Red Rock to Ravendale: Memories of a northern California community

Book Description

A fascinating exploration of how social memory serves to hinder communication and foster disorder in Northern Ireland

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Question Yourself
Over-heated Reviews
Reviewed by Ali Jenkins and Barb Radmore
No Wonder It Won an Agatha!
Pleasing suspense novels

Heat of the Moon, The
Sandra Parshall
Manufacturer: Poisoned Pen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1590583809

Book Description

Young veterinarian Rachel Goddard's world begins to crumble when a client rushes into the animal hospital with a basset hound struck by a car during a thunderstorm. The dog owner's terrified tot, drenched with rain, loses sight of her mother in the flurry of activity and screams, "Mommy! I want Mommy!" Instantly Rachel is hurled back in time to a day in her own childhood when her baby sister Michelle uttered the same cry while thunder crashed and rain poured down on them. The unearthed memory feels like a fragment from a nightmare, and Rachel doesn't understand its meaning or the anguish it stirs up in her.

When she seeks answers she learns nothing from Michelle or from Judith, their loving but manipulative mother. Judith is a psychologist who is only too happy to have her adult daughters still living in her elegant Tudor house outside Washington, DC. But their apparently serene home is a house of secrets where Judith's unspoken rules forbid questions about the family history or the daughters' long-dead father. As more baffling memories surface, Rachel begins to suspect that nothing about her family is what it seems. Fighting her mother's attempts to control her, Rachel embarks on a quest that takes her deep into her own memory as well as halfway across the country. The heartbreaking truth she uncovers will shatter her world and force her to make an unthinkable choice.

The Heat of the Moon is Sandra Parshall's first novel.

Customer Reviews:

Question Yourself.......2007-10-15

"The Heat of the Moon" by Sandra Parshall begins with a slow drive-by reflection, a mangled basset hound, and screaming child calling for her mommy. It then escalates into a gripping psychological mystery as Rachel Goddard, a veterinarian, questions her own identity and her idyllic life with her mother, a psychologist, and her younger sister, who is following in her mother's footsteps. As Rachel peels away the layers of her past in her search for the truth to who she really is, what she'll do with it when she finds it keeps you flipping pages to the very end. Though Rachel's new man irritated me, there is little doubt that this novel deserved the Agatha for Best First Mystery in 2007. But it's not just a mystery. It has pages lingering in the literary fiction aisle, because it's also about how we establish, create, and perceive one's identity. It is a five star read out of five stars.

Over-heated Reviews.......2007-08-28

I bought this book based on the strong posted reviews - what a mistake! Poor plot and character development made this nearly impossible to finish. When I did, I wodnered why I had wasted my time hoping the book would somehow earn the time invested reading it.

Reviewed by Ali Jenkins and Barb Radmore.......2007-06-17

The Heart of the Moon is a compelling debut by Sandra Parshall which hooks the reader from the first page. Rachel Goddard, a young veterinarian, has overwhelming yet confusing reaction after watching a toddler in her office, crying and screaming for her mommy. This scene seems like it is reminiscent of one she experienced in her childhood but it is nothing she can place in her concrete memory. Rachel remembers bits and pieces of such a scene, but a feeling tell her there is more. And the feeling will not go away. As Rachel keeps digging trying to remember her childhood more questions than answers arise.

Rachel wants answers from her mom about what happened but her mother doesn't want to discuss the past. As a psychologist, Rachel's mother has always been the controller, the perfect parent who expects nothing less of those around her. Rachel enlists the help of a friend of her mother's from the past but he doesn't want to betray Rachel's mother's trust or friendship. He also isn't sure he knows exactly what transpired himself. Her boss, fellow veterinarian Luke Campbell , encourages her to delve into the mystery of what might of occurred to cause her feelings. But Rachel is up against the desire of her mother and her beloved sister to leave the past alone. To make matters worse, the mutual attraction between Rachel and Luke is not appreciated by her mother who has taken an active dislike to him. Her sister, whom she has been close to all her life, is becoming distant and distinctly unsupportive of her quest for answers.

The Heart of The Moon is a page turning mystery as one tries to figure out what secrets Rachel's mother is hiding from her and her sister. In this psychological thriller Sandra Parshall has created characters that sizzle and steam, not women easily forgotten. Using the emotion between a mother and her grown daughter, the eternal struggle to grow up and separate from a parent as the launches this plot's suspense to a place we can all understand. It examines the bonds between mother and daughter, the ties that hold sisters together and the knots that can become hopelessly entangled. The ending, both explosive and heart wrenching, is as powerful as it is unexpected.

Sandra Parshall won an Agatha for Best First Novel for The Heat of the Moon. Readers will easily see why she won this one the honor and agree that it is well deserved. She has now also written Disturbing the Dead, again featuring veterinarian Rachel Goddard. It will be interesting to watch if Parshall continues to develop the character of Rachel even more in the future.

No Wonder It Won an Agatha!.......2007-06-04

Great book - held me from beginning to end. The characters are so finely drawn that they cease to be characters and become people you know. The setting is so realistic I was surprised to find I was in my home and not in McLean, VA. Seamless plotting brought me into the story. I was sorry to finish the book, the writing has a pristine quality that made me want to pick it up again as soon as I finished. Not only for the pleasure of the story, but for the pleasure of the way Parshall uses language. Looking forward to more from this author.

Pleasing suspense novels.......2006-12-11

Dr. Rachel Goddard is a likeable protagonist -- she's a young veterinarian who cares for cats and dogs as well as wild hawks and possums. She lives with her younger sister Michelle, a psychology student, and her mother Judith, a renowned psychologist, in a stately, large house in McLean, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.

Life is good. Romance blossoms in Rachel's life. She loves her profession. Co-workers and friends like her. Then Rachel begins to experience disturbing memories. She lost her father at an early age and has difficulty remembering much about him. A desperate need soon arises in her to know more and she begins to investigate. Her mother Judith does her best to forestall Rachel's curiosity, but just why. . .?

This well-written, tightly-plotted debut novel moves at a jaunty clip. The mystery about Rachel's dark past unravels with satisfying twists and turns. Her work as a veterinarian adds considerable depth to the main character while the Washington, D.C. setting is vivid.

The Union Image: Popular Prints of the Civil War North (Civil War America)

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The Union Image: Popular Prints of the Civil War North (Civil War America)
Mark E., Jr. Neely , and Harold Holzer
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0807825107
Release Date: 2000-01-05

Book Description

During the American Civil War, popular prints were frequently used to depict, define, and celebrate both the Union and Confederate causes. The Union Image explores the graphic arts that portrayed the Northern side—both in patriotic pictures and newsworthy illustrations published while the war raged and in retrospective images issued years later as major weapons in the postwar battle to shape the national memory.

Book Description

Historical images of Robert E. Lee and his lieutenants have been shaped to a remarkable degree by former Confederates, who in reminiscences and other writings constructed the Lost Cause interpretation of the conflict. They portrayed Lee as a perfect Christian warrior, Stonewall Jackson as his peerless right arm, and the Army of Northern Virginia as the backbone of Confederate resistance. In this collection of thirteen essays, prominent Civil War historian Gary W. Gallagher explores the effect of Lost Cause arguments on popular perceptions of Lee and his most famous subordinates, astutely examining the ways in which historical memory is created and perpetuated.

Customer Reviews:

Lee and his generals in war and memory.......2005-03-14

A collection of essays by Gary Gallagher (not an anthology like many of the other books with his name on them) mostly about Lee, his generals, and Lee's image during and after the war.

Gallagher writes with clear, sensible precision, tending to rationally examine evidence and the arguments of others rather than to leaping to "definite" conclusions or shoehorning the evidence into predetermined pet theories. I found his comments on Ken Burns' The Civil War and on the preservation of battlefields to be interesting, pertinent and something a bit different from the usual historical paper. Other articles here examine Lee and the ideology of the Lost Cause, Confederate leadership at Gettysburg (about which I am in entire agreement with Gallagher's conclusions except that I would be less generous to Hill), the 1862 and 1864 Valley campaigns, and other, often controversial, topics.

Great Detail on Lee, worthy of Douglas Freeman.......2004-04-19

Excellent book on Lee and his generals. Covers Lee's unique hands off style and his relationships with his senior staff with mini biographies. The best part of the book is how Lee deals with adversity particularly after Longstreet is shot down in the Wilderness, Ewell is relieved at Spotsylvania and Hill becomes bed ridden. Lee has to rise above it all and pick interim successors in a time of crisis with Grant bearing down. Lee has to make crucial personal decisions with limited experienced staff and take a greater role. One of Gallagher's best books.

Thoughtful Essays on the Confederate War Effort.......2004-03-10

Professor Gary Gallagher is a rarity among writers on the Civil War in his ability to appeal to both scholarly and lay audiences. He shares this ability with Professor James McPherson but with few others. Unlike Professor McPherson, Gallagher's writings concentrate on the Confederate war effort. He brings an obvious sympathy and understanding for his subject without overromanticizing of glorifying it. This is also highly unusual among writers on the Civil War. His essays are informed, through, balanced, and inspiring. They are a pleasure to read.

Professor Gallaher's "Lee and his Generals in War and Memory" (1998) consists of thirteen essays, most of which have been published elsewhere. I think the unifying theme of this collection is Professor Gallagher's attempt to find a middle ground between the "Lost Cause" interpretation of the Confederate war effort and recent, critical and revisionist accounts.

The "Lost Cause" school sees the Southern cause as entirely noble, tends to glorify Robert E. Lee and the valor of the Confederate troops, and attributes the defeat of the Confederacy almost entirely to the Federal's overwhelmingly superior resources and numbers. The revisionist school emphasizes the origins of the Civil War in the institution of slavery, tends to be critical of Lee and his aggressive and costly (in terms of casualties) approach to battle, and emphasizes Union skill and tenacity, among other factors, in finally winning the war.

The first section of Professor Gallagher's book consist of four essays on Lee which both explain the high regard in which he was held in the South while acknowledging mistakes and shortcomings. There is an introductory essay, "Lee and the Southern People" followed by essays on the Seven Days Battles against McClellan, Lee's actions on the second day of Gettysburg, and Lee's role in the Wilderness campaign of May, 1864.

The second part of the book, "Lee's Generals" includes a discussion of Stonewall Jackson's military reputation and how it was in large part deserved but also partly the result of chance and circumstance. In this regard, the section also includes an excellent essay comparing Jackson's 1862 Shenendoah Valley campaign, which was one of Jackson's great successes, with Early's 1864 campaign, generally regarded as a disaster. Professor Gallagher offers some unusual insights. This section also includes a thoughtful essay on A.P. Hill's and Richard Ewell's controversial roles during the first day of Gettysburg, as well as essays on Longstreet and John Magruder.

The third section of this book covers the history of Southern interpretations of the War, particularly the "Lost Cause" school of interpretation. Gallagher presents a well-balanced account of Jubal Early, whose writings became predominant in the "Lost Cause school" and a discussion of the Civil War letters frequently attributed to George Pickett -- of Pickett's charge on the third day of Gettysburg. Gallagher describes the history of these letters and concludes, in common with most scholars today, that they are in fact forgeries written by Pickett's wife.

A final section of the book offers a discussion of Ken Burns' "Civil War" series on public TV, which has much good to say about it, and Professor Gallagher's assessment of the continued importance of Civil War battlfield preservation to help educate the public about our Nation's history and about this seminal conflict.

I learned a great deal about the Civil War and about Confederate leadership from Professor Gallagher's fine collection of essays.

A CIVIL APPROACH.......2004-03-03

Dr. Gallagher brings Civil War discussion into the modern era by using first rate scholarship and sound reasoning to evaluate many of the lingering controversies. Eschewing many of the ideologically driven, axe to grind efforts that often taint Civil War history, Gallagher has produced a balanced account of such topics as "Lost Cause" Historiography, the Longstreet blame game, and a candid assessment of Lee. Gallagher, a historian from the Univ. of Virginia, has attained one of those rare feats in historical writing by compiling a work that is congenial reading for both the academic and the layman. Seeking neither to glorify or desecrate some of the luminaries of the conflict, the author relies on the evidence, and letting such evidence speak for itself. There is also thoughtful commentary on the current state of historical sites, and the flood of film and print fiction works. The latter is particularly instructive, as it commends the likes of Burns and Shaara for promoting interest, while cautioning about the Eastern Theater biases contained in such productions. Teachers seeking an excellent supplemental reading to Civil War courses can do no better than LEE AND GENERALS. It is a masterful job of separating the fact from the fiction and should remain an enduring contribution to Civil War Historiography.

Interesting compilation of essays but it's got flaws.......2003-03-22

Gary Gallagher has compiled 13 interesting essays on Robert E. Lee and his CSA Army and its generals. Each individual essay is very interesting, especially his concentration on Jubal Early and the development of the "Lost Cause" myth to explain the defeat of the CSA. Gallagher expertly details how Jubal Early and other early Civil War historians explicitly wanted to make sure that the soldiers of the CSA were portrayed in a positive light, sometimes, regardless of the facts.
Gallagher also attempts to rebuild the reputation of Early destroyed by his defeat in his campaign in the Valley. In doing so, Gallagher explains that a comparison between Early's lack of success and the success in the valley of "Stonewall" Jackson is inappropriate. Early inflicted as many casualties as he could on the forces opposing him, however he was faced with superior generals on the Union side than most of those that faced Jackson. In essance, Gallagher explains that Jackson's success must at least in part be attributed to the fact that he faced incompitent opponents, and Early did not.
There are a couple drawbacks to this book, and while they don't detract from the individual essays, they do detract a bit from the book in its entirety. First, much of the first third of the book, particularly the essays, "The Idol of His Soldiers and the Hope of His Country: Lee and the Confederate People" and "If the Enemy Is There, We Must Attack Him: Lee and the Second Day at Gettysburg" address larger issues than just Lee and his generals, they both seem to me they would have been more appropriately included in Gallagher's work "Lee and His Soldiers."
While the section on the "Lost Cause" and Jubal Early is very interesting, it also seems that it's misplaced in this book. It seems that it should belong in Gallagher and Nolan's book on the lost cause.
The last section in the book on "historical memory" which includes essays on Ken Burn's miniseries "The Civil War" as well as battlefields, seems also to be out of place in this book.
I'm not sure why Gallagher chose to title this work "Lee and His Generals in War and Memory" when so few of the essays included deal directly with the relationship between Lee and his lieutenants.
Another drawback is that the book doesn't have an epologue that attempts in any way to tie each essay together in a larger framework. Absent this, it really lacks a central focus as a book.

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Personal Opinion
Memoir of a Vanishing Place

Falls Memories: A Belfast Life
Gerry Adams
Manufacturer: Roberts Rinehart Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1879373963

Customer Reviews:

Personal Opinion.......2005-10-10

The historical information in this book is fascinating. I loved the style of writing. I would recommend this book to any one interested in Irish history.

Memoir of a Vanishing Place.......1996-12-07

Falls Memories is really more of a collection of short pieces on life in the Western corner of Belfast than a novel or history with any coehsive theme. It is literally things Gerry Adams, President of the political party Sinn Fein, remembers about the neighborhood in which he grew up, or memories of those who lived in the area. There is some attempt to give a brief history and political context for the memories, but these sections are poorly integrated into the narratives about his boyhood adventures, the characters in the area, and the traditions of the Falls. The context pieces sound driven (perhaps appropriately) by anger and frustration while the narratives, even when describing violence or sectarian harassment, have a softer feel to them. Falls Memories is a valuable book, despite these shortcomings. First of all, it chronicles life in an area that has literally been obliterated in the last 25 years. As the Northern Ireland government has torn down unfit housing and replaced it with more sanitary and comfortable abodes they have erased many streets from the map, replacing them with new layouts which meet new security standards and are less emotionally charged with history. Secondly, much of the book deals with day to day occurances which might happen anywhere in the world - young boys sneaking into movies, girls playing jump rope, adults telling stories abuot the "good old days." Falls Memories serves as a reminder that the people affected by the Troubles are not so much different than the rest of us.

Michigan Journals--Grand Hotel (Lewis/Northern Michigan Journals)

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Michigan Journals--Grand Hotel (Lewis/Northern Michigan Journals)
William H. Wilde
Manufacturer: University of Michigan Press/Petoskey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0472114476

Spreading the Dhamma: Writing, Orality, And Textual Transmission in Buddhist Northern Thailand (Southeast Asia--Politics, Meaning, Memory)

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Spreading the Dhamma: Writing, Orality, And Textual Transmission in Buddhist Northern Thailand (Southeast Asia--Politics, Meaning, Memory)
Daniel M. Veidlinger
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0824830245

Book Description

How did early Buddhists actually encounter the seminal texts of their religion? What were the attitudes held by monks and laypeople toward the written and oral Pali traditions? In this pioneering work, Daniel Veidlinger explores these questions in the context of the northern Thai kingdom of Lan Na. Drawing on a vast array of sources, including indigenous chronicles, reports by foreign visitors, inscriptions, and palm-leaf manuscripts, he traces the role of written Buddhist texts in the predominantly oral milieu of northern Thailand from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

Veidlinger examines how the written word was assimilated into existing Buddhist and monastic practice in the region, considering the use of manuscripts for textual study and recitation as well as the place of writing in the cultic and ritual life of the faithful. He shows how manuscripts fit into the economy, describes how they were made and stored, and highlights the understudied issue of the "cult of the book" in Theravâda Buddhism. Looking at the wider Theravâda world, Veidlinger argues that manuscripts in Burma and Sri Lanka played a more central role in the preservation and dissemination of Buddhist texts.

By offering a detailed examination of the motivations driving those who sponsored manuscript production, this study draws attention to the vital role played by forest-dwelling monastic orders introduced from Sri Lanka in the development of Lan Na's written Pali heritage. It also considers the rivalry between those monks who wished to preserve the older oral tradition and monks, rulers, and laypeople who supported the expansion of the new medium of writing.

Throughout the book, Veidlinger emphasizes the influence of changing modes of communication on social and intellectual life. The medium, he argues, is deeply involved in the assimilation of the content, and therefore the vessels by which texts have been transmitted in the Buddhist world should not be ignored. Spreading the Dhamma constitutes an important addition to the fields of Southeast Asian studies, Buddhist studies, and the history of communications and sets up a model of textual transmission that has implications for the study of Buddhism and religion in traditional societies in general.

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My Favorite Italian Cooking Teacher

Interesting mix or recipes and stories

A great book!

A Good Selection If You Enjoy Regional Italian Food

An Essential Book for Italian Food Lovers

Food and Memories of Abruzzo: The Pastoral Land
Anna T. Callen
Manufacturer: Hungry Minds
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0025209159

Amazon.com

Forte e Gentile, strong and gentle, is the motto of Abruzzo, the Italian province east of Rome that stretches from the towering Apennine Mountains to the Adriatic Sea. Anna Teresa Callen, in Food and Memories of Abruzzo, is most engaging as she shares stories of her life and presents the varied food of this little-known part of Italy where she grew up and still spends much of her time. Callen composes a symphony of sounds and aromas to surround the recipes in this memoir-cum-cookbook, describing how her grandmother, cutting pasta for pastina "into tiny dots, made a tic-tac sound with her knife," and recounting how the "pungent smell of coffee wafting from the kitchen" woke her from her daily summer siesta. Old photos from family albums add to Callen's vivid memories.

Using Callen's recipes, you can recreate Maccheroni alla Chitarra, the Abruzzese "square spaghetti" some Italian restaurants in the U.S. and elsewhere now serve, and robust Porchetta, sublimely succulent spit-roasted pork served with its crackling, mahogany skin, as well as the colorful fish stew Brodetto di Pesce, which her father used to make, and L'sagne, a flour-and-water pasta unique to Abruzzo. In a balancing act, Callen gives recipes for simple dishes perfect for today's cooks along with more complicated regional specialties and spectacular holiday dishes. Her guidance for making La Cicerchiata, an ancient dessert made for Mardi Gras by assembling honey-soaked "chick peas" of fried dough, whole almonds, and candied fruit into a colorful ring, is as clear as her directions for Mozzarella all'Erbette, a combination of sliced cheese dressed with a puree of fresh herbs and capers that can be put together in minutes.

Callen crams this book with basic culinary advice and a wealth of information about the Italian kitchen, demystifying the differences between salsa, sugo, and ragu, for example, and advising how to make smooth polenta using cold liquid. In all, this is an exceptional volume for cooks, Italophiles, and anyone who likes a good story. --Dana Jacobi

Book Description

From the Introduction: "Years ago, at the beginning of my culinary career, I wanted to write a cookbook on Abruzzo, my native region of Italy, a land of colorful festivals, brooding traditions, gargantuan banquets, and ancient superstitions, where the accidental spilling of oil is a sure sign of tragedy. I also wanted to share the experience of growing up in a family of good cooks where food was an expression of love and caring…. Many dishes from Abruzzo, such as maccheroni alla chitarra ("guitar" macaroni), brodetto di pesce (fish stew), and porchetta (roast pig), have, of course, traveled. But most of them are still the treasured secrets of families. They travel no further than the next generation…. My family gave me a passion for food. The rituals that were practiced in my grandmother's kitchen are still with me. All this has remained part of my life, and cooking for family and friends is a constant joy for me. To celebrate and make people happy are the reasons why I wrote this book." Praise for Anna Teresa Callen's Menus for Pasta: "A culinary gem for everyone who wants to bring the true flavor of Italy into their home." —Paula Wolfert, author of Mediterranean Grains and Greens "Of course one can eat pasta as a main course. It is how my mother would serve us pasta every Wednesday and Sunday when I was a boy. And this wonderful evocative book richly demonstrates that pasta can indeed be the centerpiece of an elegant meal. Bravo pasta, brava Anna Teresa!" —Fred Feretti, columnist for Gourmet magazine

Customer Reviews:

My Favorite Italian Cooking Teacher.......2006-09-28

has written this most engaging book about her childhood and the food of the enchanting land where she grew up. The stories are wonderful, and the recipes are delicioso! I realize I'm prejudiced, as I am one of the folks who urged Anna Teresa to write this book. BUT I think it's a real triumph, and one you will enjoy reading as well as cooking from. She writes from a teacher's perspective, so all your questions will be answered within the body of the recipe.

Hmmmmm, I think I'll make porchetta this weekend!

Interesting mix or recipes and stories.......2003-04-25

The book is fun to read, and the author does an excellent job in relating her early family life in Italy to the recipes. Even if you don't use many of the recipes, it might be worth purchasing for the stories. However, the book loses one star because of its lack of photos. Some of the recipes can be difficult to prepare without knowing what the end product should look like. The author loses another star for raising my hackle in the way she expresses some of her opinions. In particular, she rants about all pasta salads, calling them "unsuitable." I completely disagree. If you are looking for a book on very traditional Abruzzesi food, proudly untouched by the last several decades, this is a good book. The author also writes about other regions a bit, which I thought was a nice touch.

A great book!.......2001-02-16

This is a wonderful collection of classic Italian cooking, and much the way my grandmother used to cook. It includes recipes for things she used to make but that I hadn't been able to find previously. There are perhaps a couple of hundred recipes, and all of them are easy to follow. The instructions don't carry on for pages, which is good, because I don't like recipes that are so lengthy I get overwhelmed. The author, who was raised in Abruzzi, includes insight with every recipe, answering questions about Italian cooking and cooking in general. For instance, I could never understand how my earlier attempts at making pasta failed, until I read about the difference in egg sizes; now my pasta is great. The book is interspersed with accounts of her childhood in Italy, adding a more personal feel to it. Maybe the only drawback for the uninitiated cook is that there are no pictures of the recipes to entice you, but don't let that stop you.

A Good Selection If You Enjoy Regional Italian Food.......2000-11-24

This is a very well written book, and Ms. Callen has shared much more than just regional recipes. Although the book is packed full of traditional recipes from the Abbruzzo region, by reading this book you also get feel for Abruzzo and it's people. As the owner of my own culinary website Italian Food Forever, and someone who collects cookbooks as a hobby, I enjoy reading about the regional specialties found in Italy, and found this book a real treasure. The recipes I tried were easy to follow, and for the most part called for easy to find ingredients. My only disappointment lay in the fact there were no food photos. Apart from a a few family illustrations, I found the lack of images to be a downfall. The recipes all sounded so delicious, photos of them would have been a great asset. If you enjoy regional Italian cuisine, this book is for you.

An Essential Book for Italian Food Lovers.......2000-06-16

This is a wonderful book. The recipes are clear, they work and everyone loves them. Of all the books I consult, the recipes in this one are the ones my guests always beg to eat and to know the source of. Flavors are clear and clean and authentic. Most ingredients are easy to find and even novice cooks will not find most recipes too difficult. I have taken classes with Anna Teresa, and the book conveys her warmth, good humor and love of cooking much as she does in class. This book is a real winner!

Loon: Memory, Meaning, and Reality in a Northern Dene Community

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A sleeper

Loon: Memory, Meaning, and Reality in a Northern Dene Community
Henry S. Sharp
Manufacturer: University of Nebraska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0803293216

Book Description

In August 1975 at Foxholm Lake on the reserve of the Chipewyan, a Northern Dene people, in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the anthropologist Henry S. Sharp and two members of the Mission Band encountered a loon. Loons are prized for their meat and skin, so the two Chipewyan tried—thirty times—to kill it. The loon, in a brazen display of power, thwarted these attempts and in doing so revealed itself to be a "spirit." In this book, Sharp embarks on a narrative exploration of the Chipewyan culture that examines the nature of a reality within which wild animals are both persons and spirits. In an unforgettable journey through the symbolic universe and daily life of the Chipewyan of Mission, his work uses the context and meaning of the loon encounter to show how spirits are an actual and almost omnipresent aspect of life.

To explain how the Chipewyan create and order the shared reality of their culture, Sharp develops a series of analytical metaphors that draw heavily on quantum mechanics. His central premise: reality is an indeterminate phenomenon created through the sharing of meaning between cultural beings. In support of this argument, Sharp examines such topics as the nature of time, power, gender, animals, memory, gossip, magical death, and the construction of meaning. Creatively argued and evocatively written, his work presents a compelling picture of one people engaged in the human struggle to create meaning.

Customer Reviews:

A sleeper.......2005-02-17

Annoying, boring, and seemingly pointless. Whatever the point is, I'm not getting it. The book is cluttered with a scattering of insignificant details; if there is any significance I don't know where it's demonstrated.

You are given the width and length of a lake in miles for apparently no reason other than the writer had that knowledge. The experience with the loon, the attempts to shoot it, is written in such a way that the same statements are repeated 6 or 7 times over the course of two pages. The book seems riddled with repetition and random dropping of details that have no significance.

Unfortunately for me, I have to read the entire book for a class. I do not look forward to the task and I dread trying to remember anything of importance that may be on our next test.

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