Park Books

Black and Brown Faces in America's Wild Places is an excellent book to share with young people. It lets young people see people of color participating in actitivies and careers in the great outdoors. These actitivies and careers are open for all to enjoy. I purchased several books to share with the young people in my life and have received very positive feedback. One young man was very proud to share his book with his class for Black History Month.

Keeping It Wild

Dudley Edmondson uses the personal comments and profiles of 20 black and brown Americans to make observations on the participation of minorities in outdoor pursuits. The "whiteness" of many of these activities is obvious. Without pointing fingers, the book makes clear the importance of drawing minority populations into activities such as birding, hiking, camping, etc. As the population of this country grows more diverse, as faces of color appear more often on city councils, county boards, and in legislative positions, an appreciation of the value of natural resources by these people will become important. As the saying goes, we protect what we understand and appreciate. Edmondson's book offers personal experiences and observations that make the point that the outdoors and its pleasures are for everyone. The book is illustrated with the author's excellent photographs. This is a book to be shared with anyone who enjoys outdoor activities.

This is a great book about South Park and its relationship to contemporary culture. Many of the insights end up surprising. There are three parts to this book. The first part mentions the impact of South Park on culture and how it became popular and widespread. The second part is about the show itself: the dialogue, sounds, characters, and visuals. The third part deals with the issues presented in the show. There was an extensive amount of research done for this book and it shows. The author is also not a fan, so the insights come from a more neutral perspective, which makes the book an even better read.

The author also spends a lot of time on the impact and popularity of the show, which is unlike most book about tv shows and culture. The characters chapter is long but still unusually short for a tv show and culture book. Most books about TV shows and culture devote and entire unit and at least 40 pages to talk about the characters. Because she only devotes a chapter, there could have easily been more said about the characters.

All in all, if you are a fan of South Park or like reading about popular culture, then you should read this book. It is entertaining, insightful, and enjoyable.

Just when I began to despair about finding a real fan resource for South Park, along comes "Blame Canada". The various edited volumes about South Park and philosophy (Arp and Hanley) seem to be collections of scholarly opinions that I am sure are important to some obscure university lecture series on philosophy, and Anderson's "South Park Conservatives" is really only of interest to militant Log Cabin Republicans. "Blame Canada" is well constructed, well written and thought provoking. As a fan, I find it a fascinating resource, more so because the author is clearly NOT a fan herself. Neither a sycophantic piece nor a knee-jerk condemnation, "Blame Canada" is accurate and dispassionate.

My favourite chapter in "Blame Canada" is the chapter on South Park and the internet. It documents a period of internet history that had nearly been lost, in which South Park featured uniquely as a pop culture window into the infancy of the internet. I myself, who came late to the South Park phenomenon, had been unable to track down the grass roots fan information that should have been available on the internet for any pop culture icon as important as South Park. Now I know that it is a result of the engulf-and-devour policy of Comedy Central towards "unauthorized" South Park content on the web, which is somewhat ironic considering the libertarian content of the show. I am left to wonder how much more of internet history is being lost forever as technology changes, web pages are updated without being archived, and corporate America exerts more and more control over internet content.

The most interesting aspect of "Blame Canada", however, is the theoretical framework in which Johnson-woods places the show. South Park is nothing if not carnivalesque, so it is an apt analysis. But more than that, through the Baktine analysis South Park fandom becomes legitimized, and South Park becomes as much (and as normal) a pop culture influence in its time as Star Wars or I Love Lucy were in theirs. It is refreshing to know that fan attraction to fart jokes is as old as fandom itself, and not some new aberrant form of entertainment that is a result of (or even responsible for) the moral decay of our society.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Blame Canada", and I am happy to recommend it highly to any South Park fan. It is a worthy read.

As skillfully as early landscape architects planned the Blue Ridge Parkway to "lie lightly upon the land," author Tim Pegram has crafted a delightful journey in words to pay tribute to his years as a National Park Service park ranger and his endeavor to be the first person to through-hike the linear park's 469 miles. I don't know when I have enjoyed a book more! From the time I opened the box from Amazon and first held "The Blue Ridge Parkway by Foot: A Park Ranger's Memoir" in my hand, it has been a constant companion. I have chosen to read, and reread, it at a leisurely pace, much like Pegram's 41-day walk, or a relaxed drive along the Parkway. That way, I can stop at all the overlooks, savor each person, place, view, milepost, story, and insight, and look forward to what lies around the next bend, on the next page. Written in a personable, engaging style, this book is sure to become a treasured favorite of everyone who loves the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Tim Pegram captivates the reader with memories of his career as a parkway ranger, and his story of hiking the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. This is an extremely unique book that covers a subject on which few books exist. A must read for Blue Ridge Parkway lovers, hikers, fellow Park Rangers, and BRP history buffs.

I Just loved the book!! My mother was from the area and a visit to Boulder Park was a must during summer vacations. Facinating story on the origins of the park's beautiful carousel and how Boulder Park came to be. Wonderfully written, loads of great photos!!! A must for the carousel lover and for anyone who was lucky enough to visit the park when it was in operation. The pictures of the park brought tears to my eyes!!!

Jon Fortunato
Orangeburg, NY

This book is seriously beautiful, amazing, and gives an incredible insight to how carousels are. As a child, my aunt [Cyndy Hennig Hanks] used to read carousel books to me and take me to many around the state... She would tell me all of this information that even to this day, I will always appreciate.

It's nice to see my memories in a book.

In his first chapbook of poetry, Ryan Sawyer presents works that are rhetorical in nature, asking deep questions and making perceptive observations. "Isn't life dumb," he queries in the aptly titled poem "Blip." Sawyer cunningly lays out lines of blank verse and rhymed poems, each of which inspires readers to view the world through different, more searching eyes. We become "old women [who] dream at night of walking in high heels;" we are "eighteen years old and full of ideas;" we enjoy November's respite from that "airy, beaming imbecile, / the sun." The poems are unpretentious yet full of depth.

Definetly recommend, could not put it down. Very creative and original work!

For in about twenty years I read all kind of Buddhist books. Each of these books were quite good but something always was missing.
It is quite common in my country that you can hear: nobody can write a book about everything on Buddhism it is simply too much.
Can you imagine how astonished I was to read this book that gives a complete introduction into Buddhism?
Here the West can meet the East. Sometimes it's a little hard to understand the author's words but it is worth reading them because Venerable Dr. Jongmae Park is a highly venerated Buddhist monk and Buddhist scholar for over 35 years and all his words are authentic (not the same boring "copy and paste style") as he read all the originals, many of them not even available translated out of the Chinese or Korean into a western language.
If you think, you know something about Buddhism, take a white piece of linen and put it over your knowledge.
Read this book as if you never read any book and the wisdom of the Gautama Buddha will unfold step by step.
This book is highly recommended for people who seriously want to study Buddhism as it is a non-sectarian book. All traditions are described equally (although I would wish to find more about Korean Seon ).
Maybe this is not highly recommended for absolute beginners but there are thousands of good beginner's books out there.
But after reading "A Brief for Buddhism" you will find out, that you are a beginner anyway. Every moment.
Thank you for writing this book, Venerable. Three deep prostrations to a great master.

A BRIEF ON BUDDHISM by Venerable Jongmae Park stands out from a mountain of books on Buddhism. The book provided EVERYTHING I wanted to know and so much more!! I can say that this is more than interesting ideas about Buddhism. It provides readers the definitive, core of what the Buddha taught, as well as background on how it all began, the early life of Gautama Buddha, what the people, politics and religions of the day were like. It also outlines the religious ideas that were prevalent in India at the time - all of which provided for a far greater understanding on the topic.

From chapter three it goes into the definitive teachings of the Buddha with a lot of background explanation. The writing style is clear and to the point. The content is very deep and extensive. The author also describes and breaks down the sects in Buddhism, Buddhist ethics, politics, meditation as well as the Buddhist views of world peace and the topic of women in Buddhism, all in a way that stay in direct concert with the words of the Gautama Buddha.

I can't praise this book enough. It covers it all, and I believe it will benefit anyone, from the curious beginner who wishes to learn what Buddhism is all about to the deeper seeker who want a powerful tool to help them tread the Buddah's Way. I loved the book! It's a rare treasure.

The last word was every bit as incredible as the first...WOW! That Brookie on the cover would hit the spot right now... I'm pretty hungry... unfortunately it's only an image printed on paper... not very satisfying or tasty for that matter. The main thing you need to know about this book is that it's ultimately just a bunch of words on paper; like most other books. And hidden beneath this thin veil of "outdoor writing" is really just a silly lesson in Yin and Yang philosophy, as the words of the book depend upon and are largely defined by the Old Growth Forest paper that they are printed upon. And vice versa. Whatever. Spend some money. Check it out. You might be disappointed... then again,you just might not. Besides, everyone needs an extra book or two to fill those annoying gaps that appear in your bookcases when somebody pulls out another book to read, or to slap a fly with, or to use as a temporary, mobile writing platform. Happy reading!

Callan's a great storyteller, but this is not just a storybook. He's a great guide, but this is not just a guidebook. Callan beautifully combines the two worlds in BT&BF to lend the reader a guidebook with stories that whet the appetite for an Algonquin trip. Callan gives the reader several options for weekend or week-long trips in the park and spices the descriptions up with his great storytelling ability. The only drawback is the lack of an index where one could compare trip length, difficulty, etc. in a table format instead of having to leaf back and forth through the book, but don't let that dissuade you. This is an excellent resource for the Algonquin canoeist.

This book is hard to set down once you get started.

If you have connections with this community you will want to look up your friends, school, church and neighborhood.

Highly recommended for history buffs.

In the State of MINNESOTA, within HENNEPIN County, a BROOKLYN Township attracted farmers for the excellent soil and POTATOES became a major crop. Two major cities, BROOKLYN PARK and BROOKLYN CENTER were formed and this book gives the history of settlers for both towns. Farms, founding settlers, MAPS and more. When it was produced in 2001, about 40-50% of the 600 page volume was held for notes by more recent farm families with an emphasis on those that had roots to the 1800's. A great genealogy resource!

This National Park Mystery is different from all the other ones. The story actually spends more time talking about the foster kid, Nicky Milano. If you enjoy the National Park Mysteries, and like the story about the kids verses the mystery, then this book is for you. It just gives so much more detail. Remember, there are eleven other books before this one.
The thing with this book is that it is so suspenseful to see if the Landon kids and Nicky Milano will survive. (...). That's when Nicky stops lying, and tells Jack and Ashley the real story of his dangerous, hidden life, and his father, an ex-criminal.
I liked this book because I think it had more emotion in it. This story's foster kid really bonded with Jack and Ashley. The only thing with this last book is that I think the author rushed it. I mean, the bad guy goes right out and says he did it. Where's the mystery? Other than that, it was great. So read all the other Mysteries in our National Parks.

I thought this book book was a good book. It probably is one of the best in the series. It is heart pounding suspenseful,thrilling and full of action. It was heart pounding and suspenseful because when the avalanche comes they get freaked.




This book is about Jack and Ashley going Alaska's Denali National Park and Reserve to investigate the death of two male wolverines. They bring a boy named Nickey Milano and Jack gets suspicious about him when Nickey says that he is crazy and they don't know what they are dealing with. They get to their cabin and the next mourning Jack and Ashley go out in the snow to see a moose but Nickey finds them and they find out that his dad is in the CIA but jack knows he is lying. They get to Denali and a man named Chaz has agreed to take them on a dog sled ride to wonder lake while Olivia is studying the dead wolverines. They next thing the Landon kids and Nickey know the is they see Chaz riding away leaving them stranded in the middle of Alaska's wilderness. Suddenly they hear a roaring sound what is it AVALANCH! Can the the three of them escape the roaring mass of snow or will they be buried alive.


I recommend this book to a 8-13 year old or someone who likes mystery books.

I can't say enough good things about this series of board books ("Busy Park," "Busy Garden," etc.) by Rebecca Finn. My daughter has loved them since we started reading them to her at about nine months old. She is now two and they still entertain her in the car when we bring them along. Each colorful two-page spread has something for little fingers to manipulate (for example, "Busy Park" has a tab that slides up to make animals appear in a tree, a dial that turns to make fish swim around in a pond, a tab with clouds on it that reveals a rainbow underneath when it is pulled out, etc.).

The opportunities for language input that these books provide for babies and toddlers is fabulous. As a parent and former speech therapist I am always on the lookout for stimulating books for the birth-to-three age group, and these are perfect. They are rich in age-appropriate vocabulary without being too visually complex. The simple, rhyming text refers to one of the main aspects of a scene (e.g., the animals that appear in a big tree), but it is easy to expand the language input by talking about other features (such as a boy and girl looking at the animals, their mom pushing a stroller down a path, a bird in another little tree, etc.). The everyday relevance of the pictures/vocab, the melodic text, and the fun of trying to work the tabs, dials, etc. make these books truly engaging for a small child.

These books are also much more sturdy than any other board books I have seen that contain flaps/tabs (in our case this has been a very good thing since they have been read and played with over and over again!). The moveable parts are made out of the same sturdy board book material as the rest of the book, so they stand up to the abuse doled out from even the youngest hands. I can't ask for more from a board book -- fun, entertaining, durable, and a great teaching tool too! I plan to buy books from this series as gifts for all the babies and toddlers I know.

We bought this book for our two year old daughter on a whim in the bookstore. Since we brought it home two weeks ago, she insists on having it at the table with her when she eats, clutching it when she sleeps, and taking it with her EVERYWHERE she goes!

The thing she likes most about the book is the fact that she can move the pieces (very easily) by herself. The concept is simple and the illustrations show pictures of things she can identify herself. In essence, as a two year old, she can read the book herself.

It's also not so annoying as other books, so you don't mind reading it over and over (and over!). Highly recommended. The moving pieces, combined with the cute and colorful illustrations make this well worth the money!