Northwest Books

My mother wrote this book when I was a little girl. I am in the picture on the cover. We were very very poor and this book was going to be our meal ticket. My drug doing loser of a father was always looking for a get rich quick scheme. So my mother, who worked full time to fully support a family of 5, handwrote this book and drew all of the illustrations late nights at the dining room table. I know that it is one of her most prized accomplishments eventhough it wasn't a best seller. The recipes are all from her and her friends and family. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. The recipes are awesome! I am thankful that my mother got to finish this book before he took that away from her too.

Mr. Elston has done a marvelous job of writing and researching this look at the glory that is Inland Empire sports. What a legacy--from Spokane's "big stars" like Mark Rypien, John Stockton, and Tom Sneva--to the less known founding fathers of our rich legacy like Stan Witter, to our championship Spokane Jets, Indians, and WSU Cougars -- this book is certainly a must read for not only the local residents of our beautiful region, but any fan of sports, as well! Bravo, Mr. Elston!

When I was 13 years old this book was given to me. It intrigued me as I read the back cover. I read the book and was astonished by John Dowd's amazing writing. He took me into the book and kept me there. I couldn't put the book down. The book starts out in Canada where a young boy named Jim is trapped in a neighborhood he hates. His father passed away in a car wreck so he lives with his mother now. Jim has toughened up since the wreck. A wealthy fisherman calls on Jim's mother and in the midst of things the man offers Jim a job on a fishing boat called The Kingfisher. Jim is offered $... dollars a month he is on the boat. From there he has many adventures in the Queen Charlet Islands on the tip of the Canadian coast. If you have an interest in boats or just love good writing you will defiantly enjoy this book, I did at the age of 13.

This is a compendium of data on plants from the boreal forest which are used for food, or medicine, or in a variety of ways for handicrafts (in the ample sense of the word). It fills a growing need for ethnobotanic scripture, when much knowledge is being lost because it is «old-fashioned». The data are presented in an easy-to-use format of one species per page (more-or-less), and cover the three aspects of use already mentioned, as well as the known names in Chipewyan, Cree, English, French, Latin, Ojibwe, and Slave. Anything known about chemical properties is also included. This is truly an in-depth compilation, and shows us that there is more in the forest than moss and spruce trees (and unsuspected uses even for these).

Learn exactly what Muslims say about their own beliefs in their own words. As the author I have a few books available for your use. Write or call me in Colorado Springs, CO

This is an excellent and much needed book on the history of railroad building in the Interior Northwest. Some of the chapters include the various Palouse lines, Stampede Tunnel, Coeur d'Alene area, NP's Central Washington Branch, and more. Well written and researched. A few photos, mostly text. Lengthy appendix. Highly recommended. I hope somebody writes another book on this area continuing on from 1893.

I've bought several copies of this book for friends and family -- it makes a great gift. There are a lot of good Southern recipes, beautiful photos and nice sidebars about Northwest Arkansas. Junior League cookbooks are the best!

As someone who was closely connected to the events detailed in Adoption Politics: Bastard Nation & Ballot Initiative 58, I was very happy to see that Professor Carp has changed his position on open records for adult adoptees since his Family Matters, in which he advocated mutual consent registries as the most equitable solution to the contentious issue of adoptee access to adoption and birth records. Here he clearly comes out for open records for those to whom they pertain, the adult adoptee.

In his introduction to Adoption Politics, Carp says: "In blending adopted adults' access to their original birth certificates with a protection for the birth mothers' right to privacy through a contact preference form (without legal penalties for violation), Measure 58 should be viewed as a model piece of legislation for other states to emulate." (p. 3-4)

And in the conclusion: "It [a coalition of adoption activists, adoption agencies and social workers] would not only confirm that a new age is dawning, but also that this new age makes it imperative to give adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates. It would be a clarion call that in the world of adoption it is time to look with fresh eyes at an old institution." (p. 169)

I do have to disagree with several points, though, such as the following in the conclusion: "But to achieve this goal nationwide, Bastard Nation and its supporters must free themselves of ideological blinders and recognize that adoption agencies do not constitute a single, monolithic 'adoption industry.' They must recognize that, either out of altruism or self-interest, the majority of adoption agencies support openness in adoption, including open records. ... The NCFA [National Council for Adoption]...will become increasingly isolated." (p.168)

I think BN does recognize that. The "adoption industry" usage was appropriate political rhetoric for our ballot initiative campaign in Oregon. On the other hand, in California, for example, many adoption agencies joined the CA Open Coalition in its legislative push for open records for adult adoptees, at BN's urging. One has to recognize that the neutrality of Oregon's Right to Life and Catholic Charities was extremely fortunate and unusual, and not something BN can count on elsewhere. In many states Catholic Charities is one of our biggest foes.

I was dismayed by the imputation of anti-birth mother sentiment to BN as a whole on p. 109 ("BN's dislike of birth mothers"), explained by the fact that "some adopted adults harbored resentment toward their birth mothers, whom they viewed as having callously abandoned them." I can't argue that some adoptees didn't/don't feel that way, but it was unjust to tar the organization as a whole with that sentiment. Nothing in Bastard Nation's policy, strategy or tactics reflects such a bias.

In regard to his discussion of the controversial use of the term "birth whore": the book states that "e-mail messages from Bastard Nation members ... that frequently referred to birth mothers as 'birth whores'" were found on the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup, alt.adoption, by members of the Boys and Girls Aid Society of Oregon, which opposed Measure 58. (p. 86) Carp does say in a footnote that this term wasn't used on BEST (BN's internal e-mail listserv) or in BN publications or in public during the campaign (can you imagine?!), and that the organization wasn't a home for "virulent anti-birth mother beliefs," having several respected birth mothers as members, but he doesn't put those many messages on alt.adoption into any kind of context. (p. 194-195) Only one person used that term seriously, and she wasn't a Bastard Nation member for long. The vast majority of posts were from BN members and others who objected to her use of that term, and several were posts in which BN birth mothers themselves used the term as a joke, as in someone's calling herself the leader of Birth Whore Nation. It is really too bad that this kind of misinterpretation has found its way into this book since one of the points we've always tried to make is that the struggle for open records isn't one of adoptees vs. birth mothers, but of all of us (enlightened adoptive parents as well) against the dinosaur faction of the industry as represented most strongly by the NCFA.

On the whole, though, very well done! The roller coaster excitement of those days was vividly brought back to me, the feeling of making history in adoption reform. The case on both sides is fairly presented, and the legal explanations are exceptionally lucid. (...)

Seward Whitfield tells a delightful story filled with some of the most unique and interesting characters I've read about in years. Imagine you're a dog who thinks he's human and who gets caught up in the affairs of a small town on the Oregon coast. The story is an entertaining look at human nature in spite of, or perhaps because of, the canine protagonist.

This is a remarkable work by a young man who was held captive for several years by a tribe of Native Americans on the coast of Vancouver Island during a time when European vessels visited these shores only once every few years. As a result, the account provides a unique insight into the lifestyle of these people prior to European intervention.

I read the work while visiting the area and found it irresistable. The natives have many surprising habits, including a preference for rotting rather than fresh whale blubber (this creates many difficulties for our protagonist) and a penchant for midnight raids on slumbering neighbors. Jewitt is a good writer and his dated prose has a tendancy to amuse the reader. He does a good job both of mentioning the details of every day existence and of capturing the emotional bonds he develops with other members of the tribe. The end of Jewitt's adventure leaves the reader deeply saddened, sharing the conflicting emotions that he himself was torn by.

As it is no longer out of print, I intend to give copies to a variety of friends with interests in anthropology, Native Americans, and adventure in general.