North America Books

Richard Van Camp
Angel Wing Splash Pattern

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

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

"A superb collection"

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

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

For the full review go to: [website]

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

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

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

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

This amazingly intelligent and emotional collection of poems can only speak for itself -- the way only real and true poetry can. To try to explain or otherwise describe this collection would undoubtedly do it an injustice -- any such attempt would only minimize its magic. Buy and treasure this collection.

I am an old friend of the authors dating back to 6th grade and although I haven't seen her in more than 10 years I can assure you that nothing she does is bad. She had always been a perfectionist and has written poetry ever since I can remember ( I remember many Saturdays writing in her bedroom in fact. You will not be disappointed by this book, if I know my friend, it is a work of art.

M.L. Smoker's gorgeous Attempt rescues the heart with the mind. With a voice like a freight train merging into the Montana distance, Smoker carries the reader through her inner, intimate spaces on a ride across the landscape of memory and bone-deep living.

How lucky we are for M.L. Smoker.

This book was an excellent source of information. The maps were also helpful for planning out my mileage for my weekend adventures.

I've used previous editions of this guide, but the 16th edition includes validated GPS data and is certainly the best of a very good lot. The package includes a guidebook, with detailed trail descriptions for the 174 miles from Kent, Connecticut, to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the New Jersey-Pennsylvania line. There are also four waterproof color maps (scale: 1 inch = 1 mile) which show the A.T., other trails in the area, and roads used to access the trails.

My favorite hike in this book includes the Agony Grind on the west side of the entrance to Harriman Park, just off Old 17. There's a short, fairly steep scramble up to a long ridge walk above Greenwood Lake with great views -- you can often see hawks flapping across the lake far below you, and then rising effortless just out of reach on the thermals formed by the ridge. It's a rewarding out and in hike, of whatever length you have time for. Save a little energy for a careful descent at the end of the hike.

There are other excellent local guides to New Jersey and New York trails. The New Jersey Walk Book: A Companion to the New York Walk Book and the New York Walk Book: A Companion to the New Jersey Walk Book are the pick of the litter.

Nonetheless it is romantic to use one of a series covering the entire Appalachian Trail. One can pretend to be an End to Ender of this most famous of our trails.

Robert C. Ross 2007 2008

If the reader is really serious about hiking the A.T., specifically the N.Y. /N.J. section, this book, along with the 6 very detailed maps that come with it, will be a tremendous help, with all the relevant information all packed into a (large)pocket-sized paperback.
In addition to very interesting facts behind the history and the beginnings of the AT, the information found in this book will guide you, almost hold your hand along the trail and, it will then be up to you to listen to the wisdom, advice and warnings found here or, ignore them and find out -the hard way- why only 10% of the people who attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail will finish it in a year.
Where can you find water?; where are you not allowed to camp?; is it safe to hike alone?;can you take your dog with you? (NO!). Statistically speaking, did you know that you will be safer hiking the entire A.T., than walking the streets of most large american cities?
These and many other topics, too numerous to mention here, are dealt with in this volume.
Having all of that information ahead of time will make it (just a little) easier to put on your backpack, lug your 3 liters of water needed daily, consume the 4000 calories of food needed every day and.....in about 6 months time you will have arrived at your destination, very tired, much thinner and, much wiser.

Here is a book that will help you to get to know your trees, magical beings that they are. This book gives all kinds of information about the trees around us in our yards and neighborhoods, including things like the pheromones exuded by the catalpa helps heart patients, and so on. It is a remarkable compendium of information that will make you want to plant, and help you decide which trees to plant. It will make you appreciate the trees around your neighborhood more as you walk beneath them. For anyone who gardens or loves trees, this is an outstanding book.

In Arboretum America: A Philosophy Of The Forest, botanist, medical researcher, and agricultural expert, Diana Beresford-Kroeger celebrates a diversity of trees and plants including how they can counteract the effects of pollution and global warming; which native plants complement the "bioplan"; how to plan them with ideas and tips; the medicinal uses trees and plants have had from the inception of aboriginal cultures down to the modern day, and so much more. Inviting, full-color photography by Christian H. Kroeger and an informative Foreword by Edward O. Wilson nicely embellish this informed and informative presentation which vibrantly reflects the Diana Beresford-Kroeger's love of nature and enduring passion for scientific inquisition. Arboretum America is an especially recommended addition to Ecological Studies reference collections and Botanical Studies supplemental reading lists.

What a holistic book on the forests of North America. Diana Beresford-Kroeger discuss the ecology of our trees in a scientific fashion as well as including a spiritual and healing aspects of the forest through the history of plants and medicinal properties. Wonderful book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the unique dynamics of forest life.

I really like the way this book is organized. There are sections such as "Desserts" and "Canyons". When I went to Arizona the last time, I wanted to visit desserts, and I wanted to hike some Canyons, so I could simply read these sections and learn pretty much everything I wanted to know, rather than piece this information together as other travel books make you do (since they are usually organized by area). The organization also allows you to skip information such as "Art" and "History". Of course in the end I ended up being interested in these sections after all, so I read them in the care while I was there. And once again, I could focus on these sections rather than finding this information organized by area.

Long story short: I really like reading about an area by topic of interest, rather than by location. It makes travel planning much easier. Of course, your need may be different (you may be in a certain town and want to figure out what to do for instance...). In that case, this book still is useful (it DOES have short sections on individual locations), but there are other books I use for that type of research.

Overall, I can highly recommend this book. In fact, I will order some of the other books from this series for different states.

This book is incredible. It gives all kinds of details ranging from local interest and lore to general information about the state. It reads like a novel and yet is very informative. Even if you have no intention of ever visiting Arizona, this is still a wonderful book to read and the photographs are breath-taking.

Compass Guides are the best series I have ever read. They are literate and beautifully illustrated, laid out well and very logical to use. Of the Compass Guides I've read, Cheek's Arizona is the best (followed closely by his Santa Fe Guide).

He writes with wit and style. He's not afraid to share his opinion, but never takes for granted that his is the only viewpoint. He also adds a human element that few other guides offer. Frequently you'll find sidebar articles that introduce you to a person whose story particularly illustrates the idea or place in question.

I lived in Arizona for 4 1/2 years. This is the guide that I used to learn the state. I would recommend it to anyone. When my wife and I married in Sedona, Arizona we sent copies of this book to our relatives to acquaint them with the wonderful place they'd be visiting. All who read it were delighted. You'll be, too.

I got this for my brother, but was able to see what it looked like when he opened it, and we were both impressed with it! Nice photos and explanations.

From both a pictorial view and a written view, this is one of the best books available on the subject.
Money well spent!

This book does a wonderful job of capturing the breadth and depth of Cherokee art and craft, neatly presenting it within a broader, cultural context. I highly recommend this book to Indian art historians, art collectors, and anyone with a passion for Cherokee culture.

This book concisely details the impact of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan on 20th Century Colombian politics. This work begins with an account of Gaitan's days as a student and his early professional life as a lawyer. Gaitan came from a middle-middle class background and rose through the ranks of the Liberal party to eventually become its Presidential candidate in the late 1940s. Gaitan's political outlook was left-of-center and he was a champion of the lower and middle classes. Because Gaitan was the people's candidate, he was not especially liked by the Colombian oligarchy. Gaitan was assasinated in 1948 and to this day it is not officially known who the intellectual authors of that crime were. However, the people felt their candidate had been murdered by the oligarchy and this led to a brutal 10-year civil war that claimed over 200,000 lives. This is a must-read book to understand the root causes of Colombian political violence.

Professor Herbert Braun has authored a monumental book. The author leaves few stones unturned...as a result the research is absolutely profound. "Jorge Eliécer Gaitán" is a legendary Colombian populist who unfortunately is assasinated before he can fulfill his political ambitions. To this end, Braun carefully documents the fact that had he not been killed, Gaitán would have certainly won the 1950 presidential elections in Colombia.

Braun tells the complete story of Gaitán...the politician who boasted that he was not a man...he was a village. The author painstakingly demonstrates the enormous importance Gaitán played among the poor. Moreover, Braun also does an excellent job of showing how Gaitán filled a gigantic void in Colombian politics. Unfortunately, the assasination of Gaitán triggered the conflict that haunts Colombia to this day. In my professional opinion, this is an spectacular book and must be read by everyone with a special competence in Colombian - American affairs.

Bert Ruiz

This book provides the reader with a precise insight on the evolution of Colombia's restrictive political system. In other words, the author shows the way in which this country's ruling elite have been successful in excluding the masses from major political decisions. This situation has been an influential cause for the fall of such popular figures as Jorge Eliecer Gaitan.

Co-written by Eric Hinderaker (Associate Professor of History, University of Utah) and Peter C. Mancall (Professor of History, University of Southern California), At The Edge Of Empire: The Backcountry In British North America focuses upon the interplay between Europeans and Native Americans during the seventeenth century. The "backcountry" that existed just beyond the imperial reach of Britain is the primary subject of this acutely written, meticulously researched, scholarly history which closely examines the manifold causes of conflict, as well as the ordinary situations of daily life which were to significantly contribute to the American Revolut-ion of 1776.

Co-written by Eric Hinderaker (Associate Professor of History, University of Utah) and Peter C. Mancall (Professor of History, University of Southern California), At The Edge Of Empire: The Backcountry In British North America focuses upon the interplay between Europeans and Native Americans during the seventeenth century. The "backcountry" that existed just beyond the imperial reach of Britain is the primary subject of this acutely written, meticulously researched, scholarly history which closely examines the manifold causes of conflict, as well as the ordinary situations of daily life which were to significantly contribute to the American Revolution of 1776.

When an American thinks of the frontier of history, modern day Ohio, Kentucky and the Appalachian mountains are hardly the first thing that comes to mind. When a British subject thinks of the effects of the nation's past in Ireland or Scotland, dealings with Cherokees or Mohawks hardly come to mind. But Professor's Hinderaker and Mancall make the case in their comprehensive yet concise story about the edge of the first British Empire and the first American frontier.

The back country of America is often approached from a modern, American standpoint, from the perspective of the early Americans, like Daniel Boone. This book makes the case that the American back country should be instead be likened to the English experience in Ireland and Scotland in the 16th century, rather than being likened to the American experience in western and Rocky Mountain states in the 19th century. Though to a large degree, it is impossible to understand the later American historical experience of the Wild west without understanding the wild mid-west.

This book can be understood well from three perspectives: the relationship of the settlers along the American frontier to the native Americans, the relationship of the British Empire to the settlers, the relationship between Britain and France in their longstanding struggle for supremacy. As the 170 years or so of the first British Empire in North America rolled on, the conflicting attitudes, alliances and interests of all the parties involved made the time period one of constant change with at times brutal results in economic deprivation and war. What emerged was perhaps the most unlikely event possible, a continental republic where authority flowed from the bottom up, as much as it has at any point in human history.

The authors do a fine job of showing just why the interior of North America was so valuable to all parties involved, and why confusion and misunderstanding often carried the day. The Pennsylvania backcountry is a prime example. Founded by Quaker businessman and pacifists, ruling from far away Philadelphia, they simply had no framework for understanding the disputes, claims and issues involved among the German and Scotch Irish settlers in today's central Pennsylvania. And these decades of misunderstandings often led to unnecessary conflict among the natives, settlers and rising disputes with the ruling class.

The familiar events leading to the American Revolution are told from the perspective that disputes in the backcountry largely led to the conflict that founded the United States. Even given several decades to solve the situation politically, the British Empire could never effectively design systems to deal with trade, backcountry political representation and native disputes. The worldview of the day and the distant London government could never quite understand just how complex a situation they were dealing with. How the early American Republic was able to solve the issues that were raised by the backcountry disputes with London so quickly, such as the removal of nearly every colonial capital from the coast to the interior and the means of creating new interior territories, is told well, with the only losers being the native tribes who were seen as a problem to be pushed away until later by the British and a problem to be swept away by the backcountry settlers.

This is a short book, worth a reader's time, as it shows just how dramatic and incredible the changes were in eastern North America during the 16th and 17th century. Things that began small: land speculation, Indian conflict, individual settlement apart from an often disinterested justice system grew up into something completely unexpected. Few of the actors of the day escape unscathed from this 170 year time period, and the misunderstandings of the time period often met their end in civil war in the American Revolution.

In about a 180 pages, the authors map out a pattern of settlement by Europeans, unlike anything that had happened before, one that was unruly, controlled from the ground up and led to the modern world. This book is highly recommended.

This book is a guide to trees one can encounter in the woods of the Northeast. It opens with a brief yet informative description of the science behind the changing colors of autumn leaves, including some suggestions for easy science experiments to provide further understanding of the processes involved. The main part of the book is divided into two sections: deciduous trees and conifers. In this section, there are short articles for individual trees, presented in order of which trees are most common and striking in their autumn glory, rather than in alphabetical or family order. The articles include common names, Latin names, and multiple high quality color pictures of autumn foliage, as well as notes concerning what the wood might be used for, well-known literary references, and descriptive information. At the back of the book is a short list of titles for further reference and an index. This book is not intended as a guidebook for tree identification, but more a celebration of northern trees when they are at their colorful peak. The depth and readability of its descriptions of individual trees, however, would make it a suitable supplement to a tree identification guide for readers who want to learn more about the trees they already know by sight.

Despite its small size and paperback format, this is one of my most treasured books. I am a resident of Michigan, and the fall is always a highlight of our year. Michiganders, as an army, await autumn leaves and "leaf peeping", as young children await Christmas morning. This is the ONLY book I've ever seen that really gives its reader a good understanding of this beautiful phenomenon.

The first 17 or so pages give a physical, chemical, and biological discourse on why leaves change, and on what goes into the makeup of the various colors. The next 100+ pages cover all deciduous trees of northeastern North America, in turn, with a good discussion of each species being attended by excellent four-color photographs of the subject tree in various formats, including group, solo, and partial shots. Finally a sixty-page section gives the same ememplary treatment to northeastern North American evergreens. These, too, form part of the fall patterns, albeit in a more subdued way.

If you live in the area bounded by Ontario, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec, or are planning to visit any states or provinces in that area this fall, buy this book now, and read it over. You'll be glad you did, this year and every year. I would give this book a ten-star rating if I could, and recommend it highly. An invaluable bargain.

This is really well done. There are numerous color photos (both closeups, some whole tree shots, and often a shot of a grouping of trees showing the characteristics of the tree being described. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting a guide to Fall trees or even for planning your plantings. It's also reasonably priced. My only misgiving is that it isn't longer and cover the entire eastern US!