Races Books

Good book to read to kids who are nervous about meeting other kids. Whenever I read this book out loud to my first grade class, I notice an incredible change in how they interact with each other. I would love to see more books by this author.

Lisa Shook Begaye adds credibility to this writing since she has actually lived on an Indian Reservation. "Building a Bridge" teaches a subtle lesson without being "preachy". It gives our children an illustrated look into the Native American culture and shows how a simple activity such as playing with building blocks can be a first step in uniting us all. It has become one of my children's favorite stories. Debi Brim (dbrim@infocom.com)

Part memoir, part local history, Buried Indians: Digging Up the Past in a Midwestern Town tells about a struggle in the Trempealeau, Wisconsin hometown of author Laurie McMillin (associate professor of rhetoric, composition and religion) to determine whether the platform mounds atop Trempealeau Mountain constituted authentic Indian mounds. A sensitive and balanced accounting that examines opposing views between the dominant Euro-American culture and Native American culture, Buried Indians makes every effort to accurately portray not only the conflict of political agendas but also offer clear insight into what the platform mounds truly represented to different individuals. A highly recommended insight into cultural relations, regional history, and the lessons that can be drawn for future American government-Native American relations.

Part memoir, part local history, Buried Indians: Digging Up the Past in a Midwestern Town tells about a struggle in the Trempealeau, Wisconsin hometown of author Laurie McMillin (associate professor of rhetoric, composition and religion) to determine whether the platform mounds atop Trempealeau Mountain constituted authentic Indian mounds. A sensitive and balanced accounting that examines opposing views between the dominant Euro-American culture and Native American culture, Buried Indians makes every effort to accurately portray not only the conflict of political agendas but also offer clear insight into what the platform mounds truly represented to different individuals. A highly recommended insight into cultural relations, regional history, and the lessons that can be drawn for future American government-Native American relations.

Burnin' Rubber, as the subtitle explains, goes "behind the scenes in sock car racing." After writing over 100 books for young readers, I expected that George Sullivan would know exactly what interests the reader and just how to present the subject. I was right; he does. About 8,000 words, the book is just the right length, taking the reader not only around the track but into the pits, with the drivers and their teams. Two dozen colorful photos, seven (mostly of drivers) by Sullivan himself, seem to capture the action, sound and smell of burnin' rubber. The boys I saw reading it supplied the appropriate noise for narly every photo. Just as they enjoyed Sullivan's books on Indy cars and monster trucks, they are now loving this book also. It is the next best thing to actually being at the track.

DW donwigal@ix.netcom.com

Burnin' Rubber, as the subtitle explains, goes "behind the scenes in stock car racing." After writing over 100 books for young readers, George Sullivan certainly knows exactly what interests the reader and just how to present the subject. About 8,000 words, the book is just the right length, taking the reader not only around the track but into the pits, with the drivers and their teams. More than two dozen colorful photos, seven by Sullivan himself, capture the action, sound and smell of burnin' rubber. The boys I saw reading it supplied the appropriate noise for nearly every photo. Just as they enjoyed Sullivan's books on Indy cars and monster trucks, they are now loving this book also. It is the next best thing to actulaly being at the track. The color photos of the jacket are repeated on the child-resistant hard cover.

Various types of diets are explained and how to implement them into your daily routine. A lot of information provided in a small amount of space. It's easy to use and the chart at the end of the book is laid out efficiently and immediate implementation.

Various types of diets are explained and how to implement them into your daily routine. A lot of information provided in a small amount of space. It's easy to use and the chart at the end of the book is laid out efficiently and immediate implementation.

This text was very well written. To this reader who was also reared on Lamming and Naipaul and the rest, there is nothing more gratifying than a beautiful sentence, and Neptune gives us lots of those. Lovely. The spicy tale of the Yanks in the Windies is, as Neptune insists, sometimes glossed over as a Williams-inspired legacy floats on in our various discussions. But indeed, none of what happened during or after the Americans populated Chaguaramas en masse is as cut-and-dry as your average old-time calypso would have you believe. Neptune pieces together a refreshing new narrative that thrusts agency back into women's fingers, exposes the clandestine operations of white hegemony's champions and re-weaves the threads of Trinidadian nationalism. All the while, he delights us with clever, modern usage of the contemporary language rapport during the occupational shenanigans subtly and tastefully. It is a lovely read for anyone, and West Indians in particular will probably be quite tickled throughout. The "Coda" was quite a teaser, particularly the last couple of paragraphs. Neptune opens a world of conversational possibilities for his future books, which you'll be eagerly anticipating after putting this one down.

Peace!

I confess I've never been one to pick up an 'academic' history book in hopes of getting a pleasurable read, however this book breaks the scholarly mold. Though I find Neptune to be heady and thoroughly introspective, his writing lacks, and thankfully so, the jargon and esotericism that can keep me from connecting with a book. 'Caliban and the Yankees' brings up some great and interesting points about revolution and forced me to revisit my image of the revolutionist--here, the disenfranchised people finally get recognition for an often overlooked branch of intelligence that can not be studied in the universities or acquired through a privileged upbringing.
The US occupation in Trinidad, as told by Neptune, becomes a salacious tale of race and class relations, the construction of a national identity and the people who took it upon themselves to reshape and define the culture of its land for the history of its future.
Not only a solid read, but a good one.

This book succesfuly explains how our society has grown to accept a school system that often fails minority children. The reasons and some wonderful solutions are explained in a clear and knowledgable manner.
It highlights the important role of white teachers and how as the majority of the educators (especially in elementary school) they can change our schools for the better, for all children.
This book is a must for parents-who can gain valuable information about our school system to use to their advantage and therefore their community.
I feel blessed for reading this and empowered.

this book is very detailed about Race in America and also the effects within the school structure. it examines why there is a strong feeling of Resegregation in schools and Beyond that is legal without as so much as a Why or how come and why has it come back to this?? this Book asks those Questions and gives Answers at how Education can truly knock those walls away if given the full push it needs. Beverly Daniel Tatum, PHD does a Fantastic Job in this Book in detailing and offering solutions for a Better Tommorrow and Future. but Her words need to be heeded today. Education is the Key. a must have and read book.

I picked up Carry Me Back based just on the subject and I expected a kind of standard treatment of slave trading as a business: so many people were sold to such and such states etc. This book does contain some of that but it has much more. Carry Me Back has an important argument about the nature of American slavery and sectionalism within the South. The book puts the slave trade at the center of American slavery showing how the money generated by the trade both reinforced slavery and led to doubts about its future. Deyle also shows how the increasing commodification of slaves altered the very way in which slavery was perceived by slaveowners and non-slaveowners. This is a must have for anyone who wants to understand American slavery.

I read Steven Deyle's book, Carry Me Back, on the recommendation of a review by Benjamin Schwarz in the June 2005 edition of the Atlantic Monthly. Schwarz praised Carry Me Back as "a fine book - by far the best work to date on the subject." Schwarz also pointed out that Deyle "takes a broad view" of the domestic slave trade and "he approaches the subject with nuance." I found the book persuasively argued and a pleasure to read. Although my doctorate is in political science, I am a history teacher and I strongly recommend Carry Me Back to any student of US history.

This book is written very nicely. The tone is very personnal and to an extent intimate. The difficult subject is treated very well. The painting reproductions are of great quality. The research is very complete.

I had been waiting for years for someone to put together a comprehensive book on the casta painting genre. The book contains many, many beautiful reproductions and there are even ones that I had not seen before. And Katzew's thesis on the subject puts together every other piece of information I have ever been able to find in one place and weaves in her own views. In todays society we can learn a lot about how we work in regards to race politics from casta painting and this book in particular.

Proves that some kinds of advice are timeless. If you are reading a historical review of the man's life, you should read his own words too.

This is a collection of BTW's Sunday sermons to his Tuskegee students. Originally published in 1902, the lessons on thrift, clean living, sharing what you learn with others, the need to read, and the value of education of the heart as well as the head are still valuable a century later. Does not date too badly and with so many young people growing up today without this kind of advice in the home, it's needed just as much today.

Many uninformed people dismiss BTW as an "Uncle Tom," but the publication of more of his writings like this will show that in spite of any faults, he was a very useful person in the upliftment of people. Read it and see.

I read this book several years ago and found it quite enjoyable. I like to read about baseball pennant races and this one was an unforgettable one. Very thorough and readable!

During the summer of 1962 I was 11 years old, and baseball was the most important thing in my life. That summer I listened to every Dodger game and lived and died with every pitch. I knew all the players in both major leagues, but the Dodgers were my life. I can still remember the Koufax no-hitter against the Mets, the sweep of the Giants in L.A., and getting swept by them in S.F., and the September swoon by the Dodgers was epic (leading by 4.5 games with 7 to play!).
The 9th inning of the 3rd playoff game was a trauma that took weeks to recover from (no, I'm not a hopeless case like Red Sox fans!), but something that I still vividly recall today. David Plaut's book brings 1962 back in narrative, chronological form, and while I knew most of the things noted from the Dodgers' perspectives, I gained new insight into what the Giants clubhouse went through, and what their great players thought of the Dodgers, and the pennant race.
This was a classic pennant dogfight with two evenly matched teams going down to the final pitch of the year. Sandy Koufax's ailment can't be used as an excuse - the Giants played better when it counted, as no one remembers who finished second, except for broken-hearted Dodger fans, and David Plaut, who has put together a wonderful reminiscence of that magical summer of 1962.
I highly recommend this book to baseball fans of any age.