North America Books

Is there anything Nora Roberts can't write?
She creates such wonderful family dynamics; no wonder since she's the only girl and has four brothers. I think that may be why she writes such believable sibling relationships. The MacKades, the O'Hurley's, the McGregors and so on. Like you'll read in a future book, "Convincing Alex," there's a studly Ukranian who turns out to be the perfect match of a poor little rich girl. In "Luring," the "lady" is Sydney and she has money but a barricuda for a mother who would like nothing better than to set her daughter up with another trust fund kid. Thankfully, Mikhail comes along and Thurston Howell III is not only not necessary he's an embarrassment when compared with the hot-blooded, hot-tempered Mik.
You can have your doctors and lawyers, gimme a man wearing a tool belt any day of the week. When Mik and his Dad decide to fix up the apartments that Sydney's ailing grandfather never got around to refurbishing, you can almost visualize the beeds of sweat dripping down Mik's torso. When she arrives for their date and he answers the door in a towel, ay, ay, ay! Somebody get out the ice water.
But Mik's not just a tough-talkin' handy man, he is a true artist and carves the most beautiful sculptures from wood. Sydney's snooty Mom knows Mik's artistic reputation, and he'd be okay for a fling but NOT to marry. What a loser! With the death of her beloved grandpa, Sydney needed Mik's down-to-earth family almost as much as she needed his hunky self :)
Do yourself a favor and get ALL these books, even the "Waiting for Nick" book is great. It's a sequel and features Nick, brother of Zach who is married to Rachel Stanislaski or however they spell it; who falls for the step-daughter of Natasha Stanislaski. Maybe this is where the new movie "Music and Lyrics," starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, got their premise.
"Luring a Lady" features so many nice facets. There's the hot yet realistic romance, the tension between this couple as well as Sydney and one of her executives who'd like to push her out of the CEO office, and the lovable family dynamics.Mik takes Sydney away for a weekend to visit at Spence and Natasha's so we get to revisit this couple from "Taming Natasha" and you get to see Alex tease Mik that Sydney should go for HIM!
Frankly, I just don't know how someone could NOT love any of these books. It would be like trying to narrow down my favorite flavor of ice cream or my favorite relative: gotta love 'em all!

Nora Roberts did it again. This book is from the series about the Stanislaski family. Luring a lady focuses on Rachel. A young Assistant District Attorney who meets her match when she meets Zach, the step-brother of one of her clients! This book is highly recommended for anyone but it is a can't miss for any Nora Roberts fan.

This book is #2 in the Stanislaski Family series!

This is the book about Mikhail...Here you will meet Sydney Hayward who just recently took over her grandfather's company after his death...She is prim and proper and nobody thinks she can do the job...not her family or her friends....they think she should go back to doing what they feel she does best...giving parties, shopping...getting her nails done....But Sydney wants more for herself and wants to make this job work....

Mikhail is an artist living in a very run down apartment building which is owned by Hayward....He has finally had it after months and months of letters trying to get something done about the building that is falling apart....He storms into Sydney's office and the sparks fly....She hires him to fix the building after seeing it with her own eyes....And she begins to see more with her eyes like Mikhail!

I really enjoyed this one...maybe even more than Falling for Rachel...I just love the Stanislaski series!

Well this is a story about Mikhail Stanislaski and the lady he falls in love with Sydney Hayward. This book is the best romance book that I have ever read. It makes me wish that I was Sydney Hayward. Well I will tell you a little bit about the book without spoiling it for you. It starts out that Mikhail meets Sydney when he goes into her office to complain that the apartments she owns are falling apart and that they aren't safe and he wants them fixed. She hires him to fix the apartments, soon they go out on a date and you have to read rest of the book to find out what happens.

A really good Nora Roberts book. This story focuses on Mikhail Stanislaski and the woman he falls for: Sydney Hayward. Sydney is the new owner of the building Mikhail lives in. They set off sparks when he confronts her with problems in the building....the rest you should read for yourself. Not to be missed by Nora Roberts fans.

Overall I was pleased with Roszak's book. Most of the pieces i've read about the sixties and the "hippie" era focus only on the sex, the drugs, and the music. While Roszak did dicuss this, his book was quite different because it focused mainly on the politcal and social issues of the time. Roszak include everything from the Vietnam War to how the counter culture has affected the lifestyles of the typical American family. Although Roszk is clearly on the far left side of the political spectrum, it is obvious that he tries his best to be objective and is sure to back up most of his points and information with credible sources. What I admire most about Roszak's book is the tone he takes. In my experience, many adult pieces concerning this era in history and the taboo, radical things that went on are often full of criticism towards that particular generation. Roszak did not criticize the protestors or the acid droppers, like most do. In his book, he carefully explained and supported the motives for these people, suggestng his approval and admiration for those who weren't afraid to stand up for what they believed in, no matter how much society frowned upon it.

This book offers a highly detailed examination of the relationship of the late 1960's counterculture to cutting-edge intellectual ideas of the same era; Roszak discusses Herbert Marcuse and Norman Brown, among others, in great detail and shows very lucidly how their ideas influenced intellectual and political movements on college campuses in both America and Europe. Roszak's prescience here is amazing, considering that he wrote this book in 1967-68, while the phonemena he discusses were still unfolding! It would be interesting if Roszak were to write a response to his own book today, considering how the counterculture of the early 1990's has been so rapidly devoured by the mainstream--Roszak foresaw the possibility of this happening to the 1960's counterculture, but it took far longer then than it has now. Roszak's ruminations on the absurdity of the Alternative Nation would be welcome with this reader!

Roszak's "Making of a Counter Culture" defined an era and the youth society that composed it. A thrilling expose' of Counter Culture Philosophy and oreintation, this is where the discussion all began. His bent on analysis of cultural differences and tendency to omit much of the political implications necessitated the need for a library of text thereafter.
Timothy Fitzgerald

read this still inspiring report on the counterculture and own its potential for self-transformation in your own life and the life of our global society.

I read this book in 1979 and it helped me to make sense of the 60s landslide in my own life. Re-reading it many times over the years, together with Roszak's other very insightful work (Unfinished Animal, 1975) is always an inspiring reminder of the counterculture's deep potential for cultural renewal. Forty years after the Summer of Love, Roszak's insights are still right on.

This book is by far the most seminal book one can read in attempting to get an accurate and unvarnished understanding of the sixties counterculture; the social and historical reasons for its rise, its intellectual underpinnings, and the way in which its actions were informed and indeed propelled by its unique constellation of integrating values into a cultural ethos.

Recently the counterculture has been viciously attacked, intellectually trashed and intentionally trivialized by a series of books and articles by mainstream neoconservatives who wish to discredit the counterculture once and for all by blaming it and the "permissiveness" it spawned for the manifest ills the mainstream society has actually engendered through the evolution of its own corrupted, nonrepresentative, and nondemocratic political process. Many ignorant youthful authors have succumbed to attributing fallacious ideas and notions of this ethos in a way that is not only inaccurate and disingenuous, but which serves to trivialize the quite serious cultural critique it comprised.

All that is set aside here. Remember, this book was written more than 30 years ago, even as the counterculture was rising, so it is very much a observational history, one done at ground zero of the demonstrations, sit-ins, when the tumult and strident calls for radical new solutions rang clear, and the heady air of nascent social and intellectual revolution was in the air.

Here one finds the counterculture placed in its proper context, and not just discussed 'en passant' as the demonized triage of sex, drugs, and rock and roll'. One can hardly understand the sixties in such simplistic terms, and Roszak helps one to understand the complex welter of social, economic, and political factors that led to its emergence. In its essence the counterculture was a social and political reaction to the hypocrisy of the mainstream materialistic culture from which it sprang, and as sociologist Philp Slater has commented elsewhere, most of the individual elements of the value system of the counterculture stem from values the mainstream culture in fact claims to hold but actually does not practice and employ.

This, then, is book with remarkable insight, perspective, and historical verve. Rosazak nails quite accurately the tensions, problems and contradictions associated with the rise of the counterculture and the innate problems its continued existence eventually portended for the materialistic mainstream culture. Of course, as history shows us, the sixties ethos was flattened by the overwhelming onslaught of the establishment and the Ohio National Guard, and the political and social ethos of the counterculture melded into the domain of increasingly isolated private and personal philosphies of hippies being assimilated into the mainstream.

The fact that its ethos is now blamed for much of the discontent and confusion of contemporary America is a likely result of what happens when one tries to merge antagonistic ideas and notions into a cultural system that is inconsistent with its own. This is a wonderful book, and one needs to read before the victors of those fractious times so revise the official version of the history of the 1960s that those of us who were there will no longer recognize it.

An outstanding book covering the founding and development of one of the great ski and resort areas in the country. .

The photographs alone are worthy of buying this book. There are plenty of rare b&w shots of mammoth from the turn of the 20th century on up and prime photos of the Mccoy legend. One of my favorite shots is Dave's Harley with skis strapped to it--circa late '30's! In addition, the text is nicely written giving you a sense of the key players in the development of mammoth as a ski town, mammoth in the world of ski racing, and nice vignettes on some unique things to the eastern sierra--from Schat's Bakkery to big horn sheep.

This book is awesome! The pictures are excelent and the information is great. Nice to know what Mammoth used to look like before it became the famous place that it is today.

Absolutely the most beautiful collection of photos of Mammoth and the surrounding area can be found in this book! It provides a wonderful history and insight into the creation and life of this skiing Mecca. This is a must have for any Mammoth lover!

Anyone who likes skiing will love this book. Forstenzer's familiarity with the Sierra makes it one that won't just sit around on the coffee table. He writes engagingly and tells great stories about the early days of skiing in Mammoth and its culture, how the ski area was built and some of the people involved. The photographs are astonishing and well worth the price alone, but in combination with the writing Forstenzer lets us glimpse what made Mammoth Mountain the great ski resort it has become. This is a terrific book about past and present skiing days at Mammoth. Like most any ski item associated with Warren Miller - breathtaking!

This is a great book- but it has nothing to do with a Native American boy living in the east! Mindy is a Hopi girl living in Arizona!

Susan has a lovely writing style and a deep understanding of her Hopi culture. I recommend this book for those wanting to learn more about the Hopi culture from the Hopi viewpoint.

This is a timely book, especially with the typical flurry of Native American activities that start in November in schools around the nation. One of the best qualities of this book is that it shows that Naiche is like any other American boy: has a family, lives in a house, eats pizza, plays soccer, and wears cargo pants. Native Americans are still the subject of stereotypes fueled by many aspects of society. For example, sports team mascots that reinforce people's ignorance. This book goes a long way toward showing that Native children have the same dreams and needs as all of our children.

This is a beautifully written and photographed book that should be on every teacher's reading list, public library, and family bookshelves.

Having seen an advance copy of this extremely informative and enjoyable book, I can urge teachers and parents looking for entertaining material on how Native Americans in the East live today to buy this book. It tells the story of a multi-tribal boy and his daily life. Dr. Tayac has an engaging writing style and the history and culture are presented in a very accessible manner.

Naiche is described so stirringly in this book by Dr. Tayac that any native or non-native American would want to know him. Many American children in 2002 grow up multi-culturally and this wonderfully written children's book clearly evokes a compelling portrait of Naiche's world. The richness of Naiche's Indian culture will expand the horizons of any child who reads this page turner.

This book will inform and entertain youngsters from second to sixth grade. Youngsters from about third to sixth grade can read this book independently while first and second graders can have it read to them. It demonstrates the daily life of a real native child and shows how many American Indian children live in the eastern region of the U.S. today. It also corrects common beliefs that many youngsters between ages 6 and 11 or 12 hold, that native children live in teepees and wear deerskin clothes etc. The author, Dr. Gabrielle Tayac, a Piscataway Indian and Naiche's cousin writes clearly and is obviously familiar with her reader and subject. She knows Naiche and his family well and communicates this to her audience in a interesting manner. The photography and the text mesh beautifully to tell the true life story of a contemporary native family through the eyes of a child.

this is a great book, lots of detailed photos. i am reading this book for a chicano studies class and its a bit hard to read at times.

I have been reading books on pre-Columbian America for over 20 years, and Michael Coe's titles have always been amongst my favorites. He has not dissappointed me this time either. This book is a great summary of what is known, to date, about pre-hispanic Meso America. Good reading, good archeology.

This is a simple and easy to use reference to the archeological history of Mexico. Simply laid out with lots of examples. Good book.

Manuel's review of this book is excellent - I couldn't have written it any better! However, here's my two-cents worth:

This book is a must read for anyone who lacks basic knowledge of the ancient Mexican cultures. It provides the reader with brief (and in some cases, more than brief) summaries of several of the various cultural groups that existed, covering geographic, cultural, agricultural, religious, architectural and political backgrounds. It has timelines and drawn maps to aid the reader's temporal and geographical orientation. It contains many illustrations and photographs of artifacts found, temples, statues...etc. excavated. It even includes a brief section and tips on visiting Mexico.

The only gripe I have with this book is that it provides you with a lot of information on some cultures, such as the Aztecs and Toltecs and leaves you with insufficient info on other cultures mentioned, such as the Totonacs. However, this is probably because what archeologists have unearthed of Mesoamerica is only a tiny fraction of what actually existed, i.e. the less than brief information on some of the cultural groups mentioned in this book is probably due to archeologists not having unearthed enough remnants of the existence of these cultures/not being able to fully interpret or place what they have found to date. I'm sure Coe would have provided more info if there was more in-depth info, though in the case of the Maya, there is simply too much information to be made known and hence, rather than trying to simplify everything into one chapter, a whole, separate book has been dedicated to that group.

To make up for this lack of info on some groups, Coe provides us with pictures of artifacts found, as in the section on the Olmecs, and illustrations and descriptions of their distinctive artistic/architectural style and states the likelihood of the origination of these styles and what they probably signified. I must admit that I found the more than just brief descriptions/concentrations on the artistic styles/pottery work/architectural preferences...etc. of some of the lesser-known groups a little annoying, for I am not an art/archeology student and was looking for info more on the way of life, beliefs...etc. than on their pottery and carving skills and architectural styles. Nonetheless, I am grateful that these were brought to the reader's attention rather than nothing at all mentioned.

I enjoyed this book as a kick-start to my growing interest in ancient Mexican and Andean cultures and think that it makes a good quick-reference book. At least now I have an idea/starting point of some of the ancient Mexican groups. One should read this book keeping in mind that a lot about ancient Mexico has yet to be discovered and will never be discovered (afterall, a majority of the remnants of these cultures were destroyed by conquering forces) and thus, should be thankful for whatever is divulged in this book.

This book makes it clear that the bulk of Mexican history (and Central America) has NOTHING at all to do with Europeans or anything "Latin American."

In fact, only 5 centuries of Mexico's archeological history has any European trace, vs. 28,000 years of indigenous Mexican occupation.
Michael Coe tells the story of Mexico through it's common denominator: the indigenous people, the "Indians. "

Dr. Coe shows that Mexico is more than just the Aztecs with whom we are most familiar. He presents a breath-taking parade of pyramid-civilizations going back 4,000 YEARS:
Olmec, Tlatilco, Cuicuilco, Izapan, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Mixtec, Tarasco, Toltec, Huaxtec, El Tajin, Pipil, Western Mexico, Zacatecas, Chalchihuites, Cacaxtla, Xochicalco, Chichen Itza, Nicarao and the multi-layered "Maya".
He even includes the Casas Grandes civilization near the Texas border.

Prof. Coe presents recent archeology showing that Mexico had developed the elements of a true civilization between 2300 B.C. - 1800 B.C. This Olmec Civilization predates the Jewish presence in Israel and occurred before there was a single town or city in all of Western Europe.

(By the time Solomon built the First Temple in Isreal in 960 B.C., the Olmec capital at San Lorenzo was already over 400 years old.)


Coe's book is unique in that it presents Mexico's history through an objective long view, and not merely through the ethnocentric cultural lens of Europeans. He presents a refreshing analysis of Mexico that does not use the Spanish Invasion as the starting point (he hardly mentions the Spanish all until the very end). European divisions are not the way to understand Mexico's history, just as British imperial definitions do not do justice to the understanding of the Irish people.

Coe delves deeply into the incredible creation of corn domestication 9,000 years ago in Mexico. The corn plant requires human intervention, and the ingenuity of ancient Mexican farmers gave rise to one of the world's most unique and vigorous civilizations, just as wheat did for Iraq, and rice did for China.

Coe demonstrates, that unlike Europe, Mexico did not "borrow" new technologies and ideas from established foreign cultures (i.e. writing, agriculture, mathematics, religion, gunpowder, architecture, political structures, etc). This isolation makes Mexico's achievements all the more impressive, Dr. Coe asserts, making it one of the 3 or 4 "pristine civilizations" in the world (i.e. Iraq & China)

Modern Mexico is really an artificial political concept, historically speaking. The modern boundaries have only existed for 150 years and as late as 1823, Central America was part of Mexican territory. And until 1848, Mexico included everything from Texas to California.

This book shows that this history is not confined to the Rio Grande nor to Mexico's border with Guatemala. He includes "The Turquoise Road" trade relations with the U.S. Southwest and discusses the "transmission of Mesoamerican traits" into that area, using the Hopi as an example.

Coe does a great job of presenting several satellite states of these great civilizations as well, such as the incredible influence of Mexico's mightiest civilization: Teotihuacan, whose pyramid city (larger than the city of Rome at its height) is today Mexico's #1 tourist attraction.

Considering that Mexico lacked metallurgy until after 800 AD, it is astonishing to behold the thousands of temple-pyramids, hundreds of ceremonial centers, and hundreds of towns and cities that indigenous Mexicans created across the land-- WITHOUT METAL TOOLS or draft animals. Europeans had animals like oxen and horses to do work for them, but Mexicans had only human muscle and no oxen, hence the lack of use for the wheel.


Our indigenous people call the land Anáhuac, meaning "the land between the waters" in the still-living Nahuatl language. Just as there is something historically known as "Christendom" or "Western Civilization"
(oddly enough, both are based upon non-Western achievements in Sumeria and Egypt).

As the reader of both of the recent editions of "Mexico" and "The Maya" will also learn, there was a unitary and common cultural matrix which connected and sustained all the cultures of Mexico and Central America down to Costa Rica. The divisions were far more political than cultural, just as in "Christendom" or the the modern European world.

I wish that Dr Coe would have addressed the similarities of the "Moundbuilder" civilization across the Eastern United States which built flat-topped pyramid structures with a temple at the top, astronomically aligned. These "Pyramids of the Mississippi" are so similar to Mexican pyramids that it warrants an investigation into cross-cultural contact.

(In fact, the Natchez people of Mississippi to this day maintain the story of ancient Mexicans passing through their lands, and is recorded by a French explorer a few centuries ago.)


Another small gripe I have with this the book is Coe's insistence on the "gods" school of thought, when we know from Spanish and Nahuatl records that there existed the Toltec concept of One Single God, Ometeotl, of which all the other "gods" are really manifestations/emanations. I thought a little more time could have been spent connecting those theological dots.

Coe acknowledges the existence of their Supreme Duality named OMETEOTL. But he continues to use the Spanish interpretation of "deities" instead of the notion of Manifestions of OMETEOTL, according to the High Priest tradition of the Aztec/Texcoco state alliance.
(and for the Maya this One God who is the Many is called HUNAB-KU.)

Christians are able to accept the concept of a Three-In-One God (Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit), along with deified Saints, a multitude of demons, Mary the Mother, and Satan the Lord of Hell...and yet Christians still consider themselves to be Monotheists who don't believe in different gods.

But hey, the "gods angle" sells a lot more books to a Western audience who seems to delight in the notion of "Aztec polytheism" while ignoring blatant Christian polytheism (The Trinity, the Saints, demons, angels, The Devil).

A lot of this rich and impressive history has only recently been gleaned from what are it's "leftovers".
95% of the astronomical almanacs and encyclopedias were burned by the Spaniards, by their own admission and only 40 years ago did serious archeological finds occur.

What other wonders went up in those flames?! What else lies beneath the surface?

This is a fascinating history that reads like a real-life detective story. Buy the book!

I love how Dr. Coe ends the book showing that modern indigenous culture still lives on in Mexico today. He didn't assign them a "dead" status like other books.
Well done, Dr. Coe.

Duncan is best at his research and then going out and finding people to interview for his topics. He doesn't leave anyone out, from 80-year-old homesteaders who refuse electricity or running water, to polygamists, questionable cattle rustlers to religiuous survivalists in New Mexico. He put his heart and soul into this book, and the chapters read easily, going from writing about the history of the places to the current people in the towns along the way.

His descriptions of the surroundings, the descriptions of the people he stays with for his interviews make this book a worthwhile read for lovers of the old Frontier. Although slightly dated now (references are from 1990) there is no doubt that many of the facts still remain; there are still many void regions of the West where few people dare to plant roots.

This book is comparable to Jon Raban's "Bad Lands" of eastern Montana, another good book on how the West was settled. Both were written in the late 1980s/early 1990s. How much of the information is still valid? Duncan toured every county in the US that had less than two people per square mile. Out in West Texas, New Mexico or Montana, that is still a lot of land.

You thought the American frontier had disappeared? Well, Dayton Duncan spent a couple of years visiting those American counties that still meet the definition of frontier -- less than two people per square mile.

In Miles From Nowhere, Duncan sheds light on what it means to live alone, really alone, no neighbors in sight or in small communities where there is no "next town over." There are quite a few counties in the mid-west and far west that meet the Census Bureau definition and the author provides an excellent sampling of what makes people stay or in some case move here.

The place stories are sometimes fascinating and also interesting. One area of Nevada was the fallout zone for early nuclear tests -- chosen because it was almost empty. Duncan explores some of the people who lived under where the white ash fell and explores their continuing health problems as well as their exasperation with an unresponsive government.

In Montana, there are still one-room schools where teachers live in trailers at the school site and teach one to ten kids from an attendance area measured in the hundreds or thousands of square miles. There are people in the mountains of Washington and Oregon who pack their cars with a week's worth of provisions in case they break down because that's how long it could take someone else to happen upon their stalled vehicle. And in Love County Texas, a county with under 1,000 people, the local elections are decided by feuds and family grudges that separate people into warring camps for elected offices which hold no real power and have no real money to spend.

I found a peak into these lives and stories fascinating and couldn't put the book down. Duncan has a way of getting these folks to open up and treats them matter-of-factly in a manner which allows the stories to speak for themselves.

This is a very interesting book that opens up a part of America that almost all of the rest of us will only ever drive through while considering it empty. Its not all empty, in valleys and nooks and up miles of dirt trails and in other hide-a-ways live some of us who are Miles From Nowhere and live a life the rest of us would have a difficult time enduring.

Here Dayton Duncan takes us on a fascinating tour of counties in several Western states that have fewer than two people per square mile - under which communities are considered "virtually uninhabited," at least in terms of standard sociological expectations. In addition to descriptions of jaw-dropping emptiness that people from more populated areas would find either uplifting or terrifying, Duncan provides many engaging stories of the real people toughing it out in these areas in which few are hardy enough to live. Examples are fractured politics among the Navajo in Utah; victims of nuclear testing in Central Nevada; an elderly woman living alone in Montana without modern conveniences dozens of miles form the nearest road; and the compelling story of the last few Seminole Negroes - descended from escaped slaves who mixed with Florida Indians and eventually ended up in West Texas. Included are great examinations of the cyclical boom-and-bust economics and strange politics confronting these lonely places, as they are alternately overlooked, romanticized, dumped on, and fought over by know-it-alls from far away. (On the other hand, Duncan also examines the irony in how such people often despise government interference, even though their existence would likely be impossible without Federal subsidies.) Duncan shows that these under-populated regions are still home to hardy and interesting people who continue to fulfill the American ideal of breaking off from the rat race and making it on one's own. [~doomsdayer520~]

In "Miles from Nowhere," Dayton Duncan travels to all the least populated counties in the continental United States--the frontiers--just about all of which happen to be in the West.
He explains that the definition of "frontier" has to do with how many people live within one square mile, and then he commences to visit all the loneliest, most offbeat, most middle of nowhere spots in the entire country.
What he finds, he writes about in flowing, clear prose, and he does a good job understanding and explaining the lives and lifestyles of the people he meets.
This is the kind of book that makes you pack your bags. It could be dangerous. It could make you load your wife into a car and head out to a mice-infested trailer on some tired patch of Arizona soil where cows block your driveway, your water comes from a windmill, and your nearest neighbor is a gun-toting survivalist who homeschools his kids.
I know it can happen. See my profile for evidence.
The book is worth it alone for its portrait of Alex Joseph, his many wives, and the polygamous citizens of Big Water, Utah. Their group is a subject worthy of whole books, but this is one of the few printed references on them, and Alex Joseph's son told me himself that they consider this book to be almost completely accurate. They like it too.

I read this book several years ago, and it still crosses my mind often. Dayton Duncan is a wonderful author, and you immediately are in the vehicle with him, sitting right along side him and experiencing all the highs and lows of this trip in 3-D. Soon after I read this book, I sought out and read everything else he'd written by then, each of which was a joy to read. If you enjoy road trip books and learning something about the nature of we Americans, you'll not go wrong by reading this book. I've read most other contemporary American road travel books, and this certainly ranks at the very top (along with Bill Bryson's "The Lost Continent"). Get both books, you'll have traveled the length and breath of the country by the time you've finished andyou'll have met some very interesting, fun companions along the way.

In planning Native American Stand for a day camp...this book is awesome. Has wonderful games, crafts, foods etc and it breaks it down into which tribe was known for each...very educational and a wonderful resource.

This is the best, most extensive book on Native American crafts for children I have ever seen. Teachers doing a unit on Native Americans will find this book a tremendous resource for creating all kinds of not authentic, but good semblances of Native American crafts. Using mostly ordinary materials, there's enough here that you can create a classroom museum and invite others to see it. In your display you can have: miniature teepees and wigwams, an "adobe" house, pottery, "bark" boxes (made of brown paper), chamois and bead pouch, coup stick, breechcloth, leggings, grass anklets (made of yarn), warbonnet, headband, breastplate, and much more. These clothing items can also be used in a play or other enactment. In addition, there are some interesting recipes, including: corn soup, steamed clover, fried squash blossoms, roasted pumpkin seeds, and other more familiar foods.

I am a K teacher and I found this book a great resource for my Native American unit. It has so many activities for that could be used at any grade level! I learned many new things and loved that the children were making and learning about actual Native American games, garb and food. They loved it!

This was the most valuable toolwe found to help my 3rd grader make her diarama herself. The directions are clear and simple, she was able to build evereything herself. A MOst, Great!

More than Moccasins is this homeschooler's dream come true. Homeschooling a six year old, who is also a very hands-on learner, this book fits the bill. Each section, from Indian dwellings to pottery to traditional games, has activities that are fun and EASY TO DO! Very general household items can be turned into bakeable clay for pottery, teepees, etc. So many books with crafts require tedious materials that are difficult or cumbersome to obtain. Plus each section has a bit of information and history on that particular area of Native American culture ~ short enough for the younger set but detailed enough to provide accurate historical information to go along with the project. There are MORE activities, games, crafts and recipes than you could ever do in an entire unit. This is a book I will return to over and over. GREAT JOB!

I interviewed Jacqueline Duheme when she was promoting this exquisite book, and one thing remains in my mind that she said about "The Grand Dame, Jacqueline" - that she could have been a painting woman!!!

As an ardent admirer of Mrs. Kennedy for the past 40 years, I have read every book on her that I could get my hands on. "Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a refreshing change from the repetitive narratives and recycled photos that are the mainstay of so many other books about her life. Ms. Duheme's illustrations are elegant and sumptuous but also embrace a childlike purity and simplicity which capture the essence of Mrs. Kennedy's persona and mystique. The commentary has the simple charm of a beautifully written children's book. It is obvious why Mrs. Kennedy chose Ms. Duheme to accompany her on her more memorable trips abroad as First Lady. A truly enchanting book.

Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad is an adorable little book filled with colorful Fauvist-like illustrations. Anyone who likes Laura Stoddart's simple-chic illustrations for Kate Spade will probably enjoy it. Fans of the recent exhibition at the Met that highlighted Jackie's White House clothes may appreciate it too. The commentary is kept to a minimum and black and white photos from Mrs. Kennedy's travels are included, but the focus is on French artist Duheme's amusing miniature paintings that capture Jackie in all those great pink sleeveless dresses and crisp suits in Paris, India, London and Italy.

As a side note: Duheme and Jacqueline Kennedy became friends who shared similar painting styles, and Duheme was invited to Cape Cod to give the First Lady an art lesson.

This book has wonderful pictures that captures the "facts" from actual photographs and transforms them into scenes of "fantasy". I really enjoyed the background information that accompanies each picture. A real treat of Jackie fans.

"Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a beautiful book. The illustrations are lovely to look at, and the book is fun to read. A good choice for anyone to add to their library; especially recommended for those interested in the Kennedys and Jackie in particular. Evokes the fun mood of Jackie's scrapbook written with her sister Lee, "One Special Summer".

if you know a child or adult who needs a good fun laugh and has the imagination to enjoy this child/adult book then don't hesitate to get it. i received it just before new years day and had a good laugh to blow 2007 blues away completely. know someone in hospital who is allowed to laugh --- best gift ever. my father would have enjoyed this book during his hospital stay. i intend to share it with him shortly and he's 84.

Excellent Book. Fun Read. We loved the Edge Chronicles - this is just as good.

My granddaughter and I share a love for these books and enjoy reading them and then talking about them. Great book!

Muddle Earth is a great humourous book, which will make you laughing in a min.
Joe is a normal school kid on Earth, that is until he gets sucked up to Muddle Earth with his dog, Henry by a Wizard Randalf that only knows half a spell and who turns him to a warrior hero. The other thing is, he can't go home! He's stuck with Veronica, a sarcastic talking budgie, the clueless Wizard Randalf, and Norbert the Not-so-big, a troll, who's obsessed with baking, and icing sugar.
Soon he finds out that the thing about Mudddle Earth, is that it's really muddled! There's cutlery stampedes, talking trees, and babbling brooks.
AND He's expected to fight dragons, defeat trolls, and Stop Dr. Cuddles from taking over Muddle Earth!
This was a really great book, with a humourous plot, and with even more funnier characters! 5 stars just isn't enough for this book!

I thought that this book was great. From the very beginning it hooks you. I picked up muddle earth because a friend of mine was reading it. It has a great plot that is entwined throughout the whole book, you're always wondering how the silverware fit in. I highly recommend this book. Don't drink anything when you're reading this book, I guaruntee it will come out your nose.

This book is amazing. It saved my relation with my children. I have two teenagers and one pre teen. I had lots of problems with them. A friend of mine gave me this book almost three years ago as a gift. I read it more than once and started using the tips to treat my children. It worked like a charm. I'm really thankful to my friend and those authors. I recommend this book for any parents who have teens. As a matter of fact you don't have to wait till you have teens to read this book. It provides you with great advices to use with your young children to avoid future problems

In the well chosen title and subtitle for their book,the Beshirs' have succinctly encapsulated the essence of their message to parents and their teenage children.Whilst the focus of the book is Muslim Teenagers -the principles of parenting which the authors clearly delineate have relevance for all parents and teenagers.Yes ,the teenager is paradoxically the source of much concern and at the same time represents the hope for the future.It is this dichotomy that the Beshirs with their characteristic clarity and pragmatic approach help us to understand the teenagers life-world-a world charecterised by conflicting values,of tremendous peer -pressure and a world in which these young adults have to live in,undrestand and to establish a solid foundation on which to build the society of the future.This book makes for compelling reading because it is intelligible,practical and it is not esoteric or theoretical.It tackles real concerns and fears.The overriding message one gets is that with wisdom,compassion and meaningful intervention ,parents can effect positive behavioural changes.
Following on their very succesful book Meeting the Challenge of Parenting in the West;an Islamic Perspective,the Beshirs contextualise the situation for parents and children by emphasizing the need to understand teenagers and the bewildering changes that take place during this phase,and their socio-cultural environment which is often diametrically opposed to the values and norms of religion.The six practical signposts offered in their Road Map clearly point out steps that all concerned parents can follow on the journey leading their teenagers to responsible adulthood.We are shown how to nurture and develop a strong personality in our youth and how to transform them from passive apologists to confident young men and women who willingly and joyfully are convinced about their way of life.The principles derived from Koran and Sunnah underpin the practical advice and guidance offered.
As in their previous book,I found that the typical case studies very aptly illustrate the dilemma that confronts parents and their teenage children.How to analyse a situation,how to evaluate the options and how to arrive at acceptable solutions present the reader with many valuable insights.For me personally ,the 'cherry on the top' is always the contribution of the Beshirs' own daughters.In relating their personal experiences,they provide a refreshingly authentic perspective on thr pressures that confont them and the manner in which their parents'meaningful intervention has helped them to make the right choice.Here then is positive proof that even in this day and age ,it is possible to raise Muslim teens who despite being today's concern are yet tomorrow's hope.
Finally,this book is a must for parents and teenagers alike.

In the well chosen title and subtitle for their book,the Beshirs' have succinctly encapsulated the essence of their message to parents and their teenage children.Whilst the focus of the book is Muslim Teenagers -the principles of parenting which the authors clearly delineate have relevance for all parents and teenagers.Yes ,the teenager is paradoxically the source of much concern and at the same time represents the hope for the future.It is this dichotomy that the Beshirs with their characteristic clarity and pragmatic approach help us to understand the teenagers life-world-a world charecterised by conflicting values,of tremendous peer -pressure and a world in which these young adults have to live in,undrestand and to establish a solid foundation on which to build the society of the future.This book makes for compelling reading because it is intelligible,practical and it is not esoteric or theoretical.It tackles real concerns and fears.The overriding message one gets is that with wisdom,compassion and meaningful intervention ,parents can effect positive behavioural changes.
Following on their very succesful book Meeting the Challenge of Parenting in the West;an Islamic Perspective,the Beshirs contextualise the situation for parents and children by emphasizing the need to understand teenagers and the bewildering changes that take place during this phase,and their socio-cultural environment which is often diametrically opposed to the values and norms of religion.The six practical signposts offered in their Road Map clearly point out steps that all concerned parents can follow on the journey leading their teenagers to responsible adulthood.We are shown how to nurture and develop a strong personality in our youth and how to transform them from passive apologists to confident young men and women who willingly and joyfully are convinced about their way of life.The principles derived from Koran and Sunnah underpin the practical advice and guidance offered.
As in their previous book,I found that the typical case studies very aptly illustrate the dilemma that confronts parents and their teenage children.How to analyse a situation,how to evaluate the options and how to arrive at acceptable solutions present the reader with many valuable insights.For me personally ,the 'cherry on the top' is always the contribution of the Beshirs' own daughters.In relating their personal experiences,they provide a refreshingly authentic perspective on thr pressures that confont them and the manner in which their parents'meaningful intervention has helped them to make the right choice.Here then is positive proof that even in this day and age ,it is possible to raise Muslim teens who despite being today's concern are yet tomorrow's hope.
Finally,this book is a must for parents and teenagers alike.

This book is an excellent guide for helping parents raise their teens in today's society.
I found that the book highlights many of the family values and principles that are missing from our modern society. The information in the book is complemented with input from professionals in various fields on the psychological, physical, and spiritual aspects of growing up as a teen.
I enjoyed very much reading the case studies and practical examples; I thought they were very informative and helpfull in highlighting solutions and recommendations to many issues.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has young children or teens, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.

I really enjoyed reading this book for many reasons. It was comprehensive and practical, covering many of the real-life issues we may face raising teenagers today. It was also simple and easy to follow, while still educating me on some issues that are quite valuable, such as the physical, psychological, spiritual and emotional changes that teenagers go through.

The one thing that I liked the most about this book is the case studies, because they gave me the chance to see the application instead of just the theory, and they really helped me bring to home all the issues discussed in the book.