Washington University Books

This is a great book from a great writer. Elisabeth Cameron writes in a nice personal style. Her books (see also Isnt She a Doll) are an excellent mix between art and antropology. Throughout both books there are good pictures of art objects in use. Loved both books.

Even from the very cover this book has taken the right approach!
Where countless others have tried to give insights to an array of
Native subjects and materials, this one overwhelmingly succeeds
setting new standards. The depth of study and the richly detailed photographs make this a masterpiece!!!!

There are many books on parenting, but none that I think captures so well the joy and pain, the challenge and reward of being a parent in the modern age. I am the parent of an adult son, and At Work in Life's Garden carried me back into the emotional roller-coaster of pregnancy; the sweet learning to engage with a newborn; the years when dependence and rebellion collided head-on; and the deep strength of a parent-child bond that stretches but does not break. Having contributions of many skilled authors makes the book like a sampler box of chocolates - each story a fresh surprise, each so different from the others, and each delicious in its own way. I have given copies to many friends and relations, and will continue to make it a special gift for new parents in my life.

B Street: The Notorious Playground of Coulee Dam captures an up-close, in-focus glimpse of American history in the making during the era of the Great Depression and beyond. During these difficult times, B Street was a place of recreation for white workingmen, particularly those who labored on the Coulee Dam; filled with shops, restaurants, and brothels, B Street was off-limits to blacks and most dark-skinned individuals, including Indians. Opening with the eyes and memories of author Lawney L. Reyes, a young boy who wandered B Street with his little sister Luana and their dog Pickles while their Indian mother and Filipino father survived hand-to-mouth running a Chinese restaurant, B Street continues through preservations of Reyes' mother's diary, enhanced with stories told by his parents and other members of the Sin-Aikst tribe. B Street is ultimately a profound testimony to the history and culture of the Indians whose way of life was overwhelmed with change through the creation of the Grand Coulee Dam. Highly recommended, especially for Native American reading lists.

Gram-for-gram, the best little book in the world on this subject --- a true masterpiece. Each quartet, as well as the String Trios Op 9, and the Quintet Op 29, is discussed individually, with appropriate musical examples. The wit, insight, and vast musical knowledge and memory, makes this a priceless gem.

Behind the Painting remains one of Thailand's most cherished novels. On the surface it chronicles the romance and eventual heartbreak between a married woman visiting Japan and her young guide, an overseas Thai student. Beyond that however, it is also a portrait of the end of the Thai aristocracy at the heels of the new bourgouis class. Kiralee, the young wife of a retired aristocrat, accompanies her husband on a trip to Japan. There, they are met by an overseas Thai student who has been assigned as their guide throughout their visit. Love soon begins to blossom between the two, only to be stunted by the woman's return to Thailand. Heartbroken, the young student buries himself in his career only to discover that upon his own return to Thailand several years later, he has forgotten the woman he once loved. She, however, has never forgoteen him.

This little gem of a book features color reproductions of several paintings created by Emily Carr. Each image is paired with a bit of her writing, so that one has a sense of what she was thinking during or shortly after painting a particular landscape. This book is an ideal introduction to the art and prose of Emily Carr--not too long and not too short. It makes me want to see and hear more from this admirable Canadian woman.

I was just in Berkeley, CA and happed to see an exhibit of the original art which is the subject of this book at the GTU Library. The illustrations in the book are true to the original and the book provides the necessary context for a complete appreciate of this marvelous work.

Between Justice & Beauty: Race, Planning, And The Failure Of Urban Policy In Washington, D.C. by Howard Gillette Jr. (Professor Of History Rutgers University) examines how, as the only American city directly under congressional control, Washington D.C. has historically been used to test federal policy initiatives and social experiments. Some results have been positive; many have not, and the best of intentions striving to bring social justice to the largely black populace have failed. A large federal presence has been created, but to what ends? Gillette claims that this bloated and all-too-often ineffective federal presence is a triumph of beauty of justice, and searches for a more effective means to bring help to the city dwellers who need revitalization the most. A scholarly, well-researched treatise, sparsely illustrated with black-and-white photographs, Between Justice & Beauty attacks longstanding social problems head-on in search of solutions.

Although the context for [this book] is the world's present ecological and social dilemmas, it is really about Mateel, a small, northern California community and its efforts to construct a new way of living. Anders describes in detail this Humboldt County culture, which exists in the upper Mattole and Eel River watersheds.

Mateel's origins are in late sixties counterculture and most of the community's original inhabitants were considered "dropouts." It is here conviction that Mateelians have combined elements from America's past with ideas borrowed from other cultures to arrive at solutions that can only be described as futurist.