North America Books

A kelpie helps a misunderstood old woman to find a happier life. If you love horses then you would probably like this book. Extremely otherworldly. A real page turner that is my absoute favorite. Explore Scottish lore in this story, the setting of which takes place beside the Loch Ness, complete with an appearance by Nessie even. A timeless story that touched my soul. Intended for children, but it's a good read for adults with an open mind also.

Horse girl

I read this book when I was about 9-11 years old and I loved it. I read and re-read itover and over. I loved the story.
Now I have a little boy who reads books about old myths and legends. I want him to experience this book and I want to read it again for myself.

I read this book when I was in the fourth grade and I was enrolled in the Scholastic Book Club - I loved it then and I still like it as an adult. I bought it for my son who also likes myths, legends, and fantasy; he enjoyed it very much as well. Great book for young adolescents, a good story to read to kids at bedtime, and a quick read for adults who just want to sample a story about a witch woman and a kelpie.

This book was a treasure we found in a used book store. I read it aloud to my 9-year old daughter who was entranced. It's a book about an aging loner, whose ancestors were witches, who one day spies a kelpie in her pond. They become friends and reminisce together. The kelpie gives the woman a necklace of pearls from the bottom of the kelpie's lake. When a greedy wanderer finds out about the pearls, trouble begins. Included in the tale are the loch ness monster, an abused boy who loves nature, tourists, scientists looking for the l-n monster, magic, and a description of the peace which comes to the old woman riding away on the kelpie (transformed into the death horse) as she is returned to her youth and beauty. The words and phrasing made me try to imitate a Scottish accent, for they were too beautiful to read in my midwest voice.

This story is cool. The book theme is to accept people no matter were they are from. The book is about a girl who is from Sweden and they come to america becaue thay ran out of food in Sweden. Kirsten finds an indian friend but kirsten doesent tell anyone because they think that the Indian people are mean, so kirsten keeps it as a secet.

This is another in the American Girls Short Stories series about Kirsten Larson, a nine-year-old girl from Sweden, whose family has moved to frontier Minnesota of 1854. In this episode, Kirsten begins school. As she struggles to learn her lessons in a new language, she makes a new friend, Singing Bird, an Indian girl of about Kirsten's age.

This is another lesson in friendship and hard work, one masterfully told. Again, Renee Graef's illustrations are plentiful, and of a perfect style for the story. My nine-year-old daughter loves this wonderful book, and so do I.

This book teaches you that you can be friends with people even if they speak another language. I've read every Kirsten book and this is one of the best!

This is a sweet tale about a little pioneer girl named Kirsten who is a Swedish immigrant and has a little difficulty speaking English- which gets trouble from her tough teacher. Things worsen as the teacher moves in with her aunt and uncle who Kirsten's family lives near and eats supper with every night. Kirsten finds her solace by running into the woods to play with her secret friend, a young Indian girl named Singing Bird. Everything in this book is great- from the stern but kindly teacher, to the friendship with the Indian girl.

Kirsten on the Trail continues the story of a nine-year-old Swedish girl who's family has come to live on the frontier in 1854. Kirsten has a secret Indian friend, Singing Bird. But while they are visiting, her little brother Peter sees them. Peter promises not to tell anyone, but blurts it out to Kirsten's mother. Kirsten is forbidden to play with Singing Bird. But Peter runs off and gets lost. When Singing Bird saves Peter by helping Kirsten find him, Kirsten's mother agrees that Singing Bird is a good friend.

This is another in the American Girls Short Stories series about Kirsten Larson, a nine-year-old girl from Sweden, whose family has moved to frontier Minnesota of 1854. In this book, Kirsten's American Indian friend, Singing Bird, returns. Almost immediately disaster strikes, when Kirsten's secret friendship is discovered, and her mother orders Kirsten to never see Singing Bird again. However, when Kirsten's brother Peter gets lost in the woods, Kirsten turns to a friend who can help when others can't. It proves a chance for the whole family to learn a lesson.

As an added bonus, this book contains a chapter on the Sioux Indians, and instructions on making a charm bag. I never ceased to be amazed at the quality of the American Girls books. With wonderful illustration, the book tells a great story that teaches a valuable lesson. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a young daughter. My daughter and I both love these books!

[For those parents interested in reading historical fiction about Swedish immigrants, please consider reading The Emigrants series by Vilhelm Moberg.]

Kirsten on the Trail is a good story for early readers and children who can hold their attention to a twenty minute story.

This is the tale of frontier life and the interaction of a pioneer girl and her indian friend of the same age. Theirs is a secrete relationship -- history has told their parents to be wary of each other and they are forbidden to play together.

The disappearance of Kirsten's younger brother and his rescue by Kirsten's indian friend allows the parents of the pioneer girl to accept the the innate goodness of a child from a different culture. This book introduces pioneer life, the clash of indian and pioneer cultures and the acceptance of difference to young readers. Its a story my kids like.

If you or your child has already read the American Girls book "Kirsten Learns a Lesson", you know that Kirsten has befriended an Indian girl named Singing Bird. In that story, Kirsten was ordered not to play with Singing bird any longer. Singing Bird leaves. In this new short story, which forst appeared in American Girl magazine, Singing Bird is back. Kirsten wants to see her, but cannot break her rules. Can she and Singing Bird meet again and keep their friendship a secret or will everything fall apart? Kirsten learns another lesson in this great book for little girls.

This book was a wonderful source of information for me to learn more about a ceremony that I'd been through countless times. The Sweatlodge is a powerful ritual on many different levels & this book sheds some light on that, especially for those of us not brought up in the Lakota culture.

This book was very well done. Many people who are looking for information on what to expect from sweatlodges in general will benefit from this book. The author gives a good amount of information about the history and the many different styles of the inipi ceremony. I personally have been in many different inipi (sweatlodge) ceremonies and found that there are different styles but there are a lot of common things as well. This book is well written and well worth the read. The author sticks to just the plains indians style of lodges and does not go to compare with the many different styles of sweatlodges around the country and around the world. I liked that he kept his information consistant and from the people who wanted to share it first hand. There were quite a few people who shared information that might take a lifetime of looking to find.

Not only the most throughout chronicle of the sweat lodge ritual, but also one of the best books on contemporary Lakhota religion. Good work!

I read through this book in one day. I couldn't put the book down except to make a coffee. Excellent reading.

As someone who creates languages for fun, I've read a lot of linguistics books, searching for ideas and inspiration. Recently, I became interested in polysynthesis, but could find no detailed information on it. Then I found this book. The first three hundred pages are full of unique linguistic features. Polysynthesis is covered in great detail, as is almost every rare grammatical structure. The sheer scope of this book is tremendous. Mithun claims to include every attested North American language, and I believe her. Also, the extensive references (almost 150 pages) make it easy to locate information on specific languages (like full grammars, phonologies, et cetera). Highly recommended to anyone interested in linguistics, and a must-read for any conlanger.

People who are interested in unusual languages, like myself, probably have some familiarity with Marc Okrand's Klingon, created to be the speech of an alien race. This artificial language throws in some less than common sounds, and creates a somewhat unusual syntax, and attempts to sell the result as the speech of an alien race.

A few minutes with this book will suggest to the reader who takes an interest in these things that Klingon is a profound failure. Here we have a record of people here on Earth who have created alternative linguistic structures that are even more unfamiliar to English speakers. This book will open your mind to the astonishing variety of ways human verbal communication can be categorised and organised. We have languages with no clear distinction between nouns and verbs, and languages that can give tense and conditionality to adjectives. We have languages that use different pronouns for a 'we' that includes the person being addressed, and a 'we' that excludes that person.

For a reader with interests in these matters, this will be a fascinating, if somewhat dry, read. Your joy at being introduced to this fascinating variety will be tempered, though, by the ever-present elegiac note in these pages. Literally hundreds of these tongues are still spoken only by a handful of aging people; hundreds more have gone silent.

This book is chock full of linguistic information about the many diverse Amerindian languages and has an excellent bibliography. My only regret is that it includes almost nothing on Amerindian sociolinguistics. It would probably be difficult and dry reading for people not already interested in linguistics; most of the book is fairly technical.

Marianne Mithun is *the* expert on Native American languages. This book is an excellent resource for grad students, undergrads, professors, and anyone else interested in the languages of the Americas. Mithun describes in detail language phenomena and language families, and includes an extensive bibliography in case you can't find what you're looking for in this book.

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.

Few books capture the spirit of the American West so well. Billy Dixon participated in both the battle of Adobe Walls and the Buffalo Wallow fight. His accounts of these battles and experiences of life on the frontier have been plagiarized by screen writers for decades.

Mr. Dixon was a humble man with determination, ability, and grit the likes of which are seldom seen. This combination of humility and awesome ability make him a real-life hero and legend, deserving a place in the American consciousness on the level of Daniel Boone.

If you have read "On the Border With Crook", you will also love this book.

Having grown up on the remote ranch lands in the Texas Panhandle, just a stone's throw from the site of the Battle of Adobe Walls, I grew up hearing from the old timers who knew him, stories of the great plainsman, Billy Dixon. Since my early childhood, Dixon has been one of my heroes. In 1913, Dixon was approached by an Oklahoma newspaperman with an idea that he should write his autobiography. With the encouragement of his wife, Olive, Dixon decided some folks just might enjoy hearing his stories. Sadly, his passing precluded the finish of the book, necessitating the change from autobiography to biography, with the finishing touches by his wife, Olive. The book was originally published in 1914, only months after Billy's death. It was reprinted in 1927.

Those original copies are near impossible to find. I spent many years trying to locate a copy. Then in 1987, a limited edition leather-bound reprinting was done. I have number 34 of 50. I always thought it was such a shame that so many people would never have the opportunity to know of Dixon's story. So of course, I was thrilled to learn that in recent months, THE LIFE OF BILLY DIXON, by Olive K. Dixon, was once again reprinted, this time with enough copies of this wonderful book for everyone.

When we think of Plainsmen, buffalo hunters, Indian fighters and the like, many people come to mind such as Buffalo Bill Cody or Wild Bill Hickock but these folks have nothing over Billy Dixon. The only difference being, Dixon never sought fame. Had he succumbed to the dime novelists of the time, his name would be a household word today, for his adventures and accomplishments hold full measure to anyone of that era.

As this book was originally intended an autobiography, the story is told in the first person account, which makes the reader feel as though you are sitting at a campfire, listening to Dixon tell of his adventures and hardships. This book truly and avidly brings to life, a true life adventure story that anyone who appreciates that era or that lifestyle, will not want to miss.

Anyone who has ever earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, as Dixon did at the Buffalo Wallow fight, deserves to have their story told in vivid detail, but Dixon's life is presented here in such fascinating detail as is rarely achieved. Surely Miss Olive's, as she was affectionately known throughout the area, background as a school teacher contributed greatly to the telling of this story by adding literary prose equal to the most accomplished of writers.

If you appreciate true life adventures, the kind told without the need for embellishment for the sake of sensationalism, this is a must read. From the loss of his family very early in life, his early days as a young bullwhacker, the transition to a buffalo hunter, Indian scout, postmaster and rancher, it's all covered in explicit page turning detail. My only regret to this magnificent story is that it should have been another thousand pages. I absolutely hated seeing this book come to an end. This is a real life story that deserves to be heard and one that you will not soon forget.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

This book reminded me of the axiom of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography that a good life comes to a person who is thrifty, kind, honest and modest. This is the perfect description of Billy Dixon.
I will not give away any of the life of Mr. Dixon as it is a wonderful treasure to explore, but I will state you will regret like I did in his modesty at times does not allow him to explore in detail his life. "The Shot" at Adobe Walls is barely a mention, but he makes up for it in detailed memories of the battle which Hollywood and authors would never dream of. This is the key to the Life of Billy Dixon in that his attention is in the little things which he gives to history. Everyone knows of the herds of buffalo as far as they eye can see, but Mr. Dixon will tell you about the buffalo as only one man who knew them.
I will offer one warning though and that is do not read the forward by the historian as all he does is steal parts of the book in 20 pages of droaning on and it will be better for the reader to let Mr. Dixon introduce himself in this book and then read the forward last if you feel the need.
As a witness to Mr. Dixon, I read Buffalo Bill's autobiography and to show the difference in these 2 boys without detracting from Mr. Cody, when Bill Cody was a boy among the hard bitten men of the plains the worst would hit him. Billy Dixon though in the same period with the same men was befriended by them and they took him under their wing. That is the kind of good soul Billy Dixon was.
The adept reader will soon enough recognize how much of the book is Mr. Dixon's own words, the few times his wonderful wife explains things for him as he had passed on and the fortunate few times an editor weighs in with a few lines. Billy Dixon in his modesty is the most powerful force in the book and that is the way it should be.
In finishing the book, I could only think what an honor it must be for the living relatives of Mr. Dixon to know they are related to a man of such character. America has been blessed in having his story and having so many thousands of people who built our nation.
Bill Dixon was awarded the Medal of Honor and we are honored to have him. He was the kind of friend everyone hoped they would have as he always was a friend. He learned the lesson of life in having all his family to die when he was a child, so Billy Dixon was a friend forever when he was yours.
5 stars for Mr. Dixon.

For the last year or so I've been reading books about the Buffalo Hunters on the Plains and had heard of this one several times. When I saw that Amazon finally had an affordable version I put in my order for a copy.
The book was dictated by Mr. Dixon to his wife in 1913, published afer his death in 1914 (he never got the chance to do much more than dictate notes)then revised in 1927 and reprinted in 1987 and 2005. It is written as if he wrote the book although his wife and her publisher actually did the work. I'm guessing that Mr. Dixon was not quite so literate as the writing gives you the impression (very little formal schooling) and some of the descriptive terms must've been inserted by the orginal publisher.
You get a biography of Mr. Dixon starting from about age 14 (some sketchy details before that) when he left his Uncle's home to head west to fight Indians and hunt the Buffalo in 1864. There's a lot of detail about his adventures and travels, first meetings with Indians, his first buffalo kill, the countryside and animal life. The detail on the buffalo hunting parts is actually pretty vague, all of the books by the old timers I've read are, but still very interesting. Mr. Dixon is famous for his shooting during a battle with Indians at the Adobe Walls trading post in 1874, including one lucky shot at about 7/8 of a mile- there are several detailed pages about that battle and the subsequent Buffalo Wallow fight, also in 1874. For the first Dixon was still a Buffalo Hunter, he'd quit the business to become an Indian scout at the time of the second battle. I found it interesting in that while I wouldn't term Mr. Dixon an "Indian Lover" he did have a lot of repsect for the variuos tribes.
The last couple of chapters kind of round up some interesting scraps from that point until the current (1913) day- they're rushed but still of interest for historical and hunting details.
I've also read "The Border and The Buffalo" by John R. Cook and "Buffalo Days": stories from J. Wright Mooar as told to James Winford Hunt, this book is the best of the three and well worth owning.

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.