Old-line

This journal is a tough analysis of an unscrupulous corporate raider's methods of mining the temperate old growth redwood rain forests of Humboldt County, California. Joan and Doug's curiosity and observations lead her and us through all the resent events and to many victims of such a mass liquidation of forest, soil, waterways and wildlife. As a resident of the area, I have read news accounts regarding the Headwaters Forest, but none have even come close to the articulate passion that Joan has focused on to repeatedly hit her mark. The natural descriptions of the remaining groves and wildlife are tender and capable of grinding the callousness from even the hardest of hearts. I find myself walking in circles of despair for all of the destruction that has already taken place. Doug's photo journal validates every accusation made against this corporations blatant grab for money at the expense our community, our children's future and everything sacred. Read this book, then make it required reading for all of your friends and family.

It's urgent that you and your children visit the redwoods! This book will inspire you to do so. Joan, the author, takes you on a journey through the redwood forest and through your conscience. Her artistic expression of her humanity in words and in nature drawings often made me laugh with the insights ("Humboldt County, Log it or Leave it - a bumper sticker she saw), yet also cry with the vulgarities. It's a wonderful read, but one should also be aware of the astounding photography in the middle section. I kept referring back to the photos the whole time while reading the book. I'll offer TWO of my FAVORITE QUOTES that epitomize the book's strenghts: "Like Kristi, and many other residents of various watersheds who have suffered loss of private property and peace of mind, Mike seemes strangely perfect to be one of the people who have no choice but to stand up to MAXXAM. He can't sell his house because he would have to disclose the danger it is in. He can't rent it out for the same reason. His insurance company has canceled his house insurance. He doesn't have the money to buy a new house and walk away from the situation. Right now his house stands abandoned, simply a liability, while Mike is forced to rent at his own expense in Rio Dell." (p.145) ALSO, Joan includes her 12-year-old son in her adventures. At the end of the book they have this conversation: "At one point he said, 'I forgot what I was going to say.' 'Well, it'll come back to you,' I reassured. 'Yes, but I was just making conversation before. This was something I really wanted to say.'" (p.259) I'm not ruining the end for you by saying that you'll really want to say something, do something, express something when you finish this book!

No book has ever moved me the way this one has, I have tears in my eyes as I write this. I've just read many of the other reviews, and I don't have the way with words that some do, but they tell it like it is. Joan tells it like it is. Books don't get any better, and this one will change your life, like someone said it isn't all about happiness, and I have become informed and aware of too much to not so something about what is being done to our Redwood Forests, and what is being allowed to be done to our envirnment and watersheds. It's a true story, happening right now, this book documents it succinctly with amazing one of a kind pictures. It will open your eyes. Something needs to be done about Charles Hurwitz from Houston, Texas and his company MAXXAM. He is savaging The last of the Virgin Redwood Rainforest in California. I cannot beleive the CDF and the department of Forestry are "letting him get away with it." Not to mention the way he "aquired" the land, which is explained in the book. Please read this book. This book will light a fire in you, and like me you will have to do something. There are several websites listed in the back to point you in the right direction. I beleive this book is THE BEST one on the subject and if you plan on reading only one this should definitely be it. It has the most facts, information, and insight and is so well written, I couldn't say enough. And 57 pages of priceless color pictures! I am buying used copies for people, I would give one to EVERYONE if I could, and I have only said that about 2 books, and I read alot. The book is priceless. Thank You Joan

Pamela Reis is not afraid to take the unconventional route when it comes to Biblical interpretation, and, by doing so, she gets closer to the heart of what the text is actually saying than many who are committed to the type of scholarship favored by the majority. Drawing on the example of the classic Japanese movie "Rashomon", she makes a strong case for single authorship of the Pentateuch, especially concerning the creation stories in Genesis. Rather than falling back on multiple authorship to explain apparent discrepancies and changes in viewpoint, Reis believes these stories are the work of a single, brilliant author who is writing the same story from two totally different points of view (God and man).

This book actually reads much like a series of articles from "Bible Review". Rather than being a comprehensive commentary on the Hebrew Bible, the book focuses on various narratives and shows how conventional wisdom has often misread them. Those who have been considered helpless victims (i.e. Tamar and the daughter of Jephthah) are shown to be not quite as innocent as they have seemed. Scriptures that have been puzzling in the past (the "bridegroom of blood" incident between Moses and Zipporah, for example) are given satisfactory explanations. The book is not perfect, in my estimation, because sometimes there are arguments from silence (i.e., the author's opinion that the witch of Endor served Saul raw meat is a bit of a stretch), and other areas where the arguments are likewise unconvincing or tedious, but those parts are in the minority. This is altogether a fascinating book by a respected, although unconventional scholar.

This is a book for those who love the literary exegesis of the Hebrew Bible -- if you loved Robert Alter's Art Of Biblical Narrative (as I did), this is largely in the same spirit. Reis' guiding principle is to take the unity and intentionality of the text-as-written at face value, and accordingly to investigate different moments that don't seem to "fit." Her emphatic and persuasive answer to her investigations is that, if you know the language and think common-sensically, these moments make perfect sense. As a result, she's able to do a lot of great work, and she discovers a narrative unity within the text that exegetes past and present have often failed to see. If you know and love these stories, her insights are just terrific. The book gets five stars and earns it, although (in my opinion), the editorial reviews make too much of Reis' age and consequent spunkiness in writing a scholarly book when she has "no credentials," and Reis herself is a little too inclined to tell you about how she gained each insight she has...this aspect forms the introduction to each chapter. Ho hum. Also, she's too inclined to resist the "documentary hypothesis" because it undercuts the notion of artistic unity that informs her approach to analyzing the text. She's not convincing on this, much as she'd like to be. Does the ultimate source of a work have to be a single person for the reader to receive it as a narrative unity and to respond to it accordingly? (I don't think so.) But honestly, don't let that get in your way: this book is terrific, a triumphant validation of what passionate engagement with the literary text can produce. If you enjoy the combination of common sense, a little Hebrew, and a deep love of literature, this is great stuff. If you're looking for Biblical analysis from an explicit faith perspective, this is not for you, for her interests are not theological in any conventional sense. But if you really love the Bible and don't just need to hear what you already think, this is a great way to see a thoughtful reader at work.

This book is a great resource for those who can trace their ancestors to the eastern half of Fairfield County. It covers the time period from the 1630's to the early 1800's. It is not 100% complete but is considered to be very accurate. In addition to dates of birth, marriage and death there is often information about land ownership, military service, and biographical details.

Since The Joshua Line has been in circulation, I've been getting feedback by some who are intrigued by the idea implied in the story that among the human qualities necessary for the survival of our civilization is that of being able to meet violence with violence. That would seem to be the case in this story. As it turns out, the tool of choice at the beginning and at the conclusion of the novel is a rifle. One would hope that civilization would eventually get beyond that, but for now.......? Bill Morgan, Author

I have personal information about this book. I know for instance that every site that is written about in the book was visisted by the author and the illustrater. In this manner they came up with very interesting impressions, and it shows in the information presented.

I feel that to make you understand what the place was like it is necessary to be there. To sit in the center of the place and of obsorb the feeling. I am sure that a true History enthusiat knows that feeling.

Until the railroads were built the only form of transport in California was the stagecoach or the steamer. Stagecoaching On The California Coast examines the coastal stagecoach route and those companies which operated along the route, considering the stagecoach experience, the establishments which evolved along the route, and the modern route today.

The book Maryland a Delaware Canoe Trails is written in a very usable form with all the required information to get you to river and tell you what you will see and get you home. Great book.

Ed Gertler is as reliable as GOD

I think this book waspartially written as a response to Jeff Long's Duel of Eagles since the book make pains to countered Long's assertion on the racial aspects of the Texas Revolution. But the first half of the book appears to be bit dull in the end. Rehashing historical events which have been written many times over don't add to much to the literature unless you are a first time reader.

However, the second half of the book the part where the authors dealt with post-Alamo period up to the present day proves to be quite interesting as people tried to put the Alamo in the proper perception as burden of political correctness creep in like a bad plague. Even poor Davy Crockett fall into the mud as people argued if he died swing his Betsy or on his knees pleading for quarters. I think the authors failed to show that picking between a murdering warmongering Santa Anna and racist white American defenders of the Alamo, there can be no real winner. (Of course, if you are a Texan or even an American, the choice would be pretty obvious since in the long run, American take over of Texas proves to be quite a benefit for all concern or otherwise, we won't have any illegals coming into droves from Mexico, eh?)

This is a very enjoyable book that both tells the story of the siege and battle of the Alamo and the development of the myth and symbol of the Alamo in Texan and American memory. The account of the Texas revolution and siege are balanced and scrupulous, carefully distinguishing between what we know and we infer. That account makes up the first half of the book. The second half relates the cultural history of Alamo preservation and its place in the current "culture wars" and revisionist history. An interesting account of the making of both the Disney "Davy Crockett" series and John Wayne's "The Alamo" feature in this latter half. I recommend the book highly. The history of the siege and battle is fairer and more balanced here than in Jeff Long's "Duel of Eagles."

This is a very well-written book about the history of the famous Alamo mission in San Antonio. Roberts and Olson do a good job of telling about the background of the mission all the way from when it was built by Spanish missionaries until the past decades. The opening few pages show a side of the battle of the Alamo that is not often thought about. It opens with James Butler Bonham sitting on his horse looking down upon the besieged Alamo mission. What would have happened if he just rode away? Instead, Bonham rides into the Alamo with his message.

This book is very informative on everything Alamo. Ranging from Clara Driscoll to the de la Pena diary, John Wayne to Fess Parker, this book has it all. It also gives background on the Texas War of Independence from the Mexican Army's perspective as they march north to crush the rebellion. Very interesting and a good read for history fans and especially Alamo buffs. Visit the Alamo! It is well worth the trip.

interesting account if a bit dry and academic. led me to Wallace Stegner's "Wolf Willow" which is richer with anecdotes and better writing. also led me to "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" which is a must-read for any Jefferson-loving American. all three titles made me interested in the lives of the Indians before 1800: was their life as brutal when the enemy was other tribes rather than white goldseekers, homesteaders et al? or were they at peace with the earth and each other?

This is a lyrical, vividly written narrative history in a style which will appeal to a general audience. The author has closely studied an area along the Montana-Saskathewan border beginning with Sitting Bull's surrender to the U.S. Cavalry in 1881 and ending with the post World War I influenza pandemic. Although largely empty now, in the early 20th Century this vast dry-land prairie was home to many thousands of small-scale homesteaders struggling to wrest a living from an unforgiving landscape. The author includes interviews and correspondence with the late author Wallace Stegner, whose family attempted to make a living on both sides of this borderland. The numerous photos and illustrations are great, and along with the text give the reader an evocative sense of the hard life on the high western plains.

Ever wonder where the myth of the stalwart Mountie, righting wrongs and doing good, came from? After reading this book, I am pretty sure it started with the Mounties themselves. When the Canadian government created the North-West Mounted Police to maintain law and order in the largely unsettled West, the call went out for "men of good character." It's clear that James Morrow Walsh was that and more.

This book, written by a former Mountie, follows Walsh's career and Sitting Bull's in parallel tracks. It's a story of deceit and betrayal, and also of honour and decency. The bond between Walsh and Sitting Bull was never broken, and is shown under the most unlikely circumstances. At the same time, the behaviour of the much-maligned Sioux people demonstrates the full injustice of what was done to them by the governments of both the United States and Canada.

There are times when one person, or a very few people, can make a difference just by their own personal qualities. When the NWMP were the only law in the Canadian West, interpreting it as justly and fairly as they knew how, men like Walsh did just that. It's a shame the governments in Ottawa and Washington didn't make more of an effort to do so, too.