Indiana Books

Al and me have a lot in common. We both graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ. We're both uninterested in the myth of objective morality. Lastly, we both would do anything to reach our goals--to bring glory to our Egos! This book, along with its Female counterpart, have had about as much impact on our society as Darwin has. Even if you're a bible-totin' Xian, you should read these volumes and then do some research into Kinsey. It may be "bad science", but it's good history--and good fun!

Kinsey was one of the great pioneers of the 20th century. This book was groundbreaking. Also, I found the biography by Jonathan Gathorne Hardy very insightful and clear. The radical right has been running a concerted effort to discredit Kinsey and repeal the last hundred years of progress. Kinsey's research was a huge step, not perfect, but it opened the doors on the truth of human sexuality. I hear a movie about Kinsey is coming out this fall.

Recent attempts to discredit Kinsey originally drove me to read Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. I'm not a scientist and was worried about Kinsey's accessibility. But like Freud, he is a great writer with an empathic style. Kinsey builds a lyrical momentum that carries the reader to each new chapter.

By actually reading the book many histrionic notions about Kinsey's work are exposed as just that. But there's more. I especially enjoyed the stats that show excessively pious people overrepresented among those practicing beastiality, and Kinsey's unintentionally droll interpretation.

But more importantly Kinsey is committed to framing sexual aberrations in a social context. I'm sure it was a great comfort to many at the time it was written, as it must still be now. Rather than viewing the individual as twisting in the wind of his own personal sins, Kinsey provides perspective via a sexual continuum which draws the individual back into the human family to which he belongs.

If you really want to know about Kinsey, read this book, not just the widely published Bible-banging protests which the first two reviews reflect.

Having studied with David McGill, I can honestly say with first-hand experience that he is a truly remarkable musician and teacher. As I read this book, I felt as I did in every one of my lessons. I know I left his studio each week better than I went in and I feel that I am now a wholly better musician because of his teachings. What I liked most, and what works so well in this book, too, was his clear and direct way of presenting information that made you feel like it was so obvious and you couldn't figure out why you hadn't thought of it before...I think any performer, whether a student or a seasoned veteran, can learn immensely from David's book and grow into a more thoughtful performer and a more valid interpreter of the music that we perform. Buy this book!

David McGill has written a "must-read" book for all serious music students and professionals. I recommend it without reservation as a great investment to help anyone develop professionally mature musical expression; and also for any student to start to fathom the level of commitment and study required to be a great musical citizen.

This book answers the question: "Why does one player's version sound more 'musical' than anothers's?"
The answer is phrasing, an elusive quality to be sure. The author discusses note grouping, articulation choices, dynamics, and (to some degree) tonal production. Much of what he says comes from the Philadelphia tradition in woodwind playing, exemplified by the legendary teachers at the Curtis Institute. The information is applicable to all instruments.
While much of the material can be had in bits and pieces from other sources, David McGill has put it all here, succinctly, and in an easy to read and logical narrative. He is a fine writer (and bassoonist) and will hopefully produce additional books...perhaps with an illustrative CD? hint. hint.
This book should be a must for serious amateurs and performance majors alike.

I think this book is a very good book,in that it is a counter to the typical "price guide" arrowhead books, this book does not go that route, and discusses the lithics in more of a professional manner, and is more for people who are interested in the cultures, and the lithics and not in what something is worth. The only critique I have is that the book trys to cover too large an area...i would prefer one that is aimed at specific states (even though the boundaries lap over state lines), and would prefer the author to stick with established nomenclature as to lumping points into various categories. I think the book is headed in the right direction but needs improvements.

excellant point type guide to arrowheads of the southwest. Much information on the cultures that made them and on how they were made.

This is an essential reference. Noel Justice has done an amazing job of gathering the references and synthesizing a very complex and diverse array of "spear and arrow points" in this volume. I can also recommend "Stone Age Spear and Arrow Points of California and the Great Basin". Well worth the rather high price.

Carol Guess's second novel, "Switch", is the story of a small-town diner and the lives - public and secret - that intertwine within its walls. The narration shifts among several women, but the main character is a waitress named Caddie, whose lover, Jo, has left her. Her friends are sympathetic, but Caddie takes little comfort in their condolences because none of them know that Jo is a woman. When the diner hires a new waitress, Caddie must confront her feelings for the new girl and accept her own sexuality.

"Switch" is a story of womanhood and sexuality, and learning to accept them both in yourself, whatever their form. But it is so much deeper, more involved, and more delightful than its synopsis. The prose is distinctive and profound; the novel's voice is so unusual and incisive you will find yourself thinking in the characters' words even after you've finished reading. The characters are bizarre but utterly human and believable; Guess has found a way to make the impossible plausible. The story exists in a realm of intuition where feeling is being, where reality is flexible. It is a realm that absorbs the reader and leaves an imprint on the mind. This is a book you will not want to reach the end of, and a read you will never forget.

The novel revolves around a diner in the small town of Cartwheel, Indiana. Caddie, a waitress at the diner, had a very public affair with Jo, a worker at a local factory, until Jo just left her. No one outside of the lovers knows the true texture of their love affair because Jo never let on that he was really a woman. Selena, another waitress, has a secret of her own, as does almost everyone connected with the diner. "Switch" is an addictive novel of secrets, desires, and the sensual aspects of everyday life. The characters spring from the pages and take on lives outside the story. And by the time the final pages are reached, the reader wants to become a regular at the diner so as not to miss any moment in these characters' lives. Truly masterful storytelling.

If you enjoyed Seeing Dell, you won't be able to put down Carol Guess' latest work of art, "Switch". If you have yet to read either book, BUY BOTH!

Ms. Guess shows amazing insight into the human mind. Her characters are real, alive, and quite intriguing. And the story of each character is told in their own words, in both books.

The story takes place in the small town of Cartwright, Indiana just outside of the Ms. Guess' own hometown. The story is centered on Caddie, a youngish woman who makes her living as a waitress in a small, privately owned diner.

Caddie tells the story of her dearest love, Jo, who left her one day with barely a note of explanation. Through Caddie we learn about Jo's true identity. Caddie is the only resident of Cartwright who knows Jo's secret body, and real name. The man everyone knows as Jo, or Joseph, is actually Josephine. A woman who left her true identity on the bus that took her to Cartwright, Indiana.

Through! out the book Caddie struggles with her desire to tell the truth of her own sexuality and the fear of what that admission might bring to her life. She suffers in silence for years with no one else who she can relate to, although we soon find, that there are many people in Cartwright who share her burden of guilt, because their love also takes them from the acceptable boundaries of society.

As each character adds their own narrative to the story, we learn each have their secrets from each other. Ultimately, each of these secrets surround love or passion and how they have lived their lives to ensure their hidden loves go forward unaltered.

"Switch" shows the true complexity and depth of human desire and need. Its standing testimony to the fact that everyone, male, female, in any class stratification, of any sexual orientation, will do what they need in order to protect what is valued in their lives, and do so happily, in a world less accepting of their differ! ences. All in the name of love.

This book was delightful! , fascinating, and captivated my attention for hours on end. It will stand on my book case for many years to come, and will be read again and again. Cheers to Ms. Guess!

(If you are interested in seeing more reviews, please email me for the URL to my home page!)

Mind you I have both catalog books from this collection (Vol. 1 & 2). They're for anyone who's a die-hard Tchaikovsky fan. I've never in my life been so touched by anyone's music other than Tchaikovsky's. Great pictures are included in this book - pictures that you cannot find anywhere at the library or other places. All of his works, known to man, are in here. If you need it, this book has got it. I recommend getting both; it's hard to get volume 1 without volume 2.

Mind you I have both catalog books from this collection (Vol. 1 & 2). They're for anyone who's a die-hard Tchaikovsky fan. I've never in my life been so touched by anyone's music other than Tchaikovsky's. Great pictures are included in this book - pictures that you cannot find anywhere at the library or other places. All of his works, known to man, are in here. If you need it, this book has got it. I recommend getting both; it's hard to get volume 1 without volume 2.

I just got this book from Amazon and I am very satisfied indeed. I waited too long to get it, not realizing that it was huge and heavy, like a text book in school, well worth it's price, and that it had Tchaikovsky's works completely documented, even the posthumous ones, ... and that this would make life easier for a complete fan of his, such as moi. Now I can properly look up the work I am interested in, with the proper title so as to inquire whether the music store can get it for me, since it has not been easy just to get a particular Tchaikovsky piece online.

This book also has the very beginning of each musical piece, the score that is.

I think everyone should read this book. It only serves to make us realise how lucky we are and how we, especially in the West, can have nothing to complain about. The sufferings of the various women who in some cases had to fell trees in -50 degrees centigrade for 600grms of bread a day is inspirational. At some points I felt that I was ready fictional accounts as I found it hard to believe that mans inhumanity to man, or in this case, woman could be so mind numbingly awful - and for what.....truly terrifying. Exceptional read you will not be able to put it down and the strength of character of the women will stay with you long after you have finished the book.

Full of interesting characters, cruel soldiers, vicious fellow prisoners. The physical desolation and emotional desperation these women experienced during their respective prison sentences is unforgettable! This book should be required reading for anyone interested in modern-day tragedies.

This book is, without doubt, shocking, shaming, horrifying and representative of the utter degradation of the Stalin regime but equally, it is filled with courage, strength of spirit, endurance and compassion for one's fellow human beings. A collection of memoirs of women imprisoned in Stalin's purges, reading this is like having a series of intimate conversations with women caught up in something so evil and wicked it defies imagination.

I found myself wondering about the Russian psyche, the nature of communism, the parameters of dictatorship and the increasing obsession today's governments have with political correctness. There are scarcely words to describe the future an ordinary, well-educated, Moscow career girl could face for telling a slight joke, having vengeful neighbours, marrying the wrong man, being the child of the wrong parents or, indeed, doing nothing wrong at all. This stuff makes Orwell's 1984 look like The Simpsons and Kafka like Harry Potter. So unjust and farcical were the bases on which these women were incarcerated in prisons and camps no different than those created by Hitler and the Nazis, that you feel the victims and, indeed, the whole of the USSR was caught up in an indescribable nightmare. Truly, I don't have words to describe how sick and devastated I felt on completing this book. Read it and weep. This truly was Armageddon.

Alan Garinger's book is spell binding. His story telling is reviting -- as a writer his presence is "invisible" as he draws the reader into the story. This tale is as historically accurate as it is compelling. We bought this book for our grandchildren and ended up reading it ourselves. We liked it so much we bought multiple copies for the grandkids, assorted friends and one to keep!

"Torch in the Darkness" targets "middle readers" but is an exhilerating trip through history for youth and adults alike. The sights, smells, sounds, and tastes of Renaissance Bavaria are so graphically depicted that one cannot help but accompany Dieter, the poor boy who struggles up from filthy poverty to make his dream come true. The characters are well-rounded; the countryside and cities come alive in the mind's eye. Claire Ewart's color paintings are a gorgeous complement to Garinger's elegant writing. That this gripping story is based on a real artifact in Nurnberg, where the reader might hope to go one day and actually see it, is an added delight. Two thumbs WAY up!

Great book! Taught me a lot that I did not know. I purchased this book for my kids and found myself finishing it before they did. Fantastic, authentic detail in the everyday life of the 1500's. Most books of this type gloss over what it was like to live in this era, Alan goes into great detail and gives children (and adults!) such a vivid picture that you can see, hear, taste and smell everything that Dieter does! When an author is able to grab you and put you into the subject's shoes...he is a master at his craft! Highly recommended, from a mother and two kids, 7 & 11! I am disappointed in Amazon not having this book available..it is December and I wanted to purchase another copy for our schools' library.

I really liked this book, it is a series of papers presented at a conference hosted by the Black Hills Institute (if memory serves). It contains most of the current state of discussions on T Rex of a few years ago. The articles range in technical detail - some are easy for a layman to read, some others are practically the same as what would be published in a technical journal, and very dense and opaque. But rewarding if you work through them. One article forced my to create a glossary and map of the skull bones so I could track the discussion. Not for those who enjoy pretty pictures, but those who want to know where the current thought is, several different sides of it. (Although the T. Rex as obligate scavenger POV was not as well represented as others)

There is nothing I want to know before I bought this book. I thought it was okay the way it is. The book is very informative and rather technical. Other than that, it is very, very enjoyable. Dinosaurs have always been a favorite of mine, and I always wanted to learn at least a few new and exciting things about the subject. I hope to continue learning more, which is why I enjoyed Tyrannosaurus Rex--Life of the Past.

This is the best book, to date, devoted entirely to the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. While it is not perfect, it is as good as they get. I highly recommend this book. It will inspire those who will take us to the next level in understanding these magnificent creatures. I wish this book existed when I was doing my own research; it would have saved me quite a bit of time.

Dr. Stephen W. Templar, Author: rexGun rexGun

If you enjoyed this book, you might also like "All You Need is Love: Tributes to My Gay Friends," by Fred Phelps and the staff of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Tyrone Willingham: The Meaning Of Victory is a straightforward, informative biography by sportswriter Fred Mitchell of the justifiably famous athlete and coach Tyrone Willingham, whose service to Notre Dame as head coach (the first African-American head coach in Notre Dame's history) showed the world collegiate football just what his team could do. Bright, full color photographs add a vibrant touch to this straightforward telling of a truly remarkable leader's life and career.

The Meaning of Victory is a delightful romp about a down-on-his-luck football coach who surpasses all odds to become the first black coach at The University of Notre Dame. Shortly after which he became the first black coach to be fired from Notre Dame and then went on to become the first black coach to have three consecutive losing seasons at Washington University. He's currently attempting to become the first black coach to make it through an entire season without a single win at Washington. His story of success is brilliantly funny at times and horribly misconstrued at others. In the end his record will tell you what kind of coach he is: a losing one.

I like the part where he craps his pants at the start of the second half against Michigan State.

Charles Major's 1908 Uncle Tom Andy Bill is one of my all time favorite books. It is also the favorite book of my fourth graders at the Odessa Christian School. My Uncle Albert Potter used to read this exciting adventure book when I was in seventh-grade in 1960 at the Cass-Union Elementary School in Southern Indiana not far from where the adventure was said to take place. It is filled with cliff hanging excitement and tender love. I recommend first reading his equally exciting 1908 book Bears of Blue River. Donald Potter, Odessa, TX

I was an avid reader as a boy growing up in central-Ohio and this was one of my favorite books. I would rank it right up there with Treasure Island. I believe the copy I had belonged to my great grandfater and it was old and falling apart when I read it the first of many many times. I don't know what happened to that old book; I suspect it was trashed at some point when I was out traipsing through the woods and I can't count the times since that I have wished that I had that book to read. Due at least in part to the reading of that book I am fascinated by caverns, the outdoors, and the early frontier days when Ohio and Indiana were the wild west.

This book was one of my favorite books as a young boy growing up in Indiana. A great adventure story taking place during pioneer days in southern Indiana.