I recently purchased DISCOVER! Volume 3 and I want more! Please send Volumes 2 and 3!

Having traveled and lived in the areas described in Vol.3, The Lower Mississippi, from St. Louis, Missouri to Memphis, Tennessee, and descended from a family of river rats, I can say that I've "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."

Reading Pat's book is like traveling along with her as she explores the Great River Road along the mighty Mississippi River. I was especially impressed with the with the book's scope and readability. Pat has included personal insights from area inhabitants, collected geographical, historical and societal information and spread it all liberally throughout the travelogue. This is one hard book to put down, and if you ever decide to visit the area you'll have plenty of reference material to use. You will feel like you know the place already, and have gotten your own t-shirt.

Jim Pankey USN (Ret.)

Rolling on the River.......... In a few weeks, it'll be road-trip weather, and we have some of the nation's prettiest highways at our fingertips--US Hwy 61 and several other state and county highways form the parkway known as AMERICA's Great River Road. Making that drive even easier is a new guide: "DISCOVER! AMERICA'S GREAT RIVER ROAD, Volume 1." This 240-page guide highlights the heritage, natural history and recreational activities available along the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Mn., to Dubuque, Iowa. It includes maps, historical and geological points of interest, bike trails, bird watching spots and short features on small towns, parks, and villages. ----STAR TRIBUNE, Minneapolis, Mn. April 1997

I have never read a review that missed the point so far and missed the forest for the trees as Dona J. Helmer's review of Dream Catchers. I read this book and explained the illustrations to three of my grandchildren (ages 10, 9, & 8) and they absolutely loved it. All of them asked me to get copies of the book for them. Fortunately, they are not into political correctness as is the reviewer. They know who Santa Claus and Bugs Bunny are, but are not up to speed on Calvin Coolidge or Indian lore. The character is wearing blue jeans because he is supposed to be the grandfather participating in a story with his grandchildren demonstrating that art can take you anywhere if you have the imagination.
Ms. Helmer even manages to wound one ofthe past century's great illustrators. (Time magazine covers, National Geographic, historical drawings hung in historical places, and the famous Pipi Longstocking.) Perhaps that word has not yet reached Alaska yet and maybe the reviewer should spend some time in the lower 48. Lighten up - this is not exactly a Steven Ambrose or Doris Kearns Goodwin book. This is about kids' adventures and mutual love between them and a grandfather. I often tell my young grandchildren stories to make a point, but I do not pour over history books first.

My elementary school children loved this book--the story of two children who learn the joy of using their imaginations.... and the story is wonderfully illustrated. The text is simple,but it respects the intelligence of young readers. When my pupils finish their work, they often pick up DREAM CATCHERS to page through it to remember their favorite parts. Some of my students loved the pictures so much that they tried to reproduce the pictures themselves--especially the Dream Catcher, the craft in the water and the sunset! I would recommend this book to elementary school teachers and to parents to share with children. Another friend of mine from church is buying several to give as holiday gifts. Good idea....

Dream Catchers combines the talents of a world-renowned illustrator, Louis S. Glanzman, and and up-and-coming children's storyteller, Lisa Suhay. It combines educational fun with eye-popping illustrations. This is a book that adults can enjoy with their children and grandchildren. I can't wait to share the enjoyment with my own grandchildren.

After using Easy Chemistry I look forward to more advanced courses.Easy Chemistry is simple , informative and explicit. I love Easy Chemistry by Casimir.

Easy Chemistry makes chemistry fun and informative. The examples are very simple and understandable.A great text for beginners.

Easy Chem is a prize winner.The examples and solutions are clear and interesting.The math is understandable.The text also has tests,answer keys and reference charts.

Truly original. There are no "oriental" stereotypes in this important book. It is purely Asian American. I'm sure it will be treasured throughout the years. Eat a Bowl of Tea came out in 1961 and it is the first Chinese American novel set in Chinese America. That alone should motivate you to buy this book. It's a shame that Louis Chu is no longer with us, he could've authored more books -- "Wow, your mother!"

After reading Louis Chu's book, much of recent work by Asian Americans seemed even more lackluster than before. Chu writes about Asian American culture with the emotional depth and dignity that it deserves. I got this book from my brother who also felt dissatisfied with the representations of Asian life a la Amy Tan, Kingston, etc. They don't seem to write with the same respect for Asian romanticism that Chu recognizes with such literary power.If you want to see an intimate, caring portrait of NYC Chinatown, start here...

Eat a Bowl of Tea by Louis Chu was first published in 1961. It's a satire of New York's Chinatown's bachelor society.Characters include the Ben Loy the son of a "bachelor" father. He has been sent to China after WWII to get married. After getting married to his bride Mei Oi, they return to America where he finds himself impotent to love his traditional good wife. Another character Ah Song is a thug and a gambler who seduces Mei Oi. The story continues and basically depics Chinatown and the Chinese Americans of the time. In the novel there are examples of the language with the heavy Chinese accent. The story expresses the theme of the bachelor's society and and the morals of a traditional wife compared to a prositute. Pages 250

Readers familiar with ethical literature will notice that the title of Pojman's book is similar to that of the late J.L. Mackie's book on ethics, _Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong_. The differences in titles reflect the differences in opinion among the two authors: Mackie was a relativist while Pojman is an objectivist. Despite Pojman's rejection of relativism, though, he does an admirable job of presenting both sides fairly. He also writes in a clear and conversational way, making this introductory text accessible to everyone. Finally, his book is comprehensive; it includes a discussion of egoism, self-interest, and altuism; the question, "Why should I be moral?"; religion and ethics; and metaethics.

This is the best contemporary book I've read in ethics. It sets forth the purpose and structure of ethics in a clear and compelling manner, makes a straong case for moral objectivism, as it defeats relativism, and shows the legitimate place of self-interest in morality. The good really is good for you- or it can be in a moral community. Every educated American should read this work. Is there anything more important than morality today?

Dr. Pojman (poy-man) does a brilliant job of presenting the ethics rooted in Arisitotle and Aquinas and the thought of the moderns, such as Kant, in a very easy read. This s a fabulous book for anyone.

Evie and her father are fortunate - they were slaves, but when their owner, a kind, elderly man, died, it was in his will that they become free. But Evie's mother belonged to a different man, and remained a slave. So for years, Evie's father saved up to buy her freedom, and finally he has enough. But when spitefull, predjudiced boys steal their freedom papers, everything they have worked so hard for is in jeopardy. Now Evie must save her family from a horrible fate - being sold back into slavery. I highly reccomend this book to historical fiction fans.

Evie was a slave but when her owner died it was in his will that Evie and her father would be freed. But Mama belonged to a different man. Evie's family saved up to buy Mama but the family's neighbors are determined that they will not be free and Evie and her family discover just how dangerous freedom can be.

This book is about Evie Peach, a free black girl in St. Louis. The day has finally come! Her Papa has saved up to buy Mama freedom. But being free is dangerous, especially when your Irish neighbors are your worst enemy.

It's been about 25 years since I last read (and reread) this work. "For Marx" and its contextual paradigm influenced me profoundly and contributed vital strands that have formed the course of my life. I think the key theme in Althusser's work and the trend of Marxism of which it is a part is to assert that a high order of thought is needed to be of real benefit to the underdog. I feel Althussers effort (as is Marxism) is a noble if preliminary effort in what can only be termed an epochal effort to consciously rise from the mire of human life dominated by topdogs. What was useful to Marxism of that time was to really take seriously the importance of Psychoanalysis and the pervasive presence of the Uncounscious. Another helpful idea is that of the multi-valenced quality of "social formation" in Contradiction and Overdetermination. Although my philosophical horizons are not defined by Marxism these days, much of Marxism, especially the currents populated by the likes of Althusser, Poulantzas, Gramsci etc. has an honored place in my intellectual tool kit. I feel that the wish to consciously transform our life in a benefical way may be assisted by the likes of Althusser et al, though in and of itself this is not enough.

This collection of essays includes the seminal moments of many concepts still alive in Marxism and academia at large. The essays on "Contradiction and Overdetermination", "On the Young Marx", "Marxism and Humanism", and on the 1844 Manuscripts deserve to be revisited by a wider audience today in light of the growing interest in Marxism informed by post-structuralist thought. Much of Derrida's work owes an unacknowledged debt to the interpretations presented here (e.g. Althusser's concept of overdetermination, and his principled anti-humanism). Highly recommended to those interested in Marxist philosophy.

Any serious reader of Louis the Horrible is well versed in the Althusserian arsenal of stock concepts and phrases: ISAs, interpellation, and the loathesome and under-informed "structuralist Marxism". A veritable Althusserian scholarship, however, will need to take into account the nuances and subtleties of thought presented by Althusser in "Pour Marx"; I am thinking especially of "Contradiction and Overdetermination". Let's recast Althusser and go from there - we simply cannot leave him to the vulgar academic public which presents a grossly reductive version of his intellectual legacy based on various myths of academia; an academia that relegates him to the abyss of the bygone "heyday of structuralism".

I have not counted the number of books and papers regarding Geronimo's surrender but they are many. Here are the facts, easy to read, accurate, and presented in a very enjoyable read. The author has done an excellent job presenting to the common man the story of bravery, death, and hardship of the early American soldier, and the betrayal of the American Indian. Many thanks to the author and publisher. Where are the awards for them?

KLIATT, November 2000 Reviewed by Raymond L. Puffer, Ph.D., Historian, Edwards Air Force Base, CA

Most historical accounts of Geronimo and the lengthy struggle of his Apache warriors against white settlement have focused upon either the Chiricahua leader himself, or the two U.S. Army generals usually credited with forcing their bitter surrender. George Crook and Nelson Miles were indeed instrumental in planning and leading the campaigns that hounded the remnants of the Apache people into their inevitable subjugation. Neither, however, could convince the holdouts ot lay down their arms and put themselves at the white man's mercy. That role fell to a weary cavalry lieutenant, Charles B. Gatewood, who had won the Indians' grudging respect through hard fighting and his sympathy to their plight. In the course of a final meeting, which was as poignant as it was historical, Gatewood at length persuaded the exhausted "renegades" to lay down their arms to General

Miles, and to accept his offer of farmland and aid. When Geronimo did so, the last native resistance to federal hegemony came to an end. Ultimately, though, Geronimo and Lieutenant Gatewood were betrayed by the federal government.

Louis Kraft has written an important and historically significant study of the final phase of the Apache Wars. Unusual for such books, this one is as readable as popular history, and it will be enjoyed by those who have an interest in looking behind the scenes of history. The book is a fine reminder that earnest, hardworking and suffering people were responsible for the events in their textbooks.

Publishers Weekly, April 17, 2000

This recent addition to the parallel lives genre is a superbly told tale of the vicious Apache wars of the 1880s in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. Drawing upon a variety of original sources, Kraft (Custer and the Cheyenne) reconstructs the complex story of the famous Chiricahua leader Geronimo, a medicine man who came forward as a tribal leader and headed resistance to the coerced settlement of his people on reservations where they were to become farmers instead of nomadic hunters. Lt. Charles B. Gatewood of the 6th U.S. Cavalry was posted to Arizona in 1878 and became a respected leader of Apache scouts, who tracked Apache guerrillas for the U.S. The frail lieutenant, sent to administer the Apache reservation, seemingly treated his charges fairly, earning the enmity of civilians and army brass, which led to a stalemated career and a lengthy court case brought by a man whom Gatewood arrested for defrauding Apaches. After meeting at various times and maintaining a mutual respect, Gatewood and Geronimo came together again in 1886, when the former was ordered to track the latter to Mexico and convince him to surrender, even as columns of American and Mexican troops searched for Geronimo's elusive group. The tension and frustrations of what was Gatewood's final mission are palpable, as he convinces Geronimo to allow the tribe's "relocation" to Florida. Gatewood, who gets much fuller treatment here than his counterpart, never got his due for brilliant service in tragically misguided cause, and Geronimo never again saw his homeland or many of his family, from whom he was separated.

"Gatewood and Geronimo" by Louis Kraft documents the heroic deeds of a man of unheralded greatness, of one Charles B. Gatewood. Many lesser men rose to the rank of general while Gatewood died holding the same rank he held when he played the key role in efecting the surrender of the formidable Apache warrior, Geronimo. The surrender of Geronimo effectively ended the American Indian Wars. Kraft's volume brings focus on the long neglected importance of Gatewood's role in American history, and on the long term effects that one ordinary man's moral integrity can have on human history, even though it was ignored, and even despised while Gatewood was alive.

The literary criticism you can get from the Oxford edition (check your local library); the commentary is thorough (which parts did Twain write? which parts Warner?) and informative. My reasons for recommending this book have nothing to do with its literary value (spotty) and everything to do with its subtitle. Every now and then an old book teaches us that much of what we take to be modern and sophisticated is truly old hat. One of the best descriptions of the Cold War was written by Thucydides, and one of the best depictions of the go go dot.com economy was written by Twain. Substitute web sites for depots and bandwidth for rails and the conversations in this book could have been overhead on cel phones in San Jose. IPO's and bubbles are not twenty-first century innovations: as Twain shows us,it may be possible to get rich from hard work, but it's more tempting to get rich by looting the pockets of the uninformed. Senator Dilworthy's dedication to pork evokes Byrd, and we learn lecherous behavior in Congress didn't start with Condit. An entertaining validation of Ecclesiates: there truly is nothing new under the sun.

Moving stuff at the start, very funny in spots, and heartily American. The end wasn't all I'd hope for but there is still good stuff up till the end which is hard to do in any book. Like I said in the title, I liked it better than Huck Finn because Huck Finn is more of the kitchy journey story which is too easy whereas this one is not a road trip but a full fleshed tale.

This book, written by Twain and Warner, pokes fun at American society during what they called "the guilded age". This term has stuck and is often used by historians to describe the period 1877-1914. Twain and Warner see this time as one where men care only for money. These men will not work hard, but merely scheme and plot in order to strike it rich. The dialogue in the book is very snappy, the best being when Laura Hawkins arrives in Washington, DC and meets with the other high society ladies. I would recommend this book to anybody interested in United States History, or just those who want to read a good novel. The book can drag at times, but overall is very engrossing.

"In the satirical pieces there is a vigor, an energy, an authentic voice, an urge and urgency, a scathing reality. The prefaces remind me strongly of those Dryden wrote." --Aubrey L. Williams, ed., Poetry and Prose of Alexander Pope (Houghton Mifflin, 1969); author of Pope's Dunciad (Methuen, 1955) and of An Approach to Congreve (Yale UP, 1979); MLA Vice Pres. Emeritus.

"I find myself very sympathetic to what the preface has to say about continuity of culture, community of knowledge . . . . Fattorosi uses 'Renaissance' diction as convincingly as Cameron did in his versions of Villon. The language is consistently authentic and often felicitous." --Richard Wilbur, Poet Laureate, 1987; Pulitzer Prize, 1957,88; National Book Award, 1957.

"In the satirical pieces there is a vigor, an energy, an authentic voice, an urge and urgency, a scathing reality. the prefaces remind me strongly of those Dryden wrote." Aubrey L. Williams, ed., Poetry and Prose of Alexander Pope (Houghton Mifflin, 1969); author of Pope's Dunciad (Methuen, 1955) and An approach to Congreve (Yale UP, 1979); MLA Vice Pres. Emeritus.

"I find myself very sympathetic to what the preface has to say about continuity of culture, community of knowledge. . . . [Fattorosi] uses 'Renaissance' diction as convincingly as Cameron did in his versions of Villon. The language is authentic and often felicitous." Richard Wilbur, Poet Laureate, 1987; Pulitzer Prize, 1957,88; National Book Award, 1957.