North America Books

Very good book, has lots of information beyond just bird identification. Only thing I would have done different is have pictures of both the male and female (typically each kind of bird only has one picture).

I purchased this for a gift for my husband for our anniversary. It came looking great, still in the package. It came fairly quick, about a week after I ordered it.

Thank you!

Beautiful book. Highly recommend this book to any bird and garden enthusiast. Quick delivery as well from vendor.

Purchased The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens for my mother for Christmas, she is very pleased with the book, more so then her other books she has collected for Bird Watching.

This book is great and has everything for every area of the country from how to design your yard (plants, placement, type of wildlife plants attract. It has information on all the plants ,zones to plant and where birds are in areas (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). I brought this book to work and there are at least (5) people that were so impressed as I was and am that they are ordering the book too!!

Ned Begay, a six year old kid, who had to leave his Navajo home, in America and join a boarding school, had to learn the English language and the American ways. In the boarding school, he was not allowed to speak his native language and if he did, there were consequences. Japan was one of the most powerful countries, at that time. Soon Japan started attacking America and World War 2 began. Marine recruiters started looking for Navajos to join the Marines. Ned Begay joined the Marines. He was a code talker, who was not allowed to tell anyone, not even his own family. He would send and receive messages in a secret code. The code was extremely difficult to learn and only a Navajo could learn it. For every letter in the English Alphabet, a Navajo word was assigned. After a lot of practice of the code, Ned was shipped to Hawaii, to battle the Japanese. They had to take an exercise on the big island of Hawaii to experience all kinds of terrains. They had to cross a desert, on foot, in two days and everyone had only one bottle of water. By second day, everybody had collapsed, and only the Navajos had water left. The Navajos were nothing but the best. They had to write a letter to the Colonel to get some drinking water in the desert. After a few days, Hawaii was filled with blood, and dead bodies. Read the book, to find out what happens next. I liked the book " Code Talker " because of the facts that are in the book. One fact I learned was Japan took food from the poor and gave them to their Army. The food was donated to Japan by America, before the war.

Ned Begay, a six year old kid, who had to leave his Navajo home, in America and join a boarding school, had to learn the English language and the American ways. In the boarding school, he was not allowed to speak his native language and if he did, there were consequences. Japan was one of the most powerful countries, at that time. Soon Japan started attacking America and World War 2 began. Marine recruiters started looking for Navajos to join the Marines. Ned Begay joined the Marines. He was a code talker, who was not allowed to tell anyone, not even his own family. He would send and receive messages in a secret code. The code was extremely difficult to learn and only a Navajo could learn it. For every letter in the English Alphabet, a Navajo word was assigned. After a lot of practice of the code, Ned was shipped to Hawaii, to battle the Japanese. They had to take an exercise on the big island of Hawaii to experience all kinds of terrains. They had to cross a desert, on foot, in two days and everyone had only one bottle of water. By second day, everybody had collapsed, and only the Navajos had water left. The Navajos were nothing but the best. They had to write a letter to the Colonel to get some drinking water in the desert. After a few days, Hawaii was filled with blood, and dead bodies. Read the book, to find out what happens next. I liked the book " Code Talker " because of the facts that are in the book. One fact I learned was Japan took food from the poor and gave them to their Army. The food was donated to Japan by America, before the war.

This is a great book. Not much else to say. 5 stars!! especially if you are into fictional stories based on real historical events!

We read this book aloud while on a driving vacation through Navajo country in New Mexico and Arizona. My children (girl 10, boy 8 and girl 5) were completely enthralled with both the story and the insight into the Navajo people. Although a work of fiction, the book reads very convincingly as a memoir. The author succeeds admirably in relating the cultural challenges faced by patriotic Native Americans serving in the military as well a giving a non-romanticized portrayal of the realities faced by the soldiers who waged battle in the Pacific. We particularly appreciated the lighter moments -- one tale of boot-camp swimming "lessons" had the kids screaming with laughter. A great read pure and simple, but also one with good lessons to be learned.

Bruchac has created a terrific historic novel that has enough action for young male adults and enough history and research to appeal to an adult audience. Bruchac does a wonderful job of giving a sense of the complexities of growing up on a Navajo reservation in the first half of the book. The irony of a nation trying to wipe out the Navajo language but using it as a crucial means of communication during 20th century wars should not be lost on the reader while reading the second half of the book. Bruchac's narrator tells this tale in an even-keeled, even-tempered manner. The reader is allowed to gain his own sense of injustice our nation has inflicted upon its Native American population. Bruchac's description of the progression of America's involvement in World War II's Pacific campaign is well laid-out and dramatically presented. Highly recommended.

I was surprised and disappointed with the level of bitterness that laced the pages of 'How to Succeed...,' by Earl Graves. That the U.S. remains racially divided is an unfortunate given, it has always been and will always be so. Mr. Graves pays little, if any, attention to the merits of early childhood education and the importance it holds later in life. I came across Black Enterprise magazine roughly twenty years ago and I fell in love with his concept of "delayed gratification," and the level of logic I thought the concept represents. With that in mind, I was expecting a methodical and proven strategy for success in America in spite of racism. Although this book does give the requisite good advice, (debt elimination and education) it's more a treatise of bitterness, than a self-help book of business mobility.

Earl Graves is one of the greatest and Prominent entrepreneurs in America. His business strategies and inside information and wisdom will help advance any aspiring entrepreneur. I highly recommend this book, it should be included in every business persons library.

Contemporary
How to Succeed in Business Without Being White: Straight Talk on Making It in America
by Earl G. Graves - Collins; Reprint edition (1998)
As a journalist, I have spent time professionally with Mr. Earl G. Graves, and he is the embodiment of his values, principles, inspiration and ideas that are expressed in this enduring success book. Readers are guaranteed by Graves' character to be richer for reading the thoughts and actions of the author.

A Phenomenal read! Earl G. Graves provides African Americans and all Americans effective strategies on what it takes to live the American Dream. I truly enjoyed the section titled, The Top Ten Reasons. A descendent of Barbados, The CEO of Black Enterprise Magazine explains how with determination you can have and become anything you desire in life despite of your race.

Adra Young
Author of: The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues

I like Earl Graves' message with this book. He is very straightforward in principles of success in business and he is very good about giving credit where credit is due. He gives strong advice and has the track record (and magazine) to prove it.

The book I read was Mammoth Magic. I liked several things about this book. One thing I liked about the book is it's illustrations. The reason I said this is because the illustrations really bring things out. Another thing I liked is the words. She really uses variety. My favorite part is when Toby faced up to being scared of the dark.

The reason I gave Shelley Gill 5 stars is because she makes her books so interesting and she makes you want to read more of her books. From reading that one book she makes me want to read many others.

I like this book because it's really creative . I also like it because of the illustrations in the book. Another thing is that it's words are creative. what happens is that when there was a tree, well i thought it was, but it wasn't.

I like this book because it is funny and interesting. I think it is cool that Toebuck taught Andy about the mammoth and their great size. That helped Andy not to be afraid of the dark .

I like this book and illustrations, because it is very interesting about the mammoths. It was cool how tall and big mammoths are. They had very shaggy hair. Andy was scared of the dark until his grandpa Tobuck took him to check traps and had to spend the night out in the dark. Andy was afriad to sleep in the dark. So when he was sleeping he remembered about the story Tobuck told him. When he fell asleep he dreamed about trees chasing him and bumped into a mammoth. Then his grandpa woke up, and conquered being afraid of the dark.

I like this book because it is exciting and tells you about amazing things that happened in the past.I also love the illustrations. It is about a little boy named Andy. He is scared of the dark. His grandfather, Tobuk, invited him to go camping out at night and the next day.Tobuk told Andy about mammoths. So, Tobuk and Andy took their sleeping bags, and Andy was scared. He had a dream about a mammoth. I love this book.

First, let me note for those interested in the subject that this book shows babywearing on the cover.

But that's really just a lagniappe in a good book.

Michael is, as you can guess, sitting on his mother's lap, and he keeps getting down and fetching more and more of his special things to be with him. Eventually all this wakes his sister, and his mother goes to sit her on her lap as well, and he makes room and they snuggle together.

The author doesn't patronize kids by carefully spelling out "Michael is jealous of his sister" or anything of that nature. It's too easy to do that. Instead, Michael's feelings are clearly shown by his words ("There isn't room") and the illustrations (him hiding under his blanket is priceless).

I wouldn't suggest giving this to a mother of five who has already started yelling "I WANT MY LAP BACK", after all, the moral is that there's *always* room on mother's lap. But most everybody else is going to love it.

Nice book, not sure if it engages my 2-yr old. Great sentiment though.
...Looking for 'new baby' books geared to very young crowd. Haven't found anything super yet.

We got this book for our 22 month old daughter for Christmas. It is now one of her favorites. I find it quite beautiful as Michael has to learn how to share his mother with his baby sister. It shows how he reacts emotionally and the difficulties involved around sharing, something all children can relate to.

This is a very touching book to reassure moms and children that life with a new baby means more love to go around. I have bought it for many friends. Those first months with a new baby are definitely a time of adjustment as the new baby needs so much attention and the older child has to wait (or the older child needs a lot of attention and the baby has to wait!) so this book is a nice, subtle reminder that there is always room on mother's lap. The last page definitely brings tears to the eyes!

This is a great book if you have a new baby come into the house. My son and I read this book every night and then he reads it back to me. I would recomment this book highly.

This is simply a beautiful book. Much good work has been done to help connect people and plants and we delight in that. Eliot looks beyond the physical plant you see and gifts you with the feeling of connection with Plant Spirits. Thank you Eliot. Many who read this book with an open heart will come through the door you have opened. We are ready to help - ready to heal.

Well written, full of passion and honesty. Cowan takes a leap of faith with courage in hopes that others will learn the connectedness of all, and the simplicity it takes to honor our most prescious resources, "OUR FAMILY". Well worth the read, and please; share it with others!

This book is an accessible, sincere and inspired guide for anyone who is curious about how to recover the human's innate ability to be in communication with the non-human world - which apparently just awaits our intention to do so. Eliot Cowan shares his own fascinating journey of discovery in a way that also offers to the reader ideas for how to do the same. His message is not, "look at me, I have special abilities," but "look into yourself and see what is there just waiting to be revived." The disastrous psychological, ecological and spiritual situation humans find themselves in as a result of having stopped engaging in "the great conversation" with nature, as author Thomas Berry puts it, can begin to heal if we try hard, now, to apply ourselves to the wisdom available in such books as Plant Spirit Medicine. We have a responsibility to read and utilize such information as Eliot Cowan makes available here. --Tayria Ward, Ph.D.

Plant Spirit Medicine speaks of the elements of nature, the plants, shamanism, and healing. Cowan's integrity, wisdom and humor is apparent throughout. I first read this book 7 years ago. It changed my life, opening me up to a world where healing, love and compassion are always flowing from the plants and other aspects of nature. This book speaks of one man's journey and opens the doors to allow you to make your own journey and find your own path.

I have been reading and practicing these medicines for some time. I am also studying ethnobotany and plant medicine in relation to psychopathology. I picked up this book as a supplement to my work, and I did not expect that it would be so good. I would recommend this book to ANY person interested in this subject- whether they are totally new to it, or have been doing it for decades.
Cowan clearly and eloquently provides his take on this subject, and does a very good job explaining the basics. But he writes with a gentle tone, and makes plant spirit medicine something that everyone can do. This book isn't trying to sell anything or promote a workshop or healing modality. This really does provide some genuine insights on how to communicate with plants and use them for healing.
Eliot Cowan is right on with this book. You won't be disappointed.

I met the Zapps at Craters of the Moon National Park last month and bought 3 of their books from them right there. Knowing that it could only be bought directly from them I was a little saddened I couldnt buy more copies (due to my finances) because I have reccomended it to all my friends and literally have a waiting list growing but now that I have found it on Amazon I can buy more copies! These are truly incredible people and have given me so much inspiration to follow my own dreams. Nearly every page of my book has highlighter markings of the truly wonderful and inspirational things in this book that I look back on occasionally to remind myself of things to be thankful for, dreams to follow, how to love others, take risks, and live for your heart! If you read this Candelaria and Herman, please know how much you have truly inspired me and made a difference in my life. It was a pleasure to meet you and your beautiful family!
Erfellie

I've never written a review here before but I feel compelled to do so for this book! I am only a little over halfway through and I am already buying more copies to give as gifts to friends, and to my mom for her retirement/career change gift. I want everyone I know to read it! It is such an enjoyable read that one could read it for enjoyment alone. But the big thing I am getting out of this is exactly the inspiration that Herman and Candelaria meant when they started writing it: to figure out what I want most out of life and to just go for it and make it happen! My husband and I NEVER read the same books but we both read this one after he bought it from them at a festival last fall. He loves it so much that he gets upset if I leave it somewhere that our 2 year old can get it and bend the pages!

Never before have I read such an inspirational tale. Many others have spoken of the wonderful people these two are ... I could not agree more .. The story inspires me daily .. I thought I would offer another insight in how this book can be used to motivate others

Some nights my near six year old son likes to sleep in my bed with me .. before he falls asleep he asks me to read to him from Candy and Herman's book .. he wants me to read until he is fast asleep .. already he has learned the power of dreams and his own ability to bring his to life ...

I can not say enough about the beauty that lies with in these pages!

Shannon

This book is so inspiring. Anybody who has a dream, which is everybody, will absolutely love this book. It will encourage you to go out and chase your dreams. You won't be able to put it down as you feel you are truly taking part in this wonderful journey.

This story of a couple in love following their dream is an inspiration to everyone. Not only is it a great lesson in how to treat the man or woman you love, it's also a lesson in the ways of the world. When everything you see and read these days is about destruction and chaos this story shows that so many people are truly good and believe in dreams.

I am looking forward to a possible meeting with this fantastic couple. Read this book, it's inspiring, emotional, and well written.

Very well researched and written book! If you are interested in Native American past and cultures, this is a great resource.

I am using this as part of my research to aid me with the series of paintings I am doing of North American Indians from the period 1850 through 1910. I found it interesting that of the paintings I have completed thus far, I often get asked by Native Americans if I have yet done any paintings of members of their tribes. This book helps with the geographical aspects of where my subjects may have been located at the time they lived.

Great maps explained by easy to understand text passages are the hallmarks of this user friendly and highly informative, not to mention interesting, book. I'm very impressed by Carl Waldman's work, which is characterised not by fawning apologias but by respectful insightful investigatory analysis.

While I enjoy this book and its wealth of info and maps, it is a shame that the only map in color is on the cover. 4.5 stars.

A good resource for any student entering the field of North American Indian studies, this book is carefully organised and rendered. Waldman traces the many facets that have been used to explain who the North American Indians were, how they lived and where. The text is clear and direct, well-suited to the novice in this area of study. The wealth of maps and other illustrative material well supports the narrative, although space restrictions force a certain level of clutter at times.

Waldman opens the book with a description of how humans arrived in the Western Hemisphere. The "Ancient Civilizations" of Mesoamerica, such as the Olmec and Maya are well summarised, before the author turns to the Southwest peoples - the Anasazi, Hohokan and Salado communities. He explains the often overlooked or poorly considered Moundbuilders of the Lower Midwest. The section on "Indian Lifeways" turns to areas like California, the Pacific Coast, and Subarcic regions. While these peoples didn't achieve the strongly hierarchical civilisations of Mesoamerica, their various social structures were complex and dynamic. Their economic systems allowed them to endure and they adapted well to change, something too often lacking in Mesoamerica. To a limited extent, the geography and environment hosting these people granted them the flexibility to maintain a dynamic society, even in precarious conditions.

One aspect of life they were poorly prepared for was the European intrusion. Waldman sets aside a section to introduce the problems introduced by European colonisation. The litany of wars and rebellions take up a hundred pages of the text. The accompanying maps showing battle sites sparkle with stars indicating clash sites. Some of these wars have almost disappeared from historical accounts of North American settlement. It's a good reminder of how the whites took over the hemisphere and what cost that hegemony extracted from the native population.

In time, war was replaced by "Land Cessions" and resettlement. The reservation system, never a fixed idea, is carefully explained by Waldman. The modern result of reservation communities and the ambivalent policies surrounding both the settlements and their populations gave rise to a new awareness among Indian people. The poor acknowledgement of Indian contributions in two world wars was but one of many irritants leading to "uprisings" at Wounded Knee and elsewhere. The author goes on to list major Indian government agencies and Indian organisations and facilities. Indian place names, often overlooked, are listed, with the modern "nation" structures for the US and Canada provided. In all, this book will be a firm base from which to expand a study of Indian circumstances for the future. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Having been familiar with the author, his website, background, meditation CDs, I was more than willing to love this book. I shied away from writing a review for some time, until now, because I somehow felt guilty about telling the truth (that ever happen to you before?). Of course, it's only my truth. Almost from the beginning, as I was reading this book, I was disappointed to find themes, concepts, and attitudes that were not fresh. I kept thinking, this book should have been published a decade ago. Then, it would have been fresh. Now, there is so much material that feels almost cliche, it's been so well used for so long. Have you ever read a book, especially of this type, many years after it was published. And you find that it didn't have nearly the punch, for you, that it had back in the day for others, and more than likely would have for you as well,... back then. That's how I must honestly describe this book for me. And yet there is a wealth of solid spiritual insight creatively embroiled within a tightly written fantasy novel. But I'm afraid it's not timeless, not for me at least. I'm feeling the waves of guilt coming on. I don't think this review is going to last long. I'll probably delete it soon.

Reviewed by LuAnn Morgan for RebeccasReads (6/08)


James Davidson had a dream. That doesn't seem unusual at first glance, but when he finds out that his wife, Andrea, and hundreds of others had the same dream, it begins to strike him as just a little odd. It gets even stranger when he is confronted by huge talking birds from another world, and then he meets two of the people he dreamt about.

As James begins to transcend dimensions and learns more about the creatures he encounters, his own world is turned upside down. Others who join the group that have gathered on his farm seem to have a connection to the events that is rarely questioned.
Although James is the main person the aliens have focused on, Andrea takes the events more in stride than he does. She develops an almost extrasensory connection with the bird-like beings that appears spiritual in nature.

"The Coyote Oak" is a fascinating study of what transpires when what we have is taken for granted. The reader is taken on a journey that is unforgettable. We learn that everything we do has an effect on the people, plants and animals around us. We also learn the meaning of helping others and the effect that also has on others.

This is a book of compassion, concern and responsibility. Weaving Native American tradition, spiritualism, philosophy, parapsychology, quantum physics and other knowledge and beliefs, Carlisle Bergquist creates a fantastic adventure of the will to survive when the elements are against us. He uses an extraordinary imagination to weave a tale that makes one pause and re-evaluate their own life and the world around us.
Myth and reality combine to bring the reader to a new level of understanding.

"The Coyote Oak" was a difficult book to read. Each page makes you pause and reflect on what Bergquist is teaching you through the characters in this engaging story.
He could very well have created a tale that could rival some of the accounts told by Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and others who have, in the past, woven unique and rare stories.

"The Coyote Oak" is a captivating tale of mystery, spirituality, healing and connection to the Creator. Carlisle Bergquist successfully captures your mind then magically weaves you through the inner workings of his imagination.

This book drew me in immediately. The author's poetic style and vivid storytelling were magnetic. An enchanting tale of everyday mysticism and nature and the power of dreams.

"A fascinating read that takes a leap outside the ordinary, and guides you on a mystical journey that effortlessly stretches ones mind, and shows that life is in fact far from the ordinary. Like the perfect fairy tale, The Coyote Oak is cool drink from a tall glass of creativity, and is a refreshing read where fantasy lightly taps you on the shoulder as a reminder that we are all connected, and that every action prompts a reaction. Best of all, it leads you to a little corner of paradise where one can simply marvel at the magnificent creation of life again - `cause it's a biggie! Read this book, and it will make you glow with excitement, recharge your energy, and will help you make wiser choices in life."
Lisa D. Smith, Southwest Blend Magazine.

This is a great author and great book. I experienced many personal connections regarding my Native American ancestors and healing practices within the pages of this book. Very easy read. This book lead me to many other books written by the same author.

Robert Moss's deep experience in the dreamscape is unlike any other shaman-writer in the West. As in all his books, this one shows the mark of a real shaman. In Dreamways of the Iroquois, Moss is more revealing about himself even than in his previous books. In spite of this personal tone, the book is scholarly at times. Interspersed with a retelling of the ancient myths of the Iroquois and Huron people, the children of Aataensic, is Moss'initiation by Island Woman, an Iroquois guide who leads him into the wisdom of her ancient people. One of the book's most potent message is that dreams reveal the real desires of the soul and should be honoured. There's little instruction here on how to work with dreams (one chapter does it) as the book is more of an exposé and a manifesto for the rebuilding of a dreaming society. I recommend all Moss's books to people interested in dreamwork as they are all very deep and rewarding.

A great book that explains the doorway to our dreams and how our dreams may help us face up to lifes challanges. A wonderful read and the author has clearly spent time in other realitys that are just as real as our own. There are many guides and messengers that can help us through our dreams if we are open to them and can remember how to communicate in this fascinating world.

As life if filled with messages, both in dreamtime, and time awake Moss guides us to listen to the spirit of your destiny. Moss was called to his dream writing and workshops and this book continues his teachings in understanding your dreams and and nurturing your intuition. Recently picked up a book by Wanda Easter Burch called She Who Dreams. Come to learn Burch and Moss met in New York many years after Burch dreamt of a young boy drowning, which happened to be Moss. Do not believe in coincidence and if you are looking for a path to understand your truths in life, this book will help your realization.

Dreaming is good for writing the next day. Dreams know a lot; what is dreamed must come to pass. If not, one's nature is not followed which, is the way of sickness instead of joy and good luck. I hope this book will help me along in this writing about the ancient goings-on. If you study Iroquois, you will dream vividly and feel special when looking at stars.