of the mill that something begins to change. Something in the form of a photographer by the name of Lewis Hine. Now Grace needs to decide what to do with the rest of her life. Spend her days working in the mill or seek something more?

The inspiration for this tale, author Elizabeth Winthrop says, came in the form of a picture of a young girl named Addie. The photograph, taken by Lewis Hine, was on display in the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. The photograph is shown at the back of the book, and Winthrop tells the story of the real girl shown there. Her tale is just as interesting as that of Grace's and "The Story Behind the Photograph" worthy reading in and of itself. Add in Winthrop's meticulous Bibliography and you've got yourself some well-researched top-notch writing.

Part of the wonder of this book is that Grace's parents are neither heroes nor villains. There's a great deal of respect given to their difficult situation. They love their children, of course they do! But these are poor people who need as much money as they can get, given their circumstances. Sure, their kids could get seriously hurt tending to the machines in the mill, but there's always the thought that the attentive ones will survive the "lazy" or inattentive ones. At one point the schoolteacher Miss Lesley complains that she's tired of wanting more for the mill children than their own parents want. This lack of ambition for a better life could easily have turned the story into a children = good, parents = bad tale. But life itself is not that simple. Nor, for that matter, is this book. Grace's mother is a rough woman with a great deal of violence to her, but you understand why she does the things she does. Still, it's hard not to agree with Grace when she happens to remark, "Suddenly, I don't like the family God gave me".

I learned a great deal from "Counting On Grace" about why these children worked in the mills as often as they did. At first I couldn't understand why Arthur's mother insisted that he help her in the mill when it was clear that the two of them preferred him in school. It becomes far more understandable when you see that the mill owners owned their employees' homes. A child that didn't work in the mill could place his or her parents' jobs in danger. Lewis Hine probably said it best when Winthrop quotes him saying, "I have always been more interested in persons than in people".

I know I said that the book wasn't depressing, but not all endings in this book are happy ones. They're there to give the novel a feeling of authenticity. Winthrop doesn't employ any miraculous occurrences or deus ex machina. Still, there is happiness here. And as Winthrop herself says of historical fiction, "I'm not saying it happened, I'm saying it could have happened". A remarkable novel.

Although identified as a children's book, "Counting on Grace" is a book that should reward readers of all ages. The author, with great skill and sensitivity, weaves a fictional account of a young girl who is forced to work in the local cotton mill with historical fact about the documentation of these conditions. especially by the renown photographer of working children, Lewis Hines. With three grandchildren exactly the age of Grace, I found this gripping story provided a rare look at how some children were forced to enter the adult world, with its difficulties and dangers, and were summarily deprived of their childhood and education. This is a unique look at mill towns and the people and families who struggled there at the turn of the 20th century. I highly recommend "Counting on Grace" for readers whatever their age.

As you will probably all find out, the true story of Addie is in this month's issue of the Smithsonian Magazine. I have not yet read Counting on Grace but I will do so now that I have seen the magazine article.

Yes, Bowen is a racounteur, saving the history of the Metis, sharing passion for the land, and telling a taut mystery. Then is the account of one of his daughter's thirteen little children taking down the imported FBI man -- then proposing to him. But also the confrontation of ecologists and those at peace with the land with which they try to earn a living. Du Pre says, "The wrong ones get killed."

Read the series for all the above reasons.

The Montana mysterys are going to keep you guesing all through
the books. Cruzatte and Maria is probly the most fun to read.
When you read one of Peter Bowens books you will be hooked!
I just wish they were all on audio!

Peter Bowen has been writing his tales of Gabriel Du Pre, a Metis Indian, master fiddler, detective and righter-of-wrongs extraordinaire for some time now. Du Pre, his mate, Madelaine and his many dear friends in Toussaint, Montana have acquired a loyal following during that time. Bowen's new book, "Cruzatte and Maria" is his finest yet, and will greatly please all readers, new and old.

When Du Pre's old friend in the FBI, Harvey Wallace, asks him to look into a series of disappearances in the White Cliffs area of the Missouri River Gabriel is troubled and refuses to become involved. Residents of that area, mostly ranchers, have been under continuous attack by environmentalists and encroachment by yuppie wilderness seekers. Du Pre understands the ranchers' struggle and senses an underlying, irresolvable tragedy.

Unfortunately, Du Pre's is unable to maintain his distance. His daughter Maria has returned to Toussaint with her boyfriend to help with the making of a television special on the Lewis and Clark voyage. Maria is descended on both sides from the four Metis Indians that accompanied the adventurers and Gabriel is dragged into the production as a consultant and advisor. Naturally, the movie is to be filmed on the banks of the Missouri, in the same location as the disappearances. Gabriel smells a set up, but concedes gracefully (actually he curses a lot) and undertakes both missions. As the story progresses Du Pre's worst fears and greatest hopes are realized. Metis life and history, politics, Hollywood and the rancher's struggle for recognition and independence mix together in a heady, sometimes disquieting, stew.

Bowen is an absolute wizard with characters. Not only Du Pre, but many other characters come brilliantly to life, even in the short space of this novel. Bart, Du Pre's billionaire friend and Benetsee, the mad/wise holy man who drives Du Pre crazy with riddles stand out. A new and special character is Pallas, one of Du Pre's eleven grandchildren. She will totally charm the reader with her seven-going-on-thirty attitude and her sharp, accurate tongue. The ranchers, members of the movie company and countless bit players are all unforgettably painted.

Perhaps the best thing about Bowen's writing is his insight into the Metis Indians. They are a tribe mostly forgotten to American and Canadian history, who played a great part in the fur trade in Canada and Montana. As a multi-tribal mixture of indigenous, French and Scottish blood they have had great difficulty gaining recognition as an independent culture. The are strong folk, with a rich musical tradition and an indomitable spirit. Bowen's Metis are people of great character, wry, fun loving, and deeply respectful of their people, their friends and the land they live on. Bowen captures their language and dry sarcastic wit perfectly. The reader will leave "Cruzatte and Maria" delighted to have spent time with these remarkable people.

Du Pre's daughter Maria comes home from school with her boyfriend Ben who is the assistant director on the movie being made on Lewis & Clark. Maria asks Du Pre to be the historical consultant on the set and Du Pre reluctantly agrees. Harvey Weasel Fat asks Du Pre to check into the disappearances of several people at the White Cliffs area of the Missouri River. These two tasks come together and make for murder.

The local residents don't like newcomers and somebody is making sure that strangers don't stay. Two environmental journalists are found in the river and it doesn't look like it was an accident. Du Pre must find out who is doing the killing before anybody else gets hurt.

Peter Bowen does an excellent job bringing out the local customs and mannerisms of the Metis people. Du Pre is an offbeat but thoroughly engaging sleuth. Makes you maybe want visit for a while.

"Cruzatte and Maria" is basically a replay of Bowen's earlier "Wolf, No Wolf," where the noble ranchers are pitted against the eco-ninnies, and in this book, the Yuppies who putter up and down the far reaches of the Missouri in their canoes and stinkboats. The local residents defend their rural stretch of the Missouri against all intruders, and shoot a couple of guys who were actually writing a pro-rancher, anti-ecoNazi book. This is where Harvey Weasel Fat Wallace, the Blackfeet FBI guy calls on Du Pré to find the murderer.

Another FBI guy, Ripper sums up the plot:

"These people out here have had it, basically, with the twentieth century, and who can blame them? But potting passing canoe paddlers is, and I must make this perfectly clear, like the late Tricky Dick, not going to be the protest of choice. It's illegal. It's also wrong."

Everyone leans on Du Pré in this book, including his daughter Maria. She persuades him to help a group of filmmakers (her boyfriend is the assistant director) who are shooting a documentary about the Lewis and Clark expedition. As it happens, Maria and her father are Métis descendants of the fiddler, Cruzatte who was a member of that famous 1805 expedition.

Even Du Pré's long-term mistress Madeleine gets into the act, and tricks her man into trying on glasses:

"`Du Pré,' said Madelaine, `I think you maybe got eyes like a hawk, see things far away, up close you got eyes like a pocket gopher.'

"Du Pré grunted.

"`Put a bead on that ...needle,' said Madelaine.

"Du Pré picked up a bead, poked the needle at it, and missed.

"...'Okay, Du Pré,' said Madelaine. `You try these on, yes.'"

Madelaine whips out a bag of dime-store reading glasses and Du Pré is made to realize that he hasn't seen her face or her beadwork in years. The dialogue in this book is up to Bowen's best standards, and I love these scenes between long-time friends. The author telegraphs just enough information to give us readers a warm, fuzzy sense of involvement.

The scenes I don't like usually take place in a bar, where the ranchers gather to literally and metaphorically bash guitar-playing, expensively-attired Yuppies, eco-Nazis, and film-makers. Too much drinking. Too much smoking. Too much high cholesterol. Too much violence. Bad for sensitive Yuppie stomachs like mine. Don't read this book if you have the flu.

Otherwise, read it. "Cruzatte and Maria" is the latest in Bowen's excellent, tough-love series of not-so-hard-to-figure-out mysteries.

I quit reading. Books these days are either vulgar or trite. I met Richard and enjoyed a discusson with him about Lewis and Clark; I had to get the book. I hated Undaunted Courage; what a joke of a 'historical fiction' book. GAG. I was understandably hesitant to read Eclipse. But with the first page, I loved it. I did not want to put it down. I almost missed my own booksigning because I did not want to quit reading it. His research is outstanding. His interpretation is fantastically executed. FINALLY a modern writer who can WRITE. In less than a month, I now own 7 Richard S. Wheeler books.

This novel written in first person from both Lewis's and Clark's viewpoint peered deeply into the Captains' souls in the years following the Expedition until Lewis's death. Clark prospered; Lewis stepped onto a slope more deadly than any he faced on the trail.

The author's case is convincing. But it is heartbreaking. It pulls back some of the mystery surrounding Lewis's untimely death, revealing unspeakable and, for Lewis, intolerable tragedy.

I can't say I enjoyed this book, but I could not put it down.

In 1997 a Seattle epidemiologist, Reimert Thorolf Ravenholt, M.D., did a little forensic diagnosis by looking at the Lewis & Clark journals. He concluded that Lewis was dying of advanced syphillis (complicated by malaria) when he was killed by two bullets, probably shooting himself simultaneously with his set of two pistols. I'm not qualified to pass judgment on medical matters.

Neither is Wheeler, but he takes the challenge of "what if" this theory were true, a challenge side-stepped by Ambrose, who likes his heroes stainless. The book Wheeler creates is two parallel and episodic monologues, one inside Clark's head and one inside Lewis' mind, so that we see each with the other's eyes. It's immediately clear that the two men are not alike in voice, experience, position or temperament, but that they are linked by friendship and shared adventure. They have been deeply marked and changed by the long trail to the Pacific. Clark's salient issue is what to do about York, his slave and childhood playmate, who was an equal throughout the journey, but must now return to being owned. Not easy for either man.

After the expedition both Lewis and Clark were expected to take hold of the seething and often disease-ridden Louisiana purchase and wring profit out of it while they were still celebrities. Clark had a hard time, in spite of his sturdy diligence. But Lewis went steadily downhill, making enemies, blundering -- not getting the vital journals edited and out to the public despite everyone's demands, including President Jefferson's. No one knew how to help him. He was angry and secretive.

Wheeler gives us the terrible details of a descent into hell that no one could stop, all begun in one moment of unguarded relaxation at the very moment the Shoshone supplied the horses that made the success of the expedition possible. Other men of the expedition also suffered contagion and some of them died earlier than Lewis, so he knew what to expect. They were starved, exhausted, battered and stressed, which made them especially vulnerable. In spite of access to a reliable physician, Lewis tried self-doctoring with alcohol and drugs which, on top of malaria and the brutal heavy-metal drugs of the time, assured his destruction.

This book is transparently written -- one does not stop and think, "Oh what a fine phrase!" The scenes unfold grimly and inevitably until, at the end, one thinks, "That's about how it must have been." And personally, I think Lewis comes through as a mortal hero, a man who fought death with honor, a tragic figure who paid a terrible price for his president and his country.

The historical accuracy of ECLIPSE is a credit to the author's careful research. He ties together the known events in the life of these well-known American heroes, using his extensive knowledge of the nineteenth century. Fiction it is, but it is also very true to the known facts. The book "reads well", never boring, never dull. ECLIPSE is a fine addition to the many books about Lewis and Clark, especially as we celebrate the 200th year of their expedition to the Pacific and back.

Eclipse - A Novel of Lewis and Clark, by Richard S. Wheeler, is a book I could not put down until I finished it. Wheeler turns the aftermath of Louis and Clark's historic trek into a gripping novel with vividly portrayed characters and an engaging plot. The title characters are far more than just historically significant. They also have flaws, rivals, financial difficulties, diseases, and other problems resulting in large part from their heroic deeds. I highly recommend this book to all readers.