Virginia Books

Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang.
Dainty, darling Phoebe Clappsaddle combines Southern manners with roping rattlesnakes.
The Tumbleweed Gang drift into town and try to ruin Phoebe's flame-thrower chili and sabotage her bronco-riding. Their worst embarrassment is losing to a GIRL. Phoebe realizes these bad guys need to learn some manners, not to mention reading, writing, and arithmetic. She entices them with her hot biscuits, prickly pear marmalade and chili. But she insists they wash up for supper.
Burping in public and picking teeth with a cactus needle are a sharp contrast to Phoebe's curtsying and blowing kisses to the crowd
Being a fifth generation Houstonian and a descendant of the real Phoebe Clappsaddle gives Melanie Chrismer the edge on demonstrating roping tricks with her pink lasso.
Virginia Roeder's spirited, clever drawings of the sashaying Phoebe and her detailed illustrations offer much to study. Readers can't resist even the evil, smirking Clilfford, Elmo and Eustace, who blew into town one day like a tumbleweed and got caught on a fence. Even the horses have unique expressions.
Author Melanie Chrismer and artist Virginia Roeder are members of the Houston Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Phoebe is well-mannered, feminine, and nice to everybody,
nasty Tumbleweeds and all animals included, but she is most definitely not a sissy. Sure, this is a great book for girls, but I'll bet even the little boys will love it!

Virginia Roeder's illustrations are priceless. They're clever, beautiful, and adorable; I'll enjoy looking at the pictures again and again, and reading the story over and over, too. I've cleared a place of honor on my bookshelf for Ms. Clappsaddle and the gang.

This book is a must for all the young cowpokes in the family. Phoebe's outstanding rodeo talents leave the Tumbleweed Gang in an uproar; their only hope...to get even! Of course Phoebe doesn't take this lying down, but she handles it like a true lady. Chrismer is genuinely gifted in use of Texas dialect. Her characters are fun and her tall tale outrageous. Phoebe Clappsaddle is a treasured addition to my family's bookshelf.

This little book provides the reader with a basic history of the Powatan starting with a bit prior to first contact with europeans (ironicly the Spanish) to Jamestown (proving ample insights into the minds of the cultures involved) to the modern age, including their experiences of the racial Jim Crow nonsence of the South. Nothing spectacular just the bare and basic facts. I did find the comparison of how the Powatans fared in comparison to the Tribes of New England most impressive.

Most informative and filling for the mind.

A good book to have for those interested in the region, or just the story of Jamestown and the beginning of America.

As the previous reviewer said, this book does a wonderful job examing the history of the Powhatana Confederation of Virgina through the past four centuries. Often forgotten about by the American public at large the Powhatans (actually several different Algonquian speaking Nations joined together into a single Confederacy) played a major role in US history almost from the beginning. Indeed, as the title suggests, Pocahontas herself was one of their most well known members.

Starting with an examination of pre-contact Powhatan life and culture, Rountree goes on to examine the first meetings between the Chickahominies and the Spanish conquistadors, early encounters with the British settlers, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and Indian removal. Especially interesting are the last couple chapters which focus on Indian rights activism in the last century. The Powhatan (like any of the other First Nations) never went away and have had to struggle to gain their own reservation, and even federal recognition. The book ends with a wonderfully long and detailed bibliography.

This book really tells of their struggles and triumphs, and more than anything else I would say that this book gives a wonderful background for understanding where the peoples of the Powhatan Confederation have come from. Anyone with an interest in Native American studies should definately check out this book and the others in the Civilization of the American Indians series.

Being a descendant of the Wicocomico Indian Tribe, a chiefdom of the Powhatan Empire and a 7th great grandson of King William Taptico of the above tribe; Ms Rountree's book took me on a trip back into time and verified much of my previous research into my Native American Heritage.

This was a well written book on a subject that has been neglected for years. It discusses the terrible clash between Colonial America and the Powhatan Empire; a period that set the tone for the treatment of Native Americans in America for years to come and continues today. Considering the poor records that Colonial America maintained, Ms Rountree did an exceptional job in uncovering long lost information and at last brought to light the treatment the Powhatans received at the hands of Colonial America. The period of 1607 thru 1775 was the Powhatans "Wounded Knee". Ms Rountree did an excellent job in bringing to light much of the injustices done to the Powhatans.

For the Powhatan Empire researcher,this is a book that should be on your shelf.

Sanford writes a well-documented but accessible account of Jefferson's religious ideas. Other books on Jefferson's religion extract his ideas from his letters, papers, and speeches, but Sanford goes deeper, tracing the roots of Jefferson's ideas and the influence Enlightenment philosophers played in shaping his thinking. Sanford's book reveals how Jefferson's ideas about liberty, rights, and democracy sprang from his profound belief in God. Sanford's book also shows the contradictions and complexities of Jefferson's beliefs: that he loved Jesus's teachings even while doubting his divinity, that Jefferson attacked immaterialism in religion while believing in the afterlife, and that he contributed to and regularly attended churches while blasting the corruptions of the church and clergy on the Christian faith. I highly recommend this book to understand Jefferson's religious ideas, but to get historical context for the development of this ideas, I recommend as a companion book. "Sworn on the Altar of God" by Edwin Gaustad. Together the two books give a complete potrait of Jefferson's religious life.

This book is an excellent look at the deep roots of spirituality, not religion, of one of America's most important founders, Thomas Jefferson.

The book is both informative and very interesting. It's a great book to keep for future reference as well.

It points out that Jefferson, like many of America's key founders, was not a Christian, but was a Deist. That is, he believed in God based on reason and nature, not on the Bible, Torah or Koran or any other man made book.

This is a book that will stimulate your brain and cause you to expand your mind!

Robert L. Johnson

One of my favorite books that has helped challenge and shape my spiritual and philosophical outlooks on life. Sanford goes to great length explaining and detailing Thomas Jefferson's views on controversial topics such as the right and nature of Man, nature of God, separation of church and state, religious freedom, deism, Christianity, materialism, morality, and the afterlife. Sanford provides many citations, including Jefferson's personal letters, diaries, personal Jeffersonian Bible, and other primary sources. Sanford carefully places Jefferson's views in historical and cultural context, but yet there's no sugarcoating anything here. It's a great read and I recommend it for any open-minded and mature individual interested in learning about the beliefs that motivated Jefferson and our founding Fathers to create the US Constitituion and a free society.

Great book to read after Stephen Sear's Penninsula Campaign (even noted by the editor). This great collection of CW historians take the leading characters and events of the 7 days campaign and provide insights to this fascinating series of battles that set the Union back three years. Fascinating writing of John Bankhead Magruder, the hero of the lower Peninsula, whose prewar reputation for drink and ladies combined with lack of sleep, stress, illness and improper medical treatment created a magnifyer for his failures particularly at Malvern Hill. Lee's desire to rid himself of Magruder who was a hero just weeks before is in stark contrast to his retaining of Stonewall who as R. K. Krick writes was virtually ineffective for a multitude of reasons, primarily due to sleep deprivation. Also, great essays on McClellan whose grandiose ego was not able to stand upright on the battlefield and his engineers who could build anything he needed but were used as scapegoats just like anyone else to excuse his own conduct. Additional essays are on the great importance of the seven days battles to lift southern morale and the enhancement of the radicals position contributed to by McClellan's failures during the campaign. Superb article on the artillery duel on Malvern Hill and confederate attack that collapsed under murderous and accurate union artillery fire. The Union's artillery was no match for its southern counterparts. R.E.L. Krick highlights Whiting's Division (with Hood) breaking the Union line decisively at Gaines Mill. No one knows the battlefield better than Krick. Longstreet may have wished he never picked up a pen after Krick writes of Longstreet's post war confusion of facts over his command of Whiting, "It appears an unusually early example of the gasconade for which Longstreet is now famous". That commentary would have made "Old Jube" proud.

I agree with an earlier reviewer who writes that this book is a great companion (or follow-up) book to Stephen Sears "To the Gates of Richmond". Mr. Sears books gives a vivid account of the overall campaign, while this book offers some insightful essays about certain aspects of the campaign. The authors are all experts in the field, and offer well written essays for the reader to contemplate.

I really enjoyed this book because the authors cover a wide range of topics to include General McClellan's flawed performance, "Stonewall" Jackson's less than stellar leadership during the campaign, the artillery battle at Malvern Hill, "Prince" John Magruder's struggles, and the affect of the campaign on both Northern and Southern society. These detailed essays offer readers the latest and greatest scholarship about the Richmond campaign. They really helped me gain a much deeper understanding about what the campaign was like, why it was so important to the overall war effort (for both sides), and most importantly, how did if affect those involved.

I highly recommend this book for those "students" of the Civil War (like me) who are looking to gain a richer grasp of the events that happened during the Richmond campaign. If you have not read anything about the Richmond campaign (usually referred to as the Pennisula and Seven Days campaign) then I suggest that you read "To the Gates of Richmond" by Stephen Sear first, then this book.

The April-July 1862 Richmond campaign was a critical point in the American civil war that resulted in more than 50,000 casualties, 35,000 of whom fell in seven days (June 26 - July 1). The Richmond Campaign Of 1862: The Peninsula & The Seven Days offers nine essays exploring questions regarding high command, strategy and tactics, the effects of the fighting upon the politics and society of both the Union and the Confederacy, and the ways in which emancipation figured in the campaign. Included is an invaluable analysis of the Richmond campaign's place in the broader sweep of the war in 1862, assessments of George B. McClellan's generalship and Stonewall Jackson's flawed performance, an examination of the campaign's impact on white and black civilians in the region, the role of the engineers in the Union effort, the role of artillery in the battle of Malvern Hill, and more. Highly recommended for personal and academic Civil War studies reading lists and reference collections, The Richmond Campaign Of 1862 is an impressive work of painstaking, informative, insightful scholarship.

Mr. Durham's book gives an excellent look at some of the beliefs of the Lakota, without being overly romantic. His love for both the Buffalo and Sundance are evident as he shows how walking a sacred path is a full time job, not for the weekend warriors. I have already recomended this books several times, and read my copy twice so far.

I have read this book and found it wonderful. It is very spiritual and gives insight into the Native American spirit and ways. We could all take a lesson from this book. I also had the privilage of seeing the Sacred Buffalo Skeleton in person. Very inspiring!!.

This book is an amazing journey about what went into the creation of a sacred object. It takes you through the mechanics of how it was done, as well as what the people involved put into it spiritually and emotionally. Their dedication to this project was very inspiring. Having been lucky enough to actually see this beautiful piece of art, I felt the book further enhanced that experience.

For me, this Sacred Heart Yoga Practice as detailed in Virgina Ellen's book is a deep self-love and true union experience. The practice is filled with prayer, mudra, poses, sacred sound and key words that turn on the energy that I can actually feel in my physical, mental and emotional bodies. In the devotional phase of the yoga, a deep connection and reliance on the Divine within is created. This sets up a safe place to commune and tell the God within everything. Enfolded in the pure love and wisdom of the Sacred Heart of God, my human self (ego) is free to express and receive loving guidance and nourishment from the Divine. It has been the safest and easiest place for me to evolve into higher thought and consciousness. No other yoga, meditation or spiritual practice has brought me into these deep states of connection, devotion, surrender, gratitude and holy union with my True Self. If you long for incredible connection and true union with the Divine, then this exquisite Sacred Heart Yoga is for you.

I have been a student of Sacred Heart Yoga for the last 3 years. I am actually expereicing what Virginia talks about in the book. I am expereincing the God within awaken. It's a physical and energetic experience. I feel the blissful and powerful energy flowing through my body as the God within is responding to my prayers. I never expereinced anything like this with any other yoga practice I have done. My whole life is changing, I am loving myself and allowing myself to receive everything I have ever wanted. In the last 20 years, I have done therapy, co-counseling, new thought practices like what Abraham teaches, Landmark, Meditation etc. None of them have taken me very far. Reading this book and practicing this way has caused my Seals above my chakras to activate(kudalini). I now have access to the holy wisdom and other gifts that have been "sealed" away until I was ready. I highly recommend this book and this path for those who are ready to get out of the intellectual realm of spirituality and who are ready to stop looking outside themselves for everything. Go within and discover and experience and feel who you really are. Namaste

Sacred heart yoga combines postures, toning and prayer to open the heart to unconditional love, the mind to divine wisdom and the body to clearing all that is keeping us from embodying and expressing joy, abundance and purpose in this world. These are powerful teachings for all who truly want to heal and transform their lives.

A wonderful read for all ages and I would really like to get hold of the poster. Is it available anywhere?

I am trying to read the book but it is out of print. I have seen the poster in my son;s Dr.s office "I AM ME" I will write the Celestial Arts in Berkley and try to get a copy of at least the poster and hopefully the book. does nayone have any other ideas?

This book was written by Virginia Satir to help a fifteen year old girl understand life. It demonstrates in a just a few words, what we could spend a lifetime trying to learn or explain.

The Seton Miracles, By James L. Carney, is an excellent discussion of the alleged miracles that took place in Lake Ridge, VA at the parish of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the early 1990's. Carney's presentation is well-balanced, detailed, and scholarly--qualities that are unfortunately uncommon in this genre. Unlike many other books sympathetic to miracle claims, Carney does not ignore counter-evidence and he does not attempt to push mitigating circumstances under the rug. Nor is his presentation filled with an overabundance of devotional material that might lead the reader to doubt his ability to evaluate the data fairly. The only suggestion I would have to improve the work is to provide even more of the interview transcripts with key participants--though this would not necessarily make the book a more interesting read, it would further strengthen the already impressive archive of first-hand information, which could be of use to persons in the future.

Though I have never met or spoken to the author, the fact that such a seemingly sensible man is sympathetic to these reports (and indeed has been an eyewitness to many of the events) is a great testament to their seriousness and importance.

In this well-written, thought provoking book, the author, James L. Carney, describes for the reader the dramatic spiritual journey experienced by many at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Lake Ridge, VA from November 1991 through 1993. Factual eyewitness accounts permit the reader to interpret for themselves the meaning of the numerous miraculous events. As one of the eyewitnesses, I feel that my personal experience and the book serve as powerful reminders of the reassuring words spoken by Jesus, "And know that I am with you always." (Matthew 28:20) I highly recommend this inspiring book.

What a WONDERFUL Book! Written in a very readable, journal style, by author James L. Carney, this fascinating, amazing, inspirational TRUE-LIFE story "pulled me in" to the true accounts of weeping Madonna statues, changing-color rosaries, miracle colors and lights in the sky, miraculous healings, Father Bruse's stigmata wounds, and events surrounding this humble parish priest, from 1991 to 1993, right here in the Lake Ridge area of Woodbridge, VA. USA! When I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down, until I'd read the whole story, and gone back several times to review, and study the color photographs, too. I was personally, very emotionally moved, to tears, by this true and powerful history of events. James Carney has included experiences and eyewitness observations of his own, of his wife, and of many other people interviewed, who had personal, life-changing experiences and observed incredible physical phenomena. I would highly recommend this book to readers of any faith or religion, and even to skeptical "non-believers".

The Shot from the Mountain covers the tribulations and quests of an Appalachian miner struggling to improve his life and the life of his family. A world of which I knew little, peopled with characters I grew to care about. Realistic, memorable.

A great novel by a Ph.D.? You bet! And a good one at that. A shot rings out from the hills in a coal minning town in West Virginia killing the local big shot, Avery Murphy, by the protaganist, Clyde Fuller, whose best friend has just been murdered by Murphy. A borrowed gun, an ambush above the town, and only one person- though not a witness- knew who the killer was (he remained mum through the years).

These events set off a train of actions that takes you through the beginning of the great depression and including the beginning of the Roosevelt administration.

Claude S. Phillips who knew them thar hills as a native whose father was a miner, writes with a commanding authority in flawless grammar rarely found in a novel these days...and that without pedantry.

Meticulous in detail, the novel has all the prime elements of a great narrative: exposition, complication, climax, resolution, and conclusion.

At the start the setting is "Appalachia" before and during the Great Depression and the early days before John L. Louis and his United Mine Workers of America came on the seen. Early attempts to organize were met with violence from the coal companies, the violence of which Clyde is intimately involved. The suspense is gripping. The fear in the back of Clyde's mind that his crime will be found out dominates this young man's mind, giving the novel a thrust that grips the reader's attention through a divorce, two marrages, and the restless obsession of a man driven by an ambition to get ahead in life.

The characters are real and the reader is aware of a struggle for the very existance in the West Virginian coal mining town.

The ending has an ironic twist and an O'Henry-like ending.

The novel ends where it begins...but happily.

A Novel Set in the Appalachian Coal Fields of the 1920s and 1930s

Entitled The Shot from the Mountain: An Appalachian Odyssey, the novel was written by Claude S. Phillips, who was raised in the coal mine regions of West Virginia and is now a retired professor from Western Michigan University. The protagonist of the story is a fictional character named Clyde Fuller, but the setting is real: a time of bitter conflict between mine operators and miners over the latter's attempt to form a union in the southern part of the state. The story includes Fuller's role in two violent events, known historically as the Massacre at Matewan (where he thinks he killed a mine "detective" with a shot from the mountain) and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Other events include his heroic act connected with a mine explosion, his two marriages, his determined attempt to rise to a high position in the mines, and his confrontation with the brother of the man he thinks he killed.

I haven't written a review before, but I felt compelled to say that this little book offers extremely valuable insight into how a reliance on judgement and criticism of others to defend our own self-image can be very destructive. It is helpful in limiting the damage that this coping mechanism can have in one's life. I recommend it strongly.

I was amazed by "Shrinking the Judge." I really didnt expect too much when I first picked this book up, but a few pages in I was hooked. By the time I had finished it, I was just shaking my head in disbelief and giggling...I had quite an epiphany while reading this book! Amazing. Ive been studying myself through meditation, psychedelics, depth psychology, mysticism, world religion and philosophy, recovery, etc. basically my entire life and "Shrinking the Judge" helped me more in a few hours than anything else ever has. To my genuine astonishment, I discovered that this book was the exact conceptual monkey wrench I needed to start dismantling the mechanisms of childhood pain that have kept me depressed since about the age of 6.

As the title suggests, the book is about the Judge. What is the Judge? The Judge is the pathological, anti-life part of every person whose sole function is to criticize and condemn. The Judge operates outside of your awareness, attempting to use fear and shame to take control of your life, make you miserable and stop any attempt at personal growth. If you have ever suffered from attacks of fear, hoplessness, shame, depression or a sense of worthlessness for no real reason at all, then you have met your Judge.

This no-nonsense book will help you to identify your Judge, learn how it functions in your life, and then to "deflate" it--negate the power it has over you and reclaim that power for yourself. The Judge operates in darkness, terrifying your inner child. This book shows you how to turn on the light and see the Judge for what it really is, just a pile of old memories, like a TV showing scary old movies, powerless to harm you.

The powerful use of imagery in healing is beautifully depicted in Shrinking the Judge: Freeing the Inner Child by Rick Malter, Ph.D. and Rosalie Malter, M.A. By combining unique "Judge-work" concepts that apply to all humans with Jungian Psychology, Inner Child Work, and Transpersonal Psychology, this book becomes more than just fascinating reading; it becomes an experience in personal growth. This book encourages the reader to engage in active participation. The models that come to life include a Judge, a Wounded Inner Child, a Natural Child, and a Warrior. The concepts within its pages can be applied to life at an inner personal level, to relationships, to institutional and social life, and to international relationships in the world. This book doesn't get stale. During the first reading, my mind focused on active Judge-work. I drew my Judge, felt its impact, and destroyed the illusion of its control. During the months that followed, I became acutely aware of the times my Judges became inflated. The second time I read Shrinking the Judge: Freeing the Inner Child, it seemed like a different book. I picked up a new and deeper understanding of the ploys of my Judge and was able to take my personal growth a step further. To free the Natural Child within the soul takes courage. This book guides the person ready to embark on the journey with the vision to rally all of their inner strengths into a Warrior image which can stand up to the Judge, comfort the Wounded Inner Child, and free the creative intuitive life force of the Natural, Spiritual Child within each of us. I highly recommend Shrinking the Judge: Freeing the Inner Child to all people and especially to those in the mental health profession.

Pamela Re, M.A., Professional Counseling