Reviews (6)

An Amazing Life Story
This book is a wonderfully informative and touching story of a great and honorable man.Through Totch we learn of a nearly forgotten way of life and we see the Everglades as it used to be.I appreciate his honesty and plainspokeness and I'm thankful Totch made this book to preserve an important history.I also recommend the three movies made about him: Totch Brown's tales of the Everglades and 10,000 islands, The Everglades outlaw Totch Brown, and Yesterday's Everglades.

South Florida revisited
Any south Florida history buff will want to add "Totch' to their collection.

Totch a Life in the Everglades
Don't be misled by Peter Matthiessen's forward, this one is not for the ecologically friendly faint-of-heart.Totch was a one man ecological disaster, constantly on the move wrecking havoc on the wildlife wherever he went.His life of slaughtering animals for personal profit was a willful life choice, hardly dictated by the times, as he claims in his self-serving attempts to justify his pogrom against nature.His self-indulgence was carried to the extreme by illegally poaching thousands of alligators in the protected Everglades National Park in defiance of the laws of man and nature.The purpose for his illegal acts was personal profit, to skin the animals, only using their hides.Their dead carcasses, several hundred in a period of a few days, were dumped into the water to rot.This was hardly an act of survival.He did this because he wanted to, not because he had to.There are several other books, more accurate, better written, and less self-centered, that better describe the early pioneers of Southwest Florida.Rather than augment Totch's bloody legacy by buying his book, I encourage readers interested in the Everglades to look elsewhere, and leave Totch's book describing his carnage against nature to rot, like one of his skinned alligator carcasses, on the ash pile of despicable acts by the self-indulgent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Brown, Loren G    6. Everglades (Fla.)    7. Florida - Local History    8. Regional Subjects - South    9. Social life and customs    10. Sports - General    11. United States - State & Local    12. Biography: sport    13. Local history    14. USA   

Reviews (4)

Rogue River Journal: A Winter Alone
I was encouraged to read this book by the cover quote from Mary Oliver and was rewarded appropriately.A beautifully written, thoughtful journey of self discovery.And a special gift at the end for anyone exploring their own path in becoming a writer, the author offers insight and direction that resonates as true.

Great story...
This is a great 'get-away' book.It conveys what it must really be like to be alone in the wilderness for months, in a beautiful place, and the journey of a person's thoughts without the distractions of modern life.It also is a powerful story about the author's relationship with his father.Highly recommended.

We're never alone, even when we're by ourselves
I loved this book, and I'm glad the author brought us along on his journey.I have often wondered what it would be like to take off for awhile, and leave the bustle of everyday life behind.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Description And Travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Literary    7. Naturalists, Gardeners, Environmentalists    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Regional Subjects - West    10. Wildlife    11. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    12. Biography: general    13. USA   

Editorial Review

Welcome to Lakewood, California, the world's largest suburb and the subject of an oddly mesmerizing account of its creation by D. J. Waldie. Waldie describes how bean fields were drawn up, sectioned off and divided up--leaving tracts for small houses of similar design. The author changes while the land around him does, in a story of how people make places and, more so, places make people. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Wow!Great Book
I live in Lakewood with my husband and two (now grown) children.This book shares a lot of history that I was unaware of when we first moved here, and after reading it, I understand why Lakeood is as charming as it is.People stay here for generations.Parents live up the street from their children and their children's families. I have always loved it here and am very proud to call it "home".

a tour of a world very different than suburbs I know
When I read this book, I was surprised by not by how universal Lakewood is, but how little Lakewood resembles the suburbs I grew up with.
Great fro Teaching
I taught this book as the last reading in an undergraduate course on Western suburban history. The students responded with tremendous enthusiasm. They recognized much that was familiar in Waldie's strange hometown (a strangeness common to suburbs all over the West). This book crystallized a feeling of loss for many students. Suburbs like Lakewood, or like the tract house developments going up today all over the region and nation, feel emptied of history for the children who grow up there. Their names (Lakewood?) like their green lawns are imposed, divorced from the land's human and natural history. Children feel this and they know something is missing. This book opened up the opportunity for students to express their own feelings and experiences of suburban life.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. California    5. Historical - U.S.    6. Lakewood    7. Lakewood (Calif.)    8. Regional Subjects - West    9. Social Science    10. Social life and customs    11. Sociology - General    12. Suburban life    13. Waldie, D. J   

Reviews (2)

Reviewing The Beto Book
It was with much anticipation that I read the Walking George book. I am among many whose life was touched by this brilliant scholar and leader.
A Servant Leader
This book provides a detailed biography of George J. Beto, a Lutheran clergyman, educator, and accidential penologist, who made significant contributions to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and who left an indelible mark on the criminal justice system.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. College teachers    4. Criminology    5. General    6. History    7. Officials and employees    8. Prison administration    9. Prisons    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Texas    14. United States - State & Local - General   

Reviews (3)

fantastic book
Has anybody noticed the goats on page 64? Are these domistic goats, or a wild goat no longer with us?

If only one definitive Huffman coverage were selected for a discriminating library collection, it should be this
Frontier photographer Len Huffman worked in the late 1800s to capture the American West on film during an era where images of the open range and Indians were rare. He produced works from Montana which defined the public perception of the West, and well deserves the extensive celebration of his life and achievements that L.A. Huffman: Photographer Of The American West brings to modern readers. An oversized presentation and pages packed with his photos - some 500 - accompanies text introducing his characteristic style and approach. If only one definitive Huffman coverage were selected for a discriminating library collection, it should be this.
L. A. Huffman: Photographer of the American West
This book is wonderful.If you are interested in photos or actual life of the people in the early west especially in Montana this book is a must.Buy it if you can it is really remarkable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Frontier and pioneer life    6. Historical - General    7. Individual Photographer    8. Photographers    9. Pictorial works    10. Ranch life    11. Regional Subjects - West    12. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    13. United States - State & Local - Southwest    14. West (U.S.)   

Editorial Review

In April of 1989, a young woman was brutally assaulted and raped while jogging in New York’s Central Park. The attack captured headlines around the world as the anonymous "Central Park Jogger" fought to recover from massive injuries that left her near death. Fourteen years later, in this first person account, Trisha Meili broke her silence to discuss the incident in her own words and reveal who she was before the attack and who she became as a result of it. Meili tells the story of a competitive and driven young executive at a finance firm whose life was destroyed, and how she ultimately rebuilt it. Passages where Meili is reunited years later with the doctors and nurses who saved her life are especially compelling, as are her accounts of testifying in court and her first run after the incident. While her candor is remarkable and certainly moving, it’s worth noting what this book does not include. Meili can provide no detail of the actual attacks (she has no memory of them), she has little to say about the racial controversy her case ignited, and she only briefly mentions the fact that, during the writing of this book, the convictions of her attackers were vacated after another man confessed to the crime. But these are not necessarily omissions; they are simply not central to Trisha Meili’s highly readable story of tragedy and, ultimately, triumph. Read more

Reviews (26)

No one understands TBI like another Survivor!
I am so happy that Trisha Meili finally reached a point in her recovery where she could write this book. There are so many pages in this memoir where I could go, "yes!!Me too!I can relate!"
TBI family survivor
This was an excellent book full of hope and promise for TBI victims, as well as their families.

thoughtful
The Central Park Jogger is an extraordinary woman and is recovering from trauma in an extraordinary way. And yet...even as an ordinary woman myself, I came away from the story believing in my own ability to handle life's issues and was inspired by her spirit and triumph. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Case studies    6. Crime And Criminals    7. New York    8. New York (N.Y.)    9. New York (State)    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Rape victims    12. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    13. Victims of crimes    14. Violent crimes    15. Women    16. Biography & Autobiography / General    17. True crime    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Childhood Memoir    3. Regional Subjects - Midwest   

Reviews (56)

The Lobster Chronicles
This book chronicles the life of Linda Greenlaw, the author, during a lobster fishing season.Living on a small island off the coast of Maine, the author allows us into her downeast life.We learn some great information on the lobster fishing industry, as well as the lifestyles of the residents of Isle Au Haut.
Okay but not exciting...
I read this after I read F/V Black Sheep because it was also about lobster fishing in New England. It was entertaining and had some very funny moments but it wasn't especially exciting. I liked her stories about the strange characters who live on that island but when it was over I thought she seemed like a lonely person

Barely a book
I don't get it. There is no story, just a meandering. While I was hoping to be drawn in to a vivid life of ocean hardship and island comforts, it is just kind of drab.
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Subjects:  1. 1960-    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Greenlaw, Linda,    6. Isle au Haut    7. Isle au Haut (Me.)    8. Lobster fisheries    9. Maine    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Regional Subjects - New England    12. United States - State & Local - New England    13. Biography & Autobiography / Women   

Reviews (4)

A very readable and fascinating story of the Alaska wilds
This book has particular appeal to those who have visited Alaska and were impressed by the awesome beauty of the wilderness. Bob Durr's book is very readable - it holds your interest through an descriptive storytelling style. Occasionally the philosophizing gets a little tiresome, but then we are back to the story line and things move along briskly. I think Durr's characterizations of the people are particularly effective and help you to visualize each scene as it unfolds.He also incorporates passages written by his sons, Steve and Jon. In summary, I enjoyed the book and plan to read Durr's other book about Alaska!

Of all the Alaska wilderness books I've read...
The Coldman Cometh was advertised by Amazon as a new release and I've read a ton of these Alaska wilderness books so I tried it.Well I was most dissappointed, of all the authors, many of whom where "uneducated", I've always been satisfied but usually impressed.However, this author with all his credentials is full of himself.Very little of the material is focused on the wilderness adventure but rather on a displaced, pot smoking hippie with an ego.If your looking for the romance of Alaska wilderness homesteading and lifestyle don't look here. This author is purely trying to make a quick buck.

As They Say in Tierra del Fuego...
As the say in Tierra del Fuego, this book sucks.The first reviewer nails it.Here is what you will learn in Durr's second book: 1) That he was a comfortably entrenched popular academic in New York (he reminds the reader of this at least 30 times).2) That he and his son Steve enjoyed playing and singing folk songs that they wrote, and that people would actually pay to listen to them.3) Next to nothing about his wife Carol, except that she somehow stayed with this moron for a while at least.Durr leaves it to his son Steve to write an icy tribute to Carol in the final paragraph of the book. 4) That despite his earnestness in getting away from the conformist world and retreating to the last pure wilderness in the US, he can't go too far or too long without his pot.
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Subjects:  1. Alaska    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Durr, R. A    5. Ecology    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. Family    8. Frontier and pioneer life    9. Nature    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Pioneers    12. Regional Subjects - West    13. United States - Pacific - Alaska    14. United States - State & Local - General    15. United States Local History    16. Wilderness areas    17. Wildlife   

Reviews (1)

A rare memoir that is not self-indulgent or self-pitying
So many memoirs by survivors of extremely disfunctional families are simply impossible to read because of the author's overwhelming desire to wallow in self-pity. This memoir is insightful and clear, hiding nothing, but the tone is never pitiful. This would be a great book to use in a classroom learning about memoir, and also a good book for therapists to use with patients learning how to deal with their own "bad deals" as children. I usually read a book and pass it along to my mother and sister; but I'm keeping this one and buying separate copies for each of them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult children of alcoholics    2. Adult children of dysfunctional families    3. Alabama    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Children of the mentally ill    8. Clinical Psychology    9. Montgomery    10. Psychology    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Substance Abuse & Addictions - General   

Reviews (1)

A Mind Numbing Curiosity at Best
From the first time I read Downard's article in the cryptic anti-Masonic symbol inspired rant, "King-Kill 33" in "Apocalypse Culture" from that always challenging publisher Feral House, may Adam Parfrey's tribe increase.I have anxiously awaited the release of Downard's auto-biography (or hagiography?) "Carnivals of Life & Death".I was hoping for I admit a exposition of the nefarious cryptocracy littering the American landscape a la Downard.Perhaps in the same vein as Jim Brandon's "Rebirth of Pan".
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. General    4. New Age    5. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Regional Subjects - South    8. Spiritualism - General    9. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    10. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    11. Freemasonry & secret societies   

Editorial Review

Alex Kershaw plunges readers into the world of Jack London by using lots of direct quotations and maintaining a fast-paced narrative--just right for dealing with an author who crammed as much action into his brief, 40-year existence (1876-1916) as can be found in his classic adventure fiction Read more

Reviews (11)

Yet another error in the book
In his brief treatment of London's last novel, "The Star Rover," Mr. Kershaw describes several of the "past lives" the main character narrates. He describes one as, "a wagon boy who is killed by Indians." (p. 258)
Poor research?
I wonder how accurate the rest of the book is when the author, Mr. Kershaw, did not care to notice that Dawson City, the Klondike, and surrounding region are not in Alaska but well inside Canada. He makes these erroneous references often.

It sucked
It was so terrible, it made me want to kill myself ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1876-1916    2. 20th century    3. American authors    4. Authors, American    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Historical - U.S.    10. Literary    11. London, Jack,    12. Regional Subjects - West   

Reviews (3)

moonshine the life in pursuit of white liquer
this was a preety good book. It is about this guy named Garland Bunting, who has been engaged in caturing and prosacuting men and weomen. To do so he has droven taxi cabs and whatever else you can think of, to get these people to stop selling elligal liquer.he has learned several tips from huntes, they told him that coons can find a illigal monnshine bussnues any day of the week, so from that day on he decided to start raising coon dog's, so that he could catch the scum of the earth (as so he says) who are selling this illigal liquer. This man is 57 years of age and he is of a medium hieght, he has been doing this type of stuff for over 30 years. In north corolina it is illigal to sell liquer on sunday's so the people who are acaholics are always out looking for liquer on sunday's, and that is whern garland is out busting peoepl most of the time. I would recomend this book to any body that is all I have for know thank you for reading my review.

Really excellent reportage.
I grew up in Tidewater, VA, and I've travelled many of the roads and known the sorts of boys Wilkinson writes about. He really nailed that regional culture, and his ear for dialogue and dialect is finely tuned.

An honest look at a vanishing way of life
I grew up not far from Ahoskie, NC, one of the towns author Alec Wilkinson visits in his book. I was astonished at the accuracy of his portrayal of the people and way of life in rural eastern North Carolina. Wilkinson makes no judgments and draws no conclusions. He simply writes a wonderfully detailed and honest portrait of these people and the politics & life of the moonshiners and revenuers of the swamplands. In the past few years this rural way of life has quickly vanished - pressed from the east by the growth of the tourist industry and overdevelopment of the Outer Banks, and from the west by the rapid growth of the Research Triangle. Moonshine has been replaced by homegrown marijuana. Most small farmers have been bought out by corporate farms and the small towns have become bedroom communities for larger metro areas, with people in Gates and Northampton counties working as far away as Quantico and Williamsburg, VA. I've loaned out my copy of "Moonshine" so many times it is falling apart, but I've never found another book that so accurately describes the world I grew up in. For my transplanted Yankee friends here in the Triangle it has been a great introduction to the rural South. The first Wilkinson book I read was "Midnights", his description of a summer spent as the night patrolman in a small coastal town in Massachusetts. I was struck by his powers of description, and the honest effort of researching his subject by spending many long hours on the job. It is also a fine book. For anyone interested in a slice of life, or just great writing, I'd recommend this book without hesitation. Ken Strayhorn Chapel Hill NC ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Bunting, Garland    5. Distilling, Illicit    6. Halifax County (N.C.)    7. Liquor industry    8. Literary Criticism    9. North Carolina    10. Officials and employees    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Sociology - Rural    13. Taxation   

Reviews (1)

High Altitude title can be taken several ways!
I expected these women to either be women who lived and survived in the mountains of Colorado, or at least ones who had high character. Rather, the High Altitude Attitudes seems to refer mostly to historically famous women whose priorities in life were wealth or prestigue. They were DENVER socialites, not even close to mountain women! I was disappointed. However, it was still very interesting to see how extremely shallow some women can be, and the power of money to shape their self-image. One black woman doctor was profiled and she was a breathe of fresh air in the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Colorado    6. Historical - U.S.    7. History    8. Regional Subjects - West    9. United States - State & Local - West    10. Women   

Reviews (29)

Good Take on The Story
Oliphant is an excellent writer - the prose is solid English, as would be expected from a professional writer at the top of his game. Like some other reviewers, I am a contemporary of Oliphant's and from that Brooklyn of long ago. The author captures the times and, by blending it with a very good childhood memoir, tells the oft-told story of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 40s and 50s with a fresh approach. That there are relatively so many books about this team and era only demonstrates how compelling the story is and Oliphant succeeds in giving it his own, interesting viewpoint.
Makes you feel like you are there...
Journalist Tom Oliphant has given us an engrossing memoir of the game in which the old Brooklyn Dodgers won their only World Series in 1955.Readers are made to feel as if they are there in Yankee Stadium on that October day, or perhaps sitting in young Oliphant's living room watching the game on black-and-white television with him and his father.The exciting account to that tense seventh game is interspersed with anecdotes about Oliphant's family, the Yankees, Dodgers, life in Brooklyn during the 1950's, and, of course, his favorite player.The book has a couple minor factual errors (Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto did play briefly after the 1955 Series), but this is over-shadowed by the tension the reader feels as the game heads into the late innings with Dodger hurler Johnny Podres holding a shaky 2-0 lead. Despite minor flaws, this is an interesting account of how baseball affected a young fan, his family, and a large community.

I Wanted to Like it More
Yes, this is another one of those growing up in Brooklyn with the 50's Dodgers books.Oliphant displays a love for his family, the Dodgers and Brooklyn.Actually, though I really enjoy baseball books, I found myself enjoying the Brooklyn stuff more.For instance, I didn't know that Brooklyn is ten times the size of Washington, DC.Oliphant was nothing if not thorough in covering the games of the '55 Series, to the point I began scanning after awhile.I wanted to enjoy it more.However, it is a good read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (1955)    2. Baseball - History    3. Baseball fans    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball team)    6. History    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. United States    12. World Series (Baseball)    13. Sports & Recreation / Baseball / History   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (79)

Good understanding....
This book is written not to glorify gang life but to show people the horrors of it and the reasons why kids join gangs.these are the reasons I liked it so much.As somewhat of a gang researcher and enthusiast, I read this book with much skepticism thinking it would be another memoir seeking sympathy from the reader.Mr. Sanchez does a good job of explaining what he went through without playing on the reader's heart strings.I recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing what the gang culture is all about and see what goes on in the life of a gang member.

WOW!
This book is amazing.It's written in a way that someone would actually speak...no pomp and elaboration.It opened my eyes to a Chicago that I've heard about, but couldn't believe existed.

My Bloody Life
Ages 12 and up.The book My Bloody Life if about the life of a Puerto Rican teenager named Reymundo Sanchez.The book talks about all of the violence that he went through in order to gain popularity and to get something that he never got from his mom which was love.When he was a little kid, he would get beat up by his parents.He then began to hang out with a gang called the Spanish Lords, and with them he had his first joint of marijuana and the first time he drank alcohol.Due to some arguments that he had with the Spanish Lords, he began hanging out with another street gang called the Latin Kings.With this gang he began to smoke and drink more and became addicted to cocaine at some point.He killed someone for the first time also.He went through a journey that made him change his mind about ever joining the Latin Kings.This book is recommended for children 12 years and over because the majority of people that get involved in gangs are usually 12-14 years of age. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1963-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Chicago    6. Childhood Memoir    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Illinois    9. Puerto Ricans    10. Regional Subjects - Midwest    11. Sanchez, Reymundo,    12. Violence    13. Biography & Autobiography / Criminals & Outlaws    14. Biography: general    15. Latin America    16. Organized crime    17. Sanchez, Reymundo   

Reviews (2)

The remarkable and true story of one man's determination to discover his familial heritage
Enhanced with the inclusion of twenty b/w photographs and two maps, Twilight People: One Man's Journey To Find His Roots by David Houze is the remarkable and true story of one man's determination to discover his familial heritage and find the three sisters he and his mother had left behind them in South Africa in 1966 to come to live in America. Following Houze through an epic journey that began with the discovery of his sisters in a photograph and his mother's confession concerning their existence, Twilight People simply captivates its readers in a kind of real life detective story through the persistent efforts Houze had to exert in seeking out the members of his long lost family. As the intimate and inspiring tale of one man's incredible struggle to reconnect with three sisters he'd lost contact with so long ago, Twilight People is very highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to any community library collection.
Truth Is the Fruit of the Search
The George Gund Foundation "endowed this imprint to advance understanding of the history, culture, and current issues of African Americans" we learn in the front-metter of "Twilight People," by David Houze. Their money has been well-spent. Subtitled "One Man's Journey to Find His Roots" I think of Alex Haley's ground-breaking book "Roots" so many years ago, and how how well-spent this journey is to re-locate David Houtze in his true life and a truer sense of family--on two continents. Another touchstone at the beginning of "Twilight People" are two maps--Mississippi and Southern Africa.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African Americans    3. Anthropology - General    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Biography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Civil rights    8. Civil rights movements    9. Discrimination & Racism    10. General    11. Globalization    12. History    13. Personal Memoirs    14. Regional Subjects - South    15. Social Science    16. Sociology    17. Southern States    18. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    19. Mississippi    20. Racism & racial discrimination    21. Social Science / Anthropology / General    22. Social history   

Reviews (3)

Shelby: One fine cavalry general

Jo Shelby
I was particularly interested in reading about Confederate General Jo Shelby as my great-grandfather fought under him during the Civil War, serving in Co. A, Elliott's Battalion,
A very fine read
Gen. Shelby did remarkable things with his small command. His genius was unappreciated due to Jefferson Davis' myopic pre-occupation with west point pedigrees instead of ability and results. A Southerner can only sigh at the lost opportunity, if Shelby had been given command of command of the Army of the Trans-Mississippi instead of Theophilus Holmes.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1830-1897    2. Army    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Confederate States of America    6. Confederate States of America.    7. Generals    8. Historical - U.S.    9. History    10. Military    11. Military History - U.S. Civil War    12. Regional Subjects - West    13. Shelby, Joseph Orville,    14. United States - Civil War    15. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    16. Biography: historical    17. Civil War; Confederacy; Cavalry; Iron Brigade; Kentucky; Maximilian; Missouri    18. Civil war    19. History / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877)    20. Shelby, Joseph Orville    21. USA    22. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (2)

Probably one of the best books I've read...
A collection of essays that have appeared in various magazines & journals, Kittredge does a wonderful job painting a picture of Warner Valley and the American West.He makes it easy to understand how anyonecould dream of traveling West in the hope of finding a new way of life. Easy to pick up but impossibe to put down!

The Best Book Ever Written About the Warner Valley!
The title says it all!If you've ever slept in the high country of Southeastern Oregon and been awakened by the brilliance of the moon, the mournful hooting of an owl or a coyote's howl at a time too late toremember but too early to get up, and while trying to get back to sleep onground too hard and cold realized that we can never OWN the land, we onlyexist as part of it, you will appreciate Kittredge's eloquence indescribing his own family's ultimately self-defeating attempts to do justthat.This is Lake County as it was and is...a world apart from the CoolGreen Vacationland of Western Oregon...where everything is connected toeverything else, and Owning It All may be the only way to wrest a livingfrom the land, but becomes an ephermeral concept that comes to no good end. History, geography, personal biography...an underappreciated book by amaster whose prose is as tight as your puckered lips when it's 14 with a 45mile an hour north wind on a late October morning in the Catlow Valley. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism    3. Literature: Classics    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Regional Subjects - West    6. Other prose: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (1)

Thinking as fast as you laugh
This is a truly wonderful and unique book.Lazar's voice--conversational but concentrated, self-aware but entirely un-coy, and often just plain out funny-is unlike the voice of any other nonfiction writer I know, and his approach to his subjects is never hackneyed.He can write about such familiar topics as family, sexuality, culture and how they inform his sense of his own identity and identity in general and line by line, paragraph by paragraph, you never get that sense of "oh, he's taking X familiar line" that almost every writer gives. That's what I think the one of the blurbs means by describing Lazar as a writer's writer's writer:people who have read deeply and widely will perhaps appreciate this collection most, since they are most likely to understand the subtle brilliance that illuminates every page. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1957-    2. Anecdotes    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Childhood Memoir    7. Childhood and youth    8. Ethnic Studies - General    9. History    10. Jewish children    11. Jews    12. Jews In The U.S.    13. Lazar, David,    14. Literary    15. New York    16. New York (State)    17. New York - Local History    18. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    19. United States - State & Local - General    20. Biography & Autobiography / Literary    21. Biography: general    22. Lazar, David    23. Other prose: from c 1900 -