Nebraska Books

Are you of the opinion that not even Warren Buffett can redeem Omaha? Do you want proof? Then this is the book for you.
Gleaned from 19th century newspaper headlines, it's all you wanted to know (???) about Omaha, but were afraid to ask. No fiasco goes unturned--claim jumping, parliamentary near-riots, yellow journalism, wild west shows, women of the evening, and even the depth of mud in the Old Market. It's all here in the "cesspool of iniquity!" [No, I didn't say that. It's a quote from a Kansas City newspaper in reference to Omaha!]
Yes, Warren may be the Oracle of Omaha, but this is no Delphi! Kudos, Mr. Bristow.

This book is facinating and everyone who lives in Omaha should be aware of what truly founded our fair city. Omaha has certainly risen above the wickedness of our early history and is a model for many other cities. After living in Omaha for more than half of my life I can say that it stands above the others I have lived in which include the upper midwest, the southeastern coast and Los Angeles. The stories that David Bristow told left me wanting him to continue into the 20th century further than he did. My family for example was a very successful set of bootleggers to Kansas and Missouri. I know there were many other interesting characters in Omaha's history. Come on David....bring us up to now.

The author has taken the best stories from old histories and newspaper accounts, and created a rollicking picture of a frontier town growing up. He documents his sources, and has captured twenty two episodes in early Omaha history, from the founding of Omaha City in 1854 to the Trans-Mississippi & International Exposition and Indian Congress of 1898. It is all told in a highly readable style, with a cast of characters ranging from gamblers and prostitutes to national figures such as George Frances Train, Buffalo Bill Cody,and Ponca Chief Standing Bear. This book will stand as a classic account of Omaha history.

David Bristow's book "A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tales of 19th Century Omaha," published by Caxton Press, is a book that any person with even the most fleeting interest in American history will find very enjoyable.

The 300-page book is divided into 22 chapters, and in a technique reminiscent of what John Dos Passos did in the "USA Trilogy," Bristow includes excerpts from actual newspaper stories to make the historical context more real. Chapters from this work have been included in "Nebraska Life" magazine, with several more forthcoming.

Bristow grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. He is formally trained in neither creative writing nor history, but instead holds degrees in psychology. Bristow does not embrace the role of historian in a traditional sense, but rather picks and chooses stories that illuminate different dimensions of Omaha history in an interesting way.

He wrote to me in an e-mail from his Omaha home, "My goal was to tell a limited number of true stories, writing each so that it would read like fiction." Instead of writing a comprehensive history, Bristow was free to use his own criteria to select which tales he relates. He tells me, "I chose the stories I did because each has some universal human quality about it--humor, tragedy, love, hatred, hope, injustice, stupidity--and often all of them mixed in together. That's really why any storyteller chooses his or her subject matter."

The book opens with what can be considered as Omaha's first day. In 1854, a hasty Independence Day picnic was broken up by what appeared to be a hostile band of Indians. The early chapters of the book fill in details about Omaha's settlement and its struggle to attain viability as a community. Famous, and not so famous, episodes in Omaha history are told, all with a deep grounding in documented fact.

Bristow should be lauded for his use of primary sources. He tells me that he began his research with the usual history books, but then branched to primary materials like diaries, newspaper accounts and trial transcripts to bring each story to life. Particularly well handled is the account of the 1879 "Trial of Standing Bear" in which Bristow not only retells the story but compares different versions of Standing Bear's famous speech.

One of the themes that emerges in this unique history book is Omaha's struggle to impose the rule of law on a society that was very much controlled by notions of prairie justice, if any justice at all. In many cases, such as the lynching of George Smith in 1891, mob rule reigned and the police stood helpless as a white lynch mob broke into the County Jail and beat and hung a black man.

Shooting down misconceptions to the contrary, Bristow writes, "Omaha was, from the very start, a scheme." He uncovered plots hatched in Omaha as vast as massive land deals and a puny as rigged card games. The chapter "City of Harlots" discusses how proper society tacitly approved of the city's houses of prostitution.

Bristow wrote to me, "In some ways, each slice of the past is like a foreign country, with its own language and customs and assumptions about the world." "A Dirty, Wicked Town" is a well written and thoughtful book of history that serves as a passport to this foreign land.

It is also clear that Bristow writes through the lens of today, and he is comfortable setting up chapters so that readers can make moral judgments about the tales he is relating. He tells me, "Regarding stories such as the lynching of George Smith, I believe it's important for us to understand that those things really happened, and happened here, in this place, and that they were done by people like us. We need to be reminded of what we are capable of doing to each other."

North American prairies get no respect. For all practical purposes, the tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies have been fully destroyed, and the shortgrass prairie is only just hanging on. If they survive at all, native species persist only in small patches of habitat, where they are vulnerable to local disasters. Many species, such as the wolf or grizzly, are no longer found in their native plains habitats. Others, like the American bison, live only behind fences.

Despite these threats, prairie species get little attention in conservation circles. Swift foxes, Eskimo curlews, and Western prairie fringed orchids do not help environmental groups raise money in the way that polar bears or whales do. In addition, powerful farming and ranching interests oppose conservation throughout the prairies.

Licht's important book tells the story of the prairies. He gives us the history of their destruction, describes their current parlous state, and provides hope for future recovery. He spends a lot of time walking the reader through various farm programs, which waste money while destroying the environment. Reforming these programs, and buying up surplus land to reduce farm production, would help conserve large tracts of prairie habitat.

Licht finishes with a proposal for twelve prairie reserves, built around existing National Grasslands and National parks. These would not expand federal ownership much because he emphasizes the use of existing federal land, and swapping lands with private owners to consolidate holdings.

To make it seem palatable, Licht downplays the real changes in the use of that land - - grazing will be pushed out of National Grasslands, to be replaced by conservation goals. The farm economies of the region will go through a painful restructuring. The time for that restructuring is long since past, of course, but that doesn't make it less painful.

All in all, a challenging and important book. Highly recommended.

This book discusses the ecology & conservation needs of several threatened & endangered "keystone" species of the plains, and a plan to set aside large landscape-scale nature preserves to protect them. Though the author is from the northern plains, he seems well-traveled and informed on conservation issues here in Oklahoma, as well as other states in the region. I found the book very informative, esp. the chapters dealing with federal farm programs. While I disagree with the author on several points, I think the book proves that landscape-scale conservation of the North American Prairies is economically feasible. I would recommend this book to anyone working in the conservation field in the plains states.

Daniel Licht explains why it is in the nation's best interest to establish what he calls grassland "reserves" in most of the thirteen states of the grasslands biome. Such reserves--he suggests ten--must be landscape scale. His range from 400 to over 8,000 square miles. These reserves may be the only way to assure the long term survival of many grasslands species of wildlife but biodiversity is not their only rationale. They would reduce wasteful farm subsidies, relieve pressures on scarce water resources, provide tourism-based employment in areas suffering stagnant economies, and stabilize human populations in grassland counties with fewer humans now than before European settlement. Besides, the prairie grasslands biome was once the continent's largest ecosystem. Now it is the smallest. Grassland reserves, Licht argues, may well be the highest, best, and most productive use for this land. His book is compelling and should be read carefully by all who have an interest in the environment in general, and the prairie grasslands in particular. Besides, we need vast prairies for their mysterious value in preserving wildness. Licht quotes Leopoldo's famous observation about how relegating grizzly bears to Alaska is "like relegating happiness to heaven; one may never get there." The vast midlands of our country are nearby and we need some nearby wildness to restore human balance along with biodiversity. And we can reduce federal subsidies for excess farm capacity at the same time. This should be a winning idea. Read this book and then spread his ideas across the political landscape like a prairie wildfire.

I came across this book researching the economic future of my hometown in western North Dakota. There has been a noticeable deterioration in the economy of this region. Grain farmers, ranchers, and related businesses are stuggling. Many people have moved or are thinking about it. Dan Licht's book identifies economic trends and environmental factors which predict historic changes for this region. It should be required reading for community leaders.

This is a fine biography of the Union General, "Fighting" Joe Hooker. The book is somewhat dated (originally published in 1944), but it holds up pretty well.

The book starts with a little about Hooker's early life. But we then move ahead quickly to his Civil War record. His first real command was as brigade commander after First Bull Run (Manassas). The story of his Civil War involvement begins then. At some point, early on, he became known as "Fighting Joe Hooker," a nickname that he despised. The book straightforwardly notes that the origin of the nickname is unclear.

One thing that set Hooker apart from many other early generals was that he, indeed, was a fighter. There were poor generals (Franz Sigel comes to mind), there were generals who found it difficult to fight hard and commit themselves totally to battle (George McClellan exemplifies this), some were good at brigade or division command and poor when promoted to corps command. Hooker was a fine general at division and corps command. The one question: Could he have been successful in independent command? His one opportunity was when he headed the Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville. Between injury and possible loss of confidence and nerve, he threw away a winnable battle after some excellent maneuvering on Hooker's part. He remained in command briefly after that, but was gone by the time of Gettysburg.

Up to Chancellorsville, as this book points out, he was a good solid general. Afterwards, when two corps of the Army of the Potomac were transported to Chattanooga, he found himself in charge of the 11th and 12th Corps. He generally led these troops creditably until he resigned after General James McPherson's death (Hooker felt he should have had that command). The book then chronicles his career thereafter and follows him until his death.

The book portrays well his sometimes foolish attacks on others. He could be an intriguer. The author shows well why Lincoln had some reservations about making him commander of the Army of the Potomac. At the same time, he showed considerable administrative ability after taking the Army over from the hapless Ambrose Burnside.

This is a fair portrayal of a complex person, who had more good days than bad during the Civil War, but who also had questions dogging him throughout his career. A well done biography.

History tends to remember Joe Hooker for one thing; the disaster at Chancellorsville. It was at that battle that Hooker for once, "lost confidence in Hooker." Unfortunately, Hooker held his highest military position at Chancellorsville and that one low point overshadows the rest of a rather illustrious career.

Walter Hebert published this book in 1944 and while new heights in civil war scholarship have been attained since then, this is in my opinion the definitive work on Joe Hooker. Hebert does an outstanding job of bringing General Hooker to life. The General has many virtues and Hebert points those out as well as Hooker's faults. One of Hookers greatest virtues as well as one of his greatest faults was his confidence in himself. This vast confidence made him willing to actually fight while many around him were timid in the extreme. On the other hand this confidence is what caused his loud impatience with his superiors and led to his downfall. Hooker also had a keen military mind and his plan for the Chancellorsville campaign was an excellent plan if only he had had the nerve to put his plan into action. Amazingly, after Chancellorsville as Lee began his movement north, Hooker predicted the action at Gettysburg.

Hooker had made an enemy of Henry Halleck and that, more than Chancellorsville led to his leaving the Army of the Potomac. Still, Hooker had friends in Washington and was given a Corps to take to the relief of Rosecrans in Chattanooga. Again Hooker distinguished himself but here too he had an enemy in William T. Sherman. As the Federals started out for Atlanta it was usually Hooker's men who bore the brunt of the fighting but because of Sherman's enmity, got little of the credit. Sherman finally managed to rid himself of Hooker by getting him to resign and then slandered Fighting Joe in his memoirs. Others who were involved like Henry Slocum, who was no friend of Hooker, later discredited Sherman's narratives of some events. Of course, Hooker had brought all of this on himself but it was still a sad situation.

Hebert does such a fine job of writing that one feels he has come to know Joe Hooker. One in fact, really begins to like the man. On occasion I found myself rooting for him to succeed, until I remembered he was a Yankee and came to my senses. I have often said that a biography is a true success if when the subject dies the reader feels a sense of loss. I felt that when Hooker died because in the pages of Hebert's book I felt I had come to know Joe Hooker personally. In a world overrun with civil war biographies, this has to be one of the best.

This book did a excelent job explaning how fighting joe rose to the head of the army. This book take you through joes childhood and laterlife.

Concentrates well on Hooker's role within the Federal Army. There are detailed accounts of his relationships with superiors and subordinates alike. Well researched and descriptive accounts of his role and the role of his units in key battles. The author fails to use direct quotations enough and tells the reader what was said rather than allowing the speaker's own words to be used. Very helpful in researching the early movements and battles of the III Corps, 2nd Div.

This charming novel, set around 1900, tells about a boy of 15 years who unintentionally escapes from a miserable existence and ends up in the company of a girl and an elephant being chased across America by a proper villain. I won't tell you how it ends.

The writing is excellent. It is readable by children age 12 up and adults who enjoy youthful adventure stories.

The Great American Elephant Chase

This charming novel, set around 1900, tells about a boy of 15 years who unintentioanlly escapes from a miserable existence and ends up in the company of a girl and an elephant being chased across America by a proper villan. I won't tell you how it ends.

The wriing is excellent. It is readable by children age 12 up and adults who enjoy youthful adventure stories. I enjoyed it immensely

This story about a young girl who believes an elephant is rightfully hers is well worth reading.

My family read this aloud and the kids (8-11 yrs) loved it. Certainly it is hard to believe that the two young protagonists could have pulled off their journey with the elephant, but isn't that half the fun? The adults trying to obtain the elephant are necessarily evil and the kids both have pluck and luck. A sleeper belonging on every child's bookshelf. Older readers who enjoy the elephant aspect may want to read "Tusk and Stone" by Malcolm Bosse.

The way Maria Campbell literally bears her entire being onto paper is absolutely amazing. As Canadian citizens, it is important to still recognize the issues that plague our society. Campbell's book does just that, offering insight and a hope for something better.

The novel, "Half-breed" is based on the biography of Maria Campbell, a Metis woman who was born in northern Saskatchewan. Maria Campbell's family was a mixture of Scottish, French, Cree, English, and Irish. They spoke a language completely different from the people around them. The half-breeds lost their land when the authorities reclaimed it to offer to immigrants. Thus half-breeds settled down along the road lines and crown lands where they built cabins and bars, giving them the title of "Road Allowance people". Maria was born in a home where Cheecum, her father's Cree grandmother, taught ancient Cree rituals and legends. Maria's struggle for existence was strengthened by the Cree traditions and by Cheecum's wisdom. However, this was weakened by extreme discrimination and poverty.When she was fifteen, she tried to escape from poverty and discrimination by marrying a white person. However, soon after she broke up with him and found herself alone in the slums of Vancouver where she faced drug addiction, prostitution and depression. After many years of hardship and struggle, Maria made new friends who helped her to remember Cheechum's lessons, advice and her heritage. Eventually she returned to her own people and decided to work with native organisations all across Canada. The text is mainly concerned with the frequent discrimination, its negative impact and the extreme poverty in which the Metis- Indians had to live under. The narrator of the book, Maria Campbell, conveys her sorrows and frustrations by emphasising what it is like to be a Half-breed woman and grows up between two opposing worlds: white and native. The text clearly demonstrates the existing problems regarding race within the pluralistic Canadian society. The narrator develops the argument by describing her experiences. Through her experiences, she explains how badly whites treated her and her people. She grew up as a social outcast and was constantly teased and mistreated by other school children. Throughout the novel, Maria Campbell provides many examples to show the white society's mistrust and rejection of her people. The examples show the Indians' isolation on every level of society, including the church. Not only were she and her family excluded and driven out of church, but they also had to suffer verbal insult. Whenever the Half-breeds went downtown, the town's people would yell "Half-breeds are in town, hide your valuables." If they walked into stores, other white women and their children would leave while the shopkeepers'wives and children would watch to prevent the Half-breeds from stealing. The text discusses three important sociological concepts: discrimination, poverty and injustice. Defining these concepts in "cause-effect" context, one can see the interconnection among the three. Unjust government policies causes poverty, which in effect contributes to society's enhanced discrimination and mistrust of the Indians. While the Half-breeds represent a subculture, characterised by certain cultural traits that differs from others in the society, whites represent the dominant class who hold the power and influence. The Half-breeds were homeless because the Canadian government had unfairly taken their land away from them, so they have remained poor and unable to establish their own social institutions such as church and school. Consequently, the Half-breeds were subordinated and forced to speak the dominant language, behave the way whites do, and go to schools and churches that were built by the white society. Thus, the cultural diversity, different physical appearance, economical scarcity and a disordered life style, greatly influenced the discrimination against the Half-breeds. In the first fourteen chapters, the narrator relates the life style of half-breed families, their relationship with the white society, their traits, traditions, and their history. Through her experiences, she explains how badly whites treated her and her people. She grew up as a social ou, the Half-breeds remained relatively poorer and powerless. As the narrator states, due to poverty and lack of housing the Half-breeds had to move to "road-allowance-houses" (which are like shacks). The pages of these chapters also uncover the main cultural differences between whites and half-breeds by describing their family structure, distinct traditions and conception. These differences can be the structural elements that contribute to the uniqueness of Indian's situation. Firstly, unlike whites', half-breeds have extended family type in which two or more generations of the family members live together. Secondly, the half-breed families and other Indians live in a community where they practise their spiritual rituals, traditions and transmit their distinct cultural elements to the coming generation. It is also evident in the novel that Maria's family included her extended family and the Cheemchum taught Maria and her siblings their heritage, legends as well as cultural values and norms. Finally, the most important characteristic that sets the Indians apart from whites lies in their spiritual conception of the world. While the Indians are highly spiritual and believe in the interpretation of the natural and the supernatural, the whites strongly believe in subduing and dominating nature in order to create nature in men's image. With respect to such differences, in regards to family and community structure Indians try to sustain their distinct conception of the world as well as their distinct culture. Hence, their struggles to protect and sustain their uniqueness make them more distinct and marginal in the society. Maintaining these distinct elements also causes the Indians to remain economically weak in the contemporary industrialised Canadian society, since their belief is based on rationality rather than spirituality and the supernatural. The rest of the chapters are about Maria Campbell's life in Vancouver. The book mostly focuses on the realities of urban racism, prostitution, drug addiction and violence. Maria's husband left her without any money, which forced her to face prostitution. Within functional perspective, which is based on consensus and harmony for the benefit of society, prostitution seemed to be the only way for Maria to survive. Therefore she had to get involved in prostitution in order to survive and have enough money to raise her daughter; thus she carried out her function in society. In this process she also became addicted to drug and alcohol, because all the terrible circumstances that she faced were against her moral understanding and distinct (Half-breeds') conception of the world. So she lost her self-esteem and found herself in depression with the trap of drug addiction and alcoholism. At the end, she recovered from her addictions through the help of her own people. They helped her to regain her identity and dignity hence she started to work within "Native people" organisations throughout Canada.Campbell's experiences with discrimination, poverty, and other unfavourable things are realistic and persuasive. The examples that she gives in the novel strongly support her argument: the hardship of being "a half-breed woman in the white dominated Canadian society". Yet, at times her narrative tends to be biased since she conveys her story in a subjective manner. Especially, her easy and quick involvement in prostitution and drug addiction is questionable and difficult to understand since she was raised in a conservative and traditional Cree family. Nevertheless, The book "Half-breed" basically reflects an outstanding aspect of native people's difficulty in assimilating into the pluralistic Canadian society. It also provides a brief knowledge about how native people's distinct culture and subordinated economical or political weakness contribute their marginal and isolated position in the society. Overall, I personally think this book is useful for understanding the sociological concepts such as inequality, discrimination and poverty through the eyes of the distinct people who are discriminated against. The text offers an aspect of native people's lives in northern Saskatchewan through a half-breeds woman's experiences. The simple language and fascinating narrative makes the book more interesting and easy to read.

though her stories are not exclusive to the life of a Metis woman, the imagery is haunting. poverty, addiction, motherhood and the will of a society forced to make it on their own are all exposed. these themes are explored by other authors but not from this perspective. I would recommend this to every mother and/or women thinking of starting a family. this is a must read. for a guys perspective on similar themes check out alexie sherman's "the lone ranger and tanto fist fight in heaven". you won't be disappointed.

Maria Campbell tells a story of courageous survival from the perspective of a Metis woman. The reader becomes a part of Maria's journey through life, which begins amongst the Road Allowance People of Northern Saskatchewan. Her story describes a life dominated by basic survival. Hunting, trapping, poaching - if need be - and roasted gophers for a young school child's lunch. Her odyssey leads her through many dark places, one of them the Vancouver skids and a life as a junkie. Yet througout Maria Campbell manages to convey a sense of beauty, and her story, though often tragic, will become vivid in front of the reader's inner eyes. Half-Breed is a story of triumph over racial oppression. After reading this book, one can feel this woman's willingness to continue the fight that her great-grandmother's people began long ago in Riel country.

Profilo Diaz was the dictator in charge before the Mexican Revolution and the structure of society was clearly coming apart at the seams when he was in power. Beezley does an excellent job of showing how the society was coming apart through various aspects of the culture including religious festivals and life at the Jockey Club. The book is very well written but if you do not know what is happening in Mexico during the Profirian period than this will be a hard book to follow. For those who know a lot about Mexico this is a must read.

This is one of the books I recommend most frequently when people ask for fun stuff to read, in English, about Mexico. And I frequently assign it to students in intro-level history classes. I'm not entirely convinced by the chapter on rural life, but the book as a whole belongs among the best histories of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century period in Latin America. Dang! Now what will I assign my students? Bring this back into print, please!

The essay is serious and full of good archive work, scholarly ok, but in some parts one expects wilder conclusions and not only a simple comment on the information provided by the documents or news papers. Apart from that, the author must be sincere, and inform in advance to the reader that he will dedicate much of this work to the ways in which the american culture (sports) spread in Mexico. Many of the conclusions he arrive to, are too obvious and general for the ones who do research in XIX Century Latin America Cultural Studies. [Sorry for any mistakes in my written english]

This is a book that deserves to be more widely known. It is a serious historical treatise about culture, social life and customs during the Porfiriato regime of Mexico (1875-1910)- but don't let the academic theme frighten you. Judas at the Jockey Club is an excellent and fascinating read that considers topics like "why and how horse-racing came to Mexico", "why and how baseball became popular", "why cricket faded from popularity", and "what bicycles have to do with politics". Serious scholarship should all be this much fun.

Henry Matrau of Company G, 6th Wisconsin Infantry, is a man always interested in the big picture. From the tone of his letters, it is clear that he enjoys soldiering and is proud to be a Federal soldier. His spelling is remarkably good for the time, and much of his letters talk impersonally about the course of battles and events. This book is a quick read (a few hours). Matrau's camp and march anecdotes, and notes on casualties to Company G, provide enough information to do a short historical report for secondary school class on the Company's fate and fortunes. Beyond that, this book adds detail to a comparative study of the experiences of different soldiers in different units.

There is always an extra dimension to history when it is told in the words of those who lived it, and written as they experienced it. These instant observations are not changed, colored or amended through benefit of hindsight and recollection.

That the young Matrau rises from "The Baby of Company G' to Company Commander is amazing in itself, it is even more incredible that he stayed so outwardly calm through four years at the hottest of battles in the eastern campaign.

One learns much of his everyday life: the cold, the dirt, the mundane and the dangerous. Yet while Matrau is fiercely patriotic and loyal, he expresses little political or social opinion. He is matter of fact about doing his job, and doing it well.

Fascinating read with some small and large insights on life in the legendary "Iron Brigade."

I would highly recommend this book if you would like to understand the struggles and experiences of soldiers during the Civil War. No one understands the experience of the Civil War than the Soldiers themselves.

This is an interesting book based off the letters sent home by Henry Matrau. Often I looked for the harsh realities of war to be written about though it seems many wouldn't write of such horrors back home. What made the book interesting was the fact that very little description was ever written about such large scale battles as Antietam or Gettysburg in which Matrau took part of. This book gives the reader a first hand glance at how soldiers communicated. Matrau didn't want those at home to worry about him and often left out many details I preferred to read about. This book is a rather quick read though informative about the 6th Wisconsin and their hardships endured throughout the war. It carefully explains how this regiment shrank or was placed with other outfits meshed in the Iron Brigade. Being a shorter book of 140 or so pages, it may lacks high details though it's simply not a history book. It's a copy of letters sent back home and is intended truly for that.

This is a classic hero saves the day story, except it was written long before Hollywood was ever in existence. It was a good, short, and action packed novel sure to please anyone who reads it. No, this isn't Pirates of the Caribbean, these pirates are the real deal and they don't give anyone a chance. Arrghh, a real treasure of a book matey!

One of the greatest adventure books of all time, whose basic plot has been copied by many other books and movies (including the Die Hard films). In the 1850s, the Argentine navy erects a lighthouse at Isla de los Estados, in the southern tip of South America, near the Magellan Strait that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific and in the turbulent waters that had witnessed many shipwrecks throughout the centuries. Left behind in the lighthouse to guard it are three sailors, without knowing that in the island lie pirates with a plot to takeover the lighthouse in order to intentionally shipwreck the ships passing by and take over their treasures. A sailor escapes alive the seizure of the lighthouse by the pirates and a game of cat and mouse begins (if you seen Die Hard, you can imagine the plot, with the guard trying to hit back at the pirates). A great adventure book that you can read fast and easily.

Don't read this book execting all of the "good guys" to survive. It's too realistic for that, but it was great. It had a pleasing ending and the "bad guys" got their dues. If you like modern-day stories, don't read this. If you like classic adventures, you'll like it. Also, it made me feel what the main character was feeling.

Beware: I will give away some of the plot

The modern action novel has its English antecedents in the books of Robert Louis Stevenson, and, it turns out, its French antecedents in those of Jules Verne. This short and exciting novel could be described as Die Hard with pirates. On an Island on the southernmost tip of South America a lighthouse is built and three men are left behind to tend it. The island is also inhabited by pirates, who capture a damaged schooner, bring it into the port with the lighthouse, and immediately kill two of the lighthouse keepers. The third escapes and must survive on his wits and attempt to stop the pirates from leaving the island until a group of soldiers come to relieve him. Pretty gripping stuff.

I highly recommend this for those interested in seeing the roots of the modern action novel (who would have thought that the literary path to Alistair MacLean and Robert Ludlum would have passed through Jules Verne), as well as anyone interested in lighthouses (the descriptions of the island and the function of the lighthouse are great) and, of course, Jules Verne. It is also great to compare this to Robert Louis Stevenson's seafaring novels, especially Treasure Island, Ebb-Tide and The Wrecker.

The writing in this translation is a bit simple. I suspect that this is due to the translator, who was not an artist but a mechanic. Based on a brief comparison with a French text of the novel, however, the translation seems accurate, and it is definitely readable.

Any baseball buff worth his or her salt has heard of Satchel Paige. This book is a reprint of a book first published in 1962, so all the language is quite dated. Enjoyment of it requires a willingness to understand that 'coloured' and 'Negro' were once acceptable terms for black people without getting bent out of shape.

The co-author to whom the book was told by Mr. Paige did a good job, it seems, in standardizing Mr. Paige's English without losing his unique and very entertaining mode of expression. It is fairly entertaining and Mr. Paige displays a good deal of self-honesty concerning his strengths and weaknesses. There is a lot about how he felt at any given time in his career that gives real insight into himself and his peers.

The reasons you want to read this book are twofold. One, there's a lot of good baseball lore being told here. Two, and more importantly, this man gave his life to the game, showing courage and determination any American can be proud of. With all Mr. Paige missed out on due to the social structure of his time, to listen respectfully to his words now is one way to pay tribute to him.

"Maybe I'll Pitch Forever" was written in the sixties and is in the words of Leroy (Satchel) Paige as told to David Limpman. It isn't his only book as I recall one from many years ago, but surely is the best. It is one of the best baseball books that I have had the honor of reading. Way back in August of 1948 I got to see Satchel pitch and win against the Washington Senators in Washington D.C.. They called him an old man then, however he proved to be very key to the Cleveland Indians winning the world championship in 1948. Had he been allowed in the majors when in his prime no pitcher would have a better major league record. Not even today. Great pitchers from the past like Bob Feller and Dizzy Dean all agree with that. Paige was an iron man and in the Negro Leagues would pitch many a time every game in a season. In exhibition games he struck out and defeated the top white stars in America. The book is a great baseball story that has both humor and a touch of sadness. Satchel Paige rose above racism and endured despite great hardship. He was not perfect by any means, he is quite honest about that, but beautifully talented and eventually a good family man. One wants to believe in a "Field of Dreams" and that "Hall of Famer" Satchel Paige is in the lineup with the other legends of baseball who books are still being written about to this day.

Not only a great baseball life but a great American life is revealed in "Maybe I'll Pitch Forever," the story of Satchel Paige, one of baseball's greatest, but not best-known, pitchers.

Paige is often thought of today, like Yogi Berra, as a kind of primitive intelligence capable of spinning lines like "Don't look back, something might be gaining on you." As with Yogi, Paige's wit has obscured the magnitude of his achievement as a player. He was, by the acclaim of nearly all who played with him and against him, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, although of course he had but a brief opportunity to show his skills in the Major Leagues.

In fact, the book brings out, not only in Paige's words (he wasn't shy about declaring the peerlessness of his abilities), but in those of many others, that he should have been the first black to break the MLB color barrier, not Jackie Robinson. Why he wasn't is not precisely clear, although his strong independent streak (he was never reluctant to break contracts if it meant more money for him) may have had something to do with it.

All in all, the book offers a vivid view of the nomadic life that Paige and other black players lived in service to their sport. Paige pitched nearly year round, often every day, which of course seems nearly inconceivable to the modern fan, who is grateful when his team's starting pitcher goes seven innings with five days' rest. Paige not only pitched frequently, he did so from the East Coast to the West Coast to Mexico to Cuba. And he did it until he was into his fifties!

David Lipman allows his subject's voice to shine through, a key strength of the book. Satchel's humor, expressed in his own words, helps the reader to understand his surprising lack of bitterness at being denied an opportunity to pitch in the Major Leagues when it is obvious that he would be thought of as one of the best to ever play had he been given the opportunity from a young age.

A fine book, essential to the library of any student of the game.

One of the better first hand descriptions of the Negro Leagues by one of the all time great pitchers. Satchel Paige describes this shameful period in America's history in his own unique way, with homespun language and a flair for entertainment. Paige expresses the joy of playing baseball and the pain of not being allowed to play in the major leagues until late in his career.

This book will let you experience what it was like to be a member of the Negro Leagues with all the barnstorming, year round playing all over the western hemisphere, the games against the major leaguers, and the love of the game experienced on the backroads of America and the big stadiums of the large cities. These dedicated men paved the way for the intergration of baseball and changed the United States for the better.

If you love baseball, purchase this book and learn more about the history of the game - a history that was obscured by the bright lights of the segragated country and big leagues. You will learn about great players who put it all on the line for the grand old game.

A 35 page introduction on one persons thoughts on this book is 35 too long. I loved this book. Willa Cather was a genius of her time. My Antonia is not only the story of the pioneers out west, but also of the immigrants who made it their home.

The narrator of this story makes a point of mentioning that the name of the heroine is pronounced with a stress on the first syllable, like the male name 'Anthony', with an 'a' on the end. This is not an insignificant choice by the author, who in her youth dressed in men's clothes and called herself 'William'. Not that this is a 'lesbian novel' as such, but it is a very particular viewpoint, in which strong, androgynous women carve a civilization out of a hostile landscape often despite their menfolk rather than thanks to them.

There are some parallels with Owen Wister's The Virginian, where the narrator often leaves the scene to be replaced by the heroine, so that the two take turns in interacting with the idealized hero. Here, Cather has a male narrator speak for her and to interact with Antonia. However, he often adopts a distinctly womanly perspective, with feminine references to hairstyles and fashions and so forth, references that sound somewhat out of character. Many readers have been puzzled by the relationship between the narrator and Antonia, but if you occasionally think of him as really being a woman, it all makes perfect sense.

The story unfolds in a gentle, understated manner. It is about characters and their relationship to the landscape, and how the former and the latter evolve together. There is a hint of mystery associated with a violent death early in the story, but this is not developed or remarked on again.

What makes the novel worthwhile is the fine quality of the writing and the authenticity that Cather brings to the narrative. This is my second Cather novel, the other being Oh Pioneers! which I did not particularly like. If you are new to Cather, I think My Antonia is the place to start.

The Barnes & Noble Classics edition has an excellent introduction by Gordon Tapper (but, as with all introductions to novels, you should read it after reading the novel itself, as it summarizes the plot) plus useful notes. As it is also cheap, it can be heartily recommended.

I had previously read "Death Comes to the Archbishop" by Willa Cather and was disappointed in this book. Although Ms. Cather's descriptive writing made the raw Nebraska farmland very real, the story line and the characters were, in my opinion, weak. I really didn't care too much what happened to any of them. The title character, Antonia, was especially disappointing. What made her such a delightful playmate? What about her was so special to the author? If she was so special, why didn't he form more of an adult relationship with her? There was nothing about the story's narrator to make him likeable or detestable. He was just a "good" kid who did what was expected of people in his social class, lacking the character to take action on his alleged love for Antonia. Again, the descriptive passages regarding the farmland and the hardships faced by the immigrants who came to Nebraska were excellent but, overall, I was disappointed in this classic.

I first read this book when I was in junior high school. I admit that, at the time, I did not appreciate the strengths of the book and the quality of its writing. I am quite glad that I decided to give it another chance, as, having re-read it, I now understand why it is considered to be a classic in literature. It is simply a beautifully written book, covering many of the themes that one stumbles across in life and coalescing them into a work of extraordinary breadth.

The book is the story of two young people, Jim Burden and Antonia Shimerda. They meet for the first time when Jim is ten years old and Antonia is fourteen. Recently orphaned, Jim has moved to the Great Prairie to live with his grandparents in Nebraska. Antonia, on the other hand, has been wrenched from her homeland in Bohemia, emigrating with her parents to the United States and finding herself in Nebraska. Jim and Antonia's chance encounter on a train sets the stage for the forging of a friendship and unconditional love that time will not diminish.

The book relates the harshness of immigrant life through the eyes of Jim, who narrates the events contained in the book. There is a relentless stoicism about the book, which is written in spare, clear prose. With intense imagery and descriptive exactitude, late nineteenth century Nebraska comes to life. It also relates the paths that each of the characters choose to follow, as well as the vicissitudes of life that mold and shape them in ways that no one would have imagined.

The focus of the book, which is also a coming of age tale, seems to be on the female characters and their strengths. All the women in it seem to be survivors, despite the hardships that they encounter. This is, without a doubt, a life affirming book, wrought with great feeling and a decided sense of time and place. Yet, despite its poignancy, the book is surprisingly unsentimental and straightforward. It is a testament to the author's literary talent that this book has emerged as a timeless classic. Bravo!