Nebraska Books

I was very interested to read Margarets account of her time spent in Anaktuvuk Pass. I found that her book delivered an effective account of the history of the settling of the Nunamiut at this location; told not by some cold,scientific text but rather through accounts by the generation who were there. It is this ability to convey the human perspective of the Nunamiut community that I found most warming.
Margarets account of her learning; be it about mask making, camping or caribou hunting provided an insight to village life that is fast disappearing.
As an Australian bushwalker who has visited Anaktuvuk Pass on several occasions I appreciated the reading & picturing again those I had met over the years; be it either as a raised hand as we passed on the tundra, laughing with the children at the local school or having a sauna at the washateria.

Love this collection. It's funny, but not over the top--most of the characters are lost and hapless, stuck in relationships that died long ago or they're tired of being lonely. But they have a quiet acceptance; they're polite in their suffering as only Midwesterners can be. And they're bemused, so the reader is too. The cover is a little misleading--the book isn't hardcore, though the characters try so hard to be tough on the outside. But I loved this one--not a single story fell flat--I highly recommend it.

Dr. Larry Nesper's 13-year journey with the Lac du Flambeau Indians becomes a thoroughly enjoyable and scholarly example of modern ethnographic work. The book meticulously details all of the issues relevant to Ojibwe spear-fishing and treaty rights as 1) native tradition, 2) cultural conflict (conflict both within the native culture, and between the native population and the State of Wisconsin), 3) inter-cultural legal conflict and controversy, and 4) an example for current dialogues regarding ethnicity and ethnic conflict, ethnic prejudice, and racism. Nesper clearly outlines all pertinent issues of the 25-year "Walleye War" from every angle, and conscientiously works his way through them, all the while carefully explaining different cultural perspectives. Even though Nesper states that he has become friends with many of the native people about whom he writes, he does not let his own feelings of friendship taint the truth. I recommend the book for enthusiasts of native culture, academics (especially those teaching cultural anthropology), and anyone interested in the history of, and current issues regarding, treaty rights and the relationship between native cultures and state or federal government entities.

United States Senator, Congressional Medal of Honorrecipient, successful businessman,private citizen, loving family man, it's all in this book and ah,what a man, and what a book! Noman is perfect, and the bookdetails his triumphs and hisoccasional missteps. The morefamous stories of his life arehere in lively biographicalform. The astounding heroism thatwon him our nation's highestmilitary honor, in full detail.His romance with movie starDebra Winger, whom he met whenshe was filming Terms of Endearment in his home state ofNebraska. His success buildinga business, serving as Governorof Nebraska and United StatesSenate, his candidacy for thePresidency. This book is a story,not a resume. About his bitterdays recovering from severe woundsof war, and how his spirittriumphed. About the littlecompromises of politics andbusiness, and the big ideas thatmotivated his career. About thefamous that he knew, and evenmore, the people that he lovesand who love him in his immediateand extended family. About hislifetime friendships with brothersin war. And about a group ofkids he spoke to, who had theirown challenges to overcome, andwho left his speech with a tearin their eyes and a dream intheir heart that more than anything tells us about Bob Kerrey, this book, and America.

A reader seeking to understand the causes and consequences of the War of 1898 would do well to begin with Trask's analysis. The volume is a broad overview of a pivotal moment in the development of U.S. foreign policy, but it manages to preserve clarity and insight despite its scope. It sharply undermines the standard revisionist interpretation of American behavior, forwarded for example by Perez and Foner, which holds that the United States engaged Spain in a war over Cuba in order to keep the island for itself. It does so by convincingly demonstrating that domestic politics in the United States and Spain set the two nations on a collision course with each other (but see Offner for the best presentation of these politics), although it does not say enough about how racism allowed the United States to ignore the legitimacy of Cuba's claims to independence. It mostly succeeds by showing how simple accidents of history, such as the de Lome letter, the mysterious explosion of the Maine, and the conquest of the Philippines by the United States (which was undertaken for reasons related to basic military strategy, not sinister imperial ambitions) prodded events along and restricted the legitimate options available to policymakers. In retrospect, a war entered into for ostensibly humanitarian reasons but resulting in a global empire for America seems obviously to have been the product of selfish, two-faced conspirators. As Trask's thoroughly documented and ably argued narrative reveals, however, sometimes intellectually coherent interpretations say more about the interpreter than the events themselves. A loaded moment in the history of the United States, Spain, Cuba, and the Philippines, the War of 1898 has generated almost as many interpretations as authors. For the best and least biased account of this episode, consult Trask.

This is one of the most up-to-date and thorough books on the many weeds currently invading the West. Its color photographs and descriptions make it easy to identify the many different specimens.
The book is hard bound and easy to read. It can be obtained at a reasonable price directly from the University of Nebraska.

This novel is a great story with several history references. I had a hard time putting it down. The story line is great and very easy to follow. I would love to read a sequel. Enjoy this book as I did.

Neihardt's best prose work, from material gathered at Pine Ridge Reservation in the forties from Eagle Elk and other Sioux Indians. It draws delightful pictures of Sioux life, weaves in charming Indian folk tales and legends, and describes an enlightened society where generosity was the way to status and young men chosen to hunt for the poor were honored. The gently humorous wisdom that pervades the culture comes to life.

"....for the Great Mysterious One meant all things to be round--the sky and prarie, the sun and moon, the bodies of men and animals, trees and the nests of birds, and the hoop of the people. The days and the seasons come back in a circle, and so do the generations. The young grow old, and from the old young begin and grow. It is the sacred way."

This book was recommended by my sister-in-law, who is 1/2 Lakota Sioux. I wanted to understand more about the culture, the language, the inner feelings of the Sioux. This depiction, from a Lakota who went through the changes from freedom to confinement in his formative years, was sobering. I happened to find a 1951 version at a library and am now ordering the updated version to keep. I will be reading it again. I cried when I realized what my ancestors had done.

Though Emma writes from the perspective of the losing side of the Civil War, and though her beliefs on race clash greatly with our times, her persistence in the face of horrible suffering is a magnificent example to us all. She stands as testimony to the powerful spirit of the South and of Southern women in particular. Were we as committed to the ideals of our day as she was to those of her day, ours would be a powerful society indeed. Her diary is all the more shocking when you realize that she was only seventeen when she began writing