North America Books

"Teaching Virtues" adds to our understanding of the connections between the teaching of virtues and the practice of moral reciprocity within community. -C.A. Bowers, Professor of Education, Portland State University and author of "Educating for an Ecologically Sustainable Future" and "The Culture of Denial"

Here is an educational approach that honors the interconnectedness of the world and helps our young people engage it with wisdom and integrity. The result is a refreshing perspective on character education. -Ron Miller, author of "What Are Schools For? Holistic Education in American Culture" and publisher of "Paths of Learning Magazine"

This book offers a new but ancient perspective on teaching virtues. Like the American Indian people who practiced it for thousands of years, it does not allow us to separate character from content, and by this, makes it possible for us all to "walk the talk." -Sunita Gandhi, President-Worker, The Council for Global Education and Dignity

With clarity and directness, the authors provide an inspiring and practical guide for teachers to infuse character education throughout the curriculum. Their framework adds much needed meaning and integrity to learning and honors the creativity and wisdom of each teacher. -Rachael Kessler, author of "The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Compassion and Character at School"

I read this book with much interest. The topics addressed here are of great importance for educational practice, and hence, as the authors rightly emphasize, for the larger society. They approach the issues of character education from a variety of directions, including a highly suggestive American Indian perspective that has been far too little understood in our culture. "Teaching Virtues" is a stimulating and thoughtful contribution. -Noam Chomsky, Professor, M.I.T., and author of "Language and the Problem of Knowledge" and "Manufacturing Consent"

In the tradition of Wagons West and White Indians comes the thrilling saga of a frontier so wild, so free, so magnificent that only men and women of unyielding courage could claim it. This novel begins the saga of the Elk-dog People, the first Native Americans of the Central Plains to tame the horse for use in hunting and war. The first in an incredible ten-volume series.

Don Coldsmith paints a picture of a time almost forgotten. I own the whole "Spanish Bit" set. What a great journey.

This is the best book i have ever read and the whole Spanish Bit Saga is GREAT!!! You can't go wrong. Don Coldsmith has a gift of painting a picture of how it was. You will feel true emotion for the Native Americans. You have got to read it, you wont put it down and you will want to go out and get the next one.

Anyone who has held an antique in hand and felt the magnetic pull of the history of the object will enjoy this book. I had not previously been a student of Native American history or a fan of the western book genre, but Coldsmith succeeds in creating characters to whom I could relate as fellow human beings. The device of linking past to present through the spanish bit is ingenious.

In "Trail of the Spanish Bit," physician Don Coldsmith brings to life an interesting and varied cast of characters as they very well might have been at the time of early European contact with North America's native peoples.

Coldsmith's "Elk Dog People" are a prairie native nation that is a composite of a number of horse culture tribes. However, when they first encounter "Heads Off," the marooned Conquistador, the People are part of a pedestrian, stone age culture. For better or worse, this first Euro contact changes the People and their way of life forever.

Coldsmith is an excellent story-teller. His characters are well-developed and not the cardboard stereotypes usually associated with the genre. Dr. Coldsmith is a literary talent with a great imagination.

If you have any interest whatever in Native Americans or western history, buy this book!

this was an excellent book about a journey to the innerself and womanhood
i would recommend this book to anyone

Shamanic wisdom, mystical spirits, Native American culture--if these are your heart topics, and you love the way Lynn Andrews writes, you will love this book.

Lynn Andrews returns to the familiar magical storytelling mixed with the idea that we can all be mystics if we only follow her shamanic wisdom. I'll admit a love-hate relationship to her books. "Jaguar Woman" moved me from my cynical, career-driven bent, but as my own path developed before me, I followed Andrew's less. Possibly because I could not match her shamanic travels, uber-human experiences and amazing way of life.

This paperback is another of the Sisterhood of the Shields series. Here, Andrews explores the inevitability of aging and death. She examines the many "little deaths" that occur in life--getting let go or fired from a job, a death in the family, divorce, the long-term illness of a loved one.

The book is an introduction to 'elderhood' with a recognition of another transition--one in which we accept what is, even as we see our friends begin to age and die. We learn to withstand these times and to grow from them.

As Americans, we generally hide from death or simply defy it. This is a good book to grasp the reality of elderhood.

For about 25 years Lynn Andrews has written memoir after memoir of life as an urban shaman living between both worlds. Tree of Dreams examines getting older and balancing her two lives. This book is less fantastical and the passage of time has lessened the melodrama of her earlier work. I still don't get The Red Dog rival and wonder still if he is some imaginary antagonist to make this Native American like. Overall, an interesting perspective on getting older and holding the medicine wheel in Andrews' world. I just wonder if this belongs in the non-fiction section and whether the Cree tribe in Manitoba, Canada are getting royalties. Having known a Native woman who lived on a reserve in New York State, one thing seems to be common - they don't rejoice at Andrews or her work.

As I've followed Lynn's growth and teachings over the many years that she's written (I have an older copy of Medicine Women with the native women and crow on the front........pages have fallen apart, the cover taped back on, etc.), I was pleased when I came across this newer addition to her volume of work. In this book she descibes her feelings on what it's like to have an ailing parent and the process of death. She describes her on going search for answers which also proves that even for all she's learned, she still does not profess to have "the truth". Quite the contrary, she wonders about good and evil, duality, etc.. Her on-going relationship with Red Dog is put in a somewhat different light. It's almost a love hate relationship. A good read and very down to earth. What is interesting also is the process that was involved to write her first, Medicine Women.

Tree Of Dreams: A Spirit Woman's Vision Of Transition And Change by Lynn Andrews is a deeply moving narrative of her quest for growth, spiritual fulfillment, and better understanding of sacred things. Embracing the power of healing and coping with "little deaths" such as divorce or the sudden loss of a job, as well as the great losses of loved ones to "Time's Eternal March", Lynn Andrews' Tree Of Dreams is a powerful and moving metaphysical reflection. Also very highly recommended are Lyn Andrews' previous books: Medicine Woman and Jaguar Woman.

These DeLorme maps are great. I plan on visiting the state of Utah next spring and do some hiking while I am there and these look great. The details of the roads and all campsites are awesome. I plan to purchase more of these of other states. They even have details about fishing being available.

Quick delivery, good price, excellent travel guide for the state of Utah where you want to see terrain, not just highways.

I think the title says it all. It is very useful. I got it really fast and it is flawless.

Great maps as always from DeLorme.. I have 6 different states, great for fly fishing, fishing and hiking.. You can use the GPS cordinates to get to specific locations. A must have for the fisherman, hiker and camper.

I love these DeLorme maps. I love traveling in the West but since I live in New Jersey, I get a little nervous sometimes when driving around Utah or Arizona - it's just so empty compared to what I'm used to. These Delorme atlases are my security blanket. They're so detailed that no matter where I am, I can look at the map and find a road or a landmark that will reassure me that I'm in the right place.

If you are interested in Native American history and culture, this book (like all of Arden's books) is a great place to provide insight. Wisdom is the key point in this work as well as his others. A fantastic piece and one that will grab your heart, mind, and soul.

I have had the pleasure of knowing both Harvey Arden and Steve Wall for many years now. Their books have touched the heart of many people around the world. This book is one of their best ever! The photos and stories/histories of the Wisdomkeepers within awaken your senses in a profound way. Journey with these two former National Geographic icons and learn with them, through them, and find what you've been looking for - an understanding of what it is to be human, through the journey of these amazing purveyors of hope, wisdom and truth.

Very informative, Well done and a listening pleasure...Something you can listen to over again and pickup something new each time....

The book is so well done, but the talking book is far better. You enter the jounery with them. You hear the wisdom of the spirtiually elders and long with the creaking of the doors and beatiful pow-wow/drumming in the background. You get a great opportunity to hear the calling of the eagle out of the sky at wounded knee that was prayered out of the sky by Frank Fools Crow. The best part that makes me laugh is when Steve Wall and Harvey Arden go and see one of the elders. Steve doesn't have a chance to go into his spell when the elder tells them I know why you are here you lost your orginial instructations. Also when they go and see charlie Knight and he asks them each time when Ya Leavein.

She:Kon (Sago)(Hello) To all who read this and hope you are all well. I personally know some of the Wisdom Keepers, Elders whose words are in this book and know them to be of good mind and person. I am Mohawk and Odawa and I come from upstate New York near some of the Reservations and I fully recommend this book for any person who needs to come back to the reality of the living world around them and bring them back to the basic relation between humankind and all the life that is on this earth and surrounds us in the cosmos.

This is a well researched and written book about the Indian wars on the New York and Pennsylvania frontiers during the American Revolution. It tells the stories of the Wyoming Massacre, the Cherry Valley Massacre and the Sullivan campaign providing the details on each but in a very readable format. It also provides some details on other not so well known events on the frontiers like the situation around Pittsburgh and in western Pennsylvania. Consequently, this book fills in a gap in the American Revolution and worth the purchase for any individual interested in reading more about that period.

After two years of fighting in America with limited success, the British felt they were, to coin a popularized modern term, in a bit of a quagmire, and sought a new strategy for their overseas war. The new strategy involved moving the war away from the more populated northeast and into the western frontier. This move would not only disperse the already diminutive American forces, but would also allow Britain to utilize its strongest North American allied force, the Iroquois Indian Confederacy.

Glenn William's book, THE YEAR OF THE HANGMAN: WASHINGTON'S WAR AGAINST THE IROQUOIS chronicles the events that took place in those western frontier skirmishes and battles. The book derives its name for the year, 1777, which had become popularly known at the time as the `year of the hangman' due to the three sevens appearance of gallows when written, though the majority of the events actually occurred in 1779. Though using that title for his book was too good of an opportunity to pass up, William's title is slightly misleading as to the dates of the primary events.

The Iroquois, though primarily located in Western and Central New York, were quite possibly the strongest Indian nation of North America for a span of over 500 years. Their control reached across the Great Lakes into Central Wisconsin and their rise to prominence came at the cost of driving out, and driving to extinction, numerous other Indian tribes of the region. They were, to be sure, a force to be reckoned with.

Both the Americans and the British had heavily lobbied allegiance with the Iroquois, but in the end, the Indians felt their best chance for future lay at the hands of the British and consequently, four of the six main tribes of the Iroquois sided with the British. This error in judgment would prove fatal to the Iroquois nation, when, as a primary result of the Sullivan Expedition, the Iroquois nation would virtually lose all of its military and political power.

While the Sullivan Expedition is the primary focus of William's book, other major events are deftly chronicled as well, such as the Battle of Oriskany and the Wyoming Valley attacks. By 1979, Gen. Washington had successfully developed the army making it capable of taking the fight to the Indians and literally destroying their economical stability and rendering them harmless, not just for the remainder of the revolution, but into the subsequent years of frontier settlement into the traditional Iroquois homelands.

That Washington was able to develop a force the size of the Sullivan Expedition (5000 men) is in and of itself, a testament to Washington's military leadership abilities and, though today, only an afterthought in Revolutionary history, stands as one of the General's greatest military accomplishments.

This is good reading. Glenn William's had put together a readable and valuable presentation of a rather forgotten aspect of America's fight for independence.

Monty Rainey
Junto Society

Mr. Williams recent book describes in excellent, understandable detail what caused the Americans to invade Iroquois territory and the effects of the invasion. His book is an excellent companion to another book I have read titled History of Wyoming, by Charles Miner that was originally written in 1845. Miner interviewed people who survived or were connected to the Wyoming Massacre, while Williams had access to all the archives. The two books fill in details and each makes the other more rewarding to read.

I read this book because I have Loyalist ancestors who were members of Butler's Rangers and almost certainly participated in the battles described in such detail. My ancestors, William Pickard and his 2 sons James and Benjamin, two privates and a drummer boy, did not get mentioned in the book, but that was not a problem since around 900 people were in Butler's Rangers. They survived to move to Canada after the war and they started large families after leaving their homes in Tryon County.

The book has a nice section on the key personalities that I found useful since there were Butlers on both the Loyalist and Patriot sides. The book would be improved by detailed maps. Unless you can imagine where places like Tioga, Unidilla and Stone Arabia are, you will read the book in front of your computer with Google Maps open as I did. The book would also be improved with contemporary photos of the battle sites; some of these, like the Battle of Newton, were easily found on the web.

I learned much from the book and enjoyed it. It was very interesting to see that the Rangers contained a good number of Black soldiers who lived with the rest of the Rangers and the Indians. It was also interesting to see how both sides courted the Indians and tried to win their support. The book really makes the Revolution look much more like a civil war than people typically think.

The book was well written to the point that the book rich in detail was not lost by the tremendous amout of utilized quotes and reference points. More detail on the life style and pressures (for survival)of settlements along the frontier border would have been benefical.

This is a very informative quilt history book with fantastic, close-up photos of fabric. This will be a great addition to your Barbara Brackman collection. I had mine laminated and spiral bound!!

An invaluable resource for the quilt historian ,conservator or just an interested quilter. The illustrations helped me to identify fabric by period,style and color. The text gave me invaluable information to help identify a puzzling old quilt which was found stuffed in a chimney undisturbed for 90 years. Barbara Brackman is the author to read when one seeks information about quilts and their history. I enjoyed the chapter identifications allowing me to quickly access the fabric type I was seeking.

This is a good resource for the history of textiles with the purpose of dating quilts or construction of period correct clothing and quilts.

This book gives a very good compressive over view of fabrics in a certain time frame. While I bought it for reference I discovered it is quite enjoyable just to read. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in fabrics. It would be especially useful to a beginning fabric aficionado.

what a wonderful resource book for anyone who is interested in fabric/fiber arts.
i'm a quilter who likes to create quilts with a flair from yesterday. this book not only helps me to be closed in my interpretation of that time, it does guide me through the decision which colors have been more used than others. the contents/pictures are very clear and the instructions to recreate some of the quilts are outstanding. i would give this book 6 stars!

This time Becka and Scott, and Ryan, too, are off to New Mexico to help a young Native American in a fight against demons, evil, and misunderstanding. This could be their toughest assignment ever and one of them may fall.

James Riordan does a much better job with this one (yes, he is the author and not Bill Myers). Very little in the way of facts to get wrong like in his earlier contributions to the series. There is the standard question of what is going on with the kids and their school that they never seem to attend anymore.

My real disappointment this time comes from the author's insistence on using the term Indian and not Native American. If we are to truly love our neighbor, should we refer to them by a derogatory word? I think not.

While this is Riordan's best effort in the series, it is also his last. Bob DeMoss will be taking over the series with the next book (The Wiccan).

There is no way to give proper tribute to these amazing books in 1,000 words or less. They are must read books for any teenager who wanted to know how to fight evil with good and know how great our God is. With a quoted word from scripture, demons flee in terror. The difference in power between he who lives in this world and He who lives in me is astronomical. Of Christian non fiction out there, this series is one of three I took the time to read, buy, and recommend. Bill Myers is a fanomonal writer. He's right up there with C.S. Lewis. My only question is: who is Z?

hi, this is an awesome book for anyone of all ages and religous backgrounds. i own the entire series and love them all. they're very inspirational and remind me of how powerful the Lord is when i have a problem. has anyone heard anything about another book(#11)?? if so let me know. thanks

This is an awesome series for any Christian teen, and anyone else who wants to read it! It really shows the power of God and how He gives Christians authority over demons, etc. This series can really build your faith! Except the last book made you think another one was coming... what about #11? I hope there is more to come! =)

What a book! Man, Bill Myers sure knows how to pack everything a Christian teenager needs to know in one book. This book is definitely the best of all the Forbidden Doors series. (I've read them all.) It has spiritual warfare, humor, heavy-duty prayer, plus tons of other stuff. Definitely 5 stars, all the way!

Angus and the Hidden Fort, by Steven A. Corirossi, was one of my favorite books. It's about [a small]kid who found a secret fort and it actually belonged to someone very famous years ago. To find out who it is, you got to check this book out. I loved how Steven wrote the ending. He added so much detail that I was disappointed when the book was over. This book is one of those books that you wish could never end. I recommend this book to six graders and up because I don't think that little kids would understand. If there are anymore books by Steven Corirossi, I got to read them!

Angus And The Hidden Fort by Steven A. Corirossi is an engaging novel for young readers about Angus McBride a nine-year-old boy, and his best friend Andrew Sills, who when exploring Black Hawk Park, discover the legacy of a one hundred and fifty year old mystery. Angus And The Hidden Fort is a highly recommended, adventurous and exciting tale, and one that opens with an unknown individual fleeing the wrath of two bare-chested Indians and proffers tantalizing hints as to the who and the why of the chase, until the stunning revelation of the end. The debut novel of a six-book series, readers will appreciate author Steven Corirossi's talents as a first class storyteller and will look eagerly forward to the new two titles: Angus And The Mysterious House and Angus And The Forgotten Trails.

Angus and the Hidden Fort is a very funny, mysterious, and exciting book. Although some words in this book I didn't know, by the time I was done with each chapter I had at least one word to add to my vocabulary list. I could read this book over and over and never get tired of reading it.

I was so excited to learn about this new adventure series--set in Central Illinois--that I just had to write and tell the author how grateful I am... it isn't too frequent that I can share with my 5th graders such wonderful, family-friendly stories that practically take place in our own backyard! Both Angus and the Hidden Fort and Angus and the Mysterious House are creatively and well written chapter novels that not only my students enjoyed, but I did as well. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of Steven's third book, Angus and the Forgotten Trails... hurry up!

The book was a nice adventure story for boys or girls, although more geared to boys because all of the main characters in both time frames were male. Going back and forth in time made for more interesting reading and there was an element of mystery about the characters from the past that made the reader want to keep going to see what really happened and to whom.

The protagonist in the present was an adventuresome boy and I could imagine more stories of his exploits from the author. As an adult, I found the book a little simplistic and fairly predictable; still, I enjoyed the yarn and read it all. I think youngsters could picture themselves involved in this kind of exploration, doing a little detective work and trying to figure out some of the unexplained happenings.

I couldn't set this book down. He literally goes through every possibility, facing years of uncertainty, and still keeps trying - and graduates college and law school in the meantime. I cannot imagine going through what he went through in Kenya, then coming to the US as a safe haven, and facing such a drawn-out, uphill battle simply to stay.

His story is not always easy to read but it is very engaging, even if, like me, you are not a lawyer or law student. David Kenney Ngaruri and his friends and colleagues in this book are very inspirational.

This is an eloquent and heartbreaking tale of one immigrant's journey throught the U.S. Immigration system. It reads like a John Grisham novel although the story is sadly true. The author, a 7-foot tall Kenyan, was a political prisioner in Kenya for his role as a labor organizer. He faced imprisonment and torture and was ultimately able to escape Kenya via the promise of a basketball scholarship in the United States. In his quest for political asylum in the U.S. he encouters heartless judges,corrupt officials, State Department bureaucrats, a beautiful "witch", kidnapping rebels, interpid law students and a dedicated and brilliant law profressor (his co-author). I couldn't put it down and felt a mixture of outrage at the U.S. immigration system while in awe of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most dauting of odds.

My copy arrived yesterday; I may not get to read it until our beach vacation this summer. But the photo of the two authors on the inside back flap of the dust jacket may be the funniest author photo ever! It will be hard to wait until this summer to read it.

This is an amazing book that makes plain the unbelievable complexity of immigration law. Anyone with an interest in immigration policy should read this book.

For those of you looking for a good summer read to take to the beach, or just a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy day, I highly recommend opening up the pages of Asylum Denied. It is both informative and inspiring as it tells the story of David Kenney Ngaruri, the political asylee who struggled to stay in America. Although the book is currently being passed around law schools, as the new go-to-guide for asylum law, I am sure it will not be long before it makes the bestseller stands at nation-wide bookstores or grabs a spot on Oprah's booklist. Asylum Denied, written by two authors, the above-mentioned David Kenney Ngaruri and Philip Schrag, the professor of law at Georgetown University, serves both as a law manual and as a heart-warming story of adventure, perseverance, and love. Unlike most law-related books, it reads very smoothly and catches your attention from the first page. Even if this is not the usual type of book you read, I urge you to give it a try. If the face on the cover of the book is not enough to convince you to read it, then I hope this review will.