North America Books

For a short time I worked at a Florida lab helping to compile the USDA list of introduced arthropods. It was then I learned about a lot of obscure creature that had invaded the US in ballast, on plants, in clothing, and on wood, rock, sand, and just about any commodity or personal effect. The invasion has not stopped, but it is often not even known to be going on by the general public, except in some high profile invasions such as the Asian tiger mosquito!

John Leland, in his "Aliens in the Backyard: Plant and Animal Imports into America" presents us with many (but certainly not all) of these imported organisms, from starlings to Russian thistle and from dogs (first brought in by Native Americans) to anthrax. Some of these introductions changed history as they destroyed or interfered with crops, or were of medical importance. Smallpox, unknown in America, was used to kill Native Americans long before anyone heard of a virus by transferring contaminated blankets to the intended victims. Both diseases and destroyers of crops had their effects on armies and the outcomes of wars, as well as the physical and economic health of the hemisphere.

Despite a few irritating typos, I found the book to be basically accurate and I learned a few things as well, such as the fact that all species of human lice were already present in the New World when Columbus landed. Typhus may have been here as well.

This is one of those eye-opening books that should be read by everyone, especially if you are concerned with security. We don't need terrorists (although they can help things along) to cause major impacts on society. Nature and our own mobility can do it as efficiently or even better! We should also keep in mind that we, who evolved on the plains of Africa, are aliens to the New World as well! Indeed, John Leland drives this point home several times in this book!

We've all heard tales of the dreaded zebra mussel, rampant purple loosestrife, or prolific European starling, but if you think exotic species are the exception, even a quick browse of Leland's entertaining compendium of aliens will set you straight. You can't step into your backyard without treading on interlopers, like the favored Kentucky bluegrass.

From the hallucinogenic properties of hemp, morning glory, datura and more; to attempts to cultivate the silkworm; to rats, cockroaches and disease, Leland's essays offer an entertaining history of facts, rumors and squabbles on an exhaustive number of alien species. Whether purposely (often to rid the place of some other unwanted interloper) or accidentally introduced, aliens have long thrived in their new home and many have come to be considered natives.

A professor of English at the Virginia Military Institute, Leland ("Porcher's Creek: Lives Between the Tides") writes with wit and a certain wicked relish, and his research is dizzyingly thorough. But the sheer width and breadth of information is overwhelming. This is a book to keep, to dip into again and again a chapter or even a few pages at a time, so as to have some hope of retention.

With chapter titles like "Out of Africa," "Cowboys: And Their Alien Habits," "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time," and "Bioterror: Older than You Think," Leland makes an appreciative and entertaining case for the melting pot.

John Leland (Professor of English at the Virginia Military Institute) does a great job of pointing out which plants and animals are, and which plants and animals are not, native to America. He writes well with style, grace and wit, and he gives a lot of interesting information about how various animals and plants came to be incorporated into the America landscape and enterprise.

From apples to kudzu he details which aliens have been a boon and which have been a sorry bust. In the case of kudzu (Pueraria lobata, which I saw for the first time in a Louisiana swamp a week before hurricane Katrina hit), "It Seemed a Good Idea at the Time" (title of one of his chapters). That was before people realized that kudzu completely blankets "whatever it grows on in a smothering welter of leaves and vines" strangling trees and other vegetation to death. (p. 161)

Also not a good idea was the introduction of carp into America's waters. Leland opines that "Most fishermen and environmentalist regard its widespread introduction...as a disaster...," although there are some, including the Carp Angler Group, who have a different opinion. Similarly, people differ about whether it was a good idea to bring the starling (one of the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's works) to America since it is now considered "a dirty, noisy, gregarious, and aggressive" bird that has displaced native species. Perhaps the worst of the "it seemed like a good idea at the time" species is the gypsy moth, brought to America as a possible silk worm. Leland goes into some detail about "well-intentioned dreamers of silken fortunes" in the chapter, "A Sow's Ear from a Silk Purse."

But these deliberately introduced species are relatively benign in the public eye compared to those that have freeloaded their way into our land and have more or less taken over in ways that we cannot control. The German cockroach, the Norway or brown rat, and the tumbleweed (surprisingly not native to the land of the cowboy but from Russia (with love)--oh, you deluded Sons of the Pioneers!) are three that Leland zeroes in on. He also has a few words to say about the American cockroach (probably not American--also called the palmetto bug) and the Oriental cockroach. Here in southern California we have all three, the German, the American and the Oriental. The German is the ever so prolific one that lives indoors in apartment houses and restaurants the world over, while the larger American and Oriental tend to live outdoors. I sometimes find one of the latter in my house dried up and dead in a corner or in a drawer, having wandered in and found nothing to eat and no moisture.

An introduced species that is perhaps an even bigger pest here in the southland is the Argentine ant, which Leland unaccountably does not mention. I recommend he take a study on it. There's enough material there to write a book and then some. Once the Argentine ant (small and black with only an occasional tiny bite) sets up shop inside the walls or under an establishment such as an apartment building or a college dormitory, it is there to stay.

What Leland does so very well in this book, and what makes it superior to some other books I have read, is integrate the alien species into the historical and cultural experience of the American people. In his chapter, "Out of Africa," he details "How Slavery Transformed the American Landscape and Diet." I had to laugh when I read that watermelon is not native to America but comes from Africa, as do peanuts and Bermuda grass, sesame seed and of course the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) also known as the black-eyed pea. I had to laugh because I recalled Randy Newman's satirical song encouraging Africans to come to America in the early days of the republic for "the sweet watermelon and the buckwheat cake"!

Naturally, it is not in any way surprising that many of our foods come from other lands since most of the world's cuisines have found a home in American. Rice is not native, although the so-called "wild rice" is. Wheat comes from the Middle East as most people know, while potatoes are native to the Andes in South American.

In the chapter "Cowboys and Their Alien Habits" Leland recalls the familiar story of how the horse was once native to America but had gone extinct here before Columbian times, and then was accidentally reintroduced by the Spanish explorers after which it revolutionized the Plains Indians' way of life. (p. 92) Also alien are the cowboy's cattle, including the Texas longhorn; and if we go back far enough even the "Indians," the so-called native Americans are not native. Sad to say many of the true natives, like the giant sloth and the cave bear and the great mammoth went extinct coincidental with the arrival of the first humans from across the Bering Strait.

The only problem I have with this book and others like it, is that there is never enough. The way plants and animals have moved around the world and the way they have changed the lives of people is a continual source of fascination. Leland's fine book adds to the reader's pleasure while not sating it.

This beautiful book takes you on a guided tour of the geographical exploration of America. And it does that by showing and explaining over 300 of the maps explorers created while discovering North America. Many of these maps are richly detailed and visually stunning. The seven-page map catalog in the back of the book "sums up" these maps by providing the page on which the map appears, map name, map author, and source. Some of these are in vaults and not available for public viewing.

Hayes is a solid researcher and you can trust his work. That scored big points with me, because I've recently come across several books that present themselves as factual--when in reality they are poorly-researched and full of misinformation.

Unlike some authors, Hayes honors his contract with the reader.

Hayes combines his solid research with a writing style that brings the subject to life, warts and all. The journey he takes you on starts in 1000 AD and continues to the present day. With Hayes as your guide, you follow the explorers as they discover North America and its wonders. These include the wide prairies, complicated coastal waterways, expansive rivers, and many mountains that make North America such a geographical treasure trove.

Hayes does a good job of arranging the maps by area and era. For example, he looks at the West and starts with maps from the earliest years of exploration and then proceeds to the most recent maps. Through Hayes' narrative, you see history unfold as though you are there watching the explorers themselves. We see their human side, which is sometimes self-defeating. Hayes uses a combination of objective observation and witty commentary to provide a tour that is both informative and entertaining.

The maps in this book reflect the knowledge and the ignorance of the times in which they were drawn. For example, the obsession with a "Northwest Passage" across the continent--a short trade route to China--caused many mapmakers to draw in waterways that weren't there. Other mapmakers would then copy and propagate the mythological features.

I found myself reading this book with my tabletop globe at my side. As Hayes discussed the various islands, bays, rivers, and other features, I wanted to know where each one was and how it fit into the overall map. I also found myself frequently comparing the explorers' maps to the globe and chuckling as Hayes revealed how this or that map differed from reality--and why.

Because I have an interest in geography, I would have been satisfied with just the maps and some brief explanatory text. And I think even someone not especially interested in geography would have found such a book worth sitting down with for an afternoon if that's all it contained, because these maps are just so intriguing. But, there's more. Far more.

Yes, I've already said Hayes also explained other things. But, he didn't throw in a few "human interest" tidbits about the explorers. He told the story behind the story. The stories of the political machinations that drove many of these explorations would have made an interesting book in its own right. So, now the reader gets this great set of geography lessons while also enjoying the kinds of plot twists you might expect from a good novel. Great stuff!

Get this book for your tabletop, if you want something visually impressive for your visitors. Read this book, if you want a great read that leaves you with an impressive knowledge of the exploration of North America.

Derek Hayes' new book, "America Discovered: A Historical Atlas of North American Exploration," should appeal to the members of a number of literary categories, both ordinary and scholarly. First, for those who simply enjoy beautiful coffee-table books, this is one you can be proud to display as the artwork and colorful maps meet the highest standard. Second, if you are an American history buff, this book will enthrall you with its vivid recollections of early continental exploration and later discoveries and settlement across the Western frontier. Third, if you love maps or are into cartography, either as an avocation or as a profession, you will appreciate the numerous historical maps included in the work. Fortunately, I am a member of all three groups, so I especially appreciated Hayes' contribution to my personal library.

The author is a trained geographer and map researcher. He attended the University of Hull and the University of British Columbia and has spent many years traveling the world collecting and researching historical maps. This is the fifth historical atlas that Hayes has written and designed. I want to make a special point of "written and designed." There are many American history texts which cover the same period and topics which Hayes does in this book. But how many of them are "designed" to be aesthetically pleasing as well as meeting the highest levels of scholarship. I have some insight into that matter since I taught American history for a number of years. There are not very many books about American history that are both beautifully designed, worth spending time just to contemplate the illustrations, and still exhibit a text worth reading for its own sake.

The features and structure of "America Discovered: A Historical Atlas of North American Exploration" can be briefly stated. There are two hundred and eighty maps included in the book, covering a period of time from the fifteenth century to the twentieth century. This means that the reader can view maps created by cartographers at the "initial discovery" of America by European adventurers, based on the knowledge of the time, and follow the progression of map creation and design as more and more knowledge is gained about the American continent. It is interesting to note, for instance, that many of the early maps depict the present state of California as an island rather than attached to the American mainland (I didn't know that!). And for those who like geographic trivia, let it be known that this major inaccuracy about California continued even into the nineteenth century. Besides the many maps, there are a number of illustrations displaying persons and events of significance to American history. At the end of the book the author provides a map catalog with some facts about each map, a selected bibliography so readers can continue on with other resources, and a comprehensive index of topics. Lastly, the book is printed on acid-free paper which means it will virtually last forever.

Most of my book reviews are nine-hundred to a thousand words in length. This one is not. Why not? Simply because I can find nothing negative at all to say about this superb piece of writing and craftmanship. (Maybe there is a typo somewhere in the text, but if so, I couldn't spot it.) I highly recommend this book to everyone, regardless of whether or not you fit into one of the categories I named in the first paragraph. If you are a true bibliophile, like I am, you will appreciate this addition to your personal library. But a warning or two might be prudent. Older children and teenagers may find the maps in this book so captivating that the book might suffer the damage of overuse. In that case, it might be advisable to purchase two copies: one to use and one to cherish. Moreover, if you decide to purchase one as a gift for a relative or friend, be aware. Once you actually see the quality of this publication, you won't want to part with it. In that case, it might be advisable to purchase two copies: one as a gift and one for you to cherish. I think at this point, I've said enough. Any more said would merely be redundant.

The early settlers, investors, missionaries, traders, and other explorers of the North American continent had rough hand-drawn maps or no maps at all to guide them. As a result many of them made their own maps as they traveled. The tremendous variety of these hand-drawn maps makes this collection of maps and historical information fascinating reading.

The book is loosely organized along historical lines although maps with a similar theme are placed together. For example, some of the chapters, and therefore map collections, include "Seeking Furs and Lost Souls, Finding the Mississippi, West from Carolina, Ascending the Missouri, Crossing the Mountains, Russian Alaska, The Emigrant Trails, and The Great Western Surveys.

These are high quality copies of the original maps and a treasure to anyone interested in history. It includes many well-written historical accounts of the explorers and other travelers to augment the maps. While it is an excellent choice for a library addition, America Discovered: A Historical Atlas of North American Exploration is a joy to read and belongs on the shelf of everyone interested in the history of the North America.

J. Wilson Bowman has done an exemplenary job of providing a comprehensive resource for students, parents, counselors, and educational advisors. As a mentor for an At-Risk youth group in the San Francisco Bay Area, I will definitely recommend that all of our students and parents purchase and read J. Wilson Bowman's reference guide. I just wish that I had such an outstanding guide when I was in high school!!

It is the most complete resource on Historically Black Colleges. Anyone thinking of going to college should review this book, particularly African Americans. After working in many urban school districts, I found that most High School Students want information on all of the options available to them. To Parents, Educators and Counselors who want to provide a full picture of the eduactional landscape, America's Black and Tribal Colleges provides great detail.

This is an excellent resource book to have,because nowhere else can you find the information compiled the way that it is in this particular book. The author has obviously done his homework. There are colleges in this book that many people, myself in- cluded, did not even know existed. With so many people looking to get a quality education without having to own a bank to pay for the tuition, this is definitely a place to start!!

American Lazarus is the story of how African American and Native American writers forged new tools to re-create their identities. In spite of slavery and subjugation, men like Samson Occom, John Marrant, Richard Allen, and Prince Hall endeavored to raise their people from civic death. This book is powerful. It is beautifully written; it sheds new light on traditions of resistance in American letters; and it shows that the theme of Lazarus (the biblical story where Jesus raises his friend from the dead) was an overarching conception for peoples of color just as the Exodus story was. Incredible history; amazing literary analysis. American Lazarus is a triumph.

With AMERICAN LAZARUS, Brooks recovers, or might I say, revives either long-forgotten or oft-misunderstood religious writings by eighteenth-century African Americans and Native Americans. And the story she tells through their works is as relevant in the 21st century as it was during theirs: God takes sides, and God's side is with the poor, the enslaved, the colonized. And these writers, like Brooks, ask: which side are you on? AMERICAN LAZARUS shows us the debt we owe to these innovative ancestors of color--politically, culturally, spiritually. And for that, we are indebted to Brooks as well.

My minister mentioned this book in a recent sermon. As a Christian living in the 21st Century, I realize that there is so much that I can take for granted. The trials and tribulations and triumphs that people like Samson Occom and John Marrant went through were inspiring to say the least. I had no idea that one of America's first hymnals was compiled by a Native American, nor did I discover until reading this book how much American Christianity is so entwined in Black and Indian struggles. I learned so much from this book. I'm not a reader of literature, but now I want to find out more about these people. I can say that it's made me a better Christian. I'm so grateful to these American saints. Thank you, Joanna Brooks, for opening my eyes.

Do yourself a favor - and buy this bargain volumne of classic photographic images collected by the Getty Center from the archives of over 1,000 publications.

Subtitled: "1,000 Remarkable Years of Incident and Achievement", this concise encyclopedia of human culture in North America captures the pleasures, passions, fads and follies of our collective past with short captions and vivid images. An easy and delightful conversation starter.

What a stunning book! And what an incredible bargain for the price! This book attempts to provide a visual history of the America (or, that part that comprises the present United States) for the past one thousand years. The bulk of the book is photographs, but there are a large number of prehistoric and prephotographic drawings. While this book could never replace a text history of the continent and nation, it provides a stunning supplement. Very few major events are omitted, and a large number of the photographs are notable for their brilliance. Most are unfamiliar photographs. They are not the stock photos that seem to get passed on from collection to collection. The famous Dorothea Lange photography of an "Okie" is an exception rather than a rule. No matter what period in American history, this collection never fails to delight and fascinate and educate.

I had only a couple of quibbles. One is that the sports photography, which was considerable, focused almost exclusively on boxing, track, and baseball. As a result, many of the most dominant athletic figures are omitted. This would not be a problem except so many lesser figures were included. A second is that towards the end of the book, the photographs become surprisingly mundane. For instance, there are several pages where PEOPLE magazine type publicity photos of people like Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan are simply place four to a page. Surely there were more interesting photos than these. Most of the book is stunning; it isn't clear why the late 20th century should suddenly become so flat and uninventive.

Nonetheless, this book is a delight. It makes a great history book, art book, photography book, bathroom book, bedside book, or even coffee table book (though in diminutive form).

Another Konemann bargain (how do they manage to produce such lovely books at the price?) with 832 pages, many of them with more than one photo, all the main events in the Nation's history instantly available with a picture and caption (and index). History in the broadest sense too, plenty of people and events from the everyday world. As the text is mostly captions don't expect any great historical insight though.

I think this would be an ideal book for children, rather than a textbook with a few photos why not start with lots of photos to inspire their curiosity about an event or personality and then let them read about it in other books.

This is a book about a 15 year old soldier in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. His name is Private John Griffin Allen. After barely surviving the Battle of Gettysburg, being taken a prisoner of war, switching sides, taking a steamboat up the Missouri River, working at Fort Rice, and being attacked by Native Americans, "Griff," faces death, diverts his prejudices, and learns the meaning of heroism.

This story is about Private John Griffith Allen, a young Confederate soldier who is unable to read or write and likes to be called Griff. Griff has two friends named Wiley and Wallace. He gives Wiley a small bell. Later he gets his money taken from him and gets captured by Yankees. He sees Wiley and they take the oath of allegiance making them Yankees. They go on a steamboat to Montana. He makes friends with a little girl named Alma. With all the tradegies occurring, like his friends dying, he finally is a heroe. I think this is a wonderfully written book.

This story is about Private John Griffith Allen, a young Confederate soldier who is unable to read or write and likes to be called Griff. Griff has two friends named Wiley and Wallace. He gives Wiley a small bell. Later he gets his money taken from him and gets captured by Yankees. He sees Wiley and they take the oath of allegiance making them Yankees. They go on a steamboat to Montana. He makes friends with a little girl named Alma. With all the tradegys occurring, like his friends dying, he finally is a heroe.

Real life stories matched with stunning photography and mouth watering recipes makes me want take a few months off and live this book just the way Peter did it. I've ordered a few of these books as they make terrific presents even for the non-fishermen amongst us.

The book is both graphically and verbally exciting as the author conveys the art of fishing and experiencing life on the water. One gets the feel of fish as well as the taste, with the recipes as part of the adventure. Many of the locations are part of my dreams as a fisherman to experience, and many of the experiences, especially in salt water mirror my own excitement. The photos are spectacular. Coupled with the design of the book, the writing places you in the adventure with real people experiences, visually giving the sense of the water, the fish, the aesthetic of nature. The same tone of the excitement of fishing off Montauk, or Montana continues throughout the book, allowing envy on the reader's part to sharing the adventure.

Treat yourself or someone you know who likes to relax and thumb through a fine fly-flishing book. Since this comes from a big publisher, our little anti-catalog didn't get sent a review copy. But when we did get our hands on the book we were awe-struck. It rivals some of the $50-60 books out there this holiday season, but with a much smaller price tag. The book begins with the birth of a fisherman on his home waters in the famed New York area-Catskills, Adirondacks, Delaware-and travels the country from the west to midwest and southeast to Montauk. Each fly-fisher will find waters he's fished and his dream waters described in pictorial photos and entertaining editorial prose.

The author, Peter Kaminsky, grew up in New Jersey, graduated from Princeton University in the early 1970s, and moved to New York, where he promptly became a cabbie. He left hackwork, went to graduate school and began writing for National Lampoon. Then, he discovered fishing: "Fishing was the greatest thing I ever did and it took over my life".

Between television projects largely in the comedy field, he has worked with Jerry Seinfeld, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, and John Candy. Kaminsky currently contributes to the New York Times and outdoor magazines such as Outdoor Life and Sports Afield, writing about his fishing experiences. He also likes to write about food and you'll find many tantalizing recipes scattered throughout the book.

The publisher has been perfecting their art of quality gift books for decades. They publish the traditional home building, cooking, and gardening books to books for the Natural History Association and Smithsonian. They've also done highly-illustrated children's tales; photo books from puppies to grandmothers; and the life's work of musical greats, John Lennon and Sinatra. It is apparent that they pride themselves on creating masterpiece books on a wide variety of subject matter. They don't disappoint us now. Make sure to take a peek underneath the dust-jacket. I have seen very few with a book cover imprint as beautiful.

Any literature or history aficionado would enjoy this book. I have recently gotten interested in this area of the world and have just finished a historical fiction novel called The Tenderness of Wolves and a movie entitled Snow Walker that opened my eyes to this frozen area of the world and its inhabitants. The author has completed a tremendous amount of research into Mr. Hearn's life and adventures, but the anecdotes he tells make it come alive. I forgot to cook supper tonight because I was so engrossed!

Exploration stories often focus on the tropics. David Livingstone, Albert Russel Wallace, Richard Burton and others are readily recalled. The polar quests of Amundsen, Cook, Peary and Byrd probably follow in popularity. The upper latitudes seem almost overlooked. With little land mass approaching Antarctica and its pole, Canada and Russia are left for investigation by the enquiring mind. Having offered the life of one such wanderer in John Rae, McGoogan now reaches further back in time and place to reveal the life of Samuel Hearne. It's a fine study of a dedicated man.

McGoogan's lively narrative traces Hearne's Royal Navy career, then follows him to the Hudson's Bay Company [HBC] station of Prince of Wales Fort. With the Canadian Arctic still a terra incognita, various quests were under consideration - the Northwest Passage and/or an inland sea leading to Asia being prime contenders. A more specific ambition arose with indications of a vast copper resource near the Arctic Sea. Hearne pursued this rumour by trekking across the Canadian tundra to find it. Various interludes occurred along the way.

Hearne's expeditions to the Arctic seem pre-ordained to failure. Having but a hazy notion of what confronted him wasn't a hindrance. Bureaucracy proved the more serious impediment. The British attitude toward indigenous peoples compounded faulty notions of requirements for such a trip. With no idea of how Native Peoples? societies were structured, British HBC agents blundered into one crisis after another. In today's world, for a man to suggest that women must accompany the expedition to perform specialised tasks would bring down the wrath of the Human Rights Commission. In the 18th Century rise of the HBC in Canada women performed essential roles. No Native Peoples? women meant no Native Peoples? men. No men, no expedition. McGoogan explains all these circumstances without apology or condemnation. It's a professional historian's approach, worthy of full praise.

The other aspect of British imperialism's shortsighted view is the relationships among Canada's Native Peoples. Hearne and others would counsel peace to those who had been warring when the British still painted themselves blue. These animosities were not easily quelled and might break out without warning nor discernible reason. Hearne was confronted with this near the mouth of the Coppermine River. McGoogan, relying on Hearne's own account, describes the massacre of an Inuit settlement leading to the naming of "Bloody Falls". The event remained fixed in Hearne's memory for the remainder of his life.

Hearne, seeking an ephemeral copper lode, traversed immense stretches of the Canadian North. With various teams, but particularly relying on a Dene negotiator, Matonabbee, Hearne viewed the Arctic Ocean, the first European to reach it overland. The copper wasn't there, nor, in Hearne's opinion, was there any possibility of a Northwest Passage. He saw the Great Slave Lake, but when he later reported on his journey, skeptics were confounded by how far west it lay. Canada's vastness overwhelmed chair-bounded geographers. Hearne wasn't simply seeking mineral wealth. He recorded copious observations on plant and animal life in the region, as well as collecting information on the native peoples. More than just an adventurer, Hearne is credited by McGoogan as being one of earliest naturalists.

Hearne's return to England was less than satisfactory. An account of his travels netted him not a penny - he died before publication. One event, a likely meeting with Coleridge at a boy's school, may have led Hearne to become the source of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. While the notion is McGoogan's speculative idea, it's plausible enough to be valid. It certainly provided a good, if unexpected, title for the life of an Arctic explorer. McGoogan presents that life vividly, with only minor, forgiveable, embellishments. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This book by Ken McGoogan recalls Peter C. Newman's fascinating books about the Hudson's Bay Company: Caesars of the Wilderness and The Company Adventurers. I think that schoolchildren should be reading these books rather than dry old history tomes. And, if all you have read are these history textbooks, then I suggest you give yourself a chance to revisit these amazing explorers. The story of Samuel Hearne is magnificently told by Ken McGoogan and it will have you thirsting for more stories of the amazing men and women (yes, women!) who lived, fought, loved in a cruel land. It was a book I could not put down.

Richard Van Camp
Angel Wing Splash Pattern

Richard Van Camp is a storyteller. It seems to be a part of his blood.

Sometimes English, the English words we use, take away from how we can feel as Aboriginal people. Our stories often are weighted down with English translations of Aboriginal expression. I know it's one of the ways we can relate experience to each other but sometimes, most times, the English words master the heart involved. Luckily, though, every so often, there is someone who can break through these clouds and share all of who they are through the words they choose. I think Richard Van Camp is one of these people. A storyteller of the most ancient kind, I think he can hear the words flow throughout his blood. Angel Wing Splash Pattern is stories about moving past those clouds. The stories are about Indian experience; Indian stories written with a Dogrib voice, with a proud voice. These are different stories, different than the usual stories about Indians, and to me, even different than the usual stories written by Indians about Indians, because of the amount of truth inside of them. While I was reading them I couldn't help but read them aloud and I got so caught up in the power of these words that I think they wanted to make me Dogrib so I could hear them better.
Frenchy recommends this book to everyone looking for the right words, inspiration and beauty, and to everyone looking for something entertaining. Amazing stories told by an amazing storyteller, but that would be the easiest description. ...

"A superb collection"

Angel Wing Splash Pattern has received a glowing review by Matthew Firth in latest issue of The Danforth Review.

"Angel Wing Splash Pattern is a superb collection and such a welcome relief from the usual, middle of the road, CanLit crapola. There is no middle class, Toronto-centric mewling going on here. And thank Christ for that! Van Camp's fiction is stripped down, yes, but also thoughtful, wise and compassionate."

For the full review go to: [website]

"Van Camp has a real respect for the sacred and the profane in these close-to-the-bone stories. People take on their difficult lives with spunk and a sense of humour, and, perhaps more importantly, he engenders an irrepressible sense of hope where the prognosis might otherwise be bleak."
--Malahat Review Fall 2002 issue by Lucy
Bashford.

Mary Musgrove, known to the Creek Indians as Coosaponakeesa, was the daughter of a Creek princess and an English colonist. Raised in both cultures during the early 18th century, she assisted the English as a translator and ambassador to the Native Americans, living in what is now Savannah and coastal Georgia. Mary's childhood and young adulthood are vividly described, and Mueller provides an excellent description of tension between the Creek and English cultures. Young readers will particularly appreciate the first-person descriptions of Mary's education and her transformation from shy child to confident young woman. As Mary matures, she adapts to English ways, yet retains the faith and values of her native culture. Her life is characterized by the balance between native and colonial, and both cultures sustain her in different ways.
Life during colonial times, particularly in rural areas of the southeastern United States, was difficult; colonists faced a number of challenges, most notably disease and miscommunication with the native tribes living in the area. Mueller doesn't gloss over these challenges, and readers will be inspired by Mary's resilience in the face of personal and professional loss.
Later portions of the novel, which cover Mary's adulthood, have some problems--most notably, occasional shifts in point of view from first-person to third-person, which distracts from the narrative. Nonetheless, this is a quick, interesting read for junior high and high school-age students that covers an area of history that isn't commonly taught in school. -- Nanette Donohue

After losing myself thoroughly in this exciting adventure into Georgia's past, my only disappointment is in having to return to reality. The story of Mary Musgrove is one of strength and faith as we follow her amazing life. From her early youth with her mother's people, to her successful attempt to learn of and live within her English father's world. All who read this will, I'm sure join me in thanking Pamela Baur Mueller for saving such an important piece of history that was nearly lost to us all

Written by Pamela Bauer Mueller (2006 Georgia Author of the Year Winner for YA/Children's books), An Angry Drum Echoed: Mary Musgrove, Queen of the Creeks is a historical fiction novel written from the first-person perspective of a real-life legendary figure - Mary Musgrove, daughter of a Creek mother and an English father, who successfully bridged the two worlds of Indian heritage and the English way of life. A lynchpin figure of the burgeoning Georgia colony during the 1700s, Mary Musgrove applied her influence with Indian tribes to encourage the chiefs to meet with General Oglethorpe in the Savannah, leading to the peaceful establishment of an English colony in Indian territory. Yet despite being held in high regard by English settlers as surely as Native Americans, she became an antagonist of the newly formed colonial government. After ten years of serving as an unpaid diplomat and interpreter, she led her Creek tribesmen in a march through the streets of Savannah in search of justice. A fascinating dramatization of a truly remarkable and strong-willed woman's life, recommended for readers of all ages.