North America Books

This is a magnificent book full with beautiful artistic photographs. Each day I turn just one page and leave the book open on my coffee table to enjoy the splendour of nature. The photographer went out of his way to capture unique moments of the day, capitalising on unusual light conditions to emphasise natural structures and scenery!

I bought it as a gift for my husband who is into photography. He's really enjoying it. It arrived before Christmas too even though I got an email that said it would be late. I've had good experience w/ amazon on book orders.

This is a beautiful book of photography done by one of the most outstanding nature photographers America has ever known. The photos from all over N. America are outstanding. A wonderful coffee table book. Also an inspirational book for photographers or anyone desiring to be amongst the glories of nature. Galan Rowell knew what to look for in a great photograph.

I love this book! I'm in to landscape photography and this book is some of the best examples out there.

This book is packed full of breath-taking scenery with every page, from front cover to back, presenting exquisite photos of North American treasures. It is a picture book filled with eye candy for the nature lover, world traveler, and science enthusiast. I highly recommend this book to inspire your soul, renew your mind, and lift your spirits.

This is a true classic. Cast with three others on an unknown land by shipwreck in 1528 as part of Pánfilo Narváez's disastrous expedition (Morison calls Narváez "the most incompetent of all who sailed for Spain in this era"), Cabeza de Vaca wandered a biblical trail for eight years and compiled an invaluable, candid early portrait of indigenous American nations in southwest America. He published `La Relación' (1528-36) after regaining Spain.

The next stage in his life (equally remarkable) isn't covered in this work. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was named `Adelantado' by Charles V in 1540 and appointed governor and captain general of Río de la Plata (Peru to the Straights of Magellan). He sailed from Spain with four ships and landed after a five month voyage in Brazil, marched west overland with 250 men and 26 horses to Asunción (1000+ miles). He enacted a decent administration that respected natives and conciliation that ran afoul of local rivals (for the rest read Samuel Eliot Morison: The Southern Voyages).

Highly recommended.

This is an excellent translation of an amazing account. Favata and Fernandez give an accurate and interesting rendition of Cabeza de Vaca's words. Their notes aid in understanding and appreciation of the story. I highly recommend this translation to anyone interested in Cabeza de Vaca himself, the time period, or just a good read.

This is a startling yet interesting tale of Cabeza de Vaca's journey through the southern U.S. These men suffered greatly through their journey and yet accomplished what they set out to do in the end.

Truly a remarkable story of survival of the fittest.

Highly recommended.

Although this is a short narrative, the book presents the best description of early North American life I have read so far. The book is Cabeza de Vaca's autobiographical account of his participation in a failed Spanish expedition to colonize Florida in the early 1500's. Through a series of events, the members of the expedition end up traveling along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico into Texas and then overland into Sonora, Mexico. Only four members of the expedition returned to Spanish civilization, but they had earned the respect of many of the Indian tribes.

The Account not only presents details of the journey but also presents general historical aspects of North American Indians and Spanish colonization in the 1500's. Cabeza de Vaca has performed a great service in documenting the practices of food-gathering, agriculture, slavery, trade, and spirituality among the Southwestern Indians. His narrative also highlights the the perils of 1500's exploration and the harsh attitudes of Spanish colonists towards Indians.

The translators also deserve credit for their work. Using clear modern English, they have made The Account easy to read. They have also supplemented their translation with translation notes and histroical notes that are very useful, particularly in identifying locations in the text. Moreover, they have also included an introduction that places The Account and Cabeza de Vaca into a historical context.

In summary, The Account is not only a great narrative of the personal history of Cabeza de Vaca's travels across North America but also an important document about early Spanish colonization and Native American culture. I strongly recommend this book for all readers.

Texas history begins n 1528, when a hurricane sank a Spanish ship off the coast of Galveston Island. Four survivors washed up naked on the shore, including Governor Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and the black man, Estebano, who had been the slave of one of the drowned men. Thus begins one of the most remarkable adventures in history. This book is Cabeza de Vaca's first person account of his experience. He and his men first became the slaves of hostile coastal Indians who tortured them, but ultimately, after several years in captivity, escaped to go with other more sympathetic inland Indians. He describes the many Native American tribes he encountered, as well as their customs and how they lived. Most of them starved when not eking out subsistence on cactus fruit and nuts. The Indians had never seen a bearded face before and most were in awe of the Spaniards. They believed he had healing powers and demanded that he heal their sick. Cabeza de Vaca was a very pious man and called upon his god to help him. He prayed for patients, made the sign of the cross on their bodies, and extorted the promise that they would henceforth follow the true God. The sick Indians swore that they had been cured and Cabeza de Vaca became recognized as a powerful shaman, eagerly greeted by the Western Tribes who begged for his blessing. Cabeza de Vaca was North America's first lay missionary. Nine years after the shipwreck, he encountered quite by accident another group of Spaniards exploring New Mexico (and capturing Indians to enslave). Because Cabeza de Vaca insisted upon humane treatment toward the Indians, the cruel Spaniards imprisoned the crazy (and perhaps dangerous) naked man and took him to Mexico City. After living among the Indians for nine years, Cabeza de Vaca felt uncomfortable wearing clothes and could not sleep on a bed.

This is an extraordinary story, full of wonder, horror and faith. It is a work of literature. Those with an interest in Texas history, Native Americans, or the Spanish conquest of America will find this easy-flowing translation extremely compelling reading.

ALL OUR RELATIONS by Indigenous Activist Winona LaDuke is a must read for everyone who cares about our earth. LaDuke presents the state of the environment focusing on several land, treaty rights and toxic exposure struggles on reservations across North America and in Hawaii. Since I met Winona when she was an economics student at Harvard, she has been at the heart of struggles and gains made by indigenous communities, always bringing a keen intellect, diligent research, unswerving commitment, and a broad vision of the whole circle to community and tribal issues.
Because I've known many of the people involved in the essential work LaDuke describes in ALL OUR RELATIONS, it was a personal pleasure to read this book and catch up with what Susannah Santos and her cousins are doing on the Columbia River, be updated on Luana Busby and Melani Trask and the Hawaiian indigenous movement and to get the inside details of the complex political fight Winona's son's father and his people are up aqainst at St. James Bay. But this book will fascinate anyone who cares about our earth, families and communities. It is one to read from end to end, then keep around to re-read again and again.
LaDuke calls the work these tribal communities do to protect their people and landbase from pollution and corporate greed, "soul-retrieval." It is work that we all need to do whatever our ethnic background, since as LaDuke's reportage on the presence of PCBs in mother's breastmilk in the Northeast attests, everyone is affected by what we are doing to the earth. Winona is a mother who has no illusions about how the choices we make as consumers affect the earth and our communities' health. What is most inpiring about LaDuke's writing and life is that she offers solutions. Each chapter not only outlines the problem, but it talks about solutions that are being implemented and suggests others that should be employed. Winona walks her talk. LaDuke has been a strong proponent of wind energy and has worked to engage major corporations like Ben & Jerry in developing wind energy projects on Indian Reservations in South Dakota. Native Harvest and White Earth Land Recovery Project have reclaimed White Earth land and developed sustainable reservation businesses that employ and train White Earth tribal members. Winona LaDuke would be a great President because she is the only public figure who has a sensible plan for economic self-sufficiency, the clarity to explain it to the American people, and the discipline and steadfastness to enact it.

If I could, I would thank Winonah LaDuke in person for writing such an important, informative and engaging book on the travesty that is the North American government's view of native land and those who inhabit it. The numerous tribes who make the land their home are forced to co-exist with the insensitive, selfish and literally toxic decisions made by government and corporations who dump tons upon tons of toxic pesticides in their water and on "abandoned" land. These lands are also subject to divebombings from military jets. These are illegal decibel levels that drive those within hearing range to points of mental instability, as well as potential hearing loss.

One of the most important quotes from this book that I remember (since I read this book a couple of years ago in a Native/African-American Women's Studies course) was from a Seminole leader who said, "Selling your land for a price is like selling a piece of your mother." [I paraphrase this.] I couldn't agree more. When I remember that quote, I think about all of the animals, vegetation and tribes (consisting of families and friends) who have lived off of the land of the United States, as well as Canada. How can one possibly put a price on something that can't truly be owned by anyone and is its own autonomous entity. Even if people have the illusion that they can occupy land as territory (because of treaties, as an example) does not mean that it is ever their to keep. LaDuke makes several strong examples of this in the book. We can't continue to pollute, abuse and neglect land without paying a price environmentally or in terms of human quality of life and mortaiity. I believe everyone should read this book, regardless of occupation, national origin or territorial location. We need to face the damage done before more of it goes unacknowledged. Thank you, Winonah.

Winona Laduke ran as vice president alongside Ralph Nader. It would be truly amazing if this woman had become our vice president (for many reasons). It is my hope that some day she will be our vice president (or president). Her views on the environment and its effect upon animals and people (particularly babies, children and pregnant/nursing mothers) are exactly how I feel. She expresses these views eloquently in these quotes by Lil'wat grandmother Loretta Pascal, "Where did you get your right to destroy these forests? How does your right supercede my rights? These are our forests, these are our ancestors."(p.5), by Ted Strong, "If this nation has a long way to go before all of our people are truly created equally without regard to race, religion, or national origin, it has even further to go before achieving anything that remotely resembles equal treatment for other creatures who called this land home before humans ever set foot upon it...."(p.5), and by Katsi Cook, "Why is it we must change our lives, our way of life, to accommodate the corporations, and they are allowed to continue without changing any of their behavior?"(p.12). Reading this book you will feel sorrow, and be inspired to action. Most of what was said in this book I already knew a little about, but through this book I understood the depth and complexity of all the factors. I can not recommend this book enough. She tells the truth of our world with a powerful clarity. She tells the stories of many Native American Tribes throughout North America (Canada and the United States, including a chapter on Hawaii). She ends the book with the optimism that it is possible for us to make change, but it is up to us.

Spoon-fed news by large media corps, few were aware that Winona LaDuke ran for the vice presidency under Ralph Nader in the 2000 elections. Even fewer know that she is also a Native American eco-philosopher with a critical perspective on the health and future prosperity of America. All Our Relations is particularly instructive, in that LaDuke surveys the entire American landscape (and by landscape, I am not merely referring to the political landscape), showing the deep connections that exist between local cultures, their environments, and the corporate-governmental giants that often compromise their health. Although LaDuke has specifically focused on Native American communities, the stories are engaging and instructive for Americans in general. Informative, powerful, and transformative, LaDuke here provides an antidote for our increasing alienation from the land and biota that sustain us. A must read for any conscious American.

To think this woman could be our Vice President today. Most people don't even know that Winona LaDuke ran for Vice President on Ralph Nader's ticket. An articulate and passionate writer, LaDuke presents an awareness of the plight of America unsurpassed by any other. She knows what's wrong. She knows what needs to be done. She knows who is doing the work, how and why. She presents her advocacy as human, heartfelt and real. I learned things about what is happening to this country that I would never have known otherwise. You certainly don't see it in the news, and you don't learn about it in school. We're in trouble, folks, and it's not too late to do something about it. With more power she could have made such a difference! But she continues to work on the issues, and it is so important that more people are aware of her work. Please, please, please read this book. It is the most important book you will read all year.

Great book, very detailed and informative information on identifing North American animal skulls. Light enough where it can be carried and used in the field. Detailed instructions on how to clean and care for skulls.

I really was impressed when I received this book. I did not know that it was going to be in such detail and have full scale images.

It also has a plethora of knowledge useful for fields that study animal bones such as zooarchaeology, mammalogy, and zoology. I would recommend this to not only avocational researchers but academic researchers as well.

I have all of Mark Elbroch's books. They are essential for tracking & naturalist studies. I refer to them weekly for identification, more than any other books I own. I've also met Mark & had him sign the "Mammal Tracks" book. An all around great guy to study from & talk to. If you enjoy Mark's drawings check out his site for t-shrirts & other cool stuff.-Kevin

This is a great book. The review in the August 2007, Journal of Mammalogy is spot on. Consider it an expert treatment on the skulls of many (but not all) North American mammals. I'm unsure of the value of the short treatments of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. I consider this money well spent and am sure I will refer to the excellent photographs and illustrations often over the years.

This is an excellent book for the serious amateur or expert. Great line drawings and photos accompanied by concise information on each type of skull.

This book is the fascinating, inspiring and enlightening true story of a young man who was a political refugee from Kenya. He came to the US, graduated from college,and went on to law school here. He married a US citizen and they had a child. Seems like it would be a sure thing he could stay.....but not so fast! This is the story of his amazing struggle and shows how our system works. (Actually, not so well sometimes.) Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good read!
C. Bates, Eugene, Oregon

I couldn't set this book down. He literally goes through every possibility, facing years of uncertainty, and still keeps trying - and graduates college and law school in the meantime. I cannot imagine going through what he went through in Kenya, then coming to the US as a safe haven, and facing such a drawn-out, uphill battle simply to stay.

His story is not always easy to read but it is very engaging, even if, like me, you are not a lawyer or law student. David Kenney Ngaruri and his friends and colleagues in this book are very inspirational.

This is an eloquent and heartbreaking tale of one immigrant's journey throught the U.S. Immigration system. It reads like a John Grisham novel although the story is sadly true. The author, a 7-foot tall Kenyan, was a political prisioner in Kenya for his role as a labor organizer. He faced imprisonment and torture and was ultimately able to escape Kenya via the promise of a basketball scholarship in the United States. In his quest for political asylum in the U.S. he encouters heartless judges,corrupt officials, State Department bureaucrats, a beautiful "witch", kidnapping rebels, interpid law students and a dedicated and brilliant law profressor (his co-author). I couldn't put it down and felt a mixture of outrage at the U.S. immigration system while in awe of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most dauting of odds.

This is an amazing book that makes plain the unbelievable complexity of immigration law. Anyone with an interest in immigration policy should read this book.

For those of you looking for a good summer read to take to the beach, or just a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy day, I highly recommend opening up the pages of Asylum Denied. It is both informative and inspiring as it tells the story of David Kenney Ngaruri, the political asylee who struggled to stay in America. Although the book is currently being passed around law schools, as the new go-to-guide for asylum law, I am sure it will not be long before it makes the bestseller stands at nation-wide bookstores or grabs a spot on Oprah's booklist. Asylum Denied, written by two authors, the above-mentioned David Kenney Ngaruri and Philip Schrag, the professor of law at Georgetown University, serves both as a law manual and as a heart-warming story of adventure, perseverance, and love. Unlike most law-related books, it reads very smoothly and catches your attention from the first page. Even if this is not the usual type of book you read, I urge you to give it a try. If the face on the cover of the book is not enough to convince you to read it, then I hope this review will.

When I first got this book I read it through like a novel . it is that interesting!! Then, as I used the book as a field guide I realized that birds make much more of a mess than we realize and that trackers can easily mistake bird sign for that of man or other animals without this knowledge. Lots of things that I thought were mystery disturbances in the woods were solved for me with this guide. No other bird book touches it for bird behavior.

This book is a much needed guide to bird sign and tracks. It complements Elbroch's guide to Animal sign. It is well written and informative.

This is a guide to identifying bird families or individual species by clues they leave behind of their presence. The title may appear, at first glance, to be a typo. It is not. As the authors explain on the first page: "Sign refers to all the possible signs of their passing: sign of feeding, gathering material for nesting, the nests or cavity holes themselves, pellets, droppings, feathers lost during molt, or kill sites."

This book appears to be packed with too much information for a beginner to digest. But its actually quite good for anyone who is interested in birds and would use such a book more than once or twice. The information is organized by types of sign - tracks, feathers, feeding signs, droppings, nests and roosts, etc., rather than by species. This allows you to read about whichever subject you're interested in and to take in the basics behind, say, interpreting signs of feeding, rather than getting bogged down by details specific to a certain species.

Due to the nature of the topic, the squeamish may not enjoy all the pictures. However, the pictures are certainly not as gruesome as they could have been.

In the introduction, one of the authors writes: "real tracking is bigger than one lifetime. Tracking, as our ancestors knew it, was a body of knowledge handed down from generation to generation. Each person added to this knowledge..." The authors clearly see themselves as a continuation if this process, referring to and giving credit to other excellent books, such a Rezendes' "Tracking and the Art of Seeing".

To my knowledge, this is the only book like this specific to birds. I feel this would be an excellent gift idea for that hard-to-buy-for bird watcher.

petervtamas@mail.com

I really got excited when I saw this reviewed in National Wildlife magazine. I often see bird tracks or even a nest when out walking but didn't know how to translate that into useful information. This book clues me in on the bird that matches those signs.
The author, a renowned tracker, spent 14 months, 12 hours a day studying bird tracks, scats, nests, feeding signs and roosts plus collected information from museums for this book.
Users of this guide may also want to try:
-Flattened Fauna: A Field Guide to Common Animals of Roads, Streeets and Highways
-Scats and Tracks of the Southeast (also guides for other areas)
-A Field Guide to Desert Holes
-A Key-Guide to Mammal Skulls and Lower Jaws
-That Gunk on Your Car (insects)
Bird lovers now have another tool to identify birds.

Call me cynical but in the last twenty years I have seen field guide publishers recylce the same old info over and over again, just adding a new tabulature or color photos. The text is minimal and always leaves me wanting more.

Not so with this book! Mark and Eleanor have created something that goes well beyond any field guide currently on the market concerning birds! This stuff is new and never before seen except for experienced birders in the field. It is easy to use, fun to use and it will help anyone learn more about birds, their habits and sign. The photography is stunning as well.

I cannot over-recommend this book. Go get it, now!

Ricardo Sierra

I wasn't really expecting to receive this book as quickly as it was delivered. As a matter of fact, I also ordered a book from another seller who is only 50 miles away. The books were ordered at the same time. They were also delivered the same day even though the seller was several states away.

I'm into lepidoptera, and own several buttefly books. This is definitely my go-to guide, and anytime I go in the field, this is the book I bring. It's great to have photos, field marks, maps, and there are pictures that show variations among different species. The format's great because one side of the page is all photos, and the facing side has the map and text. I think that if you're just getting into butterflies, a book like Introduction to Southern California Butterflies or the Golden Guide Butterflies and Moths are good to start off with, as this one may be a little to much for someone who is not too familiar with butterflies and doesn't know the basics yet.

This book was recommended by a person who was experienced in butterfly identification. As a beginner, it is awesome. So for the experienced and the beginner, it is wonderful. A must buy for the curious in all of us about those beautiful butterflies God put on the face of the earth!

A while back I wrote a review of the Peterson Series "Field Guide to Western Butterflies", which I had used in the field during the 4th of July Butterfly Count in the Organ Mountains of New Mexico. I gave it five stars as I thought it the best field guide to actually use in the field. The rival Audubon guide to butterflies left me cold because it simply does not show enough detail for identifying hard species. I thus dismissed photo guides because of this bad experience, thinking that artists did better work in illustrating these beautiful insects. I was wrong! There is a way to produce a photo guide to butterflies that actually works and Jeffrey Glassberg has done it! This is the best field guide that I have ever seen for butterflies. The photos, mostly taken by the author, are simply superb! The best thing that Glassberg has done is to standardize the photos so you can compare the same characters. This is a major innovation and must certainly have taken a lot of time. The placing of maps and descriptions opposite the photographic plates is also a major change from the other popular guides. It sure saves a lot of page flipping!

I am often laughed at because I still use a 35 mm SLR for photographing insects, but Glassberg's photos (all with a 35 mm SLR) show why it still may pay. Digitals are, I know, the coming thing and will soon overtake SLRs, but most digitals still cannot match an old Nikon FM2n with a 55 mm macro or an Olympus with a 90 mm macro, both of which I use.

Glassberg's remarks about how much space digital shots take up (5 MB roughly for a decent high resolution) are probably dated because of gigabyte technology which allows as much as 200 shots at a time, even at high resolution. However, I still like the feel of a SLR and many digitals (but not the more expensive ones) are boxy and difficult to hold. I get irritated with the automatic focus that often keeps me from getting the shot of an easily disturbed subject.

Those aside; if you are at all interested in butterflies and can afford only one book, get this guide! It is the new standard for photo guides and it will be hard to ever beat it.

A quick summary for anyone who doesn't want to read my ramblings. This is a great identification reference. It is intended only as an identification guide. And as that, it is excellent. But with so many butterflies described, the casual butterfly observers may want a smaller book / chart with only local species for easier lookup (perhaps in addition).

First, it is important to know what this is. It is a field guide to aid in identification of butterflies and skippers, with very good photos for that end. The photos may not be artistically pleasing to everyone, but they are taken in such a way to best present the butterfly for identification. Unique identification characteristics of individual species are pointed out when they will aid in the identification. Size and geographical distribution is also given. On each photo the author also tells you how large the photo is compared to a real specimen.

This is not a butterfly reference book. You will not find detailed information about the butterflies in this book. Instead, you will be able to identify what you find, and then use the name to look up more details on that butterfly in another book / the Internet.

This is also not a coffee table book with large glossy photos of butterflies. Due to the sheer number of species described in the book, each photo is rather small, and as mentioned earlier, may not be artistically pleasing to everyone. Little attention is paid to the background, since that is not very important to identification. When the plant the butterfly frequents is important to the identification, it will be mentioned in the text.

The sheer number of butterflies in this guide can be overwhelming to the casual observer. I don't know if I'll ever see more than 1% to 2% of the butterflies listed here. Since the butterflies are not sorted by region, getting a less comprehensive book with local species only may be easier for the casual observer. This book stays at home, while I carry a small laminated "quick guide" to common local butterflies.

I don't observe them through binoculars (the book does have a short section on that as well), I photograph them. There's a short section on butterfly photography that, while mainly focused on film photography, does contain some good tips.

The only thing I have not been able to identify definitively so far with this book are skippers.

This book was fabulous! It told the story of Cassie, a pretty girl who was brought up by the Native Americans. She is brought back to her home where she finds one man longing to marry her. She feels affection for this man but yearns for another.

I read this book and passed it around the whole of girls dorms for my friends to read. Absolutely everyone loved it and i've been looking for another book by Vivian ever since. It was absolutely wonderful and was my favourite book ever!

One of the most historically interesting Sunfires. I enjoyed the details about Native American culture.

"Cassie" was an excellent novel! The characters seemed to be so real, and I felt like I could relate to Cassie. She was strong, and she proved to her Indian rival she wasn't a sissy. This was just a GREAT book! I would recommend it to anyone!

Cassie is the best book i have ever read! I have read about three times the amount a person my age should read (13) but countless people will agree with me. I have viewed so many different types and kinds of heroism, but in this breathtakingly real book, Cassie has mastered them all! She has courage, stability, two families, and she knows what the realy world is.

Yes she does become a traitor. But woudn't you do the same thing for the people who you live with? I know i would. She has learned to love the ways of the white man but still no one could forget the freedom of riding bareback on a galloping mustang with the wind in you face and a whole lifetime to enjoy it.

And she is brave once again when she has to choose between to men for the honest sake of love. I am a definite fan of Vivian schurfranz and hope one day to get around to write her a positive, verry long letter on how she inspired me.

If you love people who fight for what them believe in and they don't give up even when the going gets rough.... well, here is a book for you.

Thank you vivian it was truly an honor.

(I'd actually give this 4.5 stars, but Amazon doesn't do that. The reason is that despite the flaws in the narration, the book never ceased to keep me fascinated and entertained. I wasn't pulled out of the story loads of times or anything and the flaws didn't kill it. It's a darn good read!)

The Cleansing is a novel that moves outside of what I normally read. I admit that I have only read one other novel that had Native American themes that I remember (and that was also related to specfic). That was a novel by A. A. Attanasio, the title of which is eluding me at the moment. I've noticed that I don't generally pick up Native American themed novels, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's some narrow minded view of mine that there isn't a lot of interest for me in such novels because I, personally, don't buy mainstream or literary fiction books very often (I tend to stick to fantasy and SF and rarely go outside them except for non fiction work). I am familiar with Native Americans, particularly of the tribes in and around the Foothills of California (such as the Washo).

That being said, reading The Cleansing was a whole new experience for me, not only because it's about Native Americans and, in particular, about things I've not read much about before, but also because it's actually an entertaining read with a really interesting twist on the "werewolf" theme.

To sum it up, the story is about Wanata, a godlike being in Native American folklore believed to come to Earth in the form of a wolf to perform The Cleansing, a sort of nature-induced population control. The Cleansing has happened before, but there's a reason nobody knows about it: because it's something that is hidden, on purpose. But now, mankind isn't a fledgling little species anymore. We've conquered practically all of the globe, spreading ourselves out by the millions, building great cities, polluting everything, etc. Over six billion of us are on the planet now, and Nature isn't happy about it (hence The Cleansing). The problem is that millions of people will have to die to reestablish order. Laughing Wolf, a Native American shaman, knows what will happen and has a vision that tells him he must kill Wanata and create a new Cleansing, one that doesn't involve destroying millions of lives. Savannah, a reporter, just wants to get the next big scoop on the strange happenings in Alaska (a rogue pack of wolves attacking human settlements). The various other characters are inextricably sucked into the events, many of them receiving a shock to the senses as they begin to realize that some things aren't so easily explained and the things happening up north aren't the work of something as simple as a couple stray dogs.

One thing that really stood out to me about this novel is that it actually gives a whole new view of the "werewolf" mythology. While I don't know if Harvey intended this or not, it was there nonetheless and I thought it was really fascinating. In the novel you get the sense that the werewolf condition is like in most werewolf myths: an disease of sorts. Added to that, however, is that it is a human affliction upon nature, which presents itself in ways I thought were really interesting (imagine that instead of a human becoming a monster that can't control itself, it's a wolf becoming a man, and going back again, without all the rampaging and ability to infect other people). I got a bit of a kick out of it because I have grown a little tired of the cliche werewolf stuff (you know, like every Hollywood movie you've ever seen with werewolves, all of which try desperately to add to the myth, but only manage to keep the common mythology running without adding much to it at all).

The plot is really fast paced, so if you're not prepared to be sucked into it and pushed along at breakneck speed, well, that's your own fault. The best part about the novel is that it doesn't play any games and gets right to it: the world is bad and Wanata is going to take care of things (and humans aren't all that smart when it comes to deal with demigods, as it turns out). Savannah is just snappy enough to make me laugh, Chace is just evil enough to make me want to kill him myself, and Wanata, surprisingly, is sympathetic enough to actually make me care about what happens to him (considering he's supposed to be the bad guy). It's also interesting to point out that Harvey doesn't pull punches when it comes to showing human beings in all their forms: good and bad. There are folks who sit in the gray areas, and some who are black and white. This is something I think is very important to have within a novel like this. After all, we're talking about a restructuring of Nature and to make Wanata seem like only a bad guy would make it too easy. Humans are not perfect: some of us are evil, some of us aren't, and some of us sit in the middle. Nature, unfortunately, doesn't generally make distinctions about good and bad.

My only concerns with the novel is that for some it might have too many characters. While the pace is quick, there were a couple times where I was pulled out of the story when the author pulled me around to different characters, trying to give a wide range of views of the same thing or by trying to split the storylines. It's not a tremendous problem. I found myself getting used to it and not generally being bothered after a while, but I think perhaps reducing the amount of POVs could have helped develop the more important characters (particularly the ones that I liked: Savannah, Wanata, and Chace, though the last one I didn't like because he was good, but because he was a completely horrible human being and it would have really been more interesting to know where he came from and why he had turned out that way). There could definitely be more in the development of some of the characters, as I mentioned, but I think in the end it worked out okay anyway. I still want to know what the heck made Chace into the horrible person he is.

Overall, Harvey avoids stylistic annoyances and gives the story in a way that moves quickly and doesn't dawdle. The plot thickens and becomes more complicated as it goes along, which is both a good and bad thing. The bad thing is that the novel ends with only partial closure. Harvey has proposed a trilogy, and the way it ends is set up for that. While it does end, there are still a lot of things left to be addressed, particularly in Quiet Wolf's (Laughing Wolf's grandson) storyline and Wanata's. Hopefully Harvey intends to get the other books out soon, if they aren't out already. I'm looking forward to those sequels mostly because I would like to see more of Savannah and find out what happens, if anything, between her and Wanata. Basically, this is fast-paced reintroduction to the fantastic disaster story, filled with a wide array of interesting characters, magic, monsters, rogue wolves, and a touch of the werewolf. Not much else to say other than I really enjoyed this book and thought it was entertaining from start to finish.

This book kept me up at night for two reasons- I couldn't stop reading it and it really freaked me out!!! I've read it twice, and let some friends borrow it. I'll probably read it again, too!!!

I loved this book. It is a page turner from the front to back. As a person who hasn't been a fan or this genre - this book sold me back into reading more fiction!

Harvey does an amazing job. Steven King watch out!

BUY This book. You will love it.

The title of John Harvey's first novel stirs memories of the seventies and eighties (when titles of most horror novels included but two words, one invariably being "The"). The narrative style, however, is a throwback to a much earlier era. Harvey's straightforward and earnest storytelling brings to mind the pulps. The book exhibits energy, wit and invention, but the old fashioned prose might have readers believing it's a reprint from the first half of the twentieth, rather than an original work from the first half of the twenty-first, century.

Mining Native American legend for the raw material of his first novel, Harvey tells a tale of an ancient being emerging from his rest into the modern world. The initial focus is on the medicine men of several North American tribes, men who are haunted by dreams of the wolf spirit Wanata, whose periodic visits to the mortal plain over the centuries have inevitably resulted in the destruction of whole segments of the animal kingdom. Wanata is charged with keeping nature in balance--if a particular species has upset that balance, its numbers must be reduced to restore harmony. In the past, this meant the destruction of buffalo or deer. This time around, Wanata's target is mankind itself.

Once you get past the odd formality of the writing (it's not clear whether this was Harvey's intended effect, or simply his normal literary voice), The Cleansing is a pleasure to read, remarkably free of the common flaws that plague most first novels. Harvey guides readers through his universe with a sure hand, providing a plethora of memorable characters (freelance journalist Savannah Channing and Tungtawnee medicine man Laughing Wolf are two of his more vibrant creations) and generous doses of humor along the way. Harvey is clearly unafraid of taking chances in service of his story--although all of his characters are put in peril, the least expected and most likeable members of his cast suffer the most harm, ratcheting up the suspense quotient.

The novel suffers as Harvey's narrative slows almost to a crawl towards the end, ostensibly because this is the first novel of a planned trilogy. Hopefully Harvey is saving equally engaging material for books two and three, and not simply running out of steam. Time will tell.

What an incredible introduction to a new author. THE CLEANSING is easily one of the best, most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. Not since King's THE STAND have I been so unhappy about finishing a novel. It was a joy to read from the opening paragraph until the last page. At times horrific, intriguing and endearing, it grabs your full attention and never lets go. Each of John D. Harvey's characters, both major and minor, are multi-dimensional and unique with their own distinct voices. The reader will even find themselves empathizing with the villain in this book, a preternatural wolf named Wanata, who not only wreaks terror wherever he goes but is, himself, struggling with his own crises. Don't let the cover price keep you from grabbing this one! You won't be disappointed.

The Briarwood Book Club in Midlothian, Virginia will be discussing this amazing historical novel by Connie Lapallo tomorrow evening. The author herself will be present to tell us how she managed to accomplish such a remarkable coup!

The story of the starving time has not been told before from the perspective of the women and children of Jamestown Colony. Dark Enough to See the Stars in a Jamestown Sky is meticulously researched, filled with universal verities, and free of historical anachronism.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story, but especially to anyone with a strong interest in horticulture, Native American studies, American history, genealogy, and family loyalties.

Connie Lapallo's fiction seem so real, as if I was there with those courageous women who came with their families to build a new life in Virginia. Many of them lost so much, material things, husband, brothers, fathers, children, and then, their own life. The description of their voyage on the ship that from England to Virginia, made me feel like I was in the lower bowels of the ship with them. Even the horses had it better on the ship.
Upon their arrival in Jamestown, was unwelcome, they found out that there were no provisions made to accomadate the women and children was heart-sickening, no food, no homes, nothing....
But, the most
Soul Haunting part of the story was the Starving Time. I can't imagine living off of ground acorns, small rodents, tree bark, whatever could found to be edible. Ms. Lapallo really made you feel what the main character was experiencing, when her best friend died, the one who kept every one's spirit alive, seeing good in all things.
The ending seemed a little rushed however, if there is a second book the time between trying to return to England and the main character recounting her life in Jamestown would be a great first half of the second book.
I recommend this story to all teenage girls and their moms to read and discuss. Maybe it will help young girls with the "You owe it to me" thinking to reconsider their attitude.

As a young student, I did not appreciate my History classes. You know why? They were too BORING! Too many names, dates, and disjointed facts that had to be regurgitated in an exact fashion in order to boost up my GPA.
I wish all History books were written like Ms. Lapallo's book. The historical facts are beautifully woven into the mostly historical story. And because of the story format I found myself living, grieving, and surviving with these colonists.
There were so many tidbits that made the story real for me. Because of the rich detail, I felt as if I had been on those ships, being hurled about the ocean during a hurricane. And I felt genuine grief at the thought of all these women mourning for the missing ship. Grief, as SO many men and women perished from disease, hunger, or Indian attack.
This is also a very well researched book. There is a section at the end of the book that explains what is fact, and what is fiction, with charts that tell what happened to each Jamestown survivor. Other pages detailed the main character's ancestry, going from the mid 1500's to present day, and including Ms. Lapallo's own children.
What did I like best about this book? ... I loved that I learned more about Jamestown and the colonial period by reading this book, than I did in all my formal educational experience! So why can't more books be written this way?

This book was a perfect read for me. My family, the Kingsmills, arrived in James Towne around 1613, so this story really helped me connect with what they saw when they got here and the sacrifices so many made to establish this great country of ours. Thank you for taking the time to research all of this so carefully and for conveying it in such an interesting and realistic manner.

Steven E. Bishop
UVa. College of Arts and Sciences 2006
UVa. School of Medicine 2010

Connie Lapallo's book is a wonderful read. Not many people outside of Virginia are familiar with the Jamestown story much less the details of what the women and children went through. The story is woven through the eyes of Connie Lapallo's ancestor who survived the starving time. For anyone interested in geneology or Jamestown history this is a must read!