Nebraska Books

One of the very best works of contemporary fiction set in the Maghrib. Raises the issues you would want for class discussion without the aggressive "eradicatory" anti-Islamism of most Algerian writers.

This book claims to take on, for the most part, the position of women in contemporary Algeria. But you can see many people's lives and how they're affected in this book. The narrative switches back and forth between Sultana, an Algerian woman doctor who lives in France, and a Frenchman in Algeria, Vincent. From the first few pages to the very end, it captivated me. It is hard to understand the FIS (Front Islamique du Salut, a radical Islamist Algerian political group) and their way of living. Sultana is an extremely dignified with much credibility and worthy of anyone's respect, yet she is called a [...] by her fellow Algerians when she walks on the street or goes to a bar or does anything really. The very end is the most surprising act of repression of all.

But there are so many glimpses of hope in this book as well, the little girl character of Delilah, the nurse Khaled (even though he said some distasteful things to Sultana in the beginning, he emerged as a better character toward the end). It seems that Algeria is torn between the strong, fundamental Islam, and the changing world and people not wanting to be oppressed (who would?). Most of the Algerians I met were not very religious, but I was in the city of Alger and Bejaia. Maybe fundamentalism is always a negative thing when it comes to faith and sprituality. Nobody has the right to force their ideas on others, isn't that why we have rhetoric? (trying to be ironic).

I'm sure this book was much better in its original French language text, although the translation is very good as well. Highly recommended. Algeria is facinating.

Since visiting Ellis Island's Museum, I have been collecting adult and children's books about the trials and tribulations that my ancestors had to endure, at Ellis Island. This book is a great addition to those books!

This memoir is beautifully crafted. It took me back to another time and place, and it is still with me. The author presents us with a candid look at her fascinating relatives (She is from a Sephardic family with roots, traditions and superstitions carried forth from centuries in Turkey and Spain.) She shares the struggles and triumphs of her own childhood. I am recommending it to those of us who remember the importance of a skate key, and to younger readers, as well. It is a timeless treat that continues to ring true.

Charles Larpenteur's capabilities as a writer, his presence in the American wilderness at a time when many were not literate, his submersion in the fur trade in positions of responsibility, all make him a unique, worthy read.

The reader is removed from the adventure fantasies and romance, carried into the day-to-day details of the life of a man who became a mountain man early in life and remained one until the trade was no longer a viable institution. A mountain man worrying about profit and loss far more than fights with wild tribesmen, a man who knows white men and studiously avoids being tricked or ruined by their wiles and their competition for trade with the Indians.

Larpenteur has been used as a reference by almost every work written about the fur trade, but his own work needs no references.

Read it.

Captivating! This is an accurate and vivid account of the day to day and year to year activities associated with the early American fur trade era. Pick up any book on this subject and you will find that this book is used as a reference. Larpenteur spent much of his time at the Fort Union trading post in present day Montana where the Yellowstone River empties into the Missouri. This is his story of how the actual trading was carried on, relationships with the Indians and resulting battles that oftentimes would occur, along with the inner relationships amongst the fur companies and military, the hardships which had to be overcome, etc. He shouldered heavy responsibilities and it is apparent that at times he would get somewhat down on himself for not accomplishing or meeting his goals. If he were alive today, he would see that his journal would erase all those self doubts and misconceptions that he had of himself. A great book.

This book captures the feel of growing up and living in a small town. I thought it was an interesting blend of the academic and the personal.

Charlotte Hogg does an amazing job of describing and enlightening the reader throughout her book. Not only does she give a history of these women, that otherwise may never be told, but she explains the relevance of these stories. I love the juxtaposition between the literary ideologies and the heartwarming, and very personal, aspects of the book. She describes a warm and inviting sense of community, while showing her respect for the place, and a familiarity that comes through in the whole book. All in all, I loved this book, I found it to be insightful and warm, as well as an interesting look at a rural community.

Frontenac: The Courtier Governor is the absorbing and deftly researched biography of Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac (1622-1698), who was appointed governor general of New France in 1672. Though Louis de Buade was popularly credited with making a daunting and ruthless impression on the Iroquois, defying the military power of colonial Britain, and promoting the imperial expansion of France, his biographer W. J. Eccles (Professor of History, University of Toronto) deftly dissects these myths and steadfastly delves into a more sordid picture of the true Frontenac: a man out of his time who strived to hold on to power and status through corruption, favors at court, and the illicit drive for commerce in the West. A closely researched reexamination and interpretation of primary sources, Frontenac is seminal contribution to a colonial era portrait, and a welcome addition to Canadian and North American history and biography collections.

This is THE book on the fur trade, Canadian colonial government,
the Iroquois Wars, and Frontenac himself. It is not a biography of Frontenac, but an engaging history of French Canada. Highly recommended to me by an expert on the subject.

This is another volume culled from the 10-volume MOUNTAIN MEN AND THE FUR TRADE OF THE FAR WEST by LeRoy R. Hafen. The men chosen for inclusion here were all associated with the fur trade in the Upper Missouri region. Some of the trappers and traders dealt with are John F.A. Sanford, Charles Larpenteur, Alexander Culbertson, William Laidlaw, and J.B. Moncravie. Personalities run the gamut from honorable and intelligent (Moncravie and Kenneth McKenzie, for example) to brave and able (just about everybody). The biographies are encyclopedic: all known pertinent facts are given, but not expanded on. I wish for this volume Hafen had perhaps broadened the category for inclusion a bit, because the book is about half the length of companion volumes; most of the biographies are only a few pages long. Other than that, it's an excellent source for biographical information on important figures of the Upper Missouri trade.

This book offers some very good, concise descriptions of eighteen lesser known fur trappers,traders and mountain men of the early American west. After reading several books on this subject myself,there were some names I never came across before who were very instrumental during this time period: James Kipp, Gabriel Franchere, William Laidlaw, David Dawson, William Gordon and John Sanford to mention a few. Each one of these men's lives had obstacles of hardships, disasters, frustrations, etc. to overcome and all had something to do with the founding and development of the early American west in one way or another. It was a fun book to read and the bibliographies in each chapter simply 'whet the appetite' to read more about these interesting early frontiersmen.

The author has done a wonderful job of honoring our military heroes who have given their lives in the service of their country. It aptly covers those from central Nebraska who served in the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Worthwhile addition to my library.

This book accurately portrays the military lives of our "hero" veterans from a rural area around Central Nebraska. It was very well written and hard to put down! Highly recommended!

Hughie beautifully and articulately walks us through a life that very few people know anything about these days. Life on a sheep ranch has not changed too very much today and so her knowledge of it seems just as pertinent today as it was back then.

Hughie learned how to live as a ranch wife -- hiring cooks to keep her hired men well-fed and contented; driving supply trucks out to the herders; she learned to lamb the ewes; to tent a nervous, young ewe and her lamb to keep them together; she used a party-line telephone, listening in when necessary; she was a supportive wife to her husband amidst sickness, falling sheep prices and a depression; she brought a little class to a rough lifestyle by planting a lawn and flowers and by encouraging her neighbors to do the same (to many a husband's dismay); she learned to ride horseback despite her bouncing technique; she raised a family where schools were distant, roads were rutted and the weather so unpredictable that she had to take on the job of "teacher" herself for several years. She learned to truly love the life of a wool grower.

If you have any desire to learn about the way of life on a large sheep ranch, you will glean aplenty with Hughie's book, Golden Fleece, in hand. As a transplant into a sheep and cattle ranch myself 26 years ago, I could relate completely and sympathetically with Hughie and felt a deep kindred spirit with her.

I couldn't put the book down--it includes regional history, is autobiographical and humorous. Florence (Hughie) Call describes so much--this book covers thirty years as a Montana sheep rancher's wife--her observations, human understandings, "tenderfoot" mistakes, tragedy, local history, etc. You come to know the characters and feel like you could almost start raising sheep. Reads fast.

The amount of detail and research that went into this book is amazing--I keep thinking I've learned the whole field and then I turn to the book and discover something new. The book is long but very readable, full of fascinating illustrative quotes, and is based on truly thorough knowledge of the primary sources. By the way, this paperback has the same pagination and material as the entire two volume hardcover. Be careful not to get the abridged version by mistake--it deletes footnotes which are key to using the book as a starting point for your own research.

Read this in College. Found it to be the best complete review of American Indian policy from colonial times to present.

This hefty (700+ pages) anthology, far-reaching in scope and viewpoint, attempts to reflect "the historical and contemporary experience of life on the Great Plains." It includes many different types of writings (short stories, memoir excerpts, essays, tribal accounts) from scores of different writers (Mark Twain, Maria Sandoz, Hamlin Garland, Garrison Keillor, Wright Morris, Louise Erdrich, to name only a few). The book's sections are organized around specific themes:

1) The lay of the land and natural history;
2) Natives and newcomers: these include Indian accounts of the first Europeans and early explorer impressions (Louis & Clark, Stephen Long, etc.);
3) Arriving and settling in: reflections of the first white settlers and the creating of communities.

Each passage is fully introduced by the editors in terms of its message and social/historical significance. The anthology provides a comprehensive overview of the Great Plains as a section of North America (Canada included) remarkable for its special, in some ways even unique, life offerings it gave to those who came in contact with it. Excellent for use in college survey courses dealing with the Plains, it's also an interesting book for anyone wanting to gleam insights on the region from a wide array of perspectives.

This is a great collection of stories. I have been reading it cover to cover and enjoy every story. Many of the stories are so well written that I can feel the wind and hear the meadowlarks that I remember from my childhood growing up near Wichita. I would recommend it for every Great Plains native and maybe for those who don't understand why anyone would want to live "out there."