Secrets in the Sand: The Young Women of Ciudad Juarez

Book Description

Over the past decade over 350 women around the city of Juarez, Mexico, have been raped and murdered. The remains of these brutalized young women continue to be found scattered in the parched desert, vacant city lots, and roadside ditches. Others are never found.

In Secrets In The Sand, Agosin through her words and images invites her readers to bear witness to the reality that the grieving families of the disappeared and murdered young women face every day.

As a poet and human rights activist Marjorie Agosin has dedicated her life's work to the search for justice and human dignity.

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"Why Only Four Stars?"
A great read!
Delightfully Illustrated
Secrets of the Sand by Zahil Hawass
Autobiography of Dr. Zahi Hawass

Secrets from the Sand
Zahi A. Hawass
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Egypt | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0500051259

Book Description

In his newest book, Egypt's leading archaeologist takes readers on a personal tour of the fascinating sites he has excavated over the last 33 years. His stirring descriptions of his life's work, accompanied by many previously unpublished photographs, take us from the famous monuments at Giza, where he has supervised the restoration of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid and excavated the cemetery of the pyramid builders, to the Valley of the Golden Mummies in Bahariya Oasis, perhaps the most significant and spectacular discovery in recent years. Zahi Hawass, recently named to the top antiquities job in Egypt, spins true tales of tomb robbers, explains how he negotiates with local Egyptians whose homes may lie directly above important sites, and describes in detail the exhilarating experience of entering an ancient tomb for the first time after thousands of years. Dr. Hawass is a spellbinding storyteller; in his hands archaeology becomes the stuff of enthralling adventure, danger, and wonder.

Customer Reviews:

"Why Only Four Stars?".......2006-03-10

Dr. Hawass's book, "Secrets From the Sand" is a delight in many ways. Having been in Egypt and having seen many of the sites he has described, I thoroughly enjoyed re-living some of my time there. However, I must take exception to his belittling remarks of other people with whom he disagrees. I am referring to the remarks about Edgar Cayce, founder of the A.R.E. in Virginia Beach. One certainly has the right to disagree with another's phylosophy, but it would be courteous, to say the least, to get the facts right. Mr. Cayce was not a "poor carpenter", he was a photographer. He did not cure his son
s eyes, when a flash powder went off and blinded the boy, by some hocus-pocus magic, but with a sensible medical treatment.He mentions Hugh Lynn Cayce,Edgar's son, and calls him Hylan. In fact, the entire small section seemed to me to be an unsportsmanlike attempt to denigrate anyone who disagrees with him. Dr. Hawass has had enough recognition and enough honors in his field, richly deserved I may add, not to need to put in print his dislike of another's beliefs, however much it may disagree with his own. If this one section had been left out, I would have given the book the highest praise for its content, photographs, and manner of writing. As it is, I feel that it takes away from the character of the man whose work I have followed with great interest for many years, and who has done so much to bring his country's rich heritage to the attention of the world.

A great read!.......2004-11-03

This is Dr. Hawass' autobiography. A very fun read, lots of great stories, not at all dry. Dr. Hawass is alot of fun, and a real character. He is also the right man in the right place at the right time, as protector and custodian of Egypt's legacy. I was privileged to enter the Sphinx enclosure at Giza with Dr. Hawass in January 2004 and got to see firsthand some of the changes he has put in place at many sites. I was delighted to read more of his plans in this book, which made me feel much better about the future of archaeology in Egypt. It was also fun to hear about how and when he acquired his passion for Egyptology, his first meeting with his colleague Dr. Mark Lehner, and the job perk of "the best balcony in the world."
This book is also full of many wonderful photos, many of which have not been published before; which helped me make more sense of the many sites we visited. I have several of Dr. Hawass' books, but this is my favorite!

Delightfully Illustrated.......2004-08-16

Zahi Hawass has spent thirty years in Egypt working to understand ancient Egypt. This book is a semi-autobiographical in that the first part of the book covers his early days working to protect Egypt's past. It then goes on as though giving us a personally conducted tour of some of the most important excavation sites in Egypt. It is absolutely filled with information that would never have occurrec to the casual observer. For instance, the average tourist leaves about an ounce of moisture from breath and sweat in the interior chambers of the Giza pyramids. The aftereffects of this cause a deteriation of the chamber.

The book is profusely illustrated, with 251 of the 262 photographs printed in color.

Secrets of the Sand by Zahil Hawass.......2004-01-11

To begin with I am not sure what I expected of this book. I knew it was not going to be a scholarly text, and it is not. What it is is a very entertaining book based on the excavations by Zahil Hawass over the last thirty plus years working in Egypt. I found the text to be written for a reader with a more than casual interest in ancient Egypt. It is written in excellent form, with crisp text and is well laid out so that the text and accompanying photographs appear together on the same pages. This is a personal account of Dr Hawass excavations and must be taken as such. When there is a point of personal note regarding people, events and details, and how it effected him, they are included and because of such I found it interesting and entertaining.
The photos in this book are excellent, many of which have never been published and mainly in color. The book deals not only with excavations that Dr Hawass has done in the past, but also his plans for site control in the future in order to protect Egypt's monuments.
But the thing I found most interesting was his personal journey. That Dr Hawass never intended to become and Egyptologist when his career began but a lawyer struck me as ironic how people can by chance find their life's work and passion quite by accident.
I have red Zahil Hawass other books including "Valley of the Golden Mummies' and enjoyed them very much. But the personal account and details along with excellent photographs and well written text allowed me to see inside a career of one of Egypt's and the worlds most prominent archaeologists.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in ancient history.

Autobiography of Dr. Zahi Hawass.......2003-11-25

This is a important biography of a Egyptian who has developed the study of Egypt for the people of Egypt and the world.As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Hawass has a wonderful academic background. He has directed a number of most importand digs of the early 21th century including the workmen's village at the the Pyramids and Golden Mummies. He has also worked to preserve the Giza area and published a number of earlier books on Egypt. This is a must read for informed student of Egypt. Also, are included are color photographs of his many famous sites.

Secrets Of Droon Special Edition #3: Voyagers Of The Silver Sand: Voyagers Of The Silver Sand (Secrets Of Droon Special Edition)

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My granddaughter, Erin, loved it

Secrets Of Droon Special Edition #3: Voyagers Of The Silver Sand: Voyagers Of The Silver Sand (Secrets Of Droon Special Edition)
Tony Abbott
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0439671779

Book Description

Trapped! The Rainbow Stairs have disappeared, and Eric, Neal, and Julie are stranded in Droon with no way home. Even worse, Young Sparr and Gethwing have escaped to the Upper World! Eric and his friends have just 24 hours to restore the stairs -- but how? The answers are at the end of a long, enchanted caravan that leads the kids all through Droon's past and present. On the way, they learn that only the magical Five Wizards of Eshku can bring the Rainbow Stairs back. But can the kids find all five wizards in time? Or will they be trapped in Droon forever?

Customer Reviews:

My granddaughter, Erin, loved it.......2007-02-20

My granddaughter received this book as a holiday gift and loved it! She has several others in the series.

The Riddle of the Sands (Modern Library Classics)

Average customer rating:

Sailing Around the Frisian Isles
Solid read, but only in context
fantastic novel!
Bubble gum reading with that is hard to chew.
A powerful flop!

The Riddle of the Sands (Modern Library Classics)
Erskine Childers
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0812966147
Release Date: 2002-12-10

Book Description

While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Written by Childers—who served in the Royal Navy during World War I—as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses, The Riddle of the Sands accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since, praised as much for its nautical action as for its suspenseful spycraft.

Customer Reviews:

Sailing Around the Frisian Isles.......2007-04-16

This 1903 novel is a spy story that includes a factual account of small boat handling in the treacherous waters off the Frisian Islands. The `Preface' explains this book as a record of the adventures of "Carruthers". The British government was warned, but little was done. So Childers decided to publish this story to warn the public of a possible invasion of Britain. In Chapter 1 Carruthers gets an invitation to go yachting in the Baltic sea. He accepts out of boredom. The yacht is a converted life boat, thirty feet long and nine in the beam. Arthur Davies can sail this boat without help. Then Davies tells what happened before he invited Carruthers (Chapter 8). Carruthers decided to go along with the plan. Davies talks of the ambitions and rivalry of Germany (Chapter 10).

The chapters describe sailing in a small boat in the North Sea. Cold, fog, and tides that imperil a small yacht. There is the story about the mysterious German, his young daughter, and his business associates. There is a mystery about a salvage operation on an old shipwreck by Memmert Sand. Carruthers has been called back to London. But in Amsterdam he disguised himself and doubled back (Chapter 25). Carruthers' suspicions are confirmed by a boat at night towing a lighter. There is a surprise in the last chapter. The `Epilogue' discusses the plan to invade and conquer Great Britain by surprise.

A similar invasion was planned in 1940 until it was prevented by The Battle of Britain. The difficulties of an invasion from sea were solved in June 1944. While a blockade of shipping can damage Britain, its internal resources will help. Only a successful invasion will conquer Britain [as in 1066]. There is no mention of the Territorial Army here. Some have claimed this was the first spy novel. "The Prisoner of Zenda" was published years earlier (political intrigue into a dynastic succession).

Solid read, but only in context.......2006-11-10

I bought The Riddle of the Sands to use in an History essay for university where I was looking at how the spy was portrayed before World War I. As one of the more popular titles from that era of 'invasion literature,' Childer's work certainly fit the bill. It is the story of two men sailing around the Frisian Islands trying to uncover a German plot to invade the north of England. That's basically it in the way of plot. It was Childer's way of calling attention to what he believed where Britain's insufficient North Sea defenses, and the real possibility of a German naval invasion. He succeeded in that endeavour and the North Sea defenses were eventually strengthed, which you could view either as a testament to the power of this novel, or to the 'great underlying problems and increasing pessimism' felt throughout Europe (to quote Ruth Henig), in the lead up to World War I.

Whichever view you take, the novel has a depth of characterisation that is quite remarkable for a first attempt at fiction. Davies and Carruthers are representative of the two poles of English class/social structure at the time, with the inarticulate, yet perceptive everyman Davies teaming up with well-mannered and intellectually capable Carruthers, figurative of the way that all aspects of British society would need to come together to face the coming invasion. However, the fact that this was Childers' first and only novel begins to show in his pacing. This is hardly the 'cliff-hanger' that Milt Bearden claims it to be in his brief 5-page introduction. However, Childers' purpose was not to write a thrilling page turner, but a warning against German invasion. To really enjoy this novel, you have to read it in that context, otherwise you'll be thinking 'what's the big deal?' There is relevance to our contemporary situation, given the whole 'invasion' theme, but to understand that connection, you need to be aware of the reasons for Childers' decision to write this book, and, by extension, the motivation of his characters.

This Modern Library edition does offer some background in Bearden's introduction. Enough to give the casual reader some brief historical context, at least. It follows the Modern Library's tradition of having authors from relevant and related fields offering their thoughts, rather than the academic/scholarly approach that Penguin or Oxford take. The problem here though is that it is too brief to offer any real insights. There is also the standard Modern Library reading guide, offering questions that range between vaguely thought-provoking to superficial. I don't know why they bother with these reading guides, especially at the expense of a decent introduction. However, if you're just after the story without wading through the academia of the Oxford World's Classic release, then this is the version you're after. Plus, Modern Library's cover art is always so much nicer to look at!

fantastic novel!.......2006-10-16

this is an amazingly good novel. the publisher in taiwan asked me to translate it into chinese and as a translator and a reader, this book simply blew me away and i was totally fasinated by this wonderfully written book. erskine childers was a great writer, that i could vouch for with all my heart and soul. that translation working hours were one of my best times in my life, and i also considered that my translation was as close as the chinese version could be, because i've put a lot of love and loyalty into it.

Bubble gum reading with that is hard to chew........2006-08-23

I received nothing of sailing value beyon paying attention to the local tide tables, along with ebb & flood flows... The story was interesting on how two fellows of different social levels were able to enjoy time on a small boat. The ending left me empty and unsatisfied. If you are from or sailed the North Sea area of East Friesland (Germany), it will be most interesting, because of the detailed maps of the area. Looks simular as seen from GoogleEarth map.

A powerful flop!.......2006-04-22

The title of the Riddle of the Sands is exotic but beyond that - this is an unbelievably boring tale of two friends who come together at some godforsaken islands to reveal a British traitor. That's the gist of the novel. But what follows is a convoluted storyline full of slang, garbled nautical lingo rendered in half completed sentences that have no head or tail. Understanding such a text will require a supercomputer not to speak of a mere mortal. The writer seems to have written this book in some opium-induced hallucinatory trance. This is a heck of a one-way trip to self-congratulatory egotism, if I ever saw one

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Secret of the Sand Castle
Margaret Sutton
Manufacturer: Applewood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1557092524

Book Description

Originally published in 1967, this is a facsimile reproduction of the rare 38th and final book in the Judy Bolton Series in which Judy solves a mystery concerning a beach cottage. Also available are the first two books in the series, The Vanishing Shadow and The Haunted Attic.

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Stefanie Sears from Wheat Ridge High School
Very intent and over-all fantastic!

Sand Surf and Secrets Summer 4 (Summer)
Katherine Applegate
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Love & Romance | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Summer | Series | Teens | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0671510371

Book Description

SAND SURF AND SECRETS SUMMER 4 Summer of endless love?

Summer Smith can't wait to get back to the white-hot beaches and brilliant sunshine of the Florida Keys. Even though Seth Warner, her boyfriend, isn't returning to Crab Claw Key, Summer knows she won't be lonely. They'll both be thinking only of each other...especially now that they're engaged!

But Summer isn't prepared to run into Austin Reed, the sensitive, gorgeous guy who stole her heart over spring break. Is Seth's ring enough to keep her from Austin's arms?

One girl. Two guys.

Three hearts on fire.

Customer Reviews:

Stefanie Sears from Wheat Ridge High School.......2001-04-26

When Seth Warner engaged to Summer on prom night everyone was so excited for them.Summer was the most excited one even though she was not going to see him all summer. Summer was so scared that Seth would find a new girl while he was on vacation, but in fact Seth should of been the one to worry.Although she did tell Seth that there was this guy(Austin) that still kept in touch with her and how they had a thing over Spring Break.She didn't dare to tell him that she was going to see him over the summer. When Summer go's to the Crab Claw Key in Florida she see's Austin and starts to relize that she's starting to like him again but then she lookes down and see's that she's engaged.In the end of the summer does she like Austin or Seth? I would'nt recommend this book just because it moves slowly.

Very intent and over-all fantastic!.......1999-02-05

Summer Smith is heading back to the Florida Keys where she will be around all of her friends, but the one thing that she'll miss more than anything is her boyfriend Seth Warner. She knows that she won't be alone in this missing, especially now that she and Seth are engaged! When Summer gets to Florida, though, she isn't prepared to run into the guy she had a spring fling with, Austin Reed. He vows to get her back, and comes awfully close to her in the time she's there. Can a ring keep her out of Austin's arms?

Secrets in the Sand (Saddle Island Series)

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Secrets in the Sand (Saddle Island Series)
Sharon Siamon
Manufacturer: Walrus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 155285714X

Book Description

The second book in the Saddle Island series.

From the author of the widely successful Mustang Mountain series comes a second adventure in the new and exciting Saddle Island series.

Set on the wild and windswept landscape of Nova Scotia's eastern shore, Secrets in the Sand finds heroine Kelsie and her friend Andy strapped for cash when more horses come to Saddle Island. There's a wild pony from Newfoundland, a mustang mare rescued from the Rockies, and a thoroughbred with no future on the track.

Meanwhile, Hank Harefield, who wants to turn Dark Cove into a tourist center, schemes to buy Aunt Maggie's oceanfront property and Saddle Island. Only a search for pirate treasure on the island holds out the hope that Kelsie and her friends can save the horse sanctuary.

Two of a Kind #24: Surf, Sand, and Secrets (Two of a Kind)

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Two of a Kind #24: Surf, Sand, and Secrets (Two of a Kind)
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Popular Culture | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Twins | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0061066648
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Book Description

Dear Diary,

Help! I'm at a supercool resort in Hawaii and I'm supposed to be surfing, hula dancing, and wave running. But instead I'm freaking out! Dana Woletsky, my worst enemy, knows a big secret about me. And if she tells anyone, I'll get sent home!

Mary-Kate has a big problem, too. She accused her best friend, Campbell, of stealing from her. But it wasn't true -- and now Campbell hates her!

--Ashley

The Secret in the Sand Castle (The New Bobbsey Twins #4)

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The Secret in the Sand Castle (The New Bobbsey Twins #4)
Hope
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 067162654X

Secrets of the Sands: The Revelations of Egypt's Everlasting Oasis

Average customer rating:

Thinking Big
Fatally flawed
An almost perfect "picture"
history and archaeology prove their worth
Only desert?

Secrets of the Sands: The Revelations of Egypt's Everlasting Oasis
Harry Thurston
Manufacturer: Arcade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Egypt | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Egypt | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

In a part of Egypt so parched that decades might pass between rainstorms, amid a sea of sand, is a green island-Dakhleh, the "everlasting oasis"-that may contain the whole of human history. In this extraordinary book, an acclaimed science writer and journalist follows an international team of archaeologists as they unlock the secrets of nearly half-a-million years. Using high-tech methods, these scientists have made stunning finds, including indications that Dakhleh may have been the cradle of the Nile civilization that gave rise to the pharaohs and the pyramids. They have unearthed a perfect Old Kingdom town, with palaces and temples from the Golden Age, huge caches of mummies and papyri, an entire Roman city-a Pompeii in the middle of the desert-and the world's two oldest books. Blending elements of adventure narrative, travelogue, and scientific mystery, SECRETS OF THE SANDS also traces on a grand historical scale the story of how humans have interacted with the changing environment, laying bare a parable with relevance to us all about the fragile balance between humankind and our world.

Customer Reviews:

Thinking Big.......2007-01-03

400,000 years of human history at one spot on the Earth. An incredible, mind stretching book. Records the changes in human life as climate changes, religious beliefs are developed, and conquerors come and go. This book illustrates the importance of water to human life, and current problems of water resource management in Eqypt.

Fatally flawed.......2006-08-29

This book documents the Dakhleh Oasis Project (DOP), a breathtakingly ambitious effort to assemble a picture of the complete history -- human, geoglic, hydrologic, and meteorologic -- of the Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt. What makes this project so compelling is the unique set of circumstances found at the Dakhleh Oasis. It is isolated from the world, and is therefore more self-contained than any other site. It is even drier than the Nile Valley, and thus many organic artifacts remain after thousands of years. And the ever-blowing wind and shifting sands bury ancient sites and preserve them all the better.

Indeed, the Roman-era city of Kellis was abandoned because it was overwhelmed by sand -- and preserved for the archaeologists. Unlike Pompeii, the residents were able to take all their valuables with them when they fled, and so we don't get the perfect snapshot of Roman life that we get in Pompeii. But what has been found in Kellis alone has been staggering. Hundreds of papyri and two complete books have emerged from the sands. One of those books is an account book for an agricultural operation in the oasis, specifying in detail the quantities and prices of various agricultural commodities -- a historian's dream!

Mr. Thurston organizes the book in temporal format, presenting the results from earliest Paleolithic times right up through modernity, devoting a chapter to each period. He has done an excellent job of organizing the vast results of all this research into digestible form. His book presents a clear birds-eye view of a huge, rambling project. Despite this, I give the book only three stars because it is fatally flawed by several blunders.

The first flaw is that the author injects himself into the story. Too many times we read of his personal experiences bumping over the desert in an ancient Land Cruiser, struggling against the windblown sand, or wilting in the heat of the desert. I realize that he is adding some emotional oomph to the tale, but I found such material distracting.

Closely related to this is his dwelling on the people doing the work. The material on their personalities and histories is somewhat interesting, and it is certainly useful to communicate to the public the sacrifices that these people make, but I found this material too extensive and distracting from the core topic of this book.

I'll also ding Mr. Thurston for a rather overblown writing style; a particularly egregious example comes at the outset of the book:

"I had no idea what they could be when I first laid eyes on them. At a distance they looked like great red serpents, half buried, coiling through the sands. These strange formations reared up at the far western edge of the Dakleh Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert. Here, the oasis fields -- so intensely green they almost hurt the eyes -- end, giving way to mountains of yellow sand."

I groaned inwardly when I read these lines. The color-drenched vocabulary continues throughout the book. Now, I'm no academic and I certainly don't like bloodless writing. My objection is not that the writing is colorful or has emotional content. My objection is that all this material divagates from the real content of the book. I read this book to learn "The Secrets of the Sands", not "The Inconveniences of the Life of an Archaeologist" or "The Struggles of a Writer". My guess is that, had Mr. Thurston stayed strictly on topic, the book would have been halved in length.

But the most serious blunder in this book is its dearth of maps, diagrams, and illustrations. Over and over I found myself reading through dense prose that struggles to explain something that could have been made crystal-clear with an illustration. Over and over I found myself consulting the single low-resolution map, trying to figure out what the author is writing about, and failing. There are thumbnail photographs at the beginning of each chapter, but they serve only to to tease -- a few drops of water to a man dying of thirst.

I have many books on archaeology, at varying levels of condescension to the nonspecialist reader, and they all boast lots of maps, illustrations, and photographs. I quickly scanned through a number of these books and I found that the average seems to be about a dozen maps and several score illustrations, either line drawings of artifacts or photographs. This book has exactly one map -- and a rather poor one at that -- and zero illustrations other than the aforementioned thumbnail photographs. You get a better photograph of the author on the dust cover than you do of any of the artifacts.

The absence of illustrations ruined the reading experience for me. Too many times I found myself plodding through a heroic attempt to portray in prose what could have been made clear in an illustration. Too many times I found myself cursing the clumsiness of the attempt. I finished the book with a sense of relief at the end of an ordeal, ran to my computer, and started finding material there. An hour's research generated enough illustrations and maps to resolve many of the uncertainties created by this book. Thank god for the Internet!

If you're prepared to read this book next to the computer, looking up illustrations as you read, I think you'll find it a rewarding experience. If not, I still give a guarded recommendation for the book largely because the Dakhleh Oasis Project is so impressive. I just wish that the book were written to the same standards of most other books about archaeology.

An almost perfect "picture".......2004-07-08

I concure with all the reviews, here and in the press, about this wonderful book -- with one big, glaring difference. The virtural absence of maps, drawings, and pictures makes this book less attractive, useful, and valuable than it could be. Time and time again, I longed for a site diagram or an illustration of an artifact or, especially, a photograph of something mentioned or even described in the book. The few pictures and the one map that do appear are grossly inadequate. I can only wonder what Thurston was thinking.

history and archaeology prove their worth.......2004-02-13

Wow. An exciting and thorough book.

Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was asked to go along as expedition nurse on a field survey of the Qatarah Depression in Egypt. A friend with her PhD in history and another with a PhD in linguistics had come to the conclusion that the hieroglyphics of Crete and Egypt might have originated in the Western Desert. Computer research into both scripts suggested a relationship with Berber, the language of a nomadic tribe in North Africa. Because oil reseachers in the area had reported finding large amounts of pottery in the field and nomads generally don't burden themselves with heavy ceramics, my friends decided to do a surface survey for material that might support their thesis. They believed that the area had once been a very large fresh water lake in prehistoric times and might well have sustained a sizeable settled population. Unfortunately at the time, the US government had decided to cut back funding to many research projects, and my friends were unable to find financial support. End of saga. Reading Thurston's Island of the Blessed is a wonderful chance to see with what major discoveries I might have been involved had things been different! I can only say, "congratulations" to the sensible Canadians and their government.

Island of the Blessed by Harry Thurston is a particularly interesting document, because it chronicles not only the discovery of a long lost culture--actually severa--but because it covers an almost continuous record of habitation in the Dakhleh oasis, an area blessed with a continuous source of water. The association of climate change and human and other biological response is documented in these material remains through over 8000 years. Important too is the author's conclusion that man-wrought changes in the environment have caused major problems in the past and look to be shaping up to bring on even greater catastrophe in the future. His very brief discussion of irrigation cultures and their effect on the environment is very sobering, especially given the statistics of world population and dependence on irrigation agriculture.

Again history and archaeology prove their worth to the modern world.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WRITING PAPERS: in history, archaeology, sociology, cultural anthropology, biology, geology, climatology, political science, and economics. This book shows an interesting use of history, anthropology, archaeology, and environmental biology/climatology as applied to modern day issues. Is this a valid assumption? Does the past predict what the future may be like? Why or why not? How does this new field data compare with that found by other authors, like David E. Stuart (Anasazi America) or Richardson Benedict Gill (The Great Maya Droughts: Water, Life and Death). Which author would agree with Thurston's position? Do you think that climate change is actually brought about human action? Why or why not? How do the physical remains found by the Canadian expeditions in Egypt's Western Desert illuminate the process of desertification?

Only desert?.......2004-01-07

What could be more remote from North American experience than the Great Sahara? Vast sweeps of sand, burning rock outcrops - there seem no breaks in the desolation. Legends abound of lost explorers, armies disappearing, cities lost without a trace. As the dunes form and shift under the persistent wind, the image of the desert as a dry sea is almost inevitable. As with any sea, there are islands - scattered, hidden and elusive. In the Sahara, an "island" is an enclave of trees, animals, birds, and what they all depend on most - water. One such "island" is located in Egypt's Western Desert. Known as Dakhleh, it has proven to be the longest inhabited community on the planet. The blessing is the continuing flow of water.

For nearly five hundred thousand years humanity has found refuge in this scattering of springs and wells that have come and gone with the changes in Earth's environment. A Canadian-led project is vividly chronicled by Maritime science journalist Harry Thurston in this oustanding book. Known as the Dakhleh Oasis Project, it has probed the desert for a generation. Thurston follows the multi-national, multi-discipline team of anthropologists, mineralogists, and archaeologists as they probe the sands for evidence. The results are building a chronicle of understanding of land use, environmental change and the ebb and flow of human society in the region. Dakhleh, once isolated from the Nile Valley, was ultimately governed by pharonic appointees. Conditions fluctuated along the great river system, but Dakhleh achieved a stability rarely enjoyed within an empire. Later, the Romans came, building roads and temples, scattering coins and leaving graves.

Thurston follows Royal Ontario Museum team leader Tony Mills, as he explains the discoveries the team has made over twenty-five years. The oldest finds, of course, are the flint tools used by the earliest human settlers. Later, communities formed, their construction testifying to environmental conditions - walls were carefully placed to resist the onslaught of desert winds. With a regular source of water, Dakhleh's farming practices diverged from that of the Nile Valley, producing exportable wines and olive oils, in addition to the grain crops. It was this economic stability that allowed Egyptian governors to achieve autonomous status within the Pharaoh's Empire. Dakhleh's isolation was sufficient to generate its own gods.

Mills' team members are gathered from around the globe - Australia, Canada, Poland are represented. These are dedicated workers, not least of which is Tatyana Smekalova who daily follows a clearly defined plot to record underground magnetic indicators by marching up and down with detecting device and a computer strapped to her back. Her records show where to dig and where to ignore. The swerving needle of her device has revealed buried communities and a major temple. More important, she finds pottery storage sites that provide clues about how people lived. Pottery may contain anything from grains to coins.

Thurston depicts the findings of immense importance. Mummies, hidden from grave robbers emerge with golden faces. The dry air preserves even straw sandals, revealed after centuries of abandonment. Reams of papyrus rolls came to light, but in Thurston's account, the greatest discovery was a stack of wooden platters, once tied together with string. As the sand was brushed away, writing appeared on the pieces of wood. The package proved to be the world's oldest book!

On a flight to the camp, Thurston encountered a courteous young Egyptian, who offered him a window seat, saying "It's only desert". Sorrowing at the light dismissal, Thurston reflects on the many treasures unearthed from the young man's "Only desert". In relating the journey through immense time in his account of the project he's nearly become part of it. Under his deft touch, Island of the Blessed reads more like an adventure yarn than history or science. Yet the science is solid and the history valid, related with a captivating style. The story isn't merely ancient societies and artefacts. A major element in the researchers' work is tracking how the fluctuating environment affected human life. So long as the water continued to flow, the communities survived. Changes in weather cycles and excessive demands are draining the water below our reach. It's becoming an all too-familiar tale. The great underlying water table is disappearing, a fact being repeated in many places. North America is not exempt. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa]

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