North America Books

I really enjoyed this book. You meet famous and not so famous people in this book. Some you will never forget like Hystercine Rankin, who made a quilt of her fathers killing in Mississippi, when she was only ten.She eventually won a $5000 prize for it. Or how the author talks about his family and the "healing quilt" and his lifelong affinity of quilts. The stories in here are good, and the quilts are out of this world. One of the best oral African American history books out there.

Influenced by his love of quilts, photographer Roland Freeman acts as anthrolopologist and quilting historian in this beautiful, comprehensive book. Featuring full color photos of African-American quilts and quilters and well-researched text, this book is a must-read even for non-quilting enthusiasts. The history and cultural heritage of a people have been preserved in this beautiful artform. I found myself moved after reading this book. You will be too.

This book is truly awesome. Although I have almost every quiltmaking book in print, the photos here are of the most unique and breathtakingly beautiful I've ever seen. And the accompanying stories about the quiltmakers are at once inspirational and humbling ... e.g., a quilt depicting the lynching of a woman's father, and explanation of how neighbors were afraid to attend the funeral. (Don't let that discourage you; most of the quilts are uplifting and gorgeous by any standards -- and the few sad ones are incredibly moving and meaningful.)

I can't imagine anyone not loving this book. Frankly, I was so awed by the gifted artists whose work is contained therein that my first thought was that African Americans have all the talent and creativity (and, no, I'm not an African American). Even if you're not moved by the stories/bios (although I can't imagine not being), you've *GOT* to be awed and inspired by the extraordinarily beautiful and truly unique quilting, which cannot help but enable you to improve your own designs.

I wish that there were more stars than 5 ... This book deserves the highest rating imaginable.

African-American Quilters, Preservers and Their Stories represents the first national survey & a personal record of how this photographer & folkorist's life has intertwined with the world of quiltmaking.

The communion refers to the power of quilts to create a virtual web of connections-individual, generational, professional, physical, spiritual, cultural & historical. Some of the names of those glorious quilts are: Rainbow Block; Slave Chain; Log Cabin; Three Pigs in a Pen; Double Wedding Ring; Black Jack Scarecrow; Monsters, Dragons and Flies; African Diaspora; African-American Women; African-American Men; Memories of My Father's Death; Memories; Scripture; Martin Luther King Jr.; Hand Me Down My Mother's Work; Mother Africa's Children; The Underground Railroad; Baltimore Arabber Selling Watermelons; Harriet Tubman Quilt & Tableau.

For all those who consider quilt making one of America's finest crafts, this will be a lifetime companion & will rekindle that dramatic & endearing form of art. Very well done!

You have got to read this book! It is filled with women & men & the love of fabric & colors; of the love of design & community coming together to stitch lives together. Do visit my site for my full review & more books on quilting.

This book thoroughly documents quilting and quilt makers from across the USA. Roland Freeman tells the story of the quilt makers largely through his spectacular photographs. He includes unknown but highly talented artists as well as celebrities who also quilt. The photographs are accompanied with stories from the artists, and these narratives provide a terrific base for understanding why this folk art retains its vibrancy in the 21st century. In many ways, Freeman's photography and writing can also be understood as part of the artistic fabric that he stitches together.

Coyote has always been a special animal to me, so the title jumped out at me. The two feathers and physician's symbol on the cover present a beautiful balance. The physician's symbol has the twin serpents and the two wings of the one. In the background is the four, the Mystery.

Lewis' experiences are related in an interwoven manner. He rushes through life in the quest for medical expertise and validation. In doing so, he trips himself into bouts with infinity as his beautiful plans fall through, day-by-day, year-by-year. However, his rapidly depleted physical/mental being is slowly but surely filling from the inside out. The book is a wonderful, candid sharing of one human's journey to clarify his purpose, his vocation, and to realize such.

He seems like a powerless pawn at times. Have you felt that way? I have. It takes courage to choose the walk toward balance with a fellow being. Lewis had to learn the way of the warrior to survive his path as a healer.

The sweat lodge accounts are beautifully done. I felt it better than any other accounts I have read. Although I have not participated in a lodge, I have experienced years of "spirit stuff". He is talking from experience. Lewis tells us without violating the trust of his friends, manifested or otherwise.

The visions he describes are direct accounts, rather than attempts to relay deep knowings into a form the reader may understand. Visions come in dreams, in rituals, in waking, everyday consciousness, you name it. If we need it and are open to input, we will receive guidance. A vision is experiential, so there is no way to relay the richness and life of such an experience.

Ya gotta walk the walk--it's the only way.

I laughed pretty good at his experience learning to talk with the desert. I too learned this while out alone walking in the desert. At first I thought my spirit friends were nuts--and said so--but I did it and learned a lot. You'll have to read the book to find out.

There were tears of joy and tears of sorrow while reading this book, and a lot of laughter. Thank-you for making the great leap and taking the risk of sharing, Lewis!

This book is a well written merging of two subjects. The first is a personal sharing of Lewis Mehl-Madrona's upbringing and life experience as a half N.A. Native, his pursuit of a medical degree and specialty and his increasing disillusionment with the "science" of medicine as it is now widely practiced. The second is about Lewis' discovery of N.A. Native spirituality and shamani sm. He leads us on a winding path of discovery that introduces us to the intriguing characters who use shamanism to heal others, often while their own lives are in disarray, to those who sought healing and perhaps most importantly, to the spirits who assisted in the ceremonies. While pursuing this path of curing the individual, rather than the symptom, it seems that Lewis will lose site of his original goal to obtain his medical speciality. But, as so often occurs, as he helps others to heal, the path circles around to encompass his own needs and he completes his original path, a more well-rounded and enlightened human. More capable of understanding. More capable of giving what is really required. I found the writing to be powerful, the personal drama riveting and the glimpse into the ceremonies, symbolism and spiritualism of the N.A. shaman both moving and educational. After all these years of hearing the stories shared by N.A. natives, but not really understanding, I finally "got it". This book slaked a thirst I didn't know I had. Lewis not only shared his story but acted as a teacher and I know that I've grown as a result. I highly recommend it and hope that we'll hear more from this writer.

This book blew me away. I have reread much of it so many times and bought multiple copies for friends. I have filled the margins of my copy with notes and filled notebooks with essays and thoughts inspired by Dr. Mehl-Madrona's book. It is nothing short of miraculous itself, in addition to describing medical miracles and how they are brought about by spiritual intervention and Native American healing.

A child prodigy, Lewis Mehl-Madrona hitchhiked to a local college while still in high school, read philosophy science voraciously and was the youngest peacetime graduate of Stanford Medical School. The more impressive since his childhood was at times difficult.

At medical school, Dr. Mehl-Madrona became interested in shamanic traditions and attended some sweat lodge and tipi ceremonies. Here he encountered otherwordly phenomena such as blue light, sparks, sensorial stimulation and miracle cures in cases that were deemed too far gone by western doctors. Most importantly, Dr. Mehl-Madrona learned how shamans talked to patients, asked questions about their families and lives and spent long periods of time with them. The author learned that shamans tap into the inner healer of the patient, and consider themselves only partially responsible for any cure.

At the same time, Dr. Mehl-Madrona was encountering negligent and dehumanizing healing practices in his western medical pursuits. A few spine-chilling tales display the callousness and arrogance that exists in some hospitals and clinics. One example: two obstetricians made a bet concerning the fastest C-Section birth and the winner, very triumphant at seventeen minutes, accidentally tied something shut in the woman's internal organs. It was fixed and the woman even wrote a letter of thanks to the hospital! Such is the blind and sometimes unjustified trust the public has in the medical establishment.

The book is wonderfully woven with many colorful strands of storytelling. On one level, it is a memoir of Dr. Mehl-Madrona's journey to reconcile his western medical training with holistic and in particular Native American healing. He is part Native American, so this pursuit poignantly reflects his mixed heritage. Poignant because Dr. Mehl-Madrona often felt like an outsider in all areas of his life, as a Native American man, as an American man, as a western doctor and as an aspiring and ultimately successful shaman.

Another strand of his story is the Native American tradition of healing itself, which we discover in almost the same timeframe that he does. We are introduced to the traditional practice of storytelling as a healing technique at the same time that he is. Early in the book, when the doctor is a resident, he is tending a man whose medical condition is exacerbated (and perhaps caused) by his intensely critical nature. A wonderful passage in recounts Dr. Mehl-Madrona's tentative attempt at telling a story to the cynical patient, himself a psychologist, who groans with sarcasm as the story begins. As it continued, he was intrigued, however, and even hazards a guess at the meaning, to which guess the doctor gives an ambiguous confirmation. The great part of this passage is how Dr. Mehl-Madrona successfully enacts the role of enigmatic shaman even though he himself is still unsure of the story's meaning.

Coyote Medicine also discusses the role of the supernatural in shamanic healing, and the perception of magic and nature. For anyone who ever sat in the woods or even on his aparment steps late at night and felt a mystical connection to something unseen and bigger than himself, Coyote Medicine is a kindred spirit.

At one point the author goes on his vision quest and meets his power animals and is given shamanic healing tools. We as readers are present at many important moments in his life, including personal and family struggles (his first wife, according to the book, seemed to wrestle his children away from him and resented his shamanic efforts), professional travails (Dr. Mehl-Madrona's questioning intelligence, sense of dignity for the patient and also his holistic beliefs created friction with several different western medical institutions). When, at the end of the book, the author finds an accepting partner and on a professional level, a venue where he could combine holistic healing with Western, we feel as thought a close friend has triumphed in the face of great odds.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in healing, either for herself or others, and also about finding one's own individual path, as difficult as and untraveled as it might be, but that is true to the traveler.

Many blessings on this book and thank you Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona.

Robert Murray Diefendorf, Author of Release the Butterfly

"Coyote Medicine" is a tremendous source of insight and experience within the path of shamanism and health. Dr. Mehl-Madrona's story-telling is magnificent and at times very suspenseful hitting directly on our sensitive health and spiritual issues we face culturally. But, he doesn't give you easy answers, because his path to becoming a healer was very complex. For me, this book opened up parts of my consciousness and answered questions I was asking and some of those I hadn't yet asked. This book was truly a God-send and I am savoring every word I read.

I enjoyed this book very much! It is full of truths ! I believe as does this man. I look forward to reading any book he writes.It was a easy read and on a level that I understood completely.I laughed and cried with his stories.I just loved it!

I've been camping in Maine for a few weeks... Mainers expect you to have one of these. They say "get out your DeLorme's" not "do you have a map?" Some people I've met have pointed me to the right page without looking at the back.

The details in this atlas are great! All of Maine's public reserve land and campground are clearly marked. If you are trying to do some real camping in some remote areas, get this map. This is a must if you are going to be doing anything outdoors in ME. I never thought I'd say a map is fun to read.

After reading reviews on Amazon, I bought this book with a couple of others for my sister-in-law who moved to Maine. Within a week of moving to Maine, they got lost and used this atlas to find their way! They really like it.

This is the bible of maps of Maine. And most, if not all, other states have a version available. The first time you use it will probably make the purchase worthwhile.

If you like maps and spend any time in Maine hiking, paddling, or traveling backroads, you must have this. It is fun to study and indispensable for exploring Maine.

The detailed maps are great but guys...no use looking for a road map of Maine, I mean the whole state as it doesn't exist: incredible! so do order a map in addition!!

Out of the 3 birdwatching books I purchased... the other 2 were well known names in the animal/avian world, this was by far the best! With full color photos, not illustrations, and all the information you need to identify your birds, I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

A long-time birder who carries this book on all his outings recommended it to me (a photographer) so I could look up the occasional species I would come across on field trips. It's very easy to navigate, it is colorful with short informative descriptions and, so far, it has had every species I have needed to know about. Flipping through this book is a pleasure and an education in itself; for example, I have spent my life admiring Common Grackles, Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds and until I got this book I did not know that the female markings are quite distinct and different from those of the male. I was especially interested to learn more about the Whip-poor-will species and their range of territory. The Contents section is colorful and simple, yet precise. The Index is straightforward and all-inclusive - something I always look at first when buying any book. Highly recommended.

I got a bunch of bird books and haven't checked them all out yet. But this is the one my mother will not give up she really likes it.

I like this field guide much better than Audubon. The raptors, for instance have a page that shows how they look in flight from underneath...how we most view them...which makes them much easier to identify. Also, I found birds in this guide, such as the Eurasian Collared Dove, which are not in the Audubon Guide. Would recommend this guide as a must for every birder's library.

Of course, in terms of usefulness in the field, books with illustrations are still the winners, like the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition (National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America) book or the The Sibley Guide to Birds book. But this is the photo guide to beat.

I rarely review books but this one is an exception. This book should be required reading for all students. The speeches given by the Native American chiefs are as moving and eloquent as any I've read. They rival Lincoln, Kennedy, and King Jr in thought and phrasing. These are the words of "savages" as we called them. Reading this book I can only wonder who were the savages when you look at our history with the native peoples of this country. This is a book I'll read again and again.

I really liked this book, due to the fact I too am a native american indian. I shed tears to know how they were treated. It is a great book to read to learn about your past and present. Thank-you so much. Dianne

the words of wisdom should be read by all. It is a book to keep and pick up and read at various times through one's path of life. I recommend this book to anyone interested in timeless words of wisdom from very famous Native Americans. It is a good book to read, quote, and give as a gift.

Wonderful speaches, too bad they were only speaches. Technology seems to be the culprit of our modern day problems, but it also seems to make life so much easier, go figure, what a paradox!!! I think anyone who's looking to say "I told you so" regarding our environment, will find the wisdom of the Native Americans very interesting. I see similairities with the Samurai philosophy.

This was one of the first books I purchased on Native Anerican, history, Philosophy, etc. I absolutely fell in love with it. A fast read and gives the totally green American what Native American philsophy and spirituality is all about in one small book. Though only delving into it briefly, as a non-native it gave me a better understanding of our first people. So much so I have since purchased many more books on the Native Americans, and their History and Lifestyle. The speeches in this book by Chiefs Joseph and Seattle are awesome and make you think. They definitely know where it is at, and are true survivors, especially the Navajo.

Bought this for my 4 year old granddaughter. I'd made a dreamcatcher for her when she was a baby and when she was 2 I explained what it was for. She loved it; and she loves this book.
It briefly talks about moving, bad dreams and family relationships.

A delight and easy reading for young children which will encourage them to read more of indian culture and stories. A beautiful "tuck-me-in" story!

This is a beautiful story especially for bedtime reading! Recommended for all ages.

This story flows with ease and delight for childrens' bedtime reading. It brings in love of family and a lasting focus on indian heritage. Highly recommended for all ages.

This is a lovely story filled with security of home and family. It also offers a study of Indian Culture to children, as well as adults. A book for any country and is a book for all ages. It is also timeless and will go on as long as it is offered for the public to see.

As others have already reviewed, I am a fly fisherman who purchased this book to get a better understanding of freshwater invertebrates other than mayfly and caddis species. (For a highly detailed description of mayflies and caddis for the fly-fisherman, I would recommend the titles "Nymphs, volumes I and II".)

This guide is well-written and not too difficult to follow, even for the beginner. There is a focus on stream ecology and some tips on how to collect and identify various species. Be clear - the focus of this book is not specifically on fly-fishing, but more of a biological guide to aquatic invertebrates.

For a beginner, this book is a great place to start, but is also a nice reference for those with a little more experience. The color drawings are detailed enough to help determine the differences in various species. All in all - Excellent Book.

This books is easy to comprehend, and the plates are well defined. Extremely useful for ID'ing aquatic creatures.

My teaching partner and I will use this in our Freshwater Ecology class at the secondary level. It is a great basic guide that will be used as a reference tool and identification resource at an introductory level. Excellent for the money.

This book contains easy to understand pictographs for beginners, plus distinguishing characteristics for experienced entomologists. A major plus to any and every watershed association out there, and every limnology, water pollution biology, fisheries, etc. class offered at the collegiate level.

A definate must have for nymph fishermen as well!

Well done for a price that doesn't take a bite out of the pocketbook!

This book is great for beginners or someone who wants to brush up on invertebrates. The descriptions are wonderful, as are the pictures. Highly recommended!

I have read several books by the Garretts and find them all to be wonderful sources of information and brings my Cherokee heritage home to rest in my heart. Thank You.

I am very Thankful that at this Time of Mother Earth The Elders are sharing The Ways of The First Nations of Turtle Island! I am looking forward to finding all the material available by the Garretts....

The Garretts pull from their experieces from the "real world," as well as their healings and practical experience with the Cherokee to give us excellent starting points in helping ourselves and others. For such a thin book, there is a lot of advice hidden in the stories and accounts, if you know what to look for.

I really enjoyed reading this material and consider it the best for Individuals of Indian ancestry who still believe in the Traditional Ways.

This is a must read book for first time people into the world of the Native americans. It will open a whole new door that you will bring out of it is the respect for all living things and for Morther Earth. The book helps you understand that certain things are sacred to the Native Americans and how it ties into their beliefs. Once you read this book you will begin to see things through the eyes of a different race, but from the point of a Native American. You will learn differemt ways of praying and saying thanks to mother nature. You will take things from the book and apllied to your everyday life. Wah Doh.

[Backcover Review]: "PEOPLE OF LEGEND by acclaimed photojournalist and author John Annerino is a stunning and evocative portrait of Native America and the mystical landscapes they call home. "This largely photographic essay...offers a rare glimpse of coming of age ceremonies and feasts, and vivid re-enactments of ancient dances."-San Francisco Chronicle. "Contemporary Native American culture is revealed by a photojournalist who spent over 20 years exploring the Southwest...a stunning visual display of modern tribes and people: a blend of cultural history and art book."-Reviewers Bookwatch. "Annerino's work is outstanding." -Arizona Daily Star. "PEOPLE OF LEGEND tells a history, in words and pictures, that we all need to know." -American Photo Magazine. "Extraordinary."-Sandia Review." [Backcover Bio]: "Praised by Newsweek as one of the finest photographers of the West, John Annerino has worked in the frontier of Old Mexico and the American West for two decades. The Washington Post has lauded his "reverant and ravishing photographs," The Denver Post described his work as "fabulous," Publishers Weekly calls it "stunning." Represented by Gamma-Liaison, Annerino's credits include Time, Life, Newsweek, and Scientific American, among many prestigious publications worldwide. The author of nine books, Annerino's works include the critically acclaimed 1999 border saga DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS and his new photo/art book on American cowboys and cowgirls, ROUGHSTOCK: THE TOUGHEST EVENTS IN RODEO."

[Backcover Review]: "PEOPLE OF LEGEND by acclaimed photojournalist and author John Annerino is a stunning and evocative portrait of Native America and the mystical landscapes they call home. "This largely photographic essay...offers a rare glimpse of coming of age ceremonies and feasts, and vivid re-enactments of ancient dances."-San Francisco Chronicle. "Contemporary Native American culture is revealed by a photojournalist who spent over 20 years exploring the Southwest...a stunning visual display of modern tribes and people: a blend of cultural history and art book."-Reviewers Bookwatch. "Annerino's work is outstanding." -Arizona Daily Star. "PEOPLE OF LEGEND tells a history, in words and pictures, that we all need to know." -American Photo Magazine. "Extraordinary."-Sandia Review." [Backcover Bio]: "Praised by Newsweek as one of the finest photographers of the West, John Annerino has worked in the frontier of Old Mexico and the American West for two decades. The Washington Post has lauded his "reverant and ravishing photographs," The Denver Post described his work as "fabulous," Publishers Weekly calls it "stunning." Represented by Gamma-Liaison, Annerino's credits include Time, Life, Newsweek, and Scientific American, among many prestigious publications worldwide. The author of nine books, Annerino's works include the critically acclaimed 1999 border saga DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS and his new photo/art book on American cowboys and cowgirls, ROUGHSTOCK: THE TOUGHEST EVENTS IN RODEO."

Acclaimed author and photojournalist John Annerino is known for his high-risk journeys through the frontiers of Mexico and the American Southwest, seeking stories untold and photos unseen. For the past two decades, with his pen and his camera, he has told the stories of indigenous people -- their struggles and triumphs, their political strife and quiet dignity. His chronicles about the Tarahumara [WHERE SPIRITS STILL DANCE, in press] and Inde [APACHE: The Sacred Path to Womanhood, Marlowe & Co.], and his journeys across the desert with Mexican citizens looking for work in the United States [DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS: Crossing America's Desert Borderlands, Four Walls Eight Windows], can be found in several books as well as in frequent articles. Annerino share[s] his journeys and experiences, reflecting on how indigenous cultures have retained their traditions while dealing with outside influences. -Heard Museum

PEOPLE OF LEGEND. Annerino's book examines Indians' ties to land...A dozen figures raise crooked sticks toward the twilight sky. In the shot, Annerino manages to bring an almost monumental quality to the circle of students at San Simon High School, on the western edge of the Tohono O'odham reservation, as they play the ancient stickball game. At first glance, it appears to be some ancient ceremony. In a way it is. "I wanted to show the spirituality of the game of toka for the Tohono O'odham," Annerino said. -Daily Star

I am a Norwegian journalist/photographer and I have just by chance discovered the impressive book PEOPLE OF LEGEND. Superb photographs -- all of them rich of dreams and poesi. I myself have always dreamed of visiting Arizona and especially the sacred mountains of my childhood heroes, the Western Apache -- and today centuries later -- I share a universal sadness for what happened to the indigenous people. For me their care and understanding of the nature/environment has been an important inspiration in my participation to preserve rivers and mountains in my homeland Norway. At this moment we are trying to save the last river system in south of Norway -- producing super 35 movie -- a documentary -- and hopefully a photoexebition next summer. There are a lot of people around who care for mother earth and this book is a valuable contribution.

I remember some of the media coverage about Camille but Bechtel takes the reader inside the storm for a thrilling, if harrowing, ride. I confess I was ignorant of the damage in Virginia and I certainly did not put Woodstock and Camille together before reading this book. For disaster junkies like me, this is a MUST for your top shelf. For anyone interested in those reacting to a disaster, this book introduces you to some unforgettable people. And, for anyone living on the Gulf Coast, it should be required reading. Every week.

review posted in the American Geographical Society newsletter, "Ubique":

The past as prologue: The story of Hurricane Camille, which until recently defined the apex of tropical energy and fearsomeness, as told by Stefan Bechtel in ROAR OF THE HEAVENS.
During the summer of 1969, nature opened her Pandora's box and released Camille. She perhaps took her first steps as a tropical wave of energy out of the Ethiopian Highlands, made a lazy parabolic arc through the southern Atlantic, then hit the cauldron of warm sea air in the Caribbean.
Bechtel follows nimbly on her heels and issues moment-by-moment reports. He provides a skilful, basic understanding of hurricane science -- readers walk away with a firm grasp of orographic effects, the nature of the tropopause and the fluid mechanics of storm surges -- as well as a "disaster culture" that spurs people to take the storm head on, a culture of cataclysmic ignorance.
What drives that point home is the vivid reconstruction of what it was like to be in the storm, fashioned out of interviews with a few principle actors and dozens of bit players. The storm made landfall to the east of New Orleans with winds that at times approached 200 mph and carrying a storm surge three stories in height. Survivors talk of darkness and howling, being raked by flying glass, having their clothes stripped off. Entire communities were obliterated, while farther to the north, the Woodstock Music Festival was being pelted by rain from all the atmospheric disturbance.
Bechtel relates how then the storm started to disintegrate as it moved up the Mississippi Valley, falling off the radar, only to gather itself once more, dropping biblical rains -- perhaps thirty inches in a nightlong deluge -- on a confined area in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Once again, Bechtel's storytelling power takes on a terrifying clarity. Scores would die as towns were scoured clean away, the rain so heavy it was nearly impossible to simply breathe. A mountainside sloughed off, writes Bechtel, leaving the eerie "smell of deep time."
Camille was a meterological event of the first order. So is Bechtel's recreation.

Being from Nelson County and having lived in Nelson County during the fate of Camille in 1969 - this is a GREAT BOOK!!! My, how it bought back the memories of that time in a 'story' fashion, I couldn't put it down and I was there during Camille. I wish there had been more pictures that others reading this book could truly understand how devastated our county was and why the good folks from Nelson would cringe at the site of a continuous rain fall for a couple of days and schools would close for years to come. However the author did an excellent job in describing just how bad it was without pictures. We still talk about that time and 'where we were', and remember the families and friends that were lost to 'A LADY CALLED CAMILLE' because there was no warning or opportunity to get to higher grounds.
Thank you Stefan Bechtel helping others to understand what a hurricane can do to a town, community and people for years to come.

I was on my way to a Poetry Festival on a Friday, and
I started reading Roar of the Heavens Thursday night.
Instead of getting rested for the Festival, I was up
until 1:30 am, When I arrived, and pitched my tent, and
got to the Festival grounds, I immediately sat down and
started reading the book. Instead of strolling the village,
breaking into a discussion on Craft with a Poet, I sat
down and kept reading. Friday night was freezing cold,
and I kept reading. In the cold, I kept thinking about
the fascinating dynamics of the structure of a Hurricane,
and Warren Raines freezing as he clung to tree branches.
On Saturday, during a readings break, I climbed into my
car, and finished the book. Finally, I could stop thinking
about what happened to Mary Anne, Buzz, etc, and etc, and
starting absorbing some POETRY. Saturday night it was
raining, and I was terrified driving to the campground,
and hearing the rain on the roof of my tent, and it was
pouring Sunday morning, and I wondered if having been
isolated from Weather forecasts, something was coming of
which I was unaware. And thought of the unidentified bodies
perhaps hiking the trails as Camille roared through.
What a riveting read, and the adrenaline is still pumping!
The scientific explanation of the mechanics of a Hurricane
were so clearly described, and fascinating. And the interweaving
of what was happening in the country and world, with
the life and death dramas of those trying to survive
Camille really put things in time and place that connects
the reader intimately to the events. And the families and people
were so real; their pain and suffering, and the incredible
devastation. I know I was thinking about going to college
that summer, at that's all I remember. I remember going
to Mardi Gras in 1972 and seeing the steps going to no where
on the Coast, Biloxi. And I used to drive Rt. 29 going to
Conn. from N.C. in the seventies. Congratulations on writing
such an intense and absorbing, and well researched book.

The afterward and epilogue of this book resonate very closely with observations made by author Jill Fredston in her book "Snowstruck." Humanity seems to have an enormous capacity to forget disaster and to overestimate it's ability to tame nature. News media covering natural disasters regularly describe them as "unprecedented," a patently inaccurate description which has more to do with our collective memory than with reality.

Stefan Bechtel has done good research and assembled a wealth of first hand narratives and scientific explanation. I appreciated the reflections in his aftermath, epilogue and afterword.

In fact, my only criticism of the book is that it becomes rather repetitive at times, grasping for new superlatives and heaping disaster upon disaster and sorrow upon sorrow. Interspersing more analysis between some of the narrative accounts would have suited my reading tastes better, but that takes nothing away from the fact that this is well done book about a truly horrific natural disaster that most Americans probably have no knowledge of.