"From the Country of Nevermore: Selected Poems of Jorge Teillier" is a bilingual edition of the work of a poet from Chile. This volume features Teillier's Spanish-language originals on every even-numbered page, with the English translations by Mary Crow on every odd-numbered page. Crow also wrote an introduction.

Crow notes in her introduction the United States poet Edgar Allan Poe has been a major influence on Teillier (b. 1935). Indeed, many of the poems in this collection have a melancholy, Poe-like flavor. I personally found that many of his poems employ a simplicity of language that is weighty with metaphysical import; in that way, Teillier's work reminds me of the poetry of Stephen Crane, another 19th century United States writer.

The poems in this volume often deal with the changing seasons, nature, and rural scenes. The poems also frequently deal with words and language. Teillier often seems to find human language insufficient to express the deeper truths of the universe: "Words are nothing / beside the leaf that comes to life when it passes before your face" (from "Story of the Afternoon").

His poetry frequently has a stark, eery beauty to it. His imagery is often quite striking. Consider this address to snow (from "Night Snow"): "What fingers drop you, / pulverized skeleton of petals?" Those interested in Latin American literature or contemporary poetry should listen to the voice of Jorge Teillier.

This book is for anyone who ever wanted the inside information on how some of sports top exuctives got their start. I was delighted to see that all contributors mentioned internships in their personal climb to the top. The book and its contents inspired me to work hard from the bottom of the job totem pole to the top. The book also gave practical information on how to get started and who to talk to. I would recommend this book to anyone graduating from college and those who are already in the field for some insiders advice. A very insightful and interesting book!

To experience the full impact of this book read "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" first and then read this book.

Before I even picked this book up from the shelf I thought of the Cheyenne proverb, "A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then it is done, no matter how brave its warriors nor how strong their weapons." Then I opened the book, and this quote was written at the beginning of the first chapter.

This book is essential for understanding what has been done, and is being done to Native American women and girls. Mary Crow Dog tells her own courageous story, and that of many brave women before her.

Born on a Sioux reservation in the Dakotas to a wayward father and a mother who left the traditional life for Christianity, Mary Crow Dog overcomes the difficulties of a young Native American girl to become a leader in her people's movement. This autobiography follows her early days in a Christian school and culminates with her protesting and giving birth at the 1973 Wounded Knee standoff between the troubled Lakota Sioux and the US government. Written in a conversational style, the book is tragic and, at times, funny as Crow Dog demonstrates her incredible strength and sense of humour in the face of seemingly unstoppable adversity. A stunning read

This is one of the best books available to people interested in contemporary Native Americans. Mary Brave Bird's life story sheds light on traditions of her Lakota (Sioux) people from the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations in South Dakota. She shows, in a very clear way, their tortured history with the missionaries, state bureaucracy, the courts, the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). We see to what extent the government has succeeded in destroying the old life and how small groups of the Sioux managed to preserve traditional ways and ceremonies.

The book is written in a way which preserves the unique appreciation Indians have for unadulterated truth - a style which is simple, direct and in which personal experiences are recounted in a frank, almost brutally dispassionate manner. It reveals perfectly the heartless school system ran by abusive Catholic priests and nuns trying hard to deprive young people of their traditions (don't these people have better things to do?); we see the corrupt BIA system designed to prevent cultural and economic emancipation of the Native American "traditionals" (and steal federal money) and the pointless fear that the FBI has of organized Indian movements. Above all, we see the violence that the Sioux face daily from the white South Dakotans as well as the inter-Sioux violence caused by the hopelessness of the life on the rez. I was especially amazed to see that South Dakota has preserved, at the least up to early 1980ies, the barbaric attitudes towards the Native Americans (who are, after all, the original inhabitants, and who were cheated out of their own land by the very same whites who persecute them) which have by and large disappeared from the rest of the civilized world. This includes (unpunished) assaults by drunken lumberjacks and ranchers, systematic discrimination in the courtroom, forced sterilizations at the provincial hospitals (Mary's own sister Barbara was sterilized against her own will) and a system designed to eliminate all of the Indians' most courageous and spiritually conscious young people. A system that would make Uncle Mao proud, but which made this reader very sad, ashamed and angry. I suspect many of these things are still going on in our name. I mean, why can't these people leave the Indians in peace, allow them to practice their religion and (is this too much to ask for?) respect their desire to be different?

There are also many wonderful things in this book. The descriptions of relationships between Lakota men and women, between the young and the old, between the full and half-bloods and between the host and the guest are simply priceless. Likewise Brave Bird's descriptions of peyote meetings, Sundances and Ghostdance revivals. Mary has very strong opinions about the Sioux male machismo and the reluctance exhibited by many Sioux men to providing a comfortable and loving home for their families yet she understands that this is the inevitable consequence of the systematic destruction of the old ways of tribal life. After having read the book I can see the challenges facing the indomitable Sioux nation, the challenge of preserving and honoring the old ways while educating a new elite familiar with the white system (without considering them to be sellouts); only when they gain political representation and economic self-sufficiency will Native Americans be able to keep at bay the greedy timber, mining and ranching industries whose interest is to keep the tribes divided and the people dispirited and lost in alcohol. The Lakota of today need to find a way to create loving conditions for their children. And they need to speak their truth, as often as they can, just as Mary Brave Bird has done in this amazing book.

This is an extraordinary novel about sacrificing what you most want in life and shattering dreams in the process.

Lawson has set the story in rural Ontario revolving around a farming community. The descriptions of the land and encompassing environment is both stark and beautiful. The author has demonstrated her ability to tie the surroundings in with her characters and plot. Both are reliant upon each other.

The story is narrated by Kate, the second youngest in a family that has just learned that their parents have been killed and they are now orphans, struggling to stay together and exist as a family. Through this storyline the author is able to reveal the true nature of family relationships and ones expectations on certain outcomes. Unfortunately, as Kate learns, things are not always as they appear.

By way of vivid characterization of all the siblings, Luke, Matt, Bo and of course Kate, the reader is able to fully capture the reality of their situation and how the past and present often collide with one another.

This was a wonderful read for me. I will look forward to Ms. Lawson's next novel.

Mary Lawson's debut novel, Crow lake, is by far one of the best books I have ever read. When I started reading, I could not put the book down. I was automatically drawn into the story, as if it were my own. It is about four kids and their struggle to survive after their parents die in car accident. It takes place in Northern Ontario, in a small farming community called Crow Lake. The story is narrated by Kate Morrison, as a devastated 7 year old, and a 27 yaer old zoology professor at a university in Toronto. Kate reveals her life story, along with those of her three siblings, Luke, Matt, and Bo. They make compromises and delay their indivual dreams in order to stay together, as what was once a family. Kate feels a tremendous amount of guilt, simply because her older brother's gave their dreams up in order to raise her and Bo, the way their parents would have wanted it. She hardly ever sees or talks to the three, until she receives an invitation from Matt's son. Now she is forced to revisit her childhood and those haunting memories of Crow Lake.

Kate describes Crow Lake as somewhat of an isolated world. The neighbors, the Pyes are known as a very disturbed family. They are relentlessly violent, and somewhat infectious. It seemed to be passed on throughout the generations of the family, and could not be ignored. Eventually the worlds of the two collide in unexpected ways.

Lawson has an immense talent for story, giving just enough along the way, to keep you going, but distarcting you from what is really happening and without giving too much away. She pulled me into the story, and kept me there and I am still there. Her descriptions are rich, without being mind numbing, and allows you to enjoy it. You definately will not struggle to finish this book; you will want to read it over and over!

Mary Lawson's Crow Lake is a wonderful novel, a work that will blow away all expectations of what it really is all about. The novel, which is narrated by Kate, a scientist in her late twenties, begins with the death of both of Kate's parents in a car accident, an accident which leaves Kate and her three siblings orphans. I know what you are thinking--sounds like Oprah, sounds predictable, we see where this is going. Well, it's none of those things and it will take you some place else. Lawson delves into the depths of family relationships, of familial expectations and love. One of the things that makes this book different is Kate's narrative style. We follow the story of what happened after her parents were killed, as that story somehow collides with her present story. She has been invited back to Crow Lake, doesn't know if she can handle it, doesn't know if she should take her current boyfriend. Her current predicaments are all caused by what happened to her family so many years ago and it's fascinating and thought-provoking. Mary Lawson has given us a terrific novel, an engaging read. Highly recommended.

"They Call Me Agnes" is a very personal recount of the life of Agnes Yellowtail Deernose, a Crow woman growing up in the first few generations of reservation Indians. The book is centered around the accounts of Agnes, although the author took some liberties in inserting historical information from field research. Because the book is not about the tribe as a whole, it is not ideal for learning about the Crow as a whole, but is a wonderful resouce for gaining insight on the impact that the enstatement of reservations had on Indian life and the struggles that were faced. The book deals with changing lifestyles and struggles montetarily, religiously and racially. Be aware that because the editor was from anthropolical background, there may be some misinterpretations of things due to the scientific way of looking at things. Other good books to read if you are interested in the interview format dealing with Crow Indians are "Two Leggings" (Peter Nabokov), "Pretty Shield" and "Plenty Coups" (both Frank Bird Linderman). Other books about the Crow written by native writers: "APPSALOOKE Yesturday and Today" (Smith and Old Coyote)

Agnes Deernose tells in the first person the story of her life and the culture of the Crow Indians on their reservation in Montana. It begins in the days of buffalo-hunting, and reveals how the Crow accepted the inevitable changes brought by the 20th Century.

The book describes family life, social life, education, religion, and how the Crow supported the Baptist Church. Agnes gives some interesting intimate details of her life.

Fred was an anthropologist and an adopted Crow. He became well acquainted with the Crow Indians, and this story is the result of extensive personal interviews with Agnes.

(Review written by Julia Holmes, the author's cousin. It was edited and posted to Amazon.com by Julie Atkins, her daughter.)