Nebraska Books

This is a compelling book on how it can be argued that the Harlem Globetrotters saved professional basketball in its growing years. The lost history of the pivotal contest where the Globetrotters defeated the juggernaut Minneapolis Lakers is woven between the societal and sports history of the times. For example, readers will find out that many fans would flock to arenas to watch the Globetrotters play in the first game of doubleheaders and leave before the start of the "main event," but the players still suffered tremendously due to the unbalanced playing field in life and race relations. And many times there was no solace found in the competitions. The book is a must for a person who wants to explore the history of pro basketball and/or how sports has at times favorably impacted race relations.

Arnold Krupatýs ýThe Turn to the Nativeý is a unique bit of literary criticism. One of the few studies of American Indian (or ýIndian,ý to use Sherman Alexieýs preferred term) literature, aside from Ruoffýs ýAmerican Indian Literaturesý and Graulichýs ýYellow Woman,ý featuring Leslie Marmon Silko, Krupatýs book examines major themes of Indian literature as well as the role of the non-Indian when reading Indian books.

ýThe Turn to the Native,ý while it serves as a nice overview of major themes, especially post-Colonialism and the ideologies through which Westerners always tend to view Indian literature, concerns itself largely with Gerald Vizenor and his ýHeirs of Columbusý (two out of the four ýcriticismý chapters are devoted to Vizenor, and a full one of them is devoted to ýHeirs.ý) Krupat identifies some of the Sartrian influences (and refutations thereof) in ýHeirs,ý while placing the book squarely in the larger context of postcolonial literature and literary theory as a whole.

But the main theme of the book is IDENTITY, which he fully explores in the last (and byfar the longest) chapter, ýA Nice Jewish Boy Among the Indians.ý While obstinately about the role of the non-Indian reader in general (and the non-Indian critic in particular) in exploring and reading Indian literature, it really serves as a model for later criticisms of Indian work (and, Iýll admit, it helped me in my own journey into this subject far more than ýtraditionalý criticism ever did). Told in the form of a story (what else?), it tells Krupatýs story as a Jewish-American immigrant and the offspring of Holocaust survivors, who share quite a bit in common with the Indians who, in their own way, are survivors of a different kind of Holocaust. From that basis, Krupat manages to make several statements about the role of non-Indian critics (shaky at best) and non-Indian readers (sorry, you just wonýt ýgetý all of it). As a non-Indian, it was refreshing to read, and it helped me immensely in organizing my thoughts about Indian literature and my place as a ýtwinkieý in it.

Essential reading for anyone doing scholarly work in Native American or Indian literature. Makes an excellent companion piece to ýThe Heirs of Columbus.ý

In "From Our House," Lee Martin explored his youth, growing up with a father who must cope with a split-second decision that cost him both of his arms. In "Turning Bones," with the help of his ancestors, Martin explores his middle age, looking back on his marriage, the question of children, the death of a friend. Reconstructing the lives of his forebears from what facts he can discern and the skin and bones that he inherited, Martin not so much stalks his ancestors as he is stalked and guided by them; they tease him with their shadows so that he finally has "the peace of his confession." The beautiful concluding chapter confirms, in more ways than one, that his inquiry was worth the trip.

George Bird Grinnell is in one point different from other historians of the Old West. He personnally knew many of the cele-brities of that age, and what is written in his books are found-ed upon their stories. Major Frank North and his brother,Captain Luther North /Grinnell's close friend/ commanded this unique force of Indian auxiliaries. Unique,because they never lost a fight or even a single life during the long line of their battles and skirmishes. They patrolled the building of the railway and fought in major battles like the one of the Summit Springs.Also an important part of the book is the short history of the Pawnee Nation and it serves as well as a biography of the North brothers.And all this is in the highly readable style of George Bird Grinnell with full of westernisms.

This book is based, in large part, on private and never before seen archives of key public intellectuals during the decolonization of Algeria. Scholars who focus on decoloniztion and post-colonial studies will find this work provocative and enlightening, with far-reaching implications for today's world. Some notable characteristics of the book include the following: this is the first book to really look at conversations between French and Algerian intellectuals during decolonization; also, Pierre Bourdieu wrote a very moving forward about his relationship with Mouloud Feraoun before Feraoun was assassinated by the OAS; the chapter on Camus is fascinating and relies largely on his private papers; Le Sueur's critical analysis of the concept of the "Other" and its use by various intellectuals provides a refreshing and critical perspective. This book makes a unique contribution to fields of study such as history, anthropology, sociology, post-colonial studies, education, cultural studies, decolonization studies, and African studies. It's definitely a great read!

Every single one of these stories is a real work of art. These were written when Cather was at her peak. I didn't want any of these stories to end. They were all so perfect. Cather really takes you away and makes you feel like you're right there with her.

Earlier works on the history of the first transcontinental railroad by Oscar Lewis and Wesley Griswold, views the story in terms of the top executives who managed the two competing railroads. In contrast Robert Athearn's Union Pacific Country traces the story from the view of the ordinary people whose concerns and opinions are voiced in contemporary newspapers. Athearn adds another layer to the saga, largely omitted in previous scholarship, by explaining the public's perceptions of the railroad while also detailing everyday at the UP's railhead in Omaha and the dangers of early train travel in the frontier West.

Athearn explains the widespread popular misunderstandings regarding the route's geography. Many Americans thought the Intermountain West and high plains was an uninhabitable desert. Skeptics argued that only the government could build such an unprofitable road. "This now-pessimistic, now optimistic view of the Great Plains that so sharply underscored the American public's suspicion and ignorance of the country," Athearn noted, "deeply concerned supporters of the Union Pacific project." According the author, the barriers perceived by potential investors were purely psychological and caused by an idealistic view of the land the UP would later develop.

Fortunately for UP directors, pessimism turned to optimism. As the UP ventured deeper into Nebraska, misconceptions about the land subsided and the general public eagerly anticipated how the iron horse would transform their lives. Bayard Taylor, a well-known traveler, author and lecturer of the day, predicted the influence of the road in promoting settlement would be more appreciated as it approached completion. Taylor's prophecy held true. As the UP advanced west of Omaha, the nation increasingly recognized the benefits of locomotive travel, foreseeing cheaper shipping costs of all necessary goods and a means to visit relatives in the East. Soon the nation took a nationalistic view of the railroad, perceiving it as a public necessity that would bind the nation together. By 1869, to criticize or oppose the enterprise was almost unpatriotic.
Omaha newspapers touted the railroad as a "pinnacle of fortune" that would expand the West's population and be the "almoner of prosperity." One job advertisement in an Omaha newspaper boasted, "good wages will be given," an attraction many could not pass up, an attraction that made Omaha similar to any "terminopolis" whose population suddenly exploded. Later terminus towns like Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming, experience lawlessness and debauchery that gave them the nickname "hell on wheels." Prostitution and shootings commonly occurred in towns such as North Platte, Nebraska and Julesburg, Colorado. Although permanent settlers and UP laborers brawled regularly, violence did not dominate the scene.

The UP encouraged political organization in the towns it spawned. For example, UP surveyors laid out Cheyenne in July, 1867. Citizens of the future capital of Wyoming elected a mayor and councilmen by August. Mormons were especially disgusted by the wickedness that railroad workmen brought, but were relieved that such corruption dissipated once the tracks were completely laid.

Athearn ably covers the Mormon viewpoint on the railroad's construction. Earlier volumes largely ignore how the enterprise influenced Utahns. Athearn traces how the national prejudice against the Mormons convinced many Gentiles that the Saints would resist the project. Responding to such negativity, the Deseret News, the Salt Lake newspaper, felt it needed to continuously assure the Utah population that the railroad would be a benefit the territory. Later, while building the Utah Central Railroad, a connector to the transcontinental line, Mormons fully realized the advantages of rails and felt they were building the railroad "for the kingdom." Of course, the railroad was a boon to Utah. It softened preconceived notions about Mormonism as travelers from the East were more easily able to reach the largest settlement between Omaha and San Francisco and see that it was in good order. Brigham Young, president of the Mormon Church, viewed grading contracts awarded to his people by the UP as a godsend to the territory's economy. Athearn even attributes the birth of Utah's important department store, the Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution, to financial encouragement from the railroad.

Economic stimulation is where the book proves monolithic. Throughout his narrative, Athearn views the railroad as the sole harbinger of economic progress in the West. It was a major contributor, but not the only contributor. The book is also monolithic in that it hardly mentions the role of the Central Pacific.

One might also fault Athearn's statement that the nation "gladly" turned its attention to the building of the transcontinental railroad after the Civil War. This statement contradicts his later emphasis on the pessimism with which Americans viewed the project and the Union Pacific's difficulty in convincing potential investors to purchase its stock. The UP looked doomed after it had only laid a mile and a half of track and was only bailed out of financial crisis by the Ames brothers, Oakes and Oliver, famous shovel manufacturers from Boston, who, along with other Boston elite, invested nearly $5 million in the struggling railroad. But, even this money quickly ran out. Athearn again contradicts himself only four pages later when he asserts that, "The ensuing reluctance of investors to participate in the great national enterprise probably came as no surprise to those who went west by wagon in 1862." Athearn would have been better off if he had omitted such a statement and let his narrative tell the reader that attitudes toward the railroad grew more positive as construction progressed.

Many readers might roll their eyes after reading the introduction's claim that the book strives for "as much objectivity as possible." Athearn demonstrates his failure to learn the first rule of feature newspaper reporting: show, don't tell. By emphasizing his objectivity, Athearn makes many readers skeptical from the beginning and take his narrative lightly. Instead he should display his objectivity with detailed, well-balanced text. Still, however, Union Pacific Country is balanced history of the railroad directors, their workers and other people and industries the railroad affected.

Reading this book gave me great insight into the University of Nebraska, a place I never would have thought to check out. But now that I've read all about the academic culture and culture surrounding campus, I have seen inside the world more than I would have if I'd just gone on a campus tour. The student perspective makes it all the better because it's not propagandistic, since they show all sides. It's a great way to learn about a school you know nothing about, or even if you're an incoming freshman I imagine it would be useful to read about campus housing, parking, and off-campus dining.

My husband loves this book. But it's much more than a book - it also has pockets in it that contain replicas of postcards, ticket stubs, and other loose items from past years of Nebraska Football games. Full of trivia too. I would definitely recommend this for any Nebraska Footbal fanatic.

Jennifer Brice tells stories not often told; about growing up in Alaska, about learning to fly and about a rich (in spirit) and interesting family. This is not your average memoir. Despite the fact that hers is essentially a functional family, there are sections that excite and thrill (earthquakes, plane crashes, etc.), always accompanied by thoughtful reflection.