North America Books

David Fleishhacker uses his personal experience in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan as a framework to teach us about that country's history, topography, and culture. His sense of humor and his affection for the people of Afghanistan make this a fun book to read, but Fleishhacker also has a strong message--urging everyone to gain more knowledge and understanding of other cultures and places in the world. A wonderful book!

Three cheers for David Fleishhacker, a wonderful writer! And, three cheers for the Peace Corps! Far more than a collection of reminiscences, this little book contains the sort of philosophy, based on history and experience, that should be the underpinning of our foreign policy everywhere. I devoured it at one sitting and only wished he had written more. Clear, funny, honest and tender, this book should be required reading for our entire State Department, the Military Establishment, the "Lords of Poverty" (international aid/relief organizations)and literally every American involved in overseas activity. For that matter, it should be required reading in every high school and board room in the country. Great stuff.

David Fleishhacker's "Lessons from Afghanistan" is based on the author's experiences in the country as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960's. This brief account is, however, more than just a memoir of a vistor who was in Afghanistan forty years ago. Fleishhacker deftly connects his experiences with current events. Unlike many of the "instant experts" whose views on Afghanistan appear daily in the media, this book gives one a feel for what the country is really like. This slim book is a good way to get a sense of the country as experienced by someone who was there and who had an opportunity to observe the way average people live their lives.

This is a most entertaining and enjoyable book to read about a part of the world which is virtually unknown to most Americans. It is well written and contains many anecdotes and amusing incidents relating to the author's personal experience in the Peace Corps in Kabul and Mazar-I-Sharif in the 60's. Beyond that, however, it provides comment which should be food for thought for anyone who wishes to follow or who seeks to implement American foreign policy in the future. The comments on basic issues faced in Afghanistan are timeless and universal in nature and provide much food for thought.

I hope this is one of many books just like this one! Heart-warming stories, you'll wish you'd known the person first-hand. I'm actually buying copies of this book for various friends that think the only history they need to know is on the History Channel!

Well-written.

Each story is engaging and interesting. The stories are about urban and rural life. The most wonderful aspect of these acccounts are how much in common we have as human beings and immigrants. The same struggles and hardships are experienced regardless of ethnicity, an eye opening read.

This book should be more widely available. I find it full of the kind of detail about peoples' lives (in this case, immigrants to the United States) that are cogent, relevant, and delivered with considerable charm and lack of artifice. Everyone to whom I have given a copy of this book has raved about it.

I'm not one of the sort of people who falls often for heart warming. I'm too bitter, too jaded... too educated to be able to gush openly about kindly regard for many things. This book, though, deserves that kind of praise.

As you could gather from the blurbs from magazines, this is a hundred year old book that seeks to illustrate the lives of typical, everyday (not to say uninteresting) Americans. The book is short; it's stories are realistic. Thus, it gives great insight into our collective 'ancestry': a voice to the long-dead.

I'm inclined to think that every time I mentally want to destroy America, in this book, again, could be found renewed hope and exploration. In this book one can find the stories of Lithuanians who set out to cross the ocean, of free black women finding for the first time life in a segregated south, of Greek pushcart workers who end up with $50,000 in the bank. More or less, these are the voices that give our community continuity.... and, well, I'm starting to ramble and make little sense....

Just read the book....

This book is a must read for children to get a proper perspective of history. Public school textbooks will not reflect our Christian roots. Parents should read the regular version. My 9 year old granddaughter says this is her favorite book.

Great and educational book. My son loved it and he does not care to read. This is a must for all out there.

This is a good book for Christian homeschooling moms. I bought it for my daughter, who is homeschooling her children.

Like the adult book of the same title, The Light and the Glory for Children examines evidence for America's Christian roots. The authors reveal a past that is not at all smooth. The challenges of settling this land and building a new nation are shown in their harsh reality. Equally, the faith that strengthened the people for these challenges is presented as inspiration for tomorrow's citizens and leaders. Review questions in the back of the book helped my children explore their own values and beliefs about their country. There could be no better way to raise responsible citizens than to have them investigate our Christian heritage through this book.

I found this at my local library and I will end up buying it. This was a wonderful book--"Mr. Mick" presented a detailed and warm history of his experiences teaching on reservations throughout the country. I learned a lot about our local tribes in Arizona as well as in other places. When I was finished with this book, I was a little sad because I wanted to learn how his teaching journey continued. A family member is planning to become a high school teacher, and I am going to get this book for her as an inspiration on how to be a good teacher.

I highly recommend this book for those who want to learn about NDN cultures and those who are thinking about going into the teaching field (he provides examples of good and bad teachers...I hope the bad teachers have left the profession!)

Mick Fedullo should be commended for his long-standing efforts in teaching creative writing to Native American students. From his own account in Light of the Feather, he has been successful in connecting with Indian students and providing a vehicle with which they can express themselves and communicate their feelings and ideas regarding their lives, culture, past, and present.

As someone who has taught and lived on a reservation for four years, I'm in awe of how he was able to work his way into the many reservation communities as he did and be accepted as such. This is no easy accomplishment.

He does point out a sad reality regarding teachers on reservation schools, that there are some who really don't belong there because of an inability or unwillingness to get to know and respect the Indians. Yes, prejudice still exists on reservations, even in 2005. Add to this teacher incompetence, and it is no wonder that Indian schools perform where they do in relation to the rest of the nation.

What Fedullo doesn't do in this book is offer suggestions or point the finger (or nose and chin) in other directions that need to be addressed. Schools do need to improve, but so do families in the Indian communities. And all of these changes need to occur swiftly and sincerely, or else many more Indian children are going to continue to be disenfranchised by the system in place and life in general. I firmly beleive that Native Americans are the most precious group of people in the United States, and that positive measures need to occur for their people and their future to remain intact.

I do look forward to Fedullo's next installment. Light of the Feather was published in 1992 and so much has changed since then. I'm aware that he is still living and working in Montana and am curious to see how he perceives the culture of Native Americans has changed, especially since the invasion of the internet and all the other modern trappings of accessibility into reservation life.

For anyone wanting to have an insider's view of Native American life read Mick Fedullo's "Light of the Feather". The author tries to clearly explain life within the communities and tries to debunk myths. This book is an excellent overview of why self-determination should continue in the world today. It also provides readers with insights that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to see.

Mick Fedullo's Light of the Feather displays his child-like wonderment of the Indian world as he goes from reservation to reservation teaching students writing and language skills. The openness and acceptance of tribal cultures he expresses help Indian students trust him as he strives to discover more about them. Fedullo values the tribal customs of each group and becomes a better teacher by becoming closely involved with every student. As he travels throughout the southwest and up to Montana, Fedullo learns more about Indian people and helps to bridge the gap between white and non-white people. I highly recommend this book for teachers, students, Indians and non-Indians.

My family is planning a trip to the North Carolina coast to visit the various lighthouses. We find this book very helpful in planning that trip. Gives lot of details on each of the lighthouses listed.

This is a good, concise, accurate book. I took it with my on my travels to see the lighthouses in North Carolina. As I traveled, it was helpful in finding each lighthouse and reading about the history. It was also helpful in finding one particular lighthouse which was in a very remote location. Thanks. I recommend it highly.

I really enjoyed this book. The content was well-researched and presented in an organized manner. I found the subject matter very interesting without being boring. It also made me want to take a few weeks off of work to explore the coastline. I had no idea that there were so many historical lighthouses in this one area. It was also obvious that the author loves her work. The details as welll as added points of interest make this a very well rounded book. I highly recommend it! I am also looking forward to her next release.

I love the book! It has tons of never before seen historical images of Carolinas beacons, plus eight pages of color images. It is factual, but not dry. The author has presented the history and current condition of each of the mentioned beacons in an informative and interesting way. I live along North Carolina's coast and I never knew about a couple of our beacons. I like the maps and directions that show right where each beacon can be found. I also like the Points of Interest section at the end of each chapter that reveal other historic sites and tours that are near to the lighthouses.

The story was excellent, bring out the various viewpoints of Native Americans today on problems from mascots and powwows to land grabs and poverty on the reservations. One of the best portions of the book was when the players on the team, all Native Americans, "corrected" the mascot's outfit. The characters were believeable. While reading the book, I could say, "I know someone like that" on almost every character, even the broken-down rodeo rider. The climate of Oklahoma was described well also, from the stifling humidity of eastern Oklahoma to the tornadoes of the central area.
Unfortunately, the softball games themselves had so many inaccuracies it took away from the story. There are no "2nd base" coaches, and getting hit by a pitch in fast-pitch entitles you to 1st base.
Even so, I enjoyed the read and the discussion of issues in the Native community.

This easy to read page turner was one of the most enjoyable books I have read recently. Mihesuah is an excellent writer and every character is brought to life in a memorable way. With each Shrike game I was sitting on the edge of my seat hoping for a win. In addition to a wonderful storyline, The Lightning Shrikes is an excellent example of American Indian fiction. The book provides insights into current problems facing Indians today in an easy manner. Non-Indian readers will find these issues easy to swallow and might even learn something new. As an Indian reader, I was even challenged in the way I perceive other Indians. Thanks Devon for a fun and exciting read. I can't wait for the Shrikes second season!

Mihesuah, as usual, hits it out of the park, so to speak, with The Lightning Shrikes. This novel is remarkable in that it manages to be both a page turner, and a highly effective investigation of a plethora of issues germaine to Indian country. Mihesuah, a Choctaw academician, proves herself to have quite a gift for fiction, in addition to her formidable talents as a scholar. She manages to present many complicated topics and misperceptions in such a way that someone either misinformed or underinformed would finish this book significantly enlightened, without feeling beat up. Aside from political value, the characters are realistic and endearing, and the story engrossing - it's one of those books where you actually want a sequel!

Devon Mihesuah's "The Lightening Shrikes" breaks Native American stereotypes and allows the reader to have fun doing it. In a world where Native American literary fiction that is actually written by Native American authors too often tells only the tale of a reluctant Native American hero or heroine struggling in a seemingly un-winnable battle against impossible odds, Mihesuah hits a home run with a story that incorporates modern American Indian protagonists who are finally allowed to achieve and enjoy their success. After reading this highly enjoyable story of a cohesive team of players from a diverse set of tribal cultures coming together in a powerful and effective show of solidarity and sportsmanship, it causes one to wonder why someone didn't write a story like this sooner. All of that, and the "Indian mascots" issue is dealt with in a way that causes it to finally turn out (at least for the Lightning Shrikes) the way that it should, for a change. Mihesuah entertains, informs and raises consciousness about Native American issues all at the same time-a powerful triple play that will keep you turning the pages and wanting more. I highly recommend "The Lightning Shrikes" for anyone who is looking for a good read. It could also be a great way for the newcomer to Native American issues to find out nearly everything you might have wanted to know about Native American stereotypes and why Indian mascots are offensive, but were afraid to ask, but have fun while doing it. I am looking forward to more fiction by Devon Mihesuah.

One of the best books I have ever read. Its a childrens book, but hey, "If not, why not??" You will love it I promise.

As an adult I hesitated to purchase this "juvenile" book but the description was enticing. This isn't just a book for juveniles. Rockwood describes a young girl's journey into adulthood in a time period & setting we seldom give any thought. Wonderfully told, this story gives a good sense of the native world view and the terrible destruction wrought on Cherokee society by European diseases. Even though filled with foreboding the story is heartwarming and inspiring.

A wonderful heartbreaking story of native americans in the 16th century. A book that will touch your heart and tear at your soul. It's the untold side of the Europeans coming to settle America. It is about their ruthlessness twards the native Americans. It made me feel horrible about what my ancestors did to the native americans. We choose to ignore this side of history because we knew what we were doing was and is wrong but we did it anyway. In short we are ashamed of what we did which we should be but instead of saying we were sorry we lied and said untrue things about the native Americans already living here when we came. You can't discover something if people are already living there. I for one am ashmed of who I am and what my ancestors did to the native Americans. It is a wonderful story that tells the untold sisde of history which had been chosen to be ignored untill now. I give it five stars!!!!

This is the first book I read, and it started my love affair with books. I was 11 when my mom bought it for me, after reading it 15 time the book finally fell apart. Now I'm looking for a copy to buy for my daughter. Plus, I'd love to read it again.

I profoundly disagree with a previous reviewer. It is a MISTAKE to judge a fifteen-century man by present standards. This is very important. Time and again, we see politically-correct people make moral judgments on people who died centuries ago. Morally, people should be judged primarily by the standards of their own time. To do otherwise, suggests very little personal insight.

For most of human history people took exactly what they could. We disapprove of this now although I strongly suspect that the impulse is only sublimated. We now commit robbery via our legal system and other institutions. In centuries to come, the politically correct will look on us as immoral barbarians.

So, I don't think it proper to judge Columbus, or any other historical figure, by present day standards. I do think it legitimate to judge him by the standards of his own time. Although a great pilot and pretty good captain, he was a poor administrator and had difficulty hanging onto his coveted title of "Admiral of the Ocean Blue." He, no doubt, like all of us, have plenty of other moral failings, but it is wrong to judge him for what would become the greatest land-grab of history.

Did his drive, determination and brilliance cause incalculable human grief? Yes. But by the standards of his own time, he was a hero. Did his actions jump start the fabulous European civilizations of the Americas? Again, yes. But Columbus couldn't have known this, either, so perhaps he shouldn't be given excessive credit.

I think his log is an invaluabe asset to those of us who would know what the explorer was thinking even as he was attempting discovery. It's amusing how he attempts to identify this or that tree as valuable. It's clearly a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. He needs to justify his sovereigns' investment in what, by Spanish standards, was an extremely expensive endeavor. He couldn't recognize that he had discovered the most valuable prize in the world.

Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

A lot of great adventurers came back to write a book--Marco Polo, Julius Caeser, William Bligh, Neil Armstrong (well, with the help of Life Magazine). People seem to be the same throughout history. They'll go off on a great adventure, come home, and write a book about it. While Columbus' book (his log) as well as his body, evidently, are currently lost, this book sure seems realistic. It was a lot of fun trying to duplicate his voyage with modern charts to see if I could figure out his first landfall and any sailor will have fun doing the same since Columbus discovered the sailing routes still used.
I thought Columbus portrayed himself as an adventurer out for the discovery of gold and working for the king and queen who hired him, but what's so surprising about that? He was trying to substantiate the worth of his first trip and to convince Ferdinand and Isabella to send him again wasn't he?

Fuson translated (and reconstructed where necessary) the logs of Columbus. Loaded with pictures, maps and explanatory comments this work gives us a look at the famous explorer in his own words. I'd guess this is the best and closest one could get to a primary source for Columbus's journals. This would be a great resource for teachers and students who cover the Discovery. Too bad it's out of print

....and very easy to read. The English translation is very clear and put together from sources other than Las Casas, whose facts weren't always straight. For some reason the paragraphs are all center-justified and taper out oddly. Various theories about Columbus's landfall are discussed.

The one flaw is the introductory pieces that whitewash the man himself. Made out to be a bold, great hero, he was in actuality a gold-obsessed sailor, a poor mariner, a perpetual whiner whose crew could barely stand him, an intolerant European who assumed every land he touched belong to his King back in Spain, and of course the initiator of the slavery system in Espanola. His men built the first fortress in the so-called New World, and they brought several Native captives back to Spain. Fortunately, some of these events are mentioned in the Log itself.

I cannot say enough about the value of this book to me. I just finished it today and wish it had been MY first book in the subject. My topic of interest is 1832 and the settlement of West Tennessee. I have had scant real knowledge of the era or the place, but long harbored a yearning to know the actual facts as well as sentiment, national and local, of the early days of my home in Alabama and my adult home in West Tennessee. I have skirted the topic of the "Old Southwest," land grants, what effect statehood in Tennessee (1796)--the sixteenth state--had on anything, how were roads built and mail transferred. Now I'm getting closer to the subject and am very glad to know that time better...and be justly grateful.

I kinda sorta knew some of this story of settlement, so selected the topic of West Tennessee settlement for a creative writing project. And was it a winning subject!

Wallace is an accomplished writer with scores of books. It seems he has dedicated himself to the Indian topic; he is also an anthropologist. His short book portrays the essential characteristics of the colonial presidents and the Indians, then brings us up through Jackson's two administrations and the Indian Removal Act of Congress, 1830. The final chapter dips into all the other eastern tribal history and includes briefly 20th century changes with the Indians.

Other fine books of research have more recently been brought forward, specifically my other favorite, Waselkov, Gregory A., "A Conquering Spirit: Fort Mims and the Redstick War of 1813-1814." But Wallace's book, had I read it first, would have plugged me into the era from the start of my research and oriented my knowledge of history, inadequate though it has been. His mastery of style allowed me to read fluently and fast, and touched my heart, too, even to Old Hickory, whom we see by his actions as a compassionate man (sometimes) who had some really tough assignments, to say the least.

I look forward to reading other of Mr. Wallace's volumes. I also wholeheartedly recommend the book to good juvenile readers.

Robin S. Davis
Memphis, Tennessee

Simply the best work available on Indian Removal, in my opinion. It is highly regarded among academic historians. Wallace did a tremendous job of writing clearly and making the plight of the Indians understandable to anyone. It is short, it is lucid, it is interesting reading. Plus, it is balanced. This is not a work that treats Indians as childlike, passive victims, but it does convey the injustice and unnecessary hardships to which they were subjected. It also does not portray the government and non-Indian Americans simply as aggressors. It's an important work for understanding what happened to the tribes. It won't take a lot of your time, so do yourself a favor and read it.

Few events in American history are as shameful as the removal of the Indians from the American Southeast in the 1830s. Despite prior treaties and remarkable success in assimilating American culture, the tribes in the region - Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles - were driven west by the voracious demand of Americans for land. In this book, Anthony Wallace provides a survey of the development of federal policy towards the tribes in the early 19th century and its impact upon them.

For much of the early 19th century, Indian policy was mired in a conflict between people advocating Indian "reform" (who saw Indians as capable of being taught the ways of white civilization) and proponents of a policy of removing Indians from land slated for settlement. The election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency in 1828 decided this conflict. A westerner with a reputation as an Indian fighter, Jackson sided with removal advocates, endorsing a bill that made removal to lands west of the Mississippi River federal policy.

Though supporters of removal argued that the policy was necessary given the unredeemable savagery of the Indians, as Wallace points out, the success of the tribes in the region undermined this justification. More dependent on agriculture than other tribes, the Indians of the Southeast had an easier time adapting to American cultural standards than their counterparts in other regions, with some tribal members even owning slaves. This didn't save them from removal however, and the Cherokees discovered just how hollow the promise of assimilation was when Jackson ignored a Supreme Court ruling that rejected Georgia's claim of state sovereignty over the Indians, thus depriving the tribes of the only hope of protection from expulsion. The result was the "Trail of Tears," the forced migration to Indian Territory that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Indians.

Wallace provides a summary of Jackson's Indian policy that is both balanced and readable. His coverage of white attitudes, which runs across the spectrum from the hostility of settlers to the sympathy of white missionaries, is refreshingly nuanced. His coverage of the Indians is equally good, and he pulls no punches in demonstrating the extent to which the tribal leadership was complicit in removal. Readers seeking to learn more about the "Trail of Tears" and the policies that brought it about would do well to start with this book.

An Indian activist or just an amature historian, everyone should read this book. Though short, it gives an excellent narrative of the removal of Indians and their trama from the East by the American government. This book is amazingly well written and is for both students (like myself who read it in a class) or for casual readers. Please concider this book to find out more about the emerging stories of what really happened to Native Americans.

I am a big fan of Douglas Richardson. I have his prior book in this series, 'Plantagenet Ancestry'. Since I discovered that I was a direct descendent of Geoffrey Plantagenet, I am related to almost everyone in that entire book, and its a big book! In researching this book, I found out that I am also related to many Magna Charta signers. I have only had time to lightly peruse "Magna Charta Ancestry" but have already discovered many connections to my existing data. Douglas Richardson is a thorough researcher, I trust his efforts because his source citations are impeccable, and he readily states instances where there may be doubt. Since I have traced most of my direct family lines to Colonial America, Mr. Richardson's books are a great way to extend those lines back to Europe. When I do find conflicting information from material gathered from other sources, Douglas Richardson is invariably right, he is extremely careful in his research. All genealogies contain errors, but Mr. Richardson's books contain very few! I can hardly wait for the other books in this series!

Magna Carta Ancestry: .... is excellent -- very readable in material and format. I'm delighted to have it and thank those who made it available. I highly recommend it.

In 2004, Richardson, a highly regarded specialist in royal and peerage genealogy with numerous published articles to his credit, brought out the first volume in a planned series -- _Plantagenet Ancestry,_ which tracked the descents of some 190 immigrants to the North American colonies from the Plantagenet monarchs of England, and which weighed in at 945 pages. This second installment is 150 pages thicker, and there are at least two more volumes in development, on descents from early feudal barons, and from the Emperor Charlemagne.

Any high school graduate knows the term "Magna Carta" (the "Great Charter") but most have probably only a hazy understanding of its key role as the foundation of the English legislative system (and therefore of our own), and that it established the principle that even the king, the highest authority in the land, was subject to the law. The baronial party that forced King John to sign the document in 1215 didn't trust him to live up to the limitations and conditions it laid down, and so they elected from among their own number twenty-five barons to monitor and enforce compliance. Of these twenty-five Sureties, seventeen had descendants past four generations; of those, there were two father-son pairs (Richard and Gilbert de Clare, earls of Hertford, and Roger and Hugh Bigod, earls of Norfolk), leaving fifteen distinct families that were ancestral to 238 17th century North American colonists. As with the first volume, the author's careful organization of a large mass of complex data makes this a comparatively easy book to use, either for ready-reference or for extended reading. All descendant families are organized alphabetically, numbered generationally from the Magna Carta Surety, with emphasis on patrilineal descents. This is not a listing of all descendants in each generation; grandchildren without descendants themselves, for instance, are excluded. Citation of sources -- mostly the original sources -- is very extensive and the bibliography runs to nearly 100 large-size pages.

With such a wide-ranging project, with so many sources being perused, one might hope for new discoveries, and there are many included in the book. Some, of course are minor corrections, but at least a dozen are noteworthy, especially as they affect the Bohun, de Verdun, Grey, Hastings, Pole, FitzMaurice, and Mowbray families.

As with _Plantagenet Ancestry,_ after borrowing it for review, I bought a copy of this one for myself and I shall be waiting eagerly for subsequent volumes in the series.

In my opinion Douglas Richarson has provided a well researched book. It will be a main source of reference for years to come.
I was hoping to see more "new lines", but I guess the reality is there just is not that many lines out there that have not been researched. The $100.00 US price tag was well worth spending. L.R. Anderson,