If you are interested in Ethiopia, this book provides a pictured guide to the country, its history and its sites. The photography is amazing.

This is an incredibly lovely book that shows the various groups of people that make up Ethiopia. A must read, that's informative, educational and thoroughly enjoyable.

This work of art in nothing less than excellent!!

This book is beautiful. It has beautiful photography, and beautiful text by a man who is of the Masai tribe. I was sad, however, to read that the author of the text (Tepilit Ole Saitoti) says that the Masai way of life is destined for extinction. Though this is inevitable for most indigenous peoples.

Tepilit Ole Saitoti's commentary and insight into his people really make the photographs come to life (the cover photograph is of the author's brother). This is not so much a book as it is an experience, aided by its "over-sized" coffee table format book that gives you the feeling of "stepping" into the beautiful Kenyan landscape. Reading this beautiful book is the next best thing to being able to visit this beautiful land and see these fascinating people in person (which is something I hope to do at some point in my life). What a beautiful land the Masai live in!

Anyone interested in this book would probably find OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT interesting as well. OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT is written by Malidoma Some of the Dagara tribe from Burkina Faso, in West Africa. It is the story of Malidoma's escape from a missionary school (he had been kidnapped), journey back to his village as a teenager, and initiation into the Dagara tribe.

This is a (not surprisingly) beautiful and very accurate portrayal of Maasai life. It was written by Teplit Ole Saitoti, himself a Maasai straddling a modern lifestyle, with that of an elder in his home village. Carol Beckwith is one of the most sensitive and talented "human anthropology" photographers the world has ever known. She gets photos no one else can, by living the villagers' lifestyles. The result of the collaboration is the view of Maasai life from within.

Buy anything you see her name on. You will not be disappointed.

Extremely well written and the pictures are just incredible! I went to Kenya last year and met several Maasai during my safari; this book captures every facet of their intriguing life. If you don't think you will ever make it to Africa and are interested in the ways of life of the Massai, then this is the book for you.

Dear Sirs,

This book is excellent sourse for those who never visited the countries where nomads of Niger are living. Of course, if it is interesting for you. Splendid photos of different tribes and people. Very good and understandable texts. I enjoyed the jorney when I have read the book. When you read it and look on the photos you feel like you are there, among nomads.
It is also very good for people who are going to visit the countries where the Niger nomads live. You have to read this book before you trip.

Sincerely yours,

Vladyslav.

Nomads of Niger is an excellently written and colorful depiction of the life of the ancient nomadic Fulani or "Peul" people. Belonging to the group known as the Wodabe or Bororo, these nomadic herders of Niger (actually in this case moving into Chad, Cameroon and Central African Rupublic as well) have roamed for centuries across the sub-Saharan bushland, surviving where few others could. Living very simply, yet loving beauty and esthetics, their intricate culture and open hospitality is fascinating -- especially as it is is found in one of the harshest living environments on earth.

The authors have done a marvelous job of looking inside this virtually unknown culture, and with admiration and respect depicting it in print and photographs. It should be also noted that the Nomads of Niger was also developed as a National Geographic documentary, and brings some of the unforgettable sounds and action of this culture to life. Don't miss the Geerewol!

This is truly a wonderful book. The photos are beautiful and depicts the Wodaabe just as they are. The text is very accurate. Although published in 1983 these people are still very much the same today.

Carol Beckwith, who also wrote an article on the Wodaabe for the National Geographic in 1983, follows a family of the Wodaabe for a period of a year as they move from place to place in search of water for their cattle and themselves. The harshness and beauty of their lives is both portrayed in this book.

Many aspects of their complex culture is described. It is worth reading particularly if you ever intend to visit the area and the Wodaabe themselves.

Excellent value for money.

How can we get kids to really USE violence prevention skills at school? That's the question I asked as I wrote this book. It had to be fun, even though problem-solving can be hard work. It had to actively engage the kids, so that they would learn by doing. It had to be powerful enough to give kids not only know-how, but also the courage to try the things they were learning. And it had to be easy to teach.
We took 10 skills - life skills for all of us - and put them in kid language and kid scenarios. For each one, there is "Something to Think About" and Something to Do" - games, skits, story-related crafts, drawing, role plays, even a theme song to sing along with. Then the skills are put to use in "Think It Over - Talk It Over" negotiation, and in the processes of class meetings and peer mediation. (The mediation section can launch a program at your school. It's awesome! We rob our kids of one of the most amazing opportunities of the time if we don't let them mediate for each other.)
Reproducible handouts let the kids create their own Conflict Resolution Manual as the study progresses. This book can be used by families, children's organizations, church school programs, and home-schoolers as well. I think the skit "One Orange Orange" is worth the price of the book in its impact! Have fun! - Kathy
Wondering what 10 skills are covered? They are...
* Listening Without Stoppers
*Talking One at a Time
* Empathizing
* Seeing Another Viewpoint
* Describing & Attacking the Problem, Not the Person
* Recognizing and Naming Feelings
* Recognizing Positions and Needs
* Reaching Consensus
* Dealing with Anger, Calming
* Making Amends

Funny, realistic, and absolutely usable. Those were goals I set for myself as I wrote this book. Kids' lives can be pretty rough sometimes, but how they respond is ultimately their choice. I believe kids will make smart choices - if they're encouraged to do it, if they're shown how to do it, and if they can see that it really works. That's what IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO HIT is all about. And it's not just about hitting or not hitting. It's about kids working through problems of all kinds, using their "smarts," and learning what works.
I also love to laugh and have fun, so it was super to work with Carol Henderson (the illustrator of the book) creating a group of animals that got into all kinds of pickles and showed us how they could use the same skills that the real-life kids in the book use.
The book's full title is "a little nonsense and a lot of good sense about... IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO HIT." The "nonsense" is a bit of rollickying rhyme that will have kids laughing as they read along, and the "good sense" will give them tools to work through situations that they will recognize as very true-to-life. They'll learn skills they will use all their lives long.
I believe you'll find this one of the most practical resource books a child (or an adult) can own!

This two volume set contains beautiful, wonderful, photographs, showing some of the diversity of Africa and the beauty of the African people. As another reviewer mentioned, I would also love to see another book by these photographer/authors on daily life. For anyone interested in Africa, I cannot recommend this book too strongly.

HOW CAN ANYONE SAY THAT THESE CULTURES DON'T EXIST ANYMORE, OR THIS IS AN AFRICA THAT NO LONGER EXISTS. THEY TOOK THESE PICTURES WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS.. DIDN'T THEY ? DUH ? EVERYONE KNOWS THERE IS A COMMON EVERYDAY AFRICA.. GOING TO WORK GENERAL LIVING ( JUST LIKE US HERE IN AMERICA FOLKS) BUT STILL THERE IS AFRICAN TRIBAL SPLENDOR. JUST LIKE IN AMERICA INDIAN'S GET TOGETHER FOR TRIBAL POW WOWS. THEY STILL EXIST TOO. THE PICTURES IN THIS BOOK ARE SHOCKINGLY GORGEOUS...AFRICAN PEOPLE STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL. PLEASE! THE MEN ARE HANDSOME, THE WOMEN WONDEROUS. IT JUST MAKES ME WONDER WHY THE EUROPEAN STANDARD, HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE "STANDARD" OF BEAUTY. THIS REVUE MAY SOUND SHALLOW, BUT IF YOUR INTO THE HUMAN HAS ART FORM ...BUY THIS BOOK!!

The New York Times Sunday Book Review section today had a wonderful review of this book (2 volumes in a slipcase). The documentation of ritual and people performing rituals as the seasons change in Nature and life cycles turn for People is a sacred task. The photographers appear to have embraced their subjects with care and respect - perhaps others will follow in this way in the future. What strikes me most about the book and the reviews is the genuine approach of the authors to the dignity, honor and respect of the African People they have photographed and documented. This alone makes the book a winner for me.

Regarding the book, I am particularly impressed by their treatment of sacredness without judgment and jaded lens. Indeed the art and form of ritual itself creates tradition. The music of these images is at once visual and alive celebrating the sacred as timeless expressions of culture and community.

Great large format whole page images, some of which were presented in the two volume hardback "Ceremonies". Beautiful people, cultures and images for a great price. I hope the traditions of our world never never leave us. A beautiful book.