Washington Books

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (11/06)

James Quander was a trailblazer. He was an African American living in a society that had not yet accepted equality of all. He was a man with diabetes at a time when it was considered a disability and something that should be hidden.

After a severe insulin reaction, Rohulamin encouraged his dad to write his courageous story. Rohulamin felt that reading about James' struggle with juvenile diabetes could encourage millions of others. Others needed to know that you can live successfully with this ailment. Together James and Rohulamin wrote this book.

James was born in 1918 in Washington, D.C. He was officially diagnosed with diabetes.
Bedwetting had become a problem. On one particular Easter Sunday James woke up tired and grouchy. He wasn't feeling well and was barely dragging along. "I collapsed onto one of the two forest green park benches that we always sat on in the front yard in the evenings. I just could not move and relished the fact that I was home... at least almost in my own room, in my own bed." When his father rushed to see if he was ok, "I answered, "Papa, Papa come get me. I'm too weak to get up. I can hardly move. Come get me." James was too weak to walk. Dr. Wilder was called, he suspected Juvenile Diabetes. Dr. Wilder and James became a team working together to prevent the condition from getting worse. "Never once did Mama or Papa ever let on to me that they believed that I was not going to make it. Instead they decided that they would do everything within their human ability to provide me with a quality of life equal to that of my two brothers and three sisters."

James Quander shares his experiences with us, from being diabetic to playing basketball in high school, to his struggle with Scarlet Fever, to his academic achievements. I enjoyed reading Mr. Quander's story. It is one of success, and courage. The writing is superb; the cover introduces the book well. I highly recommend "The Quander Quality" to all who enjoy non-fiction, and to those who have diabetes or are parents of a diabetic.

The Quander Quality: The True Story Of A Black Trailblazing Diabetic co-authored by the father and son team of James W. Quander and Rohulamin Quander is the engaging biography of the late James W. Quander (1918-2004). Telling the intriguing story of Quander's diagnosis of diabetes shortly before his sixth birthday, and his dedicated and courageous pursuit to live a fulfilled and purposeful life, The Quander Quality is the inspirational and deeply personal history of how Quander eventually became on of the sixteen men ordained in the United States when the Permanent Diaconate was revived after an eight-hundred-year hiatus. An inspirational and engaging example of living and pursuing life to its greatest limits, The Quander Quality is very highly recommended as for all readers searching for a true life example of timely and enduring truths manifested in an ordinary human being with an extraordinary determination.

I liked the book a lot because i think that Jean was trying to inform people about what can happen in real life. It's sad because nobody hardly cared that Rider was missing except his family. The story has a great ending to it. I would like to read more of Jean Thesman's books.

It first started off boring then it got to the exciting part and I thought that it was the best book Jean Thesman had made!!!!!!!1

Joann Roe has written a wonderful biography and book on some great History. Ranald MacDonald comes to life and the history his actions affected is explained in great detail. Joann Roe has done her homework. She not only uses original sources but she visited the places she describes. Where material from Ranald's life doesn't exist she fills in the blanks with others views and explains the surrounding history. She starts with Ranald being born in the now present day Astoria, Oregon. His father is a rising star and eventual Chief Factor in the Hudson's Bay Company and Mother is Princess Raven, a daughter of the local Chief Conconlly of the Chinook tribe. He is given a gentleman's education and his first job as a bank clerk. He is bored with this and runs away to sea. From there he joins a whaler and starts his trek around the world. He becomes one of the first Americans to set foot on Japan and teach English while held in captivity and run down the whole country before being released. Then he ends up in Australia for a while looking for gold. Then from there more ships and a couple of ship wrecks while globetrotting. Eventually he ends up back in western Canada and is greatly involved in the Gold rush around the Fraser River and exploration of Vancouver Island. His last days are spent in Eastern Washington near the site of the old Hudson's Bay Company Fort Colville on a ranch near some cousins and a niece. He led an amazing life and has an amazing story that more should know.

Jo Ann Roe has written a magnificent book, adding considerable information and insight on Ranald MacDonald. In addition to the biographical content, she added valuable scope by describing and explaining the context, for instance the Japanese forces at play at the time of MacDonald's arrival, the gold rush in Australia and British Columbia, etc. Thanks to her lively style, Ranald MacDonald becomes very present to the reader. It is a remarkable historical research.

I sent this book to my daughter, a 7th grade math teacher, and she was thrilled as were her collegues.

Everywhere I go, teachers are using this book in their classrooms, and looking for more by the same author. The math problems are easy to comprehend, the words are true, and 4th-12th grade students who use the book quickly get an understanding of just how useful math is going to be. There's a truck driver, an archeologist, a lawyer, a farmer, a nurse, a veterinarian, a pizza cook, and an arson detective, to name a few.

Ahoy Kent
I signed up on Amazon to get Red Knife in hard cover when it became available. This is a nice arrangement. I got the hard cover at a good price (for a hard cover), and they got a chance to take orders instead of guessing on the volume.

The book came just before my birthday, so I think of it as a present. In my opinion this was your best book yet, better than Thunder Bay in almost every way. Thunder Bay was good, Red Knife was better. I think with Red Knife you have moved into the league of Follett and Hillerman who are my other favorite authors. They are still ahead because they have been writing good books longer, but with Red Knife you are moving up. It is as good as much of their best.

Reader to Author:
I found a lot of very thoughtful stuff in Red Knife. The themes of father and son, and how we should deal with truly violent and evil people were well thought out and examined with care. The style of turning the piece slowly for the reader to see more than one side of it is much better than structuring the situation and then dictating the solution. I appreciate the thought that goes into that kind of presentation.

Knit picker to Author:
This book was a lot tighter and better edited than the others. That keeps the "plausibility level" high, which makes for a higher grade fiction experience.

Two things snapped me out of my listener's trance. The first was the way they drank scotch in the Ripsaw bar. I'm not an elitist snob, but a lot of the "nectar of the gods" has passed my lips. I've never been tempted, nor seen anyone else tempted to down scotch out of a shot glass. Good scotch, (I've never encountered bad scotch) can be drunk neat, but it would be a rare thing indeed to see it tossed down out of a shot glass as if it were sour mash whisky or even rye chasing a beer. It might be worth asking a good bartender.

When Lucinda pulled a social security number off of a marine dog tag something went clang. At the next break I went upstairs and took a look at my own dog tags and found name, blood type, religion, and a service number but no social security number. It turns out however that my dog tags and the man who wore them are a bit dated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_tag_(identifier) shows that a modern dog tag has a social security number but no service number. Score one for you and your editors for doing good research. So maybe even an A+ from the knit picker.

Recovering liberal to liberal:
I thought the themes that were associated with dealing with violence were very well thought out and laid down. The drug gang, the wife who murders her unfaithful husband, the potential for violence between groups of, Indians, whites, and the Indian boys gang and finally, the screwed up kid who slaughters his class mates were all thoughtfully constructed and I must say that they were treated fairly; this coming from a conservative reader speaking to a liberal writer. Your conclusions may have been a bit different than mine, but the treatment was fair.

In the last scene where Cork gives his guns to Henry, we split tacks, but even so I share Cork's wish that there be another recourse. The problem is that there probably is not.

Within the liberal liturgy moral relativity may be applied to each of the violent persons and groups in the plot, and insofar as it helps us to understand them it is useful. Taken in full measure however, moral relativity deprives us of the ethics that help us sort through these things. Logic without ethics is a sterile and wandering form offering little of value, and no motive to act. By depriving us of ethics, moral relativity becomes the entropy of philosophy, making everything into a dull cold mush.

If we are not much inclined to violence ourselves must we still redress violence with more violence when we encounter it? I think it probably comes down to that in the end.

I fear that when Cork gave his guns to Henry it was a metaphor for collecting up all the guns in the world to prevent further evil. For a variety of reasons that won't work. Don't turn in your guns Cork. Be careful not to confuse a workman with his tools.

Reader to author:
All in all sir, a very fine book that was thoughtfully structured, and a tale well told. Thanks. It was a great birthday present.


Jerry

The 9th book with Cork O'Connor may be the best in the series. Characters are tightly drawn and colorfully written. The tension between the Red Boyz and the whites is at times unnerving but keeps you wanting to look ahead.

While there is not always harmony in rural Minnesota especially in Tamarack County between the Anglos and the Native Americans who reside on the Ojibwe Reservation, there is respect. Now there is a war coming ever since Alexander Kingbird formed the gang the Red Boyz, who affirm that Anglo law does not apply to them; rumors fly they are part of the illegal drug pipeline. Kristi Reinhardt died from a dose of Meth given to her by the Red Boyz whose name is Thunder. Buck Reinhardt want the leader of the Red Boyz gang dead as Kingbird defies the law hiding Thunder on the Rez.

Alexander asks part Ojibwe former sheriff and current private detective Cork O'Connor to arrange a meeting with Buck so that the Red Boyz leader can assure the grieving angry man that justice will be done. He fears that if he takes matters into his own hands, a heated race war will ignite. However, before that can occur Alexander and his wife Rayette are executed; almost immediately afterward Buck is killed in a drive by shooting. Tensions have boiled over between the two groups with Cork believing only the hidden Thunder is able to ease the rising conflict before an open war explodes.

The Cork O'Connor mysteries are consistently some of the best regional whodunits. Cork has switched from law enforcement to private detective work, but though at times he misses his former job not in this case; he is thankful that he is no longer a sheriff as he has to go outside the law to insure justice occurs and a deadly war prevented. The story line is told from various viewpoints so the reader obtains a deep understanding of the Ojibwe need for the youth to know and cherish their heritage while many of the Anglo sees that as ironically an internal form of immigration. William Kent Kreuger is at his best with this strong thriller as his hero struggles to stop a lethal range war that will only harm everyone.

Harriet Klausner

Reading this book you start to feel like you can predict what Kurin will say when faced with different situations. This is not a bad thing. What I mean is, you learn how he looks at his job as an anthropologist/ethnographer/broker of culture. The discussions of how the visiting teams and the American hosts had to overcome assumptions and produce accurate, honest, sensitive cultural events for the Smithsonian is really fascinating. We love Kurin from his first chapter (Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief) through the freedom he allows the Festival of India performers to transform the festival, into his head-butting with Soviet beaurocrats, and right to his conclusion when he discusses the future-- globalism, tourism, indigenous products, culture policy and more. Kurin is doing amazing work and I am thankful he found time to write this book and let us know about it.

This book includes interesting essays on ways that cultural traditions are brokered in public programs and within academic research. The case studies are especially interesting and provide excellent ideas about major issues involved in coordinating public events. The chapters on the state of anthropology, the controversy over the Enola Gay exhibit, and the future development of public programs are especially strong. The writing will be useful to coordinators of events that display history, folklife, and culture to audiences, and the book will also appeal to anyone who attends festivals, concerts, museum exhibits, and other presentations of culture.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked this up. I have to say that I found a diamond in the rough. You never know when you take a chance to read a work by an author you don't know. I heard of Mr. Washington's book through a friend. I have now thanked that friend tremendously!

Refrigerator Poetry is such a fun read. It seemed to me that Mr. Washington just let it all hang out. He had a poem for just about everything thing. My favorite "shelfs" of the book had to be everyDay pt.1 and everyDay pt.2 because there was a little bit of everything in there to think about. Some of my favorite poems in those sections were "down yonder", "fronts", "changes", "metro", and various haikus.

I have to say that Mr. Washington is a professional wordsmith who knows how to shape even the shortest poem into the biggest picture you could imagine. I never thought that a book filled with short poems would make such an impact on me.

I highly recommend this to all poetry lovers

whitty and insightful, funny, soulful, crisp and new An innovative book of poetry that evokes different feelings and perspectives out of each person who reads it

This book does an excellent job at letting each of the contributors share her personal journey of faith in an unbiased and non-judgmental forum. I particularly enjoyed the interview with Yvonne Conte. Having attended many of Yvonne's professional motivational seminars, it is refreshing to realize that being spiritual does not cancel out humor, fun, and forward thinking. Remarkable faith is available to all who desire it.

Women of the world you will feel "remarkable" once you read this "remarkable" book! I am especially motivated with Chapter 6, Rheba Washington-Lindsey's testimony. The lady is truly highly favored with God. She will inspire and motivate you to such a high plane of life that you will feel "remarkable" after reading her personal and positive message. She reveals her innermost feelings as she walks with faith. Read the complete book and experience a "remarkable" journey with all the "remarkable" women of faith.

Richland, Wa is an area that is nestled in the beautiful Columbia basin and boasts some of our nations best rolling hills, rivers, and wildlife. Also known as the Tri-Cities, (including the areas of Richland, WA and Pasco, WA)this area is home to the Hanford nuclear reservation plant, and is 20 minutes away from the Oregon border. With Portland, OR 3.5 hours away, and Seattle 4, this cheaper cost of living, low crime, and a total area population of over 300,000 makes this area a fantastic place to live and to raise your family. Median house prices average at about $130,000. A must visit!

I grew up in Richland during the era that Beth Gibson so wonderfully chronicles in this book. The memories come flooding back. Well written, well documented... wonderful photo collection. Now... fifty years later... I produce the http://NightTalker.com program and we will be featuring this book on our show. Highly recommended for anyone looking for insights on this unique and intriguing little town.

Gwenyth Swain's new picture book "Riding to Washington" (isbn #1585363247) is for ages 4 - UP THROUGH ADULTS. It is a poignant and colorful nudge to my memory of that time - 45 years ago - when the author's father and my father and our local pastor went by bus from Indianapolis to be part of Martin Luther King's MARCH ON WASHINGTON.

Swain's story is one often categorized nowadays as "a slice of Life" - a 'slim' story some will say, but that makes the impact greater. Perceptive teachers can share this in a setting where discussion is encouraged. Upper primary students are often reluctant to select large-format books but do respond to the spoken word when the voice is expressive and entertaining.

Sometimes just one 'leading question' about Dr. King, or how CHANGE is brought about, will provoke discussions that leave permanent imprints. If a teacher can preserve a moment in history for today's students the 'ripple effect' may result in actions that are truly lasting memorials on Martin Luther King Day.

Congratulations to David Geister who has painted a beautiful and very convincing portrait of 1963. Thank you, Gwenyth Swain, for your compelling tale from those momentous times. Also helpful is a follow-up article in the April 2008 issue of "Cobblestone" magazine.

"Riding to Washington" is one more very attractive book from Michigan's Sleeping Bear Press, who publish another favorite, "Legend of the Petoskey Stone" (isbn # 1585362174). Reviewer mcHaiku suggests you take a thoughtful Ride to Washington, and then stretch your brain(s) by following the enticing links on the author's web page.

As one who rode a bus hundreds of miles to participate in the civil rights March on Washington, I find that children's author Gwenyth Swain captures the mood of the day as I remember it.

Swain takes us on the journey as seen through the eyes of a young girl not yet old enough to fully understand the purpose of the long journey from a small Midwestern town to the nation's capital.

Small incidents along the way remind us that we have moved a long way from the rigid constraints of racial segregation that held both races in communal bondage for much too long a time.
T
he book also shows how our children absorb the actions of their parents. The special events of our childhood affect the rest of our lives. If we expect our children to be an improvement on ourselves we must set the path for them.

Artist David Geister beautifully and accurately captures both the trials of the journey and the mood of times and especially the day. Young readers will benefit from this accurate portrayal of this young girl's journey in which she became a participant in a significant moment of change in the history of our country. It is a journey none of us should forget.