North America Books

I've personaly been to Mata Ortiz and everything the book contains is acurate! Go ahead and buy it, of course there is no substitute to actualy going there but this will give you a great idea of how things are.
Thanks!

We just visited Mata Ortiz, and it is great to be able to connect all the faces and stories with the beautiful objects these humble artists create.

This is a great book for all that are curious about Mata Ortiz pottery and the people who make it. If you want to start collecting, it's a great book to have for a reference source. All artists mentioned in this book are of high caliber, as good, some even better than the Native American potters of the Southwest. At this time, these wares are also less expensive and affordable to most people. Hopefully they will be a good investment for the future.

Susan Moesch

A wonderful collection of photographs combined with dialoge about this remote village in Mexico. It describes the journey to get there, then details the lives of the talented people who live there. The photogtaphy is outstanding. A must for any person collecting or thinking of collecting pottery from this village.

"The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" is a treasure trove of information about the treasures that are the Mata Ortiz people and pottery. It is well laid-out, well written, and well...wonderful!! The only thing that would make my copy better are autographs by Juan Quezada himself and every other potter in the book.

Unfortunately for whatever reason, Juan's son Alvaro is not featured in the book. He is indeed an exceptional artist.

I was able to meet Alvaro and Juan Quezada in Nov 2006 in their family gallery in Mata Ortiz and found them and their entire family to be humble friendly and genuinely thrilled that people love their wonderful creations.

If you have not had the opportunity to visit Mata Ortiz, "The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" will inspire you to go. If you have, it will make you pine for it and it's people.

I was delighted to come across this incredible book by Margaret Wyman. Having taught fourth grade in California for ten years, I thought I had a good understanding of the relationship between the native Americans and the Spanish. This indredible story of a Kumeyaay Indian woman, took me to new heights of understanding, and stirred emotions in me from compassion and sadness for the natives, to rage and disgust of the Spanish. The author does an exceptional job of bringing her characters to life. I literally could not put the book down as I raced to learn the fate of these intriguing characters. Margaret Wyman writes with passion and ingenuity. I highly recommend this fine book.

Besides telling the dirty truth, this book will keep you reading and biting your nails until the very end. (In fact, you will be asking "What's Next?") The book is that good!
Just remember that beyond the kind, decent, misguided and sometimes sordid characters, the story is historically accurate, even when the truth is frightening and shameful.

Margaret Wyman has written a compelling story about early California and its invasion by Spain and the Catholic church. Surprising twists and turns are followed through the intertwining of the lives of the natives, the Spanish soldiers, the Mexicans, and the "black robes". Good and Evil, sanity and madness, religious fervor and native beliefs are all portrayed in this novel.
I hope that her future titles will be as readable.

Mission: The Birth Of California, The Death Of A Nation is an historical novel set against the conquest of Southern California by the Spanish crown, set at the same era as when the United States was fighting for its independence. A brutal tale of the subjugation, forced religious conversion, enslavement, and massacre of California's native people seen through the eyes of a young woman who personally experiences the worst and most vicious of the conquistadors' treatment. A disturbing but highly recommended saga by Margaret Wyman, Mission accurately depicts the historical, genocidal impact that foreign settlement had on California's native population.

Margaret Wyman was blessed with the gift of story telling. She has the extraordinary talent of bringing her characters to life. I only wish I had the talent and eloqence to encourage you to read Mission. I found myself discussing Web with one of my friends as if I were reminiscing about my own sister. On daily walks along the trails of Lake Hodges I envision Web and feel her spirit as if she truly existed. Web's story has touched my soul and enlightened my view of Southern California history.

I purchased this book for my "just turned" 3 year old daughter before a 5 hour car ride. She loved this book - she did the mazes straight through to the end in one sitting. This is definately a wonderful beginner's book to mazes. Highly recommended!

My Son is 2.5 yrs old and loved this book. He finished it in less than a months time. Yes, they weren't very challenging mazes, but kept the attention of my child for 10 minutes everyday. He liked it so much that everyday he would ask for it himself. I only wish they came in spiral bound or something like similar, so that I need not hold the book for him while he is working.

I loved the kumon books.i run a preschool and use the book at my school. each page is full of color and that gets the kids more interested in completing the pages

Looking for an inexpensive educational item? Look no further. Kumon workbooks are excellent.

This is a great product, but geared to younger children as their first introduction to mazes. My 4 yr old son breezed through this book in one sitting. He may not have gotten them all perfect, but it wasn't much of a challenge at 4.

Whether or not THE BLUE GUIDE NEW YORK is useful to you depends on what you need it for. It is quite heavy (1.6 pounds), making it impractical for the traveler who is going to be in New York for only a few days. It offers rather exhaustive information on subjects that the casual tourist may have little interest in, such as history and architecture. I would not recommend it to the first-time visitor who is only going to be in town a short time. However, this is the recommended book for people preparing to take the New York City Bureau of Consumer Affairs' licensing exam to become a tour guide. I've lived in New York for more than 40 years and I found every page loaded with useful facts that I was not aware of. I learned the architects of every major building in town, where the stone used to build those buildings was quarried, as well as the artists who were responsible for the internal and external decoration, not to mention the political machinations that were necessary to begin construction. It provides floor plans of the major museums and detailed descriptions of the collections they contain. But this is probably too much information for the average tourist. This is a book for those with a passionate interest in the world's most exciting city. If you don't fall into that category, you'd be better off looking elsewhere. But I personally find the book an extremely useful reference that I'm sure I will be consulting for years to come. Four stars.

Carol von Pressentin Wright's BLUE GUIDE NEW YORK is a brilliant guide to the city and stands alone for historical perspective, cultural depth, and effective prose. Though I've lived in New York City for 12 years, this book serves as a constant companion, and I grab it nearly any time I walk out the door--every outing can now yield new layers of understanding of this, my adopted town. In the midst of a busy day, I might pass through, say, Union Square and take a moment to read the appropriate entry. Not only do I absorb details of architecture and city planning that previously eluded me, but also the whole checkered and colorful history of the place jumps to life.

Thus, I heartily recommend the book to all longer-term visitors and to those New York residents who yearn for a greater appreciation of home. Indeed, the richness of detail and comprehensive geographical coverage may actually render BLUE GUIDE less than ideal for the short-term visitor. (For those in need of a restaurant or hotel guide, there are more than enough lesser guides to fill the bill.)

One caveat. As an avid user of the 1991 2nd edition, I looked forward to the long overdue 2002 edition. With all due respect to the two new co-authors and their well-intentioned efforts, I believe that the newer, more user-friendly visual format actually decreases the book's effectiveness, as does the additional text, which lacks the consistently high critical standards of Wright's solo work. I recommend seeking out the 1991 edition (Amazon seems to offer several copies at reasonable prices). Whatever inconvenience is caused by the several outdated entries is outweighed by the ample rewards of the text.

Although Amazon lists only one author, the current edition of this book was actually revised and heavily rewritten by Stuart Miller and Sharon Seitz as a glance inside the book itself will reveal.

Co-authors of "The Other Islands of New York City" and individually authors of "Big Apple Safari for Families" (Seitz) and "Where Have All Our Giants Gone" (Miller), we streamlined many of the routes and shifted the emphasis of the book to add more on the boroughs outside of Manhattan and to add places that reflect previous oversights in terms of nature and of popular culture (places like CBGBs, for example).

All right, the most recent edition of the Blue Guide added CBGB's, an East Village rock, punk club that has now gone out of business. A few other establishments in the various editions of this fantastic guide are undoubtedly also no longer with us.

Having said that, even the oldest first and second editions (the latter, from 1991) are still incredibly useful, even timeless. For even they have listings of the most important sights in each of the city's five boroughs, a bevy of maps, lists of hotels and restaurants, sightseeing services, theaters, amusements, gardens, museums and so on.

But unlike the average, perfunctory city guide, this one (at least the 1991 edition) has more than 760 pages, including all the maps. And those pages also encompass a broad spectrum of architectural descriptions and historical events.

Not only buildings and the like are described here. So are whole parks, streets and districts, along with detailed pointers on all the exterior and interior trivia one could ever want to know while on a walking tour.

I can't attest to the value of any of the other 40-plus Blue Guide titles. But if you forget every other guide book while in New York, it will be okay, so long as you bring along at least some version of this one.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Carol von Pressentin Wright's "Blue Guide to New York" is probably the most comprehensive guidebook to the Big Apple available. Absolutely indispensable, it includes 41 detailed maps for all five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, along with several black and white photographs. As a New Yorker, I cannot think of anything that has not been included here. I frequently use the book myself, especially when I have out-of-town visitors. It is also excellent, for New Yorkers and visitors alike, to use on walking tours. I have the 2002 edition.

In an extremely accessible format, "The Blue Guide" presents information on all NYC districts and important sights, including: practical information, lodgings, restaurants and eateries for every budget, transportation, museums and galleries, sports, performing arts, shopping, monuments, historic detail and districts, detailed walking tours and background information. As noted, there is a veritable plethora of clear and easy-to-follow maps, along with a large pull-out MTA map of the subway system, and bus, railroad and ferry connections.

From the posh shops on Madison and Fifth Avenues to the funky Lower East Side, from the streets of Greenwich Village and Soho to the brownstones of Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope, this is the one and only guide you will need to navigate through this fabulous city, and to find fascinating out-of-the-way places most tourests never discover. There are myriad cultures here: Little Odessa in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, Little Italy, Chinatown, a thriving Greek community in Astoria, Queens, Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn where Arabic is heard on the street and wares from all over the Middle East are sold. Almost every country in the world is represented here and you can visit them all easily with the Blue Guide in hand. I hope you enjoy the city I love!
JANA

This huge book, published in stunning quality (here meaning basic binding and materials quality as well as quality of photos), covers an enormous range of tribes and artifact types. It focuses most on the 18th and 19th centuries, though you will find references and photos on items ranging from ancient to modern. I like the blend of the topical and regional approaches the author takes. I was particularly happy about the coverage of beaded artifacts. This is a keeper and works equally well as a casual coffee table picture book or serious study material. If there is a shortcoming, it is that I was hoping for more coverage of Eastern woodland tribes.

My initial copy arrived from Amazon with a torn dust cover and broken binding. Amazon shipped a replacement immediately. In spite of the problems with the first copy, I can still comment on the quality of the book. The paper is high-quality, the binding is based on well-sewn signatures, the end cover papers are sufficiently heavy for a book of this size, and the reproduction quality of the photographs is just superb.

My brother-in-law has the exact same title book,his book has over 600 pages! I ordered the book thinking that I would get a similar copy at a great price. I did not realize that I was purchasing an condensed version. The information in the book, although somewhat sparse is good. Thank you.

A few years back I signed up for a class in silversmithing which soon became addictive. In addition to that interest, I have always been interested in primitive art such as that of the American Indians, the cave drawings, Australian Aboriginal art or spiritual drawings. These forms of spirituality and art or of art are very powerful. I have chosen to concentrate my silversmithing designs toward the designs I see from these primitive peoples. The book, North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment has proven to be very helpful toward that aim. In addition to that, it's just plain good reading.

This book is a must-have for anyone serious about studying Native American cultures. It is a fun read, while still being absolutely crammed with information. It's clear the author put in a lot of time and work to master her subject. Not to mention, the artwork featured in the book is beautiful. I love to breeze through it when I've had a hard day, just to feel my spirits lift looking at such amazing works of art. You will learn so much and enjoy the journey enormously.

This gorgeous book is indeed indispensable, especially if "read" visually. Unfortunately, quite a few of the tribal attributions for historic objects (information given to the author by museums) are wrong. Given the scope of this project, Dubin had little choice but to take often out-dated info at face value rather than do her own research. However, readers should keep this caveat in mind when using this work as a reference.

The product came on time, well packaged, and exactly as described. A great shopping experience.

Already have an Atlas, topo CD set of Northeast, Garmin GPS Vista with topo/street maps. Once I found these Gazetteers, I bought one for every state in New England and New York. Each of the above provide different levels of information and alternative routes and access to various locations, often places with no direct road or trails. The gazatteers provide fast detail access to areas in question over the GPS or atlas and are invaluable to me while in the vehical. Although, the GPS is my lifeline away from the vehical, the gazatteers are large and not weather resistant.

I currently own CO, TX, TN, VA and now AL atlas & Gaz.
all are useful for home hunting, trying to locate a key area, etc.
don't count on this for in depth directions. but a good look at contours and gps this works.
this one isn't as good as the TX or TN version.

These are fantastic maps! I have several others, and use them quite often. I don't know of another one that will be better than this one.

I wanted to get this atlas, especially to help us find places to go camping and hiking.. It's not always easy to find campgrounds or primitive campsites (since they're not always located in clearly identified campgrounds), so having these detailed maps is very useful for that. We recently used the atlas when we camped in the Catskill Mountains region, and I was glad we had these maps to help us out.

This book was great i wouldn't have read it if it werent for my 6th grade teacher. When i first got the book i thought it was an other horrible book i had to read for school. When i first started to read it it didnt interest me at all but i had to read it so n e way so i did the book got a lot better. All my classmates agree it was a great book.

i probably never would have found out about this book, but that's my picture on the cover so i guess it was fate. this is possibly the best book i've ever read. i really enjoyed it. the way its written with two people's perspectives really makes for an exciting story. its quite informative of the lives of the indians, but in a sense, has also a modern twist to it in jenny's telling of the story. if you haven't read it, you definitely should because it's simply wonderful.

THE PLACE AT THE EDGE OF THE EARTH masterfully combines mystery, time travel, Indian history, and suspense. Bebe Faas Rice skillfully weaves the factual information about the Indian schools into her well-plotted story.

This is a book to be treasured by children (of all ages) and their
parents. Like all great books, it is a "keeper", one to read and
reread and share with family and friends.

The Place at the Edge of the Earth by Bebe Faas Rice

Scrupulously researched, this book is a fascinating dramatized account of a young Lakota boy who is forced, along with other Indian children, to attend a boarding school in the late 1800s for the purpose of assimilation into white society. The story follows Jonah Flying Cloud on his frightening trip to the school in Pennsylvania where his hair is cut (a sign of mourning with his people), his Indian clothes taken from him, and he's made to wear scratchy long underwear, thick woolen uniforms, and shoes that hurt his feet. His days are scheduled by bells and bugles, and he's marched to meals and classes where he's taught to speak the white man's language. He's even taken to church and told he'll burn in a fiery pit forever if he doesn't accept the white man's god. Jonah Flying Cloud dies, brokenhearted, at the school and is trapped between the place of his earthly life and "the land above the clouds, where the eagles fly."

Jonah Flying Cloud's first-person narrative unfolds in alternating chapters with present-day Jenny Muldoon's story. Jenny moves with her mother and new stepfather to military quarters at Fort Sayers, which once housed the Indian school. When she finds out that her new home was once the school infirmary, the stage is set for her to meet the spirit of Jonah Flying Cloud who needs her help to be released from his dark half-world so that he can join his family and tribe members in the afterworld.

Both stories keep the reader moving quickly through the pages. In an interesting subplot, Jenny helps a friend, the son of the commanding general at Fort Sayers, stand up to his father and get help for his alcoholic mother. At the end, Jenny is finally able to figure out how to help her Indian friend. The novel ends with a final, poignant scene between Jenny and Jonah Flying Cloud.

This book a must for anyone interested in learning about the Indian schools. Its compelling story is sure to capture the interest and imagination of readers of all ages. Highly recommended!

This is a beautifully written and important book. It will give all readers, young and
old, a better knowledge, understanding, appreciation and sympathy for the Indian
children about whom the author writes with such deep feeling. Rice has managed to
balance the stories of the two main characters--the young Indian boy, Jonah Flying
Cloud, who died over a hundred years ago and the modern day young girl, Jenny
Muldoon--with exceptional skill as the two young people "meet" in a time warp and

gradually become sensitive of one another's feelings.
This is a well-told, smoothly flowing tale, a real page turner. Rice has a knack for
perfectly capturing the way young people talk, how they respond to one another and to
adults. Once again, balance comes into play in the way the author weaves flashes of
humor into the central, serious story line.
Though I hated to have the book end, my spirit soared at the conclusion, which
deserves to be read and reread several times. It's truly beautiful.
The Author's Note, where Rice speaks of writing this book "from the heart"
should not be missed. I wouldn't be surprised if The Place At The Edge Of The Earth
garners several awards, both for its writing craft and the importance of its subject.

Wonderful workings of writing the whole truth. A must have, must read, must distribute widely!

This book is about the relationship between the United States and the Sioux Nation from the signing of the 1851 Ft. Laramie treaty up to the present. The book centers around the efforts of the Wounded Knee Survivors Assoc. and their attorney Mario Gonzalez to obtain a formal apology from the U.S. government for the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre and the establishment of a National Tribal park at the massacre site. This book includes:

*Gonzalez' diary entries from 1989-1992--an excellent window to see firsthand how contemporary tribal governments work and how Native Americans on reservations interact with each other on a daily basis.

*Commentary (called chronicles)by Elizabeth Cooke-Lynn explaining events described in the diary entries including Gonzalez' efforts in stopping the payment of $100 million claims commission for the Black Hills in 1980, and his efforst in Europe from 1981 to 1984 to get the World Court to issue an advisory opinion on the illegal confiscation of the Black Hills.

*Appendices that include a complete chronology of Sioux land claims from the signing of the 1851 treaty up to the present--a must for anyone interested in Indian land claims.

*Excellent footnotes with valuable information found no where else including information about Chief Crazy Horse's family members contained in the probate records of Chief Crazy Horse's father.

This book is FASCINATING and should appeal to everyone! IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING IN EVERY NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES CLASS!

what elizabeth and mario have done is to create a work that will stand for the test of time! my favorite part of the whole book was when Elizabeth proudly states THAT NATIVE AMERICAN, ABORGIONAL, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE NOT CITIZENS OF THE WHITE MAN'S NATION ! FOR EXAMPLE A PERSON WHO LIVES IN THE DINE NATION IS NOT A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE THEY NEVER ASKED FOR NOR DID WANT TO BE CITZENS OF THIS PATHETIC NATION! THEY ARE CITIZENS IN THEIR TRIBE AND NATION NOT OF THE PATHETIC UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR THE WORLD FOR THAT MATTER! READ THIS BOOK TO LEARN THE REAL HISTORY OF WOUNDED KNEE AND ABOUT A PEOPLE WHO ARE CHANGING HISTORY EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Wonderful workings of writing the whole truth. A must have, must read, must distribute widely!

What first strikes this reader is the very frank and engrossing personal narrative, as well as the description of the on-going political struggle of the Sioux in their battle for the return of the Black Hills in South Dakota. The diary entries of lawyer Mario Gonzales and the commentaries of Elizabeth Cook-Lynn gave me an opportunity to re-think important events in Sioux and American history over the past century (including Custer and the Little Big Horn, the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890, and others). The authors also show very clearly how these linked histories continue to influence the actions of individuals (white or Indian) and governments today. Cook-Lynn is especially deft at evaluating the political, economic,and racial motivations of the various stakeholders, from the factions within different Sioux tribes, the governors and congressmen, federal agencies, to the white landowners. The centerpiece of the book is the fight by the Sioux for the return of the Black Hills (preserved for the tribes by treaty in 1868), as well as the related fight for a monument to the Sioux massacred by government troups at Wounded Knee. But as the story unfolds, it became a means for me to understand the treaty rights and sovereign rights of not just the Sioux but other Indian nations in this country. Gonzales relates details of the legal battles and community struggles, and shows an amazing persistence and courage in his pursuit of justice for the Sioux. I hope that other readers come away from this book with as strong a sense as I did: of our need to resolve these ethical and legal dilemmas by recognition of Indian treaty rights and sovereignty. I'm grateful to the authors for their frank discussions of the real difficulties inherent in this task, and for outlining the rewards to all of us if they succeed.

This first novel begins with the image of wooly-bear caterpillars crossing a rural road. If this doesn't seem auspicious, read on. I found Q Road to be a generous surprise and I don't say this easily. The depiction of the extinquishing of a goldfinch's life is beautiful and perfect and right,though I fought it all the way. The depictions of the people and their sudden realizations are equally stunning. What it is to believe in God, what it is to love another person, to gasp even for air: all these are given to us by this young author. This is a monster, a wondrous, beautiful book.

The pleasurable "Q Road" provides the reader with a genuine experience of rural Michigan coupled with characters who have grown from this place, whose lives are a reflection of their landscape.

The story, centered on an irascible, oft-cussing brute of a girl (Rachel) and her relationship with an ageing farmer (George), allows the reader to become engrossed in a landscape rife with contrast. The primary arc of the novel encompasses a few years from the late 1990's. Aside from the quirky and delightful love story between Rachel and George, as well as a few other minor arcs concerning the loveably flawed residents of Greenland Township in Kalamazoo County, the novel is a study on the friction between people with fundamentally different views on how their landscape should be shaped.

Rachel, along with her mother Margo, live off the land, hunting and skinning their meals with ease, as one with the natural environment as possible. George is caught in between. As a farmer he maintains an intimate relationship with the land while at the same time experiencing the near futility of his occupation with the constant pressures of money and labor. Then, with an assortment of characters, the rural/urban divide is examined through the clashes between wealthy developers, a middle class fleeing the city, and those who (like the Potawatomi in another arc of flashback skillfully threaded through the narrative) are forced to respond to the invasion.
A terrific, fast read. Highly recomended for anyone who loves the beautifully rugged ladscape of the nothern Mid-West.

Campbell's book revolves around a quirky cast of characters in rural Michigan: foul-mouthed, child-bride Rachel, her husband George, and her best friend, asthmatic, 12-year-old David, to name a few. The story itself is not particularly remarkable, but Campbell's writing makes you want to not miss a moment.

Rifle-toting Rachel, abandoned by her distant, fur-trapping mother, marries the much older George Harland, a down-on-his-luck farmer, because she wants his land. She grows to love him in her own weird, tacit way. She also loves David, who becomes even more devoted to the mysterious Rachel after his near-death experience in a burning barn. There are some more neighborhood characters thrown into the mix, but you get to know these three the best. There wasn't so much in the way of a plot, it was really just a simple story, beautifully written, about loving the place you live and the people who live there, about getting lost, even in familiar territory, and finding your way back with the help of family and friends.

Q Road is not for the faint of heart. Author Bonnie Jo Campbell takes you down a Michigan side-road to a rough-hewn world of brutally flawed characters. No sparkling wits, no dreamy introverts here; rather these misshapen and misfortuned people struggle through each and every day. Cantankerous and eccentric, they are driven to alienate kin and neighbors alike. Victims of violent acts of their past, broken marriages, rural recession and self-abuse, they gain pleasure from the misery of others.

Around them caterpillars are splattered under the wheels of cars, crows munch the remains of road-kill squirrels and cats devour birds, all in a landscape haunted by the death-march of the indigenous Potawatomi Indians. Out of this harsh reality, Campbell builds a story of grittiness, purpose and great humor that is suddenly jarred by a tragedy. An act of carelessness not malice, it threatens to overwhelm the community and break their spirit.

In Campbell's competent hands, there is no hysterical reaction and no desperation, just people digging deeper and accepting less. Q Road becomes a road to recovery. No giant steps, no minor miracles, just a poignant reminder that the human spirit needs just small kindnesses to prevail.

Bonnie Jo Campbell has, rightly, been described as a fresh new voice in American literature. This, her first novel, should be the launching point for a distinguished career.

As carefully stitched together as a patchwork quilt, with colorful squares made of quirky characters, the inhabitants of Greenland Township, Michigan, are bound by the commonality of their daily labor and innate love of their farmland. This is the heartland of America, land that has sustained generation after generation. But as much as a failing farm economy, suburbia encroaches upon this pastoral existence, and city people are willing to tolerate only so much discomfort in their newly constructed rural environment. Once sprawled across the countryside, secure from city confines, the old families are slowly replaced by pre-fab housing developments.

Q Road's three main protagonists are strikingly different people, each with particular idiosyncrasies, forming their own core family: father, child-bride, and son, love filling the solitary loneliness so long entrenched in their hearts. The spirited 17-year-old Rachel, a new bride who has married for the security of owning land, smashes through life with no guidance or socialization, save that of her own invention. George Harland, her middle-age-plus husband, is a sixth-generation farmer who knows only that his days are suddenly more bearable with Rachel sharing their backbreaking work and love-drenched nights. George cannot imagine life without Rachel.

When twelve-year-old David is drawn to the Harlands, it is for George's fatherly protection and Rachel's pure female strength, his own mother ever more distant and self-involved. On a clear day when trouble hovers in the air, David is the catalyst for catastrophe, his one breach of judgment forever changing the landscape of their future. For the three of them, life will never be the same again.

The Darwinian inevitability of nature vs. progress lurks around the perimeter of Greenland Township and Campbell skillfully portrays the hardships and realities of farming, as even the vigorous landscape becomes a vital player in the drama. Campbell's reality is hard-edged and she never shies away from its blunt and often brutal surfaces. Yet the eccentric characters of Q Road fit snugly into the environment, their own edges sharpened early by experience.

Q Road is like an Alice Hoffman novel with sharp teeth and a rapacious appetite. At the same time, the peculiar township inhabitants have many of the intransigent qualities of Carolyn Chute's Beans of Egypt, Maine. Sprinkled with quirky individuals, neighborhood malcontents and busybodies, Q Road is overflowing with the many faces of humanity, as they reach bravely toward their better selves. Luan Gaines/2003.

The Book had to be called fiction because of the facts were passed down from those that went through them and/or family members of those that went through the Trail Of Tears.
I too found the inhabitants of each page,real and breathtakenly real.
I am of Cherokee descent and what Frank has written in living words are true.
I would love to see this in movie form. I think it should be in every school accross the country and especially in reservation schools because so many of these schools are just given enough material to learn the basics and this book is full of living history and all people of all ages should read it and maybe others will do as I have done and contact any and all that might produce this as a movie and get this informative and eye opening book into every educational field possible.
Thank you Frank Stewart
Shalom
Selu
Gracie Miller

I am not Cherokee, or even Native American, but I have always felt an affinity with the Cherokee especially. The characters in your book came alive for me and I went on the Trail of Tears just as they did. I felt their sorrow and grief, their joys and triumphs, and felt as if I knew each one. A superbly written book!

I finished reading River Rising just the other day & must let you know how much I enjoyed it. I thank Mr. Stewart for writing this wonderful fiction. Although aware of the tragedy of the "Trail of Tears" I had very little knowledge, if any, of behind the scenes maneuverings, conspiracies, etc., prior to the roundup, during the forced trip and finally the settling in new territory. Fiction can show a human side to suffering where non-fiction only gives facts. I resented each interruption during my reading...as I neared the end I wanted to slow down knowing once I read the last page that was the end of this take as written here...From the heart, all I can say is "Wa-do".

I have to tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed reading "River Rising". Your thorough research was very evident throughout the book. I am proud to own a copy. It is very good reading.

All of the above and more. I found it to be educational and moving. Don't let the number of pages scare you. Large easy to read print. If you like historical fiction, romance, humor, adventure, surprises and just a plain good story this is a must read book. For me, an eye opening account of the truth of the white man's encroachment into a culture, a people and a land. We can't change the past but we can be changed by it. Read and learn.