University of Nebraska Books

As one who had never been to Paris I found/find Ms. Anderson's book extremely helpful, as well as entertaining. The discovery of Paris is a very personal journey, and I give Ms. Anderson credit for NOT including photographs, because pictures limit ones' own experiences of Paris. If photographs had been included in this book, they would have limited my own imagination of African-American Paris, and my personal journey of discovery. Ms. Anderson is an accomplished writer and artist, who is very readable. Her artwork is intriguing. I highly recommend this book, as somebody who doesn't travel very much, however I also feel the seasoned traveler will also benefit from her research. It also makes a lovely gift.

Congratulations on work well done. While there are thousands of writings on Paris, add this to your list of Paris reading. While this work is uniquely geared towards a personal experience of Paris through the eyes of African Americans, it is a must have for anybody planning a cultural tour of the city of Paris. I congratulate Ms. Anderson for her enlightening and beautiful book!

Paris Reflections, Walks Through African-American Paris is a comprehensive walking guide through the streets of Paris. Written by Christiann Anderson and Monique Wells, two African-American women who have adopted the city as their home, the book is a well documented history of African-Americans and others of African descent who have lived, worked and played in the famed City of Lights.

As one reads through the book, the authors' love and appreciation of the city is evident. In Paris Reflections, readers follow six fascinating walking tours of the city and are treated to a treasure cove of information, the obscure as well as the familiar, from important dates in Africa-American history in Paris to profiles of colorful personalities who have lived and worked in the city. Well written and easy to read, Paris Reflections, Walks Through African-American Paris is a valuable resource for both travelers and non-travelers as well.

One recent Saturday afternoon, I set out, copy of Paris Reflections in hand, to do an actual walking tour of the Latin Quarter in Paris. My aim was to familiarize myself with some of the Black American history meticulously detailed in the book. I wasn't entirely convinced that this journey would be that enjoyable.

What followed was an afternoon of sheer delight, as I rediscovered some of the incredible beauty of this area, with the added bonus of a perspective of celebrated Black Americans from a different era. While their very haunts may have changed or even be totally nonexistent, the monuments and neighborhoods themselves are still intact, to be seen just as these personalities saw them.

I applaud the authors for what must surely have been a labor of love. One pet-peeve, however, is the lack of photos of the basic points of interest encountered during the walks. But, otherwise, the discovery process as presented in this book in this most beautiful of cities is worth the price of admission alone. I enthusiastically recommend this offering!

A length of velvet from an old bathrobe, a scrap from a forgotten apron worn in a kitchen who-knows-where, a touch of white satin from a lost child's baby bonnet--Grace Melissa Sprague treasured these discards and crafted them into art. Now her daughter has followed her mother's calling. But rather than transforming patches of precious fabric into glowing crazy quilts, in Pieces from Life's Crazy Quilt, Marvin V. Arnett has transformed her Detroit childhood memories into stories that are just as comforting and colorful.

Detroit in the 1930s was a tough place to live, particularly for a black family. Arnett recalls that the hard times of the Great Depression hit the city early, before the stock market crash of 1929. When the last Model T car ran off the assembly line at the Ford plant, things turned down and stayed down. It was the year of Arnett's birth.

In this memoir, she recounts her hard growing-up years unflinchingly. The good times--the church as a beacon of hope, her mother's "lighter-than-air" angel food cake, and her own enduring friendship with school chum Beatrice--and the bad--the death of a beloved sister, the ache following the racist remark of a respected teacher.

Each of the thirty chapters takes a sliver of the family's life and weaves a separate story that can stand alone. But together, these patchwork stories portray life in the Green house on Herbert Street as a glory to remember and to inspire.

Just as a quilt has a backing, so did the family--the strong father, William Sprague. The well-traveled man of sophistication, wisdom and some mystery supported his family as a chef; although, as an African-American he had to accept a lesser title. Later, as the Depression deepened, circumstance forced him into less savory jobs, including being a numbers runner for the Detroit Police Department. The support William gave his family was more than financial. He was always there, not only for them but also for their neighbors and community. He helped elderly Mrs. Eubanks gather the strength and nerve to vote for her hero, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and once took on the Detroit school system when the home economics teacher required the African-American girls to scrub and clean windows while exempting the other students. He won.

While William backed the family, it was Grace Melissa who stitched the love in place. She took that old bathrobe and converted it into an elegant frock for young Marvin. She shepherded her children to the Church of the True Believers, and she practiced what they preached.Of the many delightful pieces in the book, "The Great Feet Washings" is particularly true and telling. Grace Melissa also befriended the isolated Miss Lila and came out like a tiger when a neighborhood clergyman made an inappropriate advance toward her child. The man left town that night.

While Arnett's stories of her girlhood are charming, revealing and intriguing, the story of her book is equally riveting. A federal employee for over twenty-five years (former vice president of the National Organization of Blacks in Government), Arnett wrote her memories and then sought a publisher. Finding none, she published the book herself and sold it when and where she could, including from the back of her car. An instructor in a writing seminar who was entranced by the stories became her champion and brought the book to the attention of writer Tobias Wolff, editor of the prestigious "American Lives" series published by the University of Nebraska Press. This book is now a part of that series.

by Patricia Nordyke Pando
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Marvin V. Arnett has spun a delightful coming of age saga that starts in 1928 when there wasn't much to be delighted about in the United States. The Great Depression was about to strike, World War II was on its way, there were family tragedies and riots would hit the nation's large cities. In addition, the church sanctioned certain segments of the population making them pariahs. Marvin Sprague's family, although poor with her father working as a cook at a downtown Detroit hotel, managed to share what they did have with neighbors who were less fortunate in spite of the church's disapproval. Her father gave leftover food and her mother, with her magic sewing machine, turned out clothes for children who had only rags.

In what was, indeed, a time of segregation, poverty and grimness, throughout the story Arnett's wonderful sense of humor lightens the heavy burden. She tells of the time when she was ten and had read all the children's books in the library. The librarian took pity on her and gave her a restricted adult card. Marvin promptly checked out a steamy adult book causing her father to roar and her to blame the librarian. He chastised the librarian and from that point on Marvin's visits to the library were not as pleasant as they had been; she stopped her regular visits until she was old enough to visit the main branch by herself.

The book gives a social history of a time period that many Americans know little about. It has the personal touch that brings the Depression and the Detroit Riot of 1943 alive with characters the reader can readily relate to and empathize with. While each chapter could certainly stand alone, Arnett ties the whole together in a wonderful story that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

There once was a time when the elemental Afro American family consisted not only of father/mother/offspring, but also included grandparents, the church and the neighborhood. This was a time when it was common place for three or sometimes four generations to live together in one home. The love, care and warmth of the family did not end when one walked out of one's house to go to work, school or play. Back then,"the hood", was in fact a true "neighborhood". "Pieces From Life's Crazy Quilt" recalls the golden days of Afro American social existence and life in Detroit during the 1930s - 1940s. What the author, Marvin Arnett has done is create a literal time machine that transports us back to those times in a very descriptive and emotional manner. This work is a intimate and insighful look into the life and influences of a child growing up admist colorful, warm and sometimes ominus character arrays. That Arnett includes stories and lessons from the bright and the dark side of her experiences speaks volumes for her knack at providing and maintaining balance in her descriptions of characters and environments. This is a work that will remind Arnett's peers that there once was a time where the neighbor hood was a nuturing and loving place. The younger reader who is looking for a better way of life and a better way of living it will be transfixed to discover what used to be and what may be possible to recreate. They need to know that there really USED to be a time when the black community in Detroit had empathy and mutual respect as foundations for behavior instead of the current impersonal co-existence. I look for this work to one day be transformed into a movie or musical play. The imagery is powerful. Kudows to the author for inventing a work that is entertaining, educational and most of all, practical. "Pieces from Life's Crazy Quilt" is a detailed and imagery loaded work that is also a warm, honest and some times dark snap shot of yesterday. ...and if we relly take to heart the lessons that Arnett teaches us, it can also serve as a potential road map for finding our way back home.

This journey to the Detroit of the 1930s and 40s also takes the reader on a ride through the first years of a young African American girl's life--her relationships with family, church, and community, her growth toward an understanding of her own potential. Marvin Arnett's story is bright with both humor and poignancy as she clearly draws her characters and their struggles in a pre-Civil Rights American city. Her voice is clear and plain-spoken, and she creates an intimacy for the reader with person and place that will stay in the mind indefinitely.

Read this book for its history, but read it also for its humanity. Marvin Arnett believes in humankind. The book is a testament to that hope.

What a fantastic view into what it was like to be a poineer and what it was like during the formation of western Washington State. I'm from the east side of the state and enjoy our state history but to see an overall picture of what it was like by someone living through it was just a fantastic experience. Much more interesting that just learning "facts" about the history of Washington and the early settlers.

Great book - even if you're not interested in the state itself!

An excerpt from this amazing book:
"While adoring the various brilliant tints of (October foilage)we are reminded "that we all do fade like the leaf." A more perfect simile could hardly be given. For a time "we flourish like the green bay tree," and then comes adversity, trials and griefs that sear and beautify the soul, as the strong blasts and chilly frosts bring out the beautiful tints of the leaves, making "old age" as glorious as the autumn season of the year." p 81

scence Phoebe is my Great grandmother it gave me a background on my history alone! this is a great book!

"A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home" provides an outstanding window into the life and times of the American migration westward. Through the eyes of Phoebe Goodell Judson, one lives the trials of the Oregon trail, the challenges of pioneering, and a powerful perspective on the American mind during the last half of the 19th Century. 20 years old and 7 months pregnant, Phoebe begins the 7 month treck from Ohio to Vancouver, Washington. Through her diaries, she chronicles the life changing experiences of exploration and community building that did so much to shape the American culture. One only wishes that she had kept additional records and thoughts as the reader is left wishing that there was more. First person story-telling at it's best, be prepared to go looking for maps of Washington and the Oregon Trail.

_A Pluralistic Universe_ is a republication of the Hibbert Lectures at Manchester College on the Present Situation in Philosophy, given in 1908 and 1909, by American psychologist and philosopher William James, by University of Nebraska Press. William James (1842-1910) was an important figure in American philosophy and psychology. James is perhaps best known for his writings on psychology (cf. _The Principles of Psychology_ which established the school of functionalism in psychology), his lectures on religious experience (cf. _The Varieties of Religious Experience), and for his advocacy of the philosophy of pragmatism and pluralism (as seen in these lectures and in the work _Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking_, a pragmatism along the same lines as that advocated by the American thinker C. S. Peirce). In these lectures, James writes against those who maintain the reality of the absolute (beginning with Plato and Aristotle and culminating in the philosophy of the absolute idealists) and opposes all intellectualizing in philosophy. In opposition to this, James suggests that the world is not a uni-verse but a multi-verse, in which the human experience of manyness and disconnection is made apparent. This leads James to suggest that philosophy should be both pragmatic and empirical. Pragmatism in philosophy aims to enable man to cope with his own finitude, and according to the theory of pragmatism the value of a truth depends upon its use to the individual who holds it. The empiricism advocated by James argues that whatever is experienceable is real and whatever is real is experienceable.

The first lecture presented by James is entitled "The Types of Philosophical Thinking". Here, James suggests that his age is once again growing philosophical, mentioning the growth of absolute idealism in the spirit of Kant and Hegel in the British universities. James contrasts such monism to his pluralism. James proceeds to define rationalism and empiricism, as well as spiritualism and materialism, and theism and pantheism. James notes the present tendency towards pantheism, making a distinction between the two types of spiritualism: dualism (or theism) and "post-Kantian" monism or "absolute idealism" (or pantheism). To make the distinction between absolute idealism and his pluralism, both of which identify the human substance with the divine substance, James notes that according to pluralism all of reality need not be encapsulated in an "all-form" or totality, but rather it may form an "each-form".

The second lecture presented by James is entitled "Monistic Idealism". James again affirms the contrast between absolute idealism and pluralism (or radical empiricism), noting the distinction between the "all-form" and the "each-form". James then examines the philosophy of F. H. Bradley (writer of the work _Appearance and Reality_ and a philosopher of absolute idealism). James also notes the role of Spinoza in the philosophy of pantheism. James also considers other philosophers such as Lotze, Royce, and McTaggart, and refutes various arguments for monistic idealism. James finally turns his attention to Hegel, the German philosopher of absolute idealism.

The third lecture presented by James is entitled "Hegel and His Method". James considers Hegel's influence and examines his dialectic, as well as apparent paradoxes that derive from it. James considers Hegel's account as involving a form of "vicious intellectualism", and thus as being unsatisfactory. James further distinguishes between the Absolute and God, maintaining that they are in fact two different notions (and that while he denies the reality of the Absolute, he does not deny the existence of God, finding such a proposition useful to his beliefs). (Although it must be said that his account here of God is highly problematic.)

The fourth lecture presented by James is entitled "Concerning Fechner". This lecture is devoted to an exposition of the philosophy of Gustav Theodor Fechner (1801-1887), a German experimental psychologist who did important work in physics, chemistry, and developed the field of psychophysics. James praises Fechner as a philosopher, noting his writings on nature and God in the _Zend-Avesta_, as well as his writings on life after death. James also contrasts Fechner to Hegel, and he maintains that although Fechner was a monist that there is room in his universe for grades of being between man and God. James discusses fully Fechner's theories on nature, God, and the Earth-soul.

The fifth lecture presented by James is entitled "The Compounding of Consciousness". This lecture discusses the idea that states of mind may compound themselves, and references Fechner's philosophy. James maintains that it is necessary to abandon intellectualism in order to treat this problem. James next turns his attention to the philosophy of Bergson, which he also praises.

The sixth lecture presented by James is entitled "Bergson and His Critique of Intellectualism". This lecture is devoted to the philosophy of French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941), perhaps most famous as the writer of _Creative Evolution_. James examines Bergson's treatment of the problem of Achilles and the tortoise (the paradox of Zeno). James also examines Bergson's rejection of intellectualism.

The seventh lecture presented by James is entitled "The Continuity of Experience". James considers Green's critique of Sensationalism, as well as the nature of relations. James also maintains that intellectualism must be firmly renounced. James includes some remarks on the alleged difference between the Absolute (which he rejects) and the biblical God (which he accepts), making reference to Fechner's conception of God as well. James also considers some arguments of Bradley.

The eighth lecture presented by James is the "Conclusion". It mentions religious experience, God as a finite being (a problematical understanding), empiricism as opposed to rationalism, and the contrast between monism and pluralism. James maintains that a "faith-ladder" is needed as part of the "will to believe".

This book also includes some notes and three appendices: "The Thing and Its Relations", "The Experience of Activity", and "On the Notion of Reality as Changing".

These lectures are important for setting out the pluralistic philosophy of William James. Ultimately however, such pluralism leads to relativism in its denial of the absolute, and thus must be rejected. Nevertheless, this book makes an important case for this philosophy and thus must be recognized as such. William James played an important role in the development of much of our understanding of psychology, mysticism, and religious experience, and this book introduces his philosophy through his lectures.

I always enjoy James's work for its entertaining readability and good humor; he is a scholar and a gentleman even to the opponents he slices up in his books and lectures. I did tire of the endless-seeming arguments against the rationalists who think in terms of a unified universe, however; I know that giving them a bad time was the point of James's book, but about halfway through his arguments began to seem polemical to me and I almost got bored. Nevertheless, I do recommend this, especially if you're looking into the radically empirical and pluralistic side of the philosophical house.

William James is best-known for his development of the American philosophy of pragmatism and for his pioneering work in psychology. But in addition to pragmatism, which he described as a method and as a theory of truth, James expounded a broad philosophical doctrine which he called radical empiricism (pluralism). Radical pluralism, as James explained it, constituted a metaphysical position -- one describing the nature of reality -- rather than a method. In his book, "Pragmatism", James maintained that his commitment to radical empiricism was separate from his commitment to pragmatism; but in the Preface to his book, "The Meaning of Truth", James maintained that the success of the pragmatic account of truth was vital to making radical empiricism prevail.

James's fullest development of the theory of radical empiricism was in his book "A Pluralistic Universe" published in 1908. This book consists of the text of eight lectures James delivered in that year at London and at Harvard. In common with James's other works, "A Pluralistic Universe" attacks the monistic idealism derived from Hegel and followed by many of James's contemporaries in England and the United States, such as his colleague, Josiah Royce. But James goes much further than he had in his earlier writings. He offers a critique of logic, conceptual thinking and what he describes as "intellectualism" in philsophy. He urges a return to immediate experience as the basis for philosophical thinking. He develops a philosophy which is pluralistic and contingent -- which leaves room for chance, surprise, and moral action -- and which is essentially idealistic. The driving force behind the philosophy is spiritual, as James argues for panpsychism, pantheism, a finite god (or gods) and the possibility of growth.

James gives two philosophers a great deal of attention in developing his position. The first is the German thinker Gustav Fechner (Lecture IV in "A Pluralistic Universe"), who developed a theory of earth-soul holding that everything in the universe was alive with mind. Fechner's work became the basis of James's pansychism and of his theory of compounding consciousness -- that mind could grow from one thing to another and that there was an interrelationship between the human mind and the mind of a finite god. The second major influence on "A Pluralistic Universe" was the French philosopher Henri Bergson (Chapter VI). From Bergson, James described his critique of intellectualism and conceptual thinking. James argued that concepts were useful in understanding reality for limited purposes, (here James seems to be downplaying his own pragmatism) but that they ultimately distorted reality. Reality was a flow, a stream, in which one moment glided imperceptibly into the next and arose from a past moment. In this view of perception and reality, James rejected the atomistic, sensationalist view of experience of the British empiricists, describing this view as conceptualist in its own right. His view of consciousness was similar to that of another German philosopher, Edmund Husserl, who admired James greatly.

James best sets out the goal and the heart of his teaching in his opening lecture, "The Types of Philosophic Thinking." In this chapter, he stresses the importance of vision in philosophy -- the presentation of a convincing and inspiring view of life -- and downplays the importance of the arguments that are brought to bear in support of the vision. He also limits carefully the scope of his discussion. James at the outset rejects philosophies of materialism or scientism in favor of a philosophy that teaches that "the intimate and human must surround and underlie the brutal." He dscribes this teaching as the "spiritual" way of thinking.

James next distinguishes between a theistic conception of spiritualism which posits God as a creator separate from the universe and a pantheistic version, which argues that God is immanent as "the indwelling divine rather than the external creator, and of human life as part and parcel of that deep reality." James rejects the theistic position and opts instead for a pantheistic view of spirituality. It is important to see these self-imposed limitations on James's thought and to see as well how close James was to the absolute idealism of his day even when he criticized it severely. Hegel and Royce have, in spite of the criticisms he levelled at them, a large role in James's thought.

In the final lecture of "A Pluralistic Universe" James resumes themes he had raised earlier in "The Varieties of Religious Experience." He argues that accounts of individual religious experience suggest a way of approaching reality broader and more profound than anything that "paganism, naturalism, and legalism pin their faith on and tie their trust to." James argues that "the drift of all the evidence we have seems to me to sweep us very strongly towards the belief in some form of superhuman life with which we may, unknown to ourselves, be co-conscious. We may be in the universe as dogs and cats are in our libraries, seeing the books and hearing the conversation, but having no inkling of the meaning of it all." James distinguishes his position from absolute idealism by working from the bottom up -- from individual, plural consciousness rather than from the top down -- from an abstract, intellectually conceived absolute. He advocates a philosophy of meliorism and activity in which individual persons work to bring the good to pass.

This book, James's last sustained work in philosophy, moves towards its own unique form of idealism and establishes James as a thinker in a large manner. The book seems to me to rest uneasily with his pragmatism at many places. "A Pluralistic Universe" is a provocative and moving work by a major American thinker.

Robin Friedman

William James again proves himself the champion of the average man. James' Fideististic approach to religion and the nature of existence is displayed in full form here as he attacks the intellectualist foundation of modern philosophy.

Become aware of life in the New World between invading Eurpeans and Native Americans in this beautifully and powerfully written book. It will inform and shock you with it insights into the two vastly different cultures and shed light on modern day American values that have often go astray. Another book of insight, passion and info on Native Americans is Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears by Cherokee author Jerry Ellis. He was the first person in modern history to walk the 900 mile route and the book was nominated for a Pulitzer and National Book Award.

Gleach does a wonderful job of presenting both worlds while maintaining an objective outlook. I have truely enjoyed reading this selection based on that alone. Gleach manages to keep you informed of the details yet helps you to gain new prospective on the view of both cultures. He not only tries to make sense of what happened in the contact period but does a good job of making you understand why it happened the way it did. Not your average Native American/ Colonial Conflict documentary. A wonderful job of teaching the Native side that you never learned in school. Blaming neither side for the outcome Gleach will make hard work of any other writer pulling off one as good.

In this book, Gleach (Cornell University), who was a consultant on Terrence Malick's new movie "The New World," provides a wise, interesting, and readable analysis of the much-fabled Native American-English encounter in what became Virginia. AMong other things, his analysis makes sense of an incident that most everyone has heard of and many (not least the Disney studio) have sentimentalized: Pocahontas's intervention to save Captain John Smith in 1608.

What Gleach does convincingly in this book is to draw on his extensive knowledge of Algonquian(-language-speaking) peoples to interpret the scant records of Powhatan culture and cultural assumptions. To understand Powhatan reactions to the English immigrants, we need to put aside our knowledge of who won in the long run. It was far from obvious to the Powhatan that they were going to be subordinated by aliens who were barely surviving. An earlier attempt to establish a Spanish colony had failed. The Powhatan sought to incorporate the English within their society (the one to which the English had immigrated), though none of the English ever seemed to conceive that "heathen inferiors" believed that they could and should make the rules for uninvited and unruly immigrants to the Powhatan homeland.

The English view prevailed, and colonial history has been written from the viewpoint of the winners. As Marshall Sahlins has done for the native Hawaiians' understanding of Captain Cook's incursions, Gleach has recovered a plausible picture of "how natives think" (the title of Sahlins's second book about initial English-Hawaiian contacts). In addition to showing the rationality within their own understandings of the world and proper human interaction of how the Powhatan tried to educate (literally reform) those who thrust into the Powhatan world by drawing on studies of other Algonquian cultures, Gleach also draws on extensive knowledge of English culture ca. 1600 when the Church of England was relatively new and in the English view recently legitimated by the defeat of the Catholic would-be invaders.

Fred Gleach's piece is both acute and aggresive. Fered Gleach writes this book like only Fred Gleach can. This means a lot. Not everyone can live up to their potential. Fred Gleach lives up to his potential here. I tell you- this is Fred Gleach writing from Fred Gleach's heart. This means a lot. Some of us write, and it is not from the heart, or it is to get tenure. But Fred Gleach here writes this book like only Fred Gleach can. Some things, like the truth, is important. This Fred Gleach's message. This book is very Gleachian. This means a lot.

Buy it.

This is a must-read for everyone interested in healthcare, healing, mental health and/or Lakota culture and spirituality. It's a biography of the late Joseph Eagle Elk, which is riveting and remarkable. And as an extra bonus, the last chapter consists of a lively, multicultural discourse on the spiritual aspects of health and healing. I wish it were required reading for all healthcare professionals in the U.S.! As a Lakota, I found the book accurate and very moving. It's also one of the few books about Indigenous Tribal People written by a European-American that is truly and deeply respectful. The author conveys the complexity of Lakota culture without being patronizing or pseudo-mystical. Thank you, Mr. Mohatt, for this beautiful book.

I was so impressed with this book - it struck so close to home - that I could not read it all at once. Like Mohatt, I lived with these people, I Sundanced with Joe Eagle Elk's father, ceremonied, got drunk, into trouble & rose again to help people. Mohatt's text is so close to the actual truth of the conditions on the reservation it literally scared me. That's why I had to stop reading from time to time. The Price of a Gift is the equal of Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, which is one of the great books about Lakota spirituality.

This is a remarkable work that honors the true voice of a Lakota medicine man and the voices of his people. Mohatt's labor is not to analyze or interpret so much as present an experience which can only begin to be appreciated or understood when the suffering, missteps, fears, and clowning of the healer are shown along with their transcendence. Eagle Elk was an ordinary man who resisted but finally gave himself over to his calling. There are many books that romanticize tokens of Native cultures or presume to make use of them; this is not that sort of book. Like Fadiman's, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, this is a work of great reverence.

The story of Joseph Eagle Elk, Lakota Healer (1931-91), as told to Gerald Mohatt, cross-cultural psychologist, is simply and beautifully told.The effect of many mirrors of the gift of Joseph Eagle Elk derives in part from testimonials by people who he knew and helped to heal themselves. The sacrifice, persecution, and exhausting , demanding life of the traditional Lakota healer are fully portrayed. But the beauty that sings through in Price of a Gift is undeniable. Just to read such a book, just to know such a person lived and touched others, is profound and impacting in itself. An awareness of the core value of our lives radiates through the stories of the life of Eagle Elk. It is impossible to avoid the basic message of this book, with all its humble compassion. Without distortion, greed, evil, or pettiness, the matter of spiritual healing both as duty and joy is its glorious burden. Black Elk's vision included an awareness that the Lakota legacy would include an intrument of healing. The Price Of A Gift is evidence of that legacy. What a gift it is, to us all.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

The Question is, without doubt, the single best argument against torture under any circumstances. It is a brutally true and personal account of a man caught up under the circumstances beyond his control during the Algerian War of Independence. It was a time when the French, desperate to maintain control over Algeria, had allowed its army to use torture in order to obtain information about its main insurgent enemy, the FLN (Front Liberation Nationale). The author literally puts the reader into his shoes, and one can literally feel the pain of electric shock, the suffocating hell of water boarding, or the miserable mind warping experience of truth drugs.

In wars such as the current GWOT (Global War on Terror) as well as in Algeria, there is always the temptation by politicians to use acts like torture in order to gain an advantage over an insurgent enemy. However, make no mistake. Just as the revelations of torture had undermined the perceived legitimacy of the French cause in Algeria, the same danger also exist in today's struggle in the GWOT.

Regardless of one's opinion on the matter, one must read this simple book in order to gain an understanding of what a torture victim goes through. The book is beautifully written as well as brutally honest. One can easily read it in a day.

Finally, it is important to keep in mind that there is no politics in this book. It is just an account of the hard reality of man's inhumanity against man.

If you are interested in what exactly waterboarding is, and the physical and moral impact on victim and torturer, you need to read this book.

tHIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF EUROPEAN HYPOCRACY, LIBERTE, FRANTERNITE ET EQUALITE. THIS BOOKS REVEALS THAT THE ABOVE SOLOGAN IS FOR ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE OF THE WORLD,BUT NOT FOR AFRICANS. ONCE, AGAIN THIS BOOK REVEALS THAT NOT ALL FRENCHMEN AGREED WITH THE DE GUALLE GOVERNMENT OFOPRESSION.ADDITIONALLY,IN READING THIS BOOK AND OTHERS OF THIS NATURE,SHOULD REINFORCED THE STOPPING OF TORTURE ADN NOT MATTER WHEN IT HAPPEND THERE SHOULD NOT BE A STATUE OF LIMITATION. PROSECUTION SHOULD MANDATORY AND THOSE GUILTY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.

I read _The Question_ when I was in high school, back in 1958 or 1959. It made a major impression on me, more than most of the books I was reading at the time. The subject is the use of torture in dealing with terrorism and the author did not sugarcoat the subject. He was fairly graphic about the techniques used. The book is short, less than 100 pages, but it gets the point across. What makes the book timely today is the combination of the publication of _The Battle of the Casbah_, two years ago, wherein one of the French Army's practioniners of torture tells his story for the first time and the fact that the United States is now engaged in fighting a war against terrorism. For those who believe that the issue of torture as an element in fighting terrorism has not been surfaced in the past, the fact is that for those who wanted to know, the information was available all along. As we ask ourselves about this interrogation "technique" it is good to go back and review what has been said in the past.

Race Work fills a much needed void on the topic of civil rights in the American West. Dr. Whitaker has written a very readable and insightful book on this topic. Arizona has been overlooked for its trailblazing in the areas of school desegregation, and integration of housing and public facilities. This book is a tribute to Dr. Lincoln Ragsdale, and his wife Eleanor. This is a must read for anyone interested in civil rights, historical perspectives of the American West, and biographies.

In Whitaker's heavily researched and well-documented study of the struggle for African American equality and rights in Phoenix, he proves without a doubt that racial discrimination was not confined to the South and some Northern cities during the latter half of the twentieth century as is commonly believed, but thrived in the West as well.
However, Whitaker's study does not focus on activist groups or civil rights legislation as one might expect. Instead he looks at the "race work" of the Ragsdales, a wealthy and influential black Phoenician couple who had achieved their career goals against all odds and through their own perseverance. Whitaker chronicles their rise to prominence, but more importantly, examines their contributions to their community and to the civil rights movement, as well as the influence and knowledge they imparted on colleagues and activists.
Their personal experiences along with that of other black Phoenicians provide compelling, but disturbing evidence of racial discrimination in Phoenix from the 1940s through the 1990s in areas such as housing, employment, and public accommodations. Whitaker also includes some discussion of the controversial MLK Holiday issue that earned Arizona the reputation as a racist state during the late '80s and early '90s (as a Californian, I know that Arizona continues to have this reputation in the minds of many people here today).
Dr. Whitaker's book not only helps to fill a gap in the literature on the Western civil rights movements, it also expands the discussion of civil rights from the activists and ministers to other members of the black (and sometimes Hispanic and Jewish) communities who generally do not get recognized for the efforts.
Whitaker cannot discuss every aspect of civil rights and race relations in Arizona during the late twentieth century, but his book is an excellent place to start. Hopefully "Race Work" will encourage more scholars to research this relatively unexplored area of inquiry and expand on the issues Whitaker brings up. Perhaps even more significantly, "Race Work," if read widely, also has the potential to cause many Arizonans, and Americans in general, to re-examine their own attitudes and feelings about race, if they have even examined them at all.

Scholars are finally beginning to recognize that African American history, the history of the civil rights movement, and the intersection of race, class and gender in U.S. history, can be examined in areas west of the Mississippi River! Whitaker's work is the latest in a growing body of literature in this area. His book is original, well-researched, and readible. More importantly, it truly offers readers a dramatic and colorful history of African Americans and "race work" in the American west...a region still ripe for further study.

This is the most important book on African Americans in the West in recent years and builds excellently on the scholarship of Quintard Taylor and others.
Dr. Whitaker shows how the Ragsdale's livelihood came through the mortuary business, but was not a dead end for the family, in fact it infused them and the African American community in Phoenix with the lifeblood of cultural and economic resistance and eventually the Valley with changes of integration. The Ragsdale's lives read as a textbook example of change and struggle as their stories are so intertwined with the national narrative for racial equality. Both Lincoln and Eleanor grew up with strong notions of "race work" the idea that you have a responsibility not only to succeed, but to help others in your community succeed too. Lincoln was a Tuskegee airmen and later part of an experiment to see about the integration of the Air force before following in the footsteps of his parents and entering the funereal business. Eleanor was a schoolteacher, prior to leaving her paying work to raise children and focus on the family's business interests.
As the Ragsdale's tried to break into the Phoenix economy and community they found closed doors and prohibitive racial barriers at every corner in the form of segregation and institutional racism. Through "education, entrepreneurship, political activism, integrationism, and philosophy of non-violent protest" the Ragsdale's helped to desegregate businesses, schools and social institutions throughout Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun. This was largely achieved through their social activism and leadership in groups like the NAACP, again tying them to the larger US historical narrative.
This work is very important as it dispels the historiographical myth that African Americans were not Westerners. Instead, it shows how African Americans fought the same kinds of racism and segregation as their counterparts in other regions, but with much less national support. The fight for the Ragsdales was carried out through the strong personalities of a few individuals in the Phoenix Valley, using tactics of national organizations within community associations.
This is an outstanding work and should be used in classrooms of the US West and courses dealing with race relations, as well as community histories. This work is both impressive and comprehensive and is a must own for general readers and scholars alike!

Intrigue - romance - good old-fashioned values - beautiful sentences - believable characters. Having grown up in the Midwest, this book brought back all the seasons, smells, rhythms and beauty of prarie living. Bess Streeter Aldrich's prose is timeless - I am thankful to have discovered her work. What a pleasant surprise!

I was lucky enough to grow up with Bess Streeter Aldrich's books, since my mother had them all and I read them in my late teens. What a wonderful surprise to find these books have been reissued! "The Rim of the Prairie" is my personal favorite. Uncle Jud and Aunt Biny are wonderful characters and I loved the way Nancy and Warner's romance proceeded despite the obstacles. You can tell Aldrich loved her native Nebraska very much and her descriptions of the countryside are beautiful -- almost lyrical.

This book holds up extremely well considering how long ago it was originally published. I would encourage anyone who hasn't read Bess Streeter Aldrich to do so. Start with "The Rim of the Prairie!" It will make you want to read the rest of her books.

Also recommended: "A Lantern in Her Hand," "A White Bird Flying," "Miss Bishop," and "Journey Into Christmas."

Read the book. I did when I was 14.

It has influenced me for over 30 years. I have lived by many of Nancy's (and her father's) values.

I will never ever regret spending my hard-earned pennies to get that book in some souvenir shop while my family was on our "go West" summer trip. I always thought long and hard before buying anything, but after leafing through a few pages and reading passages from Bess Streeter Aldrich's book, I would have asked my parents for extra money to buy the book. Luckily, I had enough.

It's the best investment I have ever made.

Karen K. (Schmidt) Gregory

This is a good book, well worth reading. I like mysteries, and this one has a mystery in it! I won't tell you what it is, you'll have to find out, but it is not a 'scary' type of mystery, just enough to make you not want to put the book down. I just wanted to say that I have 'Rim of the Prairie', and really enjoyed it! If you live in Nebraska, you will enjoy this book, and even if you don't, you should still read it.

Serenity, as Ralph Wiley tells it, is a state of mind that all fighters try to find. It's not easy, but then, writing a book about the most personal side of boxing - the fighters - isn't easy, either. Especially a good one. But Wiley has done that here. He includes himself a bit, which works, and uses a sharp, witty style that brings the fighters he writes about to life. Best are the chapters on Larry Holmes, and also a letter he writes to his son, Cole. Wiley is enormously gifted, and he will definitely be a writer to watch in the future.

this was where you truly could appreciate the Greatness of Ralph Wiley.He knew His Boxing&the way He broke down each subject matter is Classic.Boxing has had many Fighters but you know the Guys that you still debate&talk about many years later.Great takes on Ali,HitMan hearns,Sugar Ray Leonard,Mike Tyson&Everyone else mentioned.A Knockout of a Book from start to finish.

I was a great fan of Ralph Wiley's regular columns on ESPN's Page 2, and when he passed on (earlier this summer) I decided that it was well past time to get one of his books and see how he did in a longer form.

I'm glad I did. Wiley wrote a vivid description of the art and science of boxing; with every page offering insights that are provocative, disturbing, and important. It's as much about Wiley as it is about Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Ali, and Tyson. That's not a problem as Wiley was an articulate, interesting, and experienced Black man.

Wiley relates that when he was a copyboy for the Oakland Trib, he would type "RALPH WILEY IS THE GREATEST SPORTSWRITER OF ALL TIME, BAR NONE" on the old IBM Selectric from time to time. It's a shame that so few sports fans seem to know him these days, especially now that he's gone. This great little book, which destroys boxing as completely as boxing seems to destroy its greatest talents, is quite an argument for Wiley's place in the pantheon of the greatest sports writers of all time.

If you enjoyed Wiley's columns, or his writing in SI, or his work on other subjects, OR if you have a passing interest in, or disgust over, or passion for boxing, you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy reading about one man's developing views on an activity that he at first approached with veneration and eventually came to see as horrific, you will enjoy this book. If you read Bill Simmons' columns, you will enjoy this book.

It's such shame that we don't have Wiley with us any more; and I'll miss him, but now that he's gone on maybe he's met Joe Louis at the gates and had that talk with him. We can only hope so.

Intellectuals have long had a fascination with boxing, an athletic contest reduced to its very essence-two semi-naked men trying to kill each other for the enjoyment of a crowd. That's about as stark as it gets. A long and varied list of literary heavyweights have fallen under boxing's spell-Hemingway, Mailer, Oates, Earley, etc., etc., etc. Ralph Wiley belongs up there with the best of them. The ideas he expresses in "Serenity" are meaty and delivered in a style that is both clear and artistic. Mr. Wiley can flat-out write and my goodness does he have an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue. His descriptions of knockout blows are downright poetic; one fighter "... went out like a broken light bulb"; another was struck so hard that the blow "... sent his eyes into the top of his head like snapped windowshades". The sights and sounds and smells of the gym all ring true in "Serenity", from the lowliest trainer ("...with a trainwreck of a yellowing smile") to the beatific Ali.

Mr. Wiley defines serenity as "...the inner peace which comes from doing something well enough to understand it". Boxers, per Wiley, can only acheive pugilistic serenity after they understand that pain, and maybe death, are part of the equation. Pain can not be avoided, no matter how skilled the fighter. So why do so many of them continue on, or return for more once they retire, even (or, perhaps, especially) the successful ones? Larry Holmes, one of the best, (whose latest comeback, at age 50, was against a 300 pound sideshow attraction named "Butterbean") is quoted that a fighter has "... gotta enjoy the ones you take just like the ones you give". Sugar Ray Leonard, like Holmes a wealthy man, made more comebacks than Marley's ghost and risked permanent blindness in the process. Bobby Chacon, another champion, "...smiles at the sight of his own blood". The title of a Gerald Earley essay-"I Only Like It Better When The Pain Comes"-is a direct quote from an early '80's crowd-pleasing Philadelphia middleweight Frank "The Animal" Fletcher. (Aside-Frank "The Animal" once fought James "Hard Rock" Green in a brutal, blood-gushing bout, a great nickname bout, where Mr. Fletcher's mother spurred her son on by leading the crowd in chants of "AN-I-MAL, AN-I-MAL, AN-I-MAL".) Do these otherwise intelligent men actually enjoy getting hit? Hardly. Mr. Wiley has delved deeply into the psyches of men who fight for pay searching for motive, for purpose, and he has succeeded. This is good stuff. "Serenity", like Evander Holyfield, is the Real Deal.