New Mexico State Books

Great book for the intermediate to advanced ufo enthusiast. The book reads more like a research paper filled with detailed notes on the alleged locations of the underground cryogenic tanks, and the history and engineering of the underground tunnels constructed at LANL and Wright Patterson. Robert also gives the reader a first hand look inside the secret Aviary group with background data of some its less publicly known yet highly powerful members. Robert discusses the controversial subject of Project Serpo. While he supports the existence of a USAP such as Project Serpo he is untrusting of the details of the project which he found to be laden with disinformation. Like a good crime investigator Robert Collins identifes the suspects, locations, and aquires first hand accounts from informants on the inside. The book provided fresh data and detailed personal accounts which this reader found captivating. I commend Robert for his hard and important work to uncover the truth.

Maybe the people who authored this book have the inside track on the truth of the last 70 year period of ET visitation, the reader will never know. There are some many cross avenues in the detective game to find the truth of this ever reaching subject. If only 10% of this book is the actual and real truth, then the whole UFO subject is more amazing that we have thought. I found the book extremely interesting and thought provoking and would recommend it to any party interested in the greatest cover-up of the 20th century and of today.

Although I have read countless articles and books related to the UFO, EBE phenomenon for the past 10 years...I have never been motivated to write a review...until now. This book "Exempt from Disclosure" that your considering as you scroll through countless reviews, is an ABSOLUTE must read. This book includes information on The MAJ-12 documents and affiliated members, JFK, Area 51, President Eisenhower, Bob Lazar, Project Serpo and how they all tie together in this fascinating world that the author (Robert Collins) reveals. This book provides information that only individuals in high ranking positions of elite groups are privy to. Now, the secrets are released and we are privelged to know what very few human beings even know exist.

Thank you very much for writing this book Mr Collins!!

If ya like Bob Collins (and I do)you'll love this book (which I did.) Kit Green is quoted somewhere in this book as stating to the effect that, 'you should always believe what Rick Doty has to say about UFOs.' Whether you regard Dr. Green as an honest broker or an agent of disinformation the fact that he's seen fit to add this tidbit makes the book an interesting read.

Hopefully this new edition addresses all the distracting grammatical and punctuation errors in the first edition. It's my understanding that Victor Martinez was recruited for this editing work. Curmudgeon that he is- he writes well. After all he's a school teacher.

In any case the revelations contained in this book are both startling and delicious and it is my fondest wish that Captain Bob makes a few bucks from his efforts. Buy this little book- you'll have no regrets.
Kim

I've been interested in UFOs since I was a young child. I'm 46 years old now. Over the years I've read many books and seen many films and T.V.shows that have attempted to explain this phenomenon. The facts are: There is a multitude of evidence that exists that has confirmed not only that UFOs are real,but also that the ETs have lived here on this planet and the government knows all about it. There are a number of reasons why this subject is "above top secret",and they're all in the name of "national security. It would seem that our government is reluctant to disclose the truth because they're afraid it would cause a "world wide panic". They base this on a report that was written back in the forties. Apparently the government has been "conditioning" the public to help prepare them for when the time comes to disclose the truth. I guess they must still think we're not ready. How many generations have to be "conditioned" before they're ready to tell us? Time will tell. However,in the meantime,Mr Collins and Mr Doty have been kind enough to provide us this this book. In my opinion,of all the books I've read on the subject,this book is by far THE BEST. It's all in here. I couldn't put it down. Fascinating stuff. Ultimately,you have to be the judge as to the validity of what has been written. But all I can say is,after reading it,I've come away with a new perspective. I truly believe what Mr Collins and Mr Doty have claimed is the truth. I had the pleasure of corresponding with Mr Collins via e-mail. He is an awesome guy.I asked him if he would be willing to answer some questions. He was happy to do it. Granted,a lot of the answers he doesn't know(this subject is after all,still Top Secret,so I wasn't all that surprised)But what he did know,he was happy to share with me. In fact,he encouraged me to share the answers to these questions with as many people as possible(if you e-mail me,I'll be glad to forward you the e-mails). I highly recommend this book.

Michael Lesy's Wisconsin Death Trip, originally a doctoral thesis, is one of the most touching, poetic, beautiful, harrowing, moving and dislocating works I have read. Basically a compendium of found glass plate negative photos taken by the (himself knock-knees odd) Charles Vam Schaik in and around the rural community of Black River Falls WI, and leavened by snippets taken from the Badger State Banner newspaper and the Mendota State Record Book (an insane asylum), as well as a few personal reminisces, the book instead is a commentary and an indictment of a brutal time of economic dislocation, social upheaval, religious confusion and obsession, and personal decay in a farming community. It is an endless repitition of suicide, madness, arson, children dying of disease, and of a mostly sternly religious people living the grimmest of lives of back breaking work in the country. The photos by their sheer repetition and some of the games played with them by the author, pound out a tattoo of strain, people only barely suppressing their madness, and a society truly on the edge of collapse. Hardly the bucolic paradise so often evoked in our time.

The afterword by the author provides some backstory and statistics backing the point up, and illustrating in numbers and facts what the pictures and excerpts made clear by anecdote, and is also well written.

This was something of a cult book in the mid 70s, a most unusual way of looking at local history, lifting up the rock under which society had crawled. It is haunting, tragic, striking. You will never forgot it.

Buying a classic again. This is the U of New Mexico Press version. The earlier publisher had the picture of the baby in a coffin on the cover. That was better, but the contents are the same.

This is an interesting and slightly macabre book which is strangely beautiful. My son, who is Sam Witt, the poet, told me about it because he had been so moved by it that he wrote a poem associated with it in his soon to be published book, SUNFLOWER BROTHER. The old photos are stunning from the horses to the dead children. I am hoping to get the dvd soon.

"Wisconsin death trip"is an accurate documentation,not only of "agrarian white"culture at the end of the 19th century but,in many ways,the whole of white culture in america at that time..Contrary to popular belief,the"good"old days were not really so good..Yes,they may well have been less complex,but infant mortality was very high,illnesses which today are highly treatable being killers not only of children but of adults as well,daily life being,for most,a drudgery,with little to show for one's efforts...There were few saftey nets,no antibiotics,no pensions to speak of,no recourse against the harshness life,or against a system that,like today,favors the wealthy..
Insanity was not understood,and "treatment"such as it was,often did little to help the afflicted...Wisconsin did not have a monopoly on such things,anymore than,say,los angles has a monopoly on street gangs,or newark has a monopoly on ghetto housing...
The novelty is perhaps in the seeing of the photographs and the documents all together in one volume,so that one can peruse the sorrowful aspects of that period as it affected one particular area...

I read this book over 16 years ago. It left a lasting impression that will stay with me forever. It may not have the same affect on others but reading some of the reviews posted here, I know that it has on most. You can't really ask somebody "did this really happen?" becuase they either died then or in the 100 years that have past. We have no perspective on these people, places and times other than to read books like this. If any of these folks were alive today and heard someone say, "those were the good old days." They might be inclined to give the speaker a quick education. This book will do it for them. I have pictures just like this in a family archive. You wonder how anybody lived into middle or old age. Disease, starvation, hypothermia, and farm accidents all took their toll. Winters are hard enough in the south. Why did these people decide to stop the wagon in Wisconsin or if they lived thru their first winter there, why didn't they head south? I went to a Brewers baseball game at the end of May some 25 years ago and wore a down parka and was cold. You can still see houses in small towns outside of Milwaukee that look like the houses in this book and you can feel the desolation, pain and suffering looking out at you thru 100 year old panes of glass.

This book needs to be read by everyone especially by all those over 13. I read it frequently and every time I am more amazed by John's incredible greatness, sacrifice, courage and love of children. I am also very thankful that his family, friends, professional co-workers et.all were there to help him. Even Dr. Johnson contacted medical assistance all over the country to help him. It is more tragic that his form of cancer is now much more treatable. The last line says that Coach Baker turned tragedy into an enduring legacy. Amen! The Duke City Dashers and the children of Aspen were so so blessed by their "Coach Baker." My paperback from 1982 has been replaced by a hardcover. Aspen, by his children was named "John Baker Elementary" in tribute to this great man and their "teacher" Words really can't describe him. I am so thankful that Mr. Buchanan has told all of us the life of one of the greatest people that I have ever known and heard about. Truly, Coach has received in heaven all of the crowns, trophies, medals that the Lord provides to His good and faithful servants!!Five stars all around to everyone involved in John Baker's legacy and William J. Buchanan. Coach Baker's story needs to be told even 38 years later!!

I originally read this book about John Baker's life and impact on young people when I was in grade school. I still had it on my bookshelf when I was in college in 1988. I felt a lump on my testicle and immediately saw a doctor. The diagnosis was malignant testicular cancer, but thanks to God and the fact that I had re-read John Baker's story so many times, I caught it early and am completely cured. John's life continues to have an impact on many people long after his tragic death.

I first read this book when it was passed on to me in high school by a friend. The story of John's life and battle with cancer is something that really makes you put your life in perspective and is truly inspirational. I don't know anyone that has made it through the book without some tears...just reading through the reviews here, I found myself with tears streaming down my cheeks. If each of us could do 1/2 the good in our lifetimes that John Baker did in his that ended much too soon, imagine how much better the world would be.

This true story of a runner and coach tugs at your heart strings. It is so sad , at times I could not see the page because of my tears. Mr. Buchanan does a remarkable job of painting the portrait of this young man's life in a realistic manner. Very well written - THIS WAS A GREAT READ!!!

I was 8 years old when John Baker passed away but, I do remember when they changed the name of the school to honor this hero. This book is chicken soup for the human soul. This book belongs in everyone's personal library and it should be read at least once a year to remind us that every little thing counts.

The book "Kiki's Journey" is a excellent story. It is about a little girl named Kristina (Kiki) who goes back to her Tiwa Tribe where her parents are from, to see her Grandma Santana and her uncle Tim.When she goes back to Taos Pueblo she forgets becuase she hasen't been there in a long time,ever since she was a baby. During her journey,Grandma Santana takes her for a walk after she comes out of the giftshop and tells her that she is still part of the Tiwa culture even though she lives in Los Angles. At night she thanks the Creator for making her an Native American and for her Pueblo. So,if you are going take a chance to read this wonderful book, your own journey will begin on the first page you read!!!!

The story of Kiki`s Journey was a marvelous story because she goes to see her grandmother and grandfather in her village. Kiki was from her grandmother's village, so she goes and visits. You should look at it. It`s for all ages.

KIKI'S JOURNEY WAS A TERRIFIC BOOK. KIKI'S JOURNEY WAS A SUPRISING BOOK. I FELT GOOD ABOUT IT.THE THEME WAS TO REMEMBER`YOUR PEOPLE. IT WAS A SAD AND HAPPY STORY AT THE SAME TIME.

A heart warming book for all ages, "Kiki's Journey" is delightful. It works as a story, a read aloud story, as a lesson in cultural differences, as well as a lesson of acceptance. The book would be great for kids of all ages, parents, and teachers. The illustrations are also a wonderful addition to the story.

Written by Kristy Orona-Ramirez and illustrated by Jonathan Warm Day, Kiki's Journey is a picturebook about modern Native American life. A young Tiki girl living in Los Angeles knows little about her traditional culture and heritage, as her parents brought her from the pueblo to the city when she was a baby. During spring break from school, she has the opportunity to experience the pueblo with her parents for the first time. At first she feels like a tourist in a place that should be home, but the more she learns and sees, the better she understands the proud cultural history and traditions that precede her, and above all, the importance of family ties. The boldly simple and colorful artwork is the perfect complement to this heartwarming story of discovery.

A ROAD WE DO NOT KNOW takes the reader on the June 1876 campaign against "hostile" tribes that ended, as every schoolboy should know, in the defeat of the 7th Cavalry at the battle of the Little Big Horn, a river also known as the Greasy Grass to the Sioux. Mr. Chiaventone's first novel is not a great work of literature but it holds up pretty well against a lot of other historical fiction. A ROAD is told from the perspective of captain and corporal, chief and warrior, indian and trooper, white and red. Wrapped in fiction, the author provides a plausible explanation for why and how the battle developed, a puzzle debated by historicans for over a hundred years. The novel explores General Custer's decision-making prior to the battle, when presented with information from his scouts, and during the battle, when pressed by overwhelming numbers of warriors. It makes for a fascinating read to be especially enjoyed by history buffs. Mr. Chiaventone also is able to get into the motivation and thinking of the Ogala, Hunkpapa, Cheyenne, Arapaho and other Indians engaged at the Greasy Grass, showing the reader how these native Americans viewed the world without dragging down the novel with unnecessary and distracting "spiritual" discourse. A ROAD is a realistic novel, describing the rigors of the campaign as well as the violence of battle. A side note is that some 7th Cavalry survivors of the Little Big Horn were later killed at Wounded Knee, where a total of 26 troopers were killed and 35 wounded. Highly recommended.

I've read this book with great interest and excitement. I also comuunicated with the author by email several years ago, and consulted many "experts" on Custer after I read the book. Most of the stories we've heard about GAC are pure trash. GAC was a great hero in the Civil War, for which he has not been given near enough credit due to the despicable stories that have been told about him in the years since the Little Big Horn.

His dear wife, Libby, spent the rest of her life trying to correct the defaming and hostile stories written about him. Because most of his family died at the Little Big Horn, only his enemies, such as Benteen and Reno, were left to tell the story. They were both jealous of Custer, and all the evidence points to Reno as the biggest flaw in the campaign, as he and his troops turned and ran in the face of an assault. This is explained in several writings about this event.

Custer did what most any soldier would have done in his situation. This book explains some of that, so I will not repeat it here.

Suffice it to say, read the book with an open mind, forgetting all the "disinformation" you've heard about him.

Why wasn't this book made into a movie? Well, if it had been an anti-Custer, or anti-American book, it would have been The left-wing, socialist, anti-American pukes in Hollywood would have seen to it. But, it is a realistic story not indulging in mythology or hate-mongering against a true American hero in the Civil War. Custer's conflict with the Grant administration over treatment of the Indians is also a truth Hollywood would not want to tell. That would undermine their hate for him.

With "A Road We Do Not Know" Mr. Chiaventone takes us, on both banks of the Little Big Horn River, as close to what really happened there June 25, 1876 as anybody will ever get. Chiaventone achieves this partly through extensive historical research and partly through empathy for the men involved in the events, all of whom, Indians and cavalrymen, emerge from this story as real people: There are no Noble Savages in this book nor is Custer represented as a fool. Chivaentone understands the "fog of war" and how it can blind otherwise valiant and experienced commanders: Eighty-nine years after the Little Big Horn the 7th Cavalary got itself into a similar debacle at a place called the Ia Drang Valley in Viet-Nam, and in 1965 they had air support and artillery. The only quibble I have about this excellent novel is the large number of footnotes throughout. They do not belong in a novel because they distract from the flow of the story. Someone at Simon & Schuster needs to be reminded of that: put 'em in the narrative, in the mouths of the characters, or in an "Historical Note" at the end of the book, but NOT at the bottom of the page.

I gave this two stars but it is a matter of taste. I was looking for straight historical fiction. To enjoy this read you must really be an avid fan of military fiction. For people with this interest, this might be five stars. For my taste, the author dwelt too much on the details of the military custom and practice that he reconstructed for the circa 1870s Seventh Cavalry. This amounted to the first half of the book and I got bogged down in it. But this preoccupation with military details ran through the remainder of the book and I think had the effect of dampening the climax. It seemed like there was more militaria than characterization so it was hard for me to be personally drawn into the climax. But I realize that this is exactly what some people want. I also felt that the characterization of Custer was a little too charitable based on the history I have read. I am a Native American and I got the impression form this book that Custer was almost benevolent in attitude towards Indians -- just a little egotistical. That's a stretch.

Not since May 29, 1981, the day I finished The Killer Angels, have I been so overwhelmed by the ending of a military action novel as I was by this book. It is fiction only because it supplies lotsa dialogue for June 25, 1876--the day of Custer's Last Stand. This book presents all the events as very concentrated in time, whereas I before reading it had the impression the events were spread over several days. I am confident this book is pretty accurate as to what happened. This is a very poignant book, and made me feel I was with the people on that fateful day. Most worthwhile reading.

Best Read. John Annerino's CANYONS OF THE SOUTHWEST. -Tucson Weekl

CANYONS OF THE SOUTHWEST by John Annerino features the author's photographs of towering red rock and rushing waters. -Travel-Holiday Magazine

CANYONS OF THE SOUTHWEST by John Annerino. A stunning overview of the "inverted mountains." -Summit Magazine

For people who love the West, especially those who seldom leave the concrete road, this book provides unbelievably beautiful pictures and stories about gorgeous places in the wilderness. -Rocky Mountain News

Foremost are the photographs. I would call Annerino's canyon portraits the best of a really good lot, even over big-time large-format photographers. While the large-format works are stunning artistic studies of light and color shot with impossibly huge f-stops, Annerino's canyon photographs give expression to the phrase "wearing one's heart on the sleeve." His photos have an active passion that others lack. Anyone who knows him will say he is among the "hardmen' to tackle the Southwestern mountains and canyons, but that he is definitely the most sincere in his passion for place. Perhaps, because of this he lacks a calculated commercial view of the places he photographs. His images also record his own passion, creating compelling and unique photographs. More than any other contemporary outdoor photographer, Annerino's photos mirror his love of the land's people. In the text, Annerino portrays canyonlands people as part of what makes the places special. He has a deep affection for past and present native peoples, but unlike some Anglo North Americans, Annerino isn't a lost 20th century soul. Rather, he seems to have a straightfoward and genuine admiration for native people, and has learned a great deal about them. His research on each canyon's history is impressive. Annerino writes with an immensity commensurate with his subject. His style is old-fashioned, evoking an older, more grandiose era of writing of explorers like Powell and Pattie. While many modern writers seem bent on infusing themselves into as much of the story as possible, Annerino's style is not so full of himself as full of the intensity of his canyon experiences...Annerino is at his best when he writes about Mexico, especially the Big Bend passage where he talks about the injustices served the Mexican across the river at the hands of our national park there. An optimist who sees great things in the canyons, Annerino neither ignores nor dwells on the obvious problems facing the West like pollution and development. And fortunately, CANYONS OF THE SOUTHWEST is not a treasure map guidebook to these areas. -Desert Skies

This book is line upon line fact upon fact just well researched and documented history, it is not a bunch of opinion nor speculation. If you know Dr. Hordes like I do you know that this is the kind of man and quality of work to be expected from him, I say this as a descendant of the crypto-Jews. Sincerly Perry Pena

This new book by Dr. Hordes is an excellent introduction to an area of study that has been given only opinionated overviews up to this point. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Horde's thesis, that fact is Sephardic Jewish culture is a crucial element of the overall Hispanic experience, as much as the Moorish, Roman, and Visigothic contributions. To deny this is to live in darkness. As Spain's historiography is finally opening and accepting of its Jewish past, so too should Hispanic Americans open up and accept that past. It is reality.

While a well written book, I also enjoyed immensely the copious footnotes Horde's provides, to give an indication of the enormous amount of work and research that went into this book. Archives throughout Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Mexico, and New Mexico were searched for scattered references and indications of ANY possible behavior that could point the way to any latent Crypto-Jewish practices or cultural rememberances. Inquisition documents, incredible sources of social and cultural history, were used in an amazing way to gain insight into the world of these Hispanic peoples living in times more complex than we may care to admit.

Ultimately, one must make up their own mind regarding the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico. But if one is responsible in their intellect, they will make an informed decision, one that will require the reading of this book. Whether one's name is Encinias, Truxillo, Martinez, or Chavez, it cannot be denied: you have a Sephardic Jewish past. It comes through not only our bloodlines in Iberia, co-mingling with the native blood of the Americas, but also through our rich Catholic cultural heritage, which itself sprang out of the Jewish Semitic Middle East.

Anyone interested in the diverse and fascinating experience that is the Hispanic experience in the Americas, and in New Mexico in particular, needs to read this book now!

Thesis: Many of the Spanish settlers of New Mexico were either secretely practising Jews or recent converts. Through the ensuing centuries, some kept up tradition and practice of their Hebrew faith, in all or part.

I heard this hypothesis when I first moved to the Land of Enchantment in 1979. Most locals took it as likely. However, "studies" on the subject were mainly collections of anecdotes of familes that did not eat pork or that played with draedels in December but didn't know why.

Stanley Hordes has done scholarship a real service with his meticulous, well-documented, and systematic research, as presented in To The End of the Earth. Rather than rushing into anecdotes, he first gives a broad backdrop of the history of Judaism in Iberia and the political and religious upheavals there in the 13th through 16th centuries.

Having set the stage, Hordes then follows families of "new Christians" to Mexico. Through an examination of correspondence, records of the Holy Office (Inquisition) and other documents, he traces the likely practice of crypto-Judaism in Old Mexico.

Only then does he set forth north of the Rio Bravo to see the fate of some likely Jewish or formerly Jewish families, trace their practices, and scour for physical evidence among a group that was reticent to leave records of what was long an illegal practice.

Hordes wraps up nicely with not only the family stories but with DNA and blood protein studies. He falls short in actually finding evidence such as hidden synagogues or secret Torahs, but he certainly paints a compelling picture that many of the Hispano settlers of New Mexico were, at the very least, reluctant conversos.

This is an engrossing and well-referenced work for any serious scholar. While not light reading, it is also not too challenging for a non-anthropologist.

By all means, if the thesis is of interest to you, you should order this book.

A couple of years ago I went to a lecture that Dr. Stanley Hordes presented to the New Mexico Genealogy Society. He discussed his then upcoming book about crypto-Jews in New Mexico titled "To the End of the Earth." What intrigued me about Dr. Hordes lecture was that he found proof that the colony of Nuevo Leon, Nuevo Espana ( present day Mexico) probably was populated with crypto-Jews. This same colony en masse tried to illegally colonize New Mexico in 1591, and a few of these people were also part of the official New Mexico colony in 1598. Dr. Hordes' makes a very good argument that there were crypto-Jews in New Mexico during the first years of colonization and that their descendants continued practicing Judaism up until the present day.

A crypto-Jew is a person who converted or whose ancestors converted to Christianity yet still secretly practices Judaism. As with many other Christian countries, Jews were persecuted in Spain during the Middle Ages. In 1390 many Jews converted to Christianity after an especially devastating pogrom. In 1492, after King Fernando and Queen Isabel conquered the last vestige of Muslim Spain in Granada, the Christian monarchs officially expelled the Jews from Spain. All who stayed in Spain were required to convert to Catholicism. Many went to Portugal where they too were forced to convert.

The Spanish Inquisition persecuted many of these New Christians as apostates and heretics. Many were accused of going back to their old religion. In order to avoid prosecution many New Christians went to the New World. Dr. Hordes shows how one such colony from Portugal under the leadership of Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva were almost definitely New Christians, and most likely crypto-Jews.

Carvajal was given permission by the King Philip II of Spain to found a colony in Nuevo Leon. The king gave specific instructions to officials not to question the ethnicity of the people in this colony. Dr. Hordes contends that these people were probably New Christians since at the time New Christians prohibited from going to the New World. The king's instructions would have made it easier for them to cross over to Mexico. As further proof Hordes notes that Carvajal's son was later prosecuted by the Inquisition. During the younger Carvajal's arrest Gaspar Castano de Sosa lead the entire colony to New Mexico. Hordes contends that he probably did this in order to escape being prosecuted himself as a judaizer. However Castano de Sosa was arrested anyway for trying to illegally colonize New Mexico.

Hordes uses church and government records to demonstrate the possibility that New Christians practiced Judaism throughout New Mexico history. His argument is strongest with the early years of the colony when Inquisition records documented investigations into possible judaizers. He also uses genealogy to show how certain assumed crypto-Jewish families intermarried within culture. However, his arguments are weaker when it comes to the present day. Although there is some proof that certain present day Hispano New Mexican families continue the practice of crypto-Judaism, there are questions as to whether certain evidence truly demonstrates this practice. Hordes does not completely dispel these questions, although he comes closer than others who have tried to prove this theory.

Dr. Hordes' book is well researched and was a fascinating read. Any person interested in Hispanic New Mexican history and genealogy should read this book. One then can make up his or her mind whether Dr. Hordes proves that crypto-Judaism indeed was practiced throughout New Mexico's history.

More than 700 footnotes add up to an extraordinary story well worth the telling: quite a few "manitos" of Northern New Mexico were probably crypto-Jews who preserved parts of their own culture through centuries of isolation. So we discover that Hispanos and Hebrews are both part of Chicano history in the American Southwest.

Since these individuals covered their tracks well and most are long dead, the trail was cold and neglected. However, Dr. Hordes did not take the easy, glamorous and lucrative route to selling their extraordinary history. Instead, he and his colleagues spent years and years pouring over thousands of documents. As one who has looked at a little of this "paleography," let me testify that a person can go blind staring at that terrible, ancient, blotched and blotted handwriting. I appreciate such careful scholarship; it lays out all possible evidence without overreaching.

Thanks to this book, a vast number of dots have been laid out on the map of New Mexican history. While each by itself is not conclusive, when I connect the dots I see the fascinating faces of religious dissidents who courageously preserved their own beliefs in the face of enormous social pressure. They went "To the Ends of the Earth" to preserve their integrity. I find their story inspiring.

There is so much to say that I will have to force myself to be brief.

I tend to speed read my way through books but Crossroads 1969 demanded my time and I was glad to give it. This is the type of book that should be read more widely and maybe, through more exposure for the author in Amazon Shorts, it will be. Reading it reminded me that there are probably more John Cassells out there who, with one simple break, could be acknowledged as some of the great writers of our time.

John Cassell describes Crossroads as 'based on a true story' and his decriptions of people and events are so real, so 'in the moment', that he most certainly must have experienced them first hand. That said, it is one thing to experience a person or event and quite another to put it down on paper in a manner that gives the reader a sense of having watched it happen. That is Mr. Cassell's true gift. The people who populate the pages of Crossroads, from the drunk singing his own interpretation of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", to the centred and sensible Marcie, to the the bribable Spanish customs official, are so well described that I felt like I had just watched a movie instead of reading a book.

I am grateful to Amazon Shorts for providing a forum for my short stories but I am equally grateful that being there allowed me to make the acquaintance of John and other fine writers. Without the Shorts program, Crossroads 1969 would never have found me and I would have missed something truly worth the reading.

Brother John, I kid you not when I say that this is a wonderful book. Well done and five stars!

>> I'd already begun the battle to secure a berth for myself in a seminary at Berkeley, having submitted the necessary applications and labored over the essay which was supposed to explain in detail why I wanted to become an Anglican priest. All my friends and family had their own ideas on the subject, ranging from the worst reasons to the best. Mine, I am afraid, would have probably surprised them all and could never have been included in the essay. In truth, I was looking for a dream world to inhabit, a small country parish in the west of England where I could write scholarly theological works, drink scotch, and go prematurely senile minding a turnip garden. <<

For me, there's no substitute for reading a passage of the author's own words, to get a sense of whether you'd want to read a book. For that reason, I often quote a passage from the book I'm reviewing, isolating a segment which exposes some of the most compelling or life-filled word usage. One of the many possible prime quotes of John W. Cassell's syntax in CROSSROADS: 1969, the above passage gives a feel for this author's rich, clear voice. That quote can be found in both CR: 69 and SOLDIER OF AQUARIUS.

When I read that passage, I was already pulling for this warm, intelligent, spirited young man to succeed in living in that dream world, even though I feared that reality of pure scholarly theology might not even exist within the darkened political arenas of religious sanctuaries, except in a few very isolated, monkish cases. I wanted that world to exist, if only for John Cassell to be able to cloister himself into that dreamed type of sacred luxury of religious ecstasy and intrigue.

But, as the novel's plot developed and I saw how John was blocked from entry into that dream world, it was too clear that another world and path awaited this young man's footprints. It didn't take long before the author Cassell's words immersed the reader into subcultures of different paths and possibilities, each disallowed or road-forked-way for various reasons. Each time I fully shared John's disappointments, as I admired his ways of moving ever onward into whatever experiences he lived, through nightmares and joys, catastrophes and raptures, empty spaces and intrigues.

One thing John's life and his books do not provide is any whiff or hint of boredom. Enthrallment is in there, for keeps!

In this case, the enthrallment was not only through a philosophical journey with fascinating directional changes (as intriguing as those in the Tin Man's Quantum Leap out of the Kansas of his heroine's childhood); it's the most unusual travelogue you'll ever read on a USA citizen touring Europe and North Africa in more intimate ways than possible through friends who "live there"... and with less (almost equal) means than it would take to buy a Kindle Reader. Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device (John's novels are available through Kindle, too.)

I recommend taking the journeys through Cassell's novels, either in physical book form, and/or through Kindle. Eventually, I'll own both/all forms of this pioneering author's works now forming their place within The Classic Literature of the Next Age.

CROSSROADS: 1969 may be my favorite of JWC's novels listed below, though now that SOLDIER OF AQUARIUS: 1969-1970 is out, that would be my favorite of those two, because that is where this saga of a series is seeded, and because my blurb is included in the opening quotes from, "What other writers are saying about John W. Cassell."

There are a few logical ways to approach a step into reading the sequential counterculture novels of John W. Cassell:

-- One is to begin with CROSSROADS: 1969 (published 2005) and follow that with AN AQUARIAN TRAGEDY: 1970 (published 2006 under pseudonym James Mundell). An Aquarian Tragedy

-- Another is to begin with SOLDIER OF AQUARIUS (published November, 2007) Soldier of Aquarius: 1969-1970 SoA is a compilation of the two above novels; the two component novels were formatted for each other in their original united state.

After reading the pair of books (CR & AAT) or the original manuscript which had both of those novels in one (SoA), the road fork would offer:

-- ODYSSEY: 1970 Odyssey: 1970

That novel gives a brief summary of CR, then covers the plot of AAT with a few chapters added to extend the protagonist's experiences through the whole year of '70, the effect of which broadens the view (through the expanded time structure and interjected research of major, news-breaking events) of what Cassell calls the Counterculture movement, with its multi-angle-motivations (realistically exposing dark and bright). Whereas CR & AAT focus on an individual's personal perspective of how he reacted to and worked within and through those timeframes; ODYSSEY presents a broader cultural perspective, looking outward into the world as well as inward into the psychological, sociological impositions and enhancements of the same individual.

The author's suggestion is to read CR:69 + Odyssey:1970... or S of A.

Then, the sequence would be as follows:

-- HELL'S QUEST: 1971 Hell's Quest: 1971

This novel continues from the base of either of the above alternatives, through the same protagonist, based on the author himself. In HQ, however, the author adds extensive (and fascinating) fictionalized elements to some of his biographical base, whereas the other novels listed above are based strongly on autobiographical realities.

-- DEVILLIER'S COUNTRY BLUES: 1972 DeVilliers County Blues: 1972

This novel continues where HQ leaves off, including the addition of fictionalized elements into a biographical basis, with the balance of fiction continuing to increase.

-- UNCERTAIN PARADISE: 1973: Part 1 (Release scheduled for late December, 2007)

This novel continues where DCB leaves off, with the balance of fiction again increasing. This novel is a satisfying read in itself, even if Part 2 does not materialize. However, you will be wanting more of JWC's novels, no matter what books you read first.

Take time to visit our discussion forum in the Amazon Shorts category, "A toast to John Cassell's novel, "HELL'S QUEST: 1971, an ongoing commentary."

That forum title has evolved well beyond a seminar on writing within a successful story format, for short pieces, novels, or sequencing sagas; yet in its evolution that forum has remained carefully focused on highly informative concepts related to writing while using Cassell's works as the baseline for comment. If you're at all interested in an X-ray view of "authorship-in-progress" or completion of Nobel Prize worthy literature, you'll feel satisfied with what you'll find there. Maybe the best part is that many of those contributing to that forum are still alive and writing... though a few quickened characters, ghosts, and poltergeists did and do apply!

From your friendly, local (on Amazon) parapsychologist,
Linda G. Shelnutt
Morning Comes: the Pre Dawn Blues - Part 1

Review of John W. Cassell's "Crossroads: 1969" (Once, We Were Young) - By Jack Engelhard

John W. Cassell traveled to Europe in search of America and to understand this it helps to be a Child of the 60s -though in a sense we are all Children of the 60s since the art, the music, the literature and even the politics of that era, all of it is still very much alive. In "Crossroads: 1969," Cassell' uses a bio-novel technique to recover the past - the second half the 1960s and into the 1970s - and the result is a masterful rendering of an era.

In trying to find America, through the backroads and the highways of Europe, Cassell was obviously trying to find himself as well, and this no one ever achieves, something nearing perfection, but it's the pursuit itself that makes for an exhilarating adventure; in this case, Cassell's adventure, wherein he introduces us to new landscapes and new people, and we never know, until we turn the page, who might be waiting for him around the next corner.

Cassell writes it straight and his most noticeable skill is in his ability to take us with him wherever he goes. We're with him when a friend turns into an enemy and we're with him when strangers turn into friends and we're with him when at any moment he could be arrested by the French police or the Spanish police - or the dreaded ESTABLISHMENT.

We understand his shyness toward women at a time when women were getting bolder. This took some of us off stride.

This is all about being young and the 1960s were about many things, but mostly about being young. America, during that period, was going through the symptoms of birthing, or rather, renewal. America was trying to figure out exactly what kind of nation it wanted to be. Therefore, there was that, the Establishment, and then there was the counterculture.

Like so many of us, Cassell found himself caught in the middle. Lucky for us that he turned to writing to share the excitement of a nation and a man still unfinished.

The adventure continues.

Today, the lines are much more clear-cut. You're left or you're right. Back then, we were still trying to make up our minds.

The 1960s were the defining decade of a generation. But which America was the correct one for us?

Cassell doesn't lecture or pontificate. He only observes and lets us, his readers, arrive at the conclusions. That's what we call good writing, and as so often happens in this bio-novel - great writing. There are so many nuggets to choose from here, but Cassell pretty much puts his finger on what the 1960s were all about when he writes: "The future was certainly ours - there was nothing but time. Yet there was not a moment to lose."

What a beautiful snapshot! Yes, we knew that at this moment the decade belonged to us, we were all in revolt, and yet we recognized that at any moment it could all be over. Vietnam was happening, after all, and the cities were burning, and everybody, it seemed, had issues, so we knew that it could not last. How long could we continue to protest when at some point we'd actually have to raise a family and earn a living? We'd have to cut our hair and most likely join a corporation - the Establishment.

One day we would have to grow up.

Cassell did grow up and what an incredible bio he developed over the years, much too long and storied to repeat here, except to note that out of all that, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, served as a New Mexico State Trooper, and also served as a district attorney - but that only touches on his many achievements.

His greatest achievement, though, as far as this reviewer is concerned, is in reminding us that once upon a time we were young. Once upon a time everything was possible.

Maybe such a time will come round again.

Bravo, John W. Cassell!

Jack Engelhard's latest novel, "The Bathsheba Deadline," is now available in paperback. Engelhard wrote the international bestselling novel "Indecent Proposal."

John W. Cassell is an author of extraordinary talent. His descriptive style, wit and smooth prose take you along on his journey, which is not only interesting, but captures the imagination and takes one to boundless territories.

If you never read any of John W. Cassell's work, you have missed more than just a little. You have missed adventure, excitement, romance, and wonderful trips, journeys, where you feel, almost believe, you are there with him sharing his sometimes wild, sometimes hair-raising, and often just plain fun adventures. Definitely five stars for this very, very talented writer.

John's story begins in his teens, and probably long before, where he is searching for something better than what he is accustomed. Disillusioned and with a certain sense of emptiness, he decides to embark upon that quest. He doesn't want to consider graduate school, as is strongly suggested. Instead, he wants to travel to Europe and soon has a passport. However, John and his friend Chris work for several months, while John is saving up money for his journey.

Following months of hard labor, John finally finds himself on his mother's porch, saying goodbye to his mother and brother, Barry. Mixed with the excitement of what may lie ahead, is fear and apprehension. Still, this is something he has to do.

In England, John is stunned when he learns that his acceptance into King's College, London was a mistake. It had been believed that it was his brother Barry who had applied. Once more, John feels the pain of humiliation from his childhhod that he'd fought against for years to overcome.

John enjoys the wonderful meals of England, but when he travels to France, he finds the bread really good and the coffee very bitter. And he finds he has difficulty chewing the delicious bread and believes it is a molar problem, but later comes to realize it is much more serious.

John makes many friends, some strange, some mysterious and some really close, male and female alike. He travels a good deal by bicycle, often taking daring chances, entering tunnels where he could find himself approaching head-on with a car or truck. Picking apples from orchards in France and nearly getting killed, along with his French friend, who is something of an enigma, but he doesn't remain that way for long. John soon gets one of the biggest surprises of his life.

In Spain, John finds the people a little warmer and friendlier than some he has encountered on his trek, and his knowledge of Spanish is a definite plus, not only for himself, but for friends he makes along the way. However, he realizes that he must return home, one of the main reasons being his health.

At one point, he ends up getting arrested due to a misunderstanding. He realizes that no one who ever cared about him even knows what continent he is on. In this hell of a prison, he is beaten and bruised and receives a rifle jabbed at shoulder length into his spine. Then, just when he believes he is at death's door, he is suddenly assisted in cleaning up and finds himself a free man once more. But, for how long, he is not sure. He realizes though, that in spite of everything that has transpired, he has met some kind people.

At last, he turns back for home and finds himself at Victoria Station in London, England, anticipating a previously arranged meeting with Marcie, a young woman he met earlier on. He loses grip with himself on a train, and the conductor brings a Doctor Cordova in to check him out. Doctor Cordova proves to be a kind and sympathetic person. This is where it is discovered that John may have a very serious infection in his mouth, but the doctor, though very concerned, has no antibiotics. He makes John promise to get the problem taken care of as soon as possible. John manages to connect back with Marcie and soon makes his way back home, but he is a changed man, much wiser and more appreciative of what he has.

This is only a bare sketch, if you will, a short synopsis of a great - and I emphasize great - book. A journey of a young man. A must read! It is educational, entertaining, gripping, riveting, sometimes frightening and definitely inspiring. No less than five stars. There should be ten!

This book is about a half-white, half-Acoma boy who has to visit his grandpa during the summer. His grand pa lives in a Native American village that sits on top a mountain. Kendall tries to fit in, but the native people are a litter wiry of him because of his white dad. Kendall finds out that his constant need to run is because of magic from his Acoma blood. There is an enchanted mountain that Kendall runs to every day in the desert. At first Kendall does not want to go to visit his grandfather, he wants to go on a road trip with his dad and brother, but towards the end he likes being there and does not want to leave. In the end of the book, his grandfather visits a sacred mountain when he does not come home Kendall runs into the desert to find him. His cousin has to go looking for him before his grandfather dies. I really liked this book because the author put some into detail, you could almost believe you were there. This book was great because the setting was so cool and the plot was one of a kind.

Little has a unique ability to draw the reader right into the setting, the character and the emotion of the story. I could see the beautiful New Mexico landscape. I could feel Kendall's worries and heartache. This story is both informative and moving - and shows deep respect for the culture of the Acoma.

This book just WON the SOUTHWEST BOOK AWARD! I am so glad ENCHANTED RUNNER won this recognition because it truly deserves it. This book is very emotionally moving, as well as having exciting, dangerous action. The setting is stunning and I loved reading about the Snake Clan and the powerful, magical runners. What a special book! I'm going to use this book in my classroom. I've never read anything else quite like it.

Enchanted Runner is definitely enchanting. Kimberley Griffiths Little sweeps readers into her story's world; one that is a thoughtful mixture of past and present. Ditto with her characters. From the beginning, I felt Kendall's magic as if I were running beside him as he confronted wild horses, rattlesnakes, heartbreak, and ancient mysteries. I especially enjoyed the contrast between Kendall and Trina, and her curiosity about his secret ceremonies. Kendall's journey was a satisfying one. I hope a sequel is on its way because I'd like to run with him again.

I'm 41-years-old and normally would not read a book targeted for the 9 to 12-year-old age group. But after reading Ms. Liitle's first book, BREAKAWAY, there was no way I'd pass up her second book. And I wasn't disappointed. ENCHANTED RUNNER was awesome! The research that went into the story is probably more than found in most adult novels. I was blown away by what I learned about the Acoma Culture and the Snake Clan. Visiting Sky City is now on my life's list of things to do. Parents: Do yourselves a favor. Buy this book. Read it, then share it with your kids. Ms Little: Thank you for pouring your soul into the story. I look forward to your next effort and hope there is a sequel to ENCHANTED RUNNER!

I absolutely loved this collection of her letters, journal and diary entries, as well as letters by suitor and future husband John Love, and her friends. It's at times a very emotional read. You don't want the book to end and you definitely are itching for more info about their life together after they were married at the book's end. Author John McPhee, who wrote the forward , mentioned I believe that more of Ethel Waxham Love's writings exist and are still unpublished. Hopefully they will be published soon. Check out McPhee's Rising From the Plains which is a combination history and geology exploration centering on John David Love, John and Ethel's son. He was home-schooled by Ethel, Yale-educated and became a preeminent geologist of the Wyoming and Rocky Mountain region. There is quite a bit of info on John David's early years growing up on the Love Ranch in Wyo. and further info on his Mom and Dad's life after marriage. It's an interesting blend of geology lesson interspersed with J.D.s personal and family story. J.D. shared his mother's letters and such with McPhee and his book was the first time they were published- though he used only a small portion of what was available to him. Then Lady's Choice was published about 10 years later if I'm not mistaken. Director Ken Burns and Co. then later featured excerpts of the Love's story in their PBS series and book, The West.

This is one of the best books I've ever read and the subject matter is really interesting and engrossing. It's much more than a bunch of dry letters and diary entries that's for sure.

The book was compiled and edited by two of the Love's grandaughters, Barbara Love and Francis Love Froidevaux, with a forward by John McPhee.

I love stories of women in the American west. Ethel's limited diary entries are insightful and often funny. I also loved the letters from her varied group of friends, most of them educated women who were pursuing the only career choice available to them: teaching. John Love's determined, romantic letters to Ethel were poignant and irresistible. As her options narrowed, his steady offer became more and more attractive, but unfortunately, he could not deliver on many of his promises. I could have read much more about her life after their marriage! If letters and writings exist, I wish another collection could be published. For me, this book was a page-turner.

If you are looking for a book that captures the real-life essence of the hardship and romance of the American West, look no further; this book has it all. A wonderfully written story of the lives and loves of the ordinary pioneering people who made America great.

This collection is truly wonderful. Ethel Waxham and many of her correspondents are of such intelligence, perceptiveness, spirit, and wit that they are, as John McPhee says of Ethel Waxham in the Forward, irresistable. The jounal entries and the letters make it clear that the story of Ethel Waxham's journey from Wellesley to the ranch on Muskrat creek just south of Moneta was deeper and more complex than the story of the PBS series. The endnotes are particularly good -- a story in and of themselves. I do wish there were more pictures of the ranch itself and its surroundings (even from today), "where the gray hills lie, Eternally still, under the sky," and the people, and I wish that I could know more about Ethel Waxham and the authors of the letters. I also wish that the unpublished sources were available -- as they are by "EPW" and J. D. Love, both of whom are of indisputable eloquence, they would make wonderful reading. And finally, as stated by McPhee: "I will wait impatiently for the sampler" -- the collection ends in one sense where the adventure just begins, and I long to see more of the correspondence and hear more of the story of the life at the Ranch on Muskrat Creek.

When John McPhee published his now-classic RISING FROM THE PLAINS, he introduced Ethel Waxham Love in the first paragraph. All through the rest of the book he interwove her story with that of her son, Wyoming geologist David Love and the geology of the Great Plains. When fan mail came rolling in, readers wanted to know more about the "slim young woman" who stepped down from a train in Rawlings, Wyoming one fall morning in 1905.
LADY'S CHOICE is Ethel Waxham Love's story. Her granddaughters, Barbara Love and Frances Love Froidevaux, have collected her writings -- journals, letters, poetry, essays, stories -- present them in combination with letters from her friends and classmates as well as from the man she would marry.

Her story begins in the Fall of 1905. She has graduated from Wellesley and spent the Summer working as an assistant to her doctor father in Denver. When she gets the opportunity to teach in a log cabin schoolhouse in Wyoming, she accepts the offer. Her first journal entry describes her journey into the wilds of Wyoming by train, stage coach and wagon. With a sure pen and a sympathetic eye she records her impressions of the land, the people and events. Her observations are those of a sharp mind (she had earned a Phi Beta Kappa key at Wellesley, specializing in Greek, Latin and French), her descriptions are those of a major literary talent.

Of one acquaintance she writes, "Mrs. Butler. . .is a little war-horse of a woman, with a long, thin husband. I'm telling you about her because she has been improving him for twenty years and it is beginning to tell on him."

Her year in this community is surprisingly eventful, considering the isolation and the seeming lack of resources. But Ethel is a resourceful person, full of imagination, the kind of person who makes things happen. She visits friends, attends church services and "sociables," and dines in local restaurants. There are dances and suppers and school entertainments. And there is John Love, the man she will marry after the five-year courtship that is recorded here.

She is enchanted by her surroundings. "The color of the white hills against the pale of the blue sky is most exquisite i the world. The cedars are gray with snow, the sagebrush white clumps of crystals. Where a long way off the sun touches the tops of the snow-covered hills there are shines a streak of silver. A whole white world was there, rising around us, as far as we could see; there did not appear to be such a thing as direction. Everywhere the whiteness, everywhere the hills. Where the stubble of the fields of the range rose above the snow,there was a shading of gold over the white. . .and when the full moon shines out of the deep dark night sky, the hills are like shining silver."

You, too, will find a lady to love in these pages. Her journal begins as she stands on the threshold of her life, emerging from the chrysalis of a protected girlhood toward the challenge of womanhood. Here she records a land, a people, a life, a love, welcoming them as unequivocably and eagerly as only the young do.

LADY'S CHOICE eclipses others of its type. It not only showcases the lady's life and the choices she made, it reveals a true literary talent and a rare human being. Wallace Stegner (ANGLE OF REPOSE, SPECTATOR BIRD, CROSSING TO SAFETY)once spoke of the "inextinguishable western hope" expressed by writers of history as they look at the world and at humanity's place in it. Ethel Waxham Love's letters and journals provide a major contribution to that hope as well as to the history and the the belles lettres of the American West.

(c)2002 Sunnye Tiedemann
(Ruth F. Tiedemann)