University of Nebraska Books

LaDonna Harris: A Comanche Life - proves to be an extraordinary quasi-autobiographical story - in many respects, this book pays tribute to the time-honored oral traditions of Native people. Harris works with Stockel and shares her story in a compassionate and compelling manner.

She amply demonstrates that you can become a global citizen by using your tribal values as a compass on the the local, national and international frontiers. This book documents her Comanche up-bringing and pays tribute to those values that prove to be essential to her life's triumphs.

Harris has proven herself in many sectors, though Stockel focuses primarily on her role in Indian Country, so the reader doesn't get to fully appreciate the impact she has had on the women's, environmental and third party political movements in America.

This is a compelling story that celebrates a life that touched several generations and societies. I strongly recommend this book, for it tells a story of an extraordinary life!

The content of this book reflects an important time in the history of the United States. "LaDonna Harris, A Comanche Life" discusses issues ranging from racism to the evolution of women through their emerging role in politics during the 1950's and 60's. LaDonna lends the reader an account of her involvement on paramount issues during a tumultuous time of change in American culture. As I read this book, I thought about Jonathan Kozol's book entitled "Savage Inequalities" only to contemplate the question, "Are minorities really better off now?"

As a university professor of multicultual education, I will definitely add "LaDonna Harris, A Comanche Life" to my book list for students to read.

Richard "Dutch" Hardorff is one of the most thorough and objective students of General Custer's "last stand". His love of the truth and respect for the Indian tribes and their homeland is inspiring. His writing is captivating and fresh, especially considering the extensive treatment of the subject. Mr. Hardorff provides a lively and thought-provoking perspective that one would never get from the 'history' books. Truly an exceptional book and consistent with his fine other writings.

Written by a long-time student of the Little Big Horn, a gifted writer who is sympathetic to the Indians, this is another of this author's great contributions to the understanding of that event. Sprightly writing is so necessary and you will find it here, just as in CUSTER, TERRY AND ME, a creative (semi) nonfiction coverage of the tragedy of June 25, 1876. The latter was hailed by premier Custer Publisher and historian Richard Upton as worthy of the notice of scholars, and I'm sure he'd say the same of this book, since the author is a scholar of note in his field.

Highly recommended.

I am pleased to have this book to add to my Native American History collection.

This is the finest book I have read on the lifestyle of the Lakota (Sioux),people not only before European contact, but also how they dealt with their transformation into "civilized" members of the dominate society. It was originally written in 1933. Luther Standing Bear took his name after entering Carlisle Indian School. How sad that the newcomers to North America didn't take the time to learn the culture of the original inhabitants of this land. We would all be better off today if they had. This book gives much insight into why. Even at this late date, there is a lot that can be learned from "Native Wisdom." I highly suggest that anyone interested, read this book. It will touch your heart!

Mackall writes a gutsy book here, looking honestly at drinking, depression, despair, and the similar pitfalls that too often trip-up young men from blue-collar Cleveland (or any other rust belt city), yet he writes with beauty and lyricism, giving us, in the end, a beautiful memoir of faith and redemption.

I read Joe's book in a day, cried during the reading, and found even more respect (although I didn't think it possible to respect him more than I already did) as a human being, writer, and professor. The story is intriguing and honest, rich and lyrical. Joe really knows how to use language to his advantage. I've passed it on to others already. It's a great book from a great man.

You can't hope to understand the U.S. Civil War without coming to some kind of an understanding of Robert E. Lee. The South's preeminent commander was a larger-than-life figure in his own time, and continues to occupy a very prominent place in the American imagination. He is seen as the personification of the Southern aristocrat, the Christian gentleman, and the brilliant military commander. To some extent, all those characterizations are true; but they hardly tell the full story. The essays in this volume serve as a fine introduction to the ongoing debate about the true meaning of Robert E. Lee to us as Americans. Contributors like Douglas S. Freeman portray him as a godlike, awesome figure; revisionists like Alan T. Nolan brilliantly reexamine the traditional view, suggesting that Lee had flaws, both as a man and a commander. The most recent essays, such as Gary Gallagher's contribution, suggest that although the revisionists are to some extent correct, Lee was nevertheless a source of strength, not weakness, to the Confederacy. The debate will doubtless continue to rage, and if you want to get brought up to speed, this is the place to start.

It took my a long time to make it through this book, but it is well worth the time and effort. Gary Gallagher has consolidated several essays (to include his own) that describe Lee's abililty as a military commander. This approach really provides the reader with a comprehensive view of Lee on the battlefield.

Two interesting things about the book. First, the authors vary greatly and include subordinates of Lee, noted Civil War historians, and modern Civil War scholars. Secondly, and not surprisingly, the opinions of these distinguished authors about Lee also vary greatly. Some view him as the true hero of the South, while others argue that he is the main reason the Confederacy lost. The result is that the reader can analyze the positions and decide for himself whether or not Lee was a good, bad, or mediocre General.

If you are interested in gaining insight into Lee's role in the Civil War, then I highly recommend this book. It is worth noting that it helps if you have a fundamental understanding of the War and the sequence of battles in the East before tackling this book. Otherwise, some of the articles may be hard to follow.

A better bargain than this smashing little paperback will be hard to find. The blended letters of Susan and Charles Blackford, two erudite, observant members of the Virginian gentry, tell the story of one family's Civil War struggle in the frontlines and on the homefront beautifully. Susan describes the loss of children, the battle to feed family, and the "impression" she made in front of her husband's unit plunging headfirst into a mudpile. Charles observes the war from the vantages of both the line and the staff, and supplies some incredible character studies ranging from Jeff Davis to Lee and Jackson, down to the private soldier (with the impudence of a town cow). A collection of letters from someone who wrote on a warmed frying pan to keep his hand from freezing probably deserves reading regardless! My third reading...

My Uncle Minor was the author of this book. It was first published 40 years ago.We would sit on his front porch and he would talk about his work. He told me how proud he was that when it went out of print and became a library issue that he would get a phone call about once a year from a college student challenging him on one General he misquoted the name. My Uncle is deceased now but going through the house after his death I accidently found a stack of unpublished manuscripts that would headed for the dumpster as no one knew about them. I salveged them and working on getting them in print as they are wonderful cival war historical novels. The first one is named Cry Liberty as is centered around Lychburg and Col Lynch and the war. I am sure he would be proud that I saved his work so many can enjoy it in print.

This book is a compeling read. It describes in minute detail the religious, social and economic structure of the time. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to have a glimpse of life in Poland before WWII.

As the Holocaust recedes further into the past, it becomes increasingly difficult to treat it as more than an abstraction. It becomes defined by numbers: Six million or more dead, numbingly large. Yet, how can one who did not live in that era imagine what it truly meant, and even more so for a goy such as myself?

Ben-Zion Gold's memoir is truly a treasure, because of its portrait of Jewish life before the Holocaust. He describes his boyhood living in an Orthodox household in Radom, Poland in the 1930's. He paints rich pictures of family members and gatherings and a host of unique individuals. He depicts his religious schooling, cut short by the war.

The last few chapters briefly describe how Gold survived the war, and the impact of his ordeal on his faith. His candor and insights are deeply appreciated.

Gold originally wrote his story with his daughters in mind -- to tell them about the family in Poland, all of whom were murdered well before his daughters' birth. Fortunately for us, he has expanded the tale in such a way as to make it accessible, even to those of us with no familiarity with Jewish life or customs. I was particularly grateful for how terms are defined on first use.

The Holocaust becomes so much more meaningful now. With Gold's story, we see the faces of those who perished, their personalities, community and culture. We understand a little better what was lost.

I highly recommend this book.

This is a favorite from childhood. It's a good novel to get a picture of what a cowboy's daily life and background were truly like in the period of U.S.history when ranches were a big part of the western scene. The sketches by James add much charm.

Independance is riding a Wyoming ridgeline on Christmas eve in a blizzard,catching the lights of a remote cabin in the valley below,and deciding whether or not to ride down to the cabin,based soley on how badly you think that you really need a cup of coffee.Will James is the "Lone Cowboy"in this turn of the century autobiography of the life of a drifter who roams from Mexico to Canada in search of ranch work.Abandoned as an infant,James was raised by a French Canadian trapper who provide equal doses of love and sink or swim trials.James fills the many lonely and isolated hours of his youth with drawing.The book contains many of James's illustrations of cowboy life and particularly beautiful renditions of his favorite subject,horses.A simple cowboy tale to most,this story will, to some readers ,provide a moving testimony to the spirit of courage,stubborness,independance that characterized the itinerent cowpokes of the old west.A wonderful book for young readers who will love the early stories about trapping,camping and getting that first horse.All will enjoy the beautiful artwork that so effectively illustrates the storyline.This sensitive story,told by the roughest of men, will provide a moving experience for all readers.

I was given this book as a gift about ten years ago. I have camped and backpacked in the Colorado Rockies many times and loved reading about its early pioneer days. Each story is carefully researched and presented. Many of the women encountered harsh resistance as they tried to homestead or pursue their varied outdoor interests, but, the overall theme for the stories is how courageous and strong the women were. I loved this book and although, I give away most of the books I buy, this one I keep close at hand.

Read it before you go the the Rocky Mountains. Then have fun exploring the places that are described. These women are awesome and I would love to meet the author, Janet Robertson.

Compiled by professional linguist David J. Costa, The Miami-Illinois Language is an exhaustive grammatical reconstruction of the language spoken by the Miami and the Illinois Native Americans -- dialects of the Algonquian language family. The populations of the speakers of these languages were decimated by warfare and disease; now, The Miami-Illinois Language pieces together a complex technical map of how people once communicated, with information from surviving stories, historical sources, comparison with related languages and more. A seminal work of impeccable scholarship, The Miami-Illinois Language is very highly recommended for inclusion into Native American Studies in general, and Native American Linguistics reference collections in particular.

This is NOT an "exhaustive grammar" of Miami-Illinois; there is no coverage of word formation (a major component of the grammar of an Algonquian language) nor of syntax. One hopes Costa will go on to cover these areas (so far as such a thing is possible given the absence of native speakers) because his account of the historical phonology and the morphology of Miami-Illinois (which is what this book consists of) really is very good. I suspect it would be most likely to appeal to Algonquianists; it should be pretty useful to the brave souls striving to revive the language, whom one wishes well. Costa says his target audience includes linguists interested in learning about the Algonquian languages, and I think it would indeed be useful for them, especially because of the fairly conservative phonological nature of Illinois compared with eg Ojibwe. A minor quibble: nowhere is the allomorphism of the personal prefixes ni-/nint- ki-/kit- a-/at- mentioned, even though the book has plenty of examples of it; this would mystify readers unfamiliar with other Algonquian languages.