History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Another Stirling classic
Not Carson Napier of Venus
Burroughs again?
Worth reading
Fun Alternate History/SciFi

The Sky People (Sci Fi Essential Books)
S.M. Stirling
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0765314886
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Book Description

Marc Vitrac was born in Louisiana in the early 1960’s, about the time the first interplanetary probes delivered the news that Mars and Venus were teeming with life—even human life. At that point, the “Space Race” became the central preoccupation of the great powers of the world.

Now, in 1988, Marc has been assigned to Jamestown, the US-Commonwealth base on Venus, near the great Venusian city of Kartahown. Set in a countryside swarming with sabertooths and dinosaurs, Jamestown is home to a small band of American and allied scientist-adventurers.

But there are flies in this ointment – and not only the Venusian dragonflies, with their yard-wide wings. The biologists studying Venus’s life are puzzled by the way it not only resembles that on Earth, but is virtually identical to it. The EastBloc has its own base at Cosmograd, in the highlands to the south, and relations are frosty. And attractive young geologist Cynthia Whitlock seems impervious to Marc’s Cajun charm.

Meanwhile, at the western end of the continent, Teesa of the Cloud Mountain People leads her tribe in a conflict with the Neanderthal-like beastmen who have seized her folk’s sacred caves. Then an EastBloc shuttle crashes nearby, and the beastmen acquire new knowledge… and AK47’s.

Jamestown sends its long-range blimp to rescue the downed EastBloc cosmonauts, little suspecting that the answer to the jungle planet’s mysteries may lie there, among tribal conflicts and traces of a power that made Earth’s vaunted science seem as primitive as the tribesfolk’s blowguns. As if that weren’t enough, there’s an enemy agent on board the airship…

Extravagant and effervescent, The Sky People is alternate-history SF adventure at its best.

Customer Reviews:

Another Stirling classic.......2007-08-26

SM Stirling has yet again written an excellent sci-fi/ alternative history page-turner. I don't need to get detailed - you can read the plot summary for further information. Let's just say that he imagines Venus as the ultimate pulpy fantasy world - complete with dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, buxom exotic damsels, and insane, cannibal Neanderthals (actually, if they eat non-Neanderthals like us, is that still cannibalism?) Come to think of it, there's a lot of cannibalism in some of his books. Anyway, it's a bit far-fetched, but interesting and fun.

Not Carson Napier of Venus.......2007-07-07

The Sky People (2006) is a standalone SF novel set in an alternate universe where the Solar System differs from ours. The nearest planets, Venus and Mars, are both inhabitable and inhabited. So are planets around some nearby stars.

In this novel, the USSR drops planetary probes on Venus in 1962 and discovers people, both Homo Sapiens and Homo Neanderthalis, on the planet. Manned flights by the Russians and later by the Americans establish bases on the planet and find other familiar species. Both fauna and flora are strangely similar to those from Earth's past.

Lieutenant Marc Vitrac, a Ranger in the US Aerospace Force, has been on the planet for a year. Born in a Cajun family amidst the Louisiana bayous, his primary function is exploration of the vast wildlands. Today, however, he meets a group of newcomers and escorts them back to the base.

The newbies are somewhat taken back by the ceratopsian used as the shuttle bus. The dinosaur has been Iced by the insertion of an Internal Control Device n its brain. While Marc talks to the new fish, the creature stands quietly as a trickle charge runs through its pleasure center. When Marc is ready, he turns off the park control and activates the motor nerves to drive the topsie.

These newbies include Cynthia Whitlock, a young black specialist, and Wing Commander Christopher Blair, a British linguist. As with all the Terrans on the planet, Cynthia and Chris also have other skills. But Chris spends most of his time -- after reacclimating to gravity -- in the nearby town of Kartahown extending their knowledge of the native language.

In this story, the EastBloc loses a shuttle in the unexplored wildlands and asks for American assistance to recover the crew. The airship Vepaja, with Captain Tyler commanding, is selected for the rescue attempt and Marc, Cynthia and Chris are chosen as the crew. Jadviga Binkis, wife of the EastBloc shuttle commander, is also included in the crew.

Marc also takes his greatwolf pup with them. Tahyo had almost drowned during a flash flood before Marc rescued him. The pup's mother had died in the flood, but the pup had been recently weaned, so Marc could feed it meat. As the pup grew larger, Marc trained him in the same manner as he would a dog, with excellent results. Still, the pup grew to the size of a small lion.

Naturally, the scientists at the Jamestown base are puzzled by the seeming parallel evolutions. Although the base doesn't have any means to check the DNA, other tests indicate that the natives are closely related to Terrans. The fossil record is very spotty, with occasional infusions of new species. But how could these genes be shifted from Earth to Venus?

If anyone thinks that these circumstances are much like the pulp era SF stories of Venus, they would not be wrong! The author admits his liking of these old stories and obviously he set out to recreate those earlier views of the planet. So what would it take to terraform Venus into a near duplicate of Earth? The author doesn't provide a complete answer, but he does give some hints. Maybe there will be a sequel?

Highly recommended for Stirling fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of an inhabitable Venus, with a bronze age civilization and various monsters in the wilds.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Burroughs again?.......2007-05-14

I tried. I really did, but I couldn't suspend belief. Venus cannot be like this story tries to convince us it is. It was a valiant try, but for me, our local system is closed to these types tales.Would that it were otherwise.

Worth reading.......2007-03-16

I enjoyed this book and hoped up to the last page that there would be another to follow this one. While he could do another set in the same universe he would need to use a new group of charectors. Was disappointed with the ending, not for the way it ended, but because I would have ended it a bit sooner in order to make a series or at least a sequal and keep the groups adventure going.

I however recommend this book.

Fun Alternate History/SciFi.......2007-02-21

THE SKY PEOPLE (2006) is a fun Alternate History/SciFi story, involving the alternate possibility of a Venus and Mars terraformed in the far past by aliens, rather than the existing dead planets. This leads to a more intense and persitent "space race" between the USA/England vs. SovietUnion/China (and also to a certain extent latecomer European Union) - rather than the fairly short-lived space race to The Moon, and the drawn out cold war.

The bulk of the story takes place on the planet Venus, and involves a series of survival ordeals, whose participants are the small bands of newcomer Earth men and woman, who begin interacting with the diverse bands of Early Humans and Neanderthals that had been transplanted to Venus from Earth some 20-50,000 years earlier. Also co-existing with these pre-historic humans are dinosaurs who had been transplanted to Venus some millions of years earlier.

I'm looking forward to a sequel to this book, as the door is certainly left open at the end of the book.

If you like this book, you might also enjoy Harry Turtledove's Alternate WWII History Series, which involves Invading Aliens attacking Earth at the peak of WWII.

This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World

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Lost in Translation
Poetry from around the world

This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World
Naomi Shihab Nye
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0689806302

Customer Reviews:

Lost in Translation.......2006-05-01

English is a simplistic language when compared to a great many other languages. It simply doesn't have the same potential for subtle nuances, rhyming, and other things of that nature. With that in mind, it's always hit-or-miss as to whether a translated poem will carry the same impact in English as it did in its original language. That, I would say, is one of the problems with this book, and it's not the book's, nor Naomi Shihab Nye's fault.

As the other reviewer said, some of the poems are quite good, some are obscure, and some are downright puzzling, and I imagine those particular ones, in their original language, had a lot more clarity of vision and feeling. The cultural backgrounds are a pitfall, as was also stated, though if a reader has a small knowledge of world history, the captions at the bottom of each poem which state the country of the author's origin are a great help. For example, when reading a poem about scrounging in the jungle, looking for a few scraps of rice, AK-47 in hand, it helps to know if the author is Vietnamese.

That notwithstanding, some of the poems are simply confusing, and I am an English major, and some, also due to the translation, I imagine, seem more like straight-forward prose.

All in all, This Same Sky is a good collection, and it does a very good job representing a broad cross-section of the world. It's just a shame the English language doesn't do the works justice. So, with that in mind, it's the translation's fault that I only gave the book 3 stars.

Poetry from around the world.......2004-04-11

Naomi Shihab Nye has collected over one hundred poems from poets all over the world. The poems are about many things, including nature and families. While the details of the poetry (items, animals and birds) are foreign, the feelings expressed are familiar to us all.

Some of the poems are funny, like the one from Altazor by Vicente Huidobro, many others are sad ("My Life Story" by Lan Nguyen and "Behind Bars" by Fadwa Tuqan). Some poems are puzzling, like "Petrified Minute" by Zoltan Zelk and others make you want to know more of the story behind them, like Ruth Dallas's "A New Dress" and Gu Cheng's "A Headstrong Boy." There are poems that create beautiful mental images, and poems that leave the reader bewildered and vaguely disturbed (Tony Perez's "Volunteer Worker").

Book Description

The silent stories of our ancient land and its native peoples are given voice in reverential prose poems and radiant paintings.

Customer Reviews:

Knowing other cultures is important for all children. .......2007-04-04

This is my third copy. . Its a wonderful overview of many Native American cultural traditions. The map in the back is also outstanding. I keep giving it away. I really think it is special

Beautiful book.......2007-01-12

This book is beautiful and has inspired my class to write & draw.

Average customer rating:

Truth in Historical Fiction is Imperative!
Another vote for "not accurate"
What do you teach your children?
Do you care about truth?
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
Susan Jeffers , and Chief Seattle
Manufacturer: Dial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0803709692

Customer Reviews:

Truth in Historical Fiction is Imperative! .......2005-11-05

All those who are applauding Jeffers for her misguided protrayal of Chief Si'ahl's words should rethink what you are proclaiming. I would be enraged -- as you would -- if I were blatantly misquoted. Perhaps you should be sensitve enough to check out how Native Americans feel about this book on www.oyate.org -- or -- clear your facts by reading the website posted by his own people www.duwamishtribe.org. We are doing our children an injustice by continuing to pass on misconceptions as history. I would perfer to give this a 0 star rating but since that was not an option -- I guess the pictures are attractive -- even though the drawing of Chief Si'ahl are actually an exact copy of the Cheyenne Two Moons -- try googling it and you'll see. Oh -- did you notice that the ghost on the last page is carrying a empty cradleboard? I find that appalling.

Another vote for "not accurate".......2005-08-14

Text aside, Susan Jeffer's book on Chief Seattle has inaccurate illustrations of historic Northwest Coast tribal costume, dwellings and landscape. I also use this book with my third graders every year - but only to show the kids how some authors have not done adequate research before publishing. There are other great children's books on the subject from lesser known authors and smaller publishers. It may be worth your while to look them up.

What do you teach your children? .......2005-07-06

Lets see... Betsy Ross did not make the first flag.

...George Washington may or may not have
a) chopped down a cherry tree,
b)thrown a coin across a river,
c) been a great leader.

...George Bush may or may not have told a lie about Iraq.
...All computer programmers may or may not have souls the size of a mouse's.

What do you teach your children?

I cannot believe people are squabbling over whether Chief S* (*for those who may or may not want to use the Anglicized name) in fact said something like or unlike the lovely verse in this book.

This book is for young children. If you are interested in presenting profound and beautiful words to your kids along with interesting pictures, both of which might very well incite conversation BUY THIS BOOK. If you want guaranteed facts, read them the newspaper. No Wait. That won't do either. Then read them MCSE Guides and Cram Course material. Raise children who think XP is a good idea.

Really folks, get a life and remember the target market for this book is not historians. REMEMBER that to a 4 to 8 year old you CANNOT subtract a larger number from a smaller one.

Heck, I read my children books about talking mice. This is a lovely book. Five Stars.

Do you care about truth?.......2005-02-13

This book was on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list for 17 weeks before that newspaper (April 1992) felt compelled to run a FRONT PAGE story explaining that "Chief Seattle" never spoke the words attributed to him in this book. Only one kind of reader will care, those who love the truth. Others (read Liberals and God-haters) will have no problem with this book, which is why it still sells well. Read all about this subterfuge in Reader's Digest July 1993, volume 143, issue 855 pages 100 to 104.

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky.......2004-12-18

When I retired from teaching, I gave most of my books away. "Brother Eagle, Sister Sky" is one I dearly held on to. The translated words of Chief Seattle from the 1850's are just as applicable to our environmental concerns today as they were so long ago. This is not only a book for children, but one for all adults. I've often quoted excerpts in letters I've written regarding environmental issues. Every politician or person in the position of making decisions regarding our environment should have this book on his/her desk!

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

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Choosing to Remember
Children Have No Politics
Tasting the Sky
Reading it is a tender and powerful experience
Poignant Memoir

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood
Ibtisam Barakat
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0374357331
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Book Description

“When a war ends it does not go away,” my mother says.“It hides inside us . . . Just forget!”
But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to remember.

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of
life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.

Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.

Customer Reviews:

Choosing to Remember.......2007-10-09

This sweet memoir of Palestinian experience is written with so much creatively poetic description that one can get lost in the beauty of the words. The story of a little girl and her family set around the Six-Day War with Israel is a gently written narrative of displacement and loss, family ties, and Palestinian culture that is a rare look at a part of the world and a situation that we Americans generally know little about. I did wish to learn more about the parent's thoughts and how they avoided feeling hatred for their enemies. This is a nonpolitical story, however, and readers are left fascinated by the cultural details and impressed by the perseverence of this close-knit family as they struggle with the realities of war. The author chooses to remember in order to "give my story to the world in the hope that no others ever lose their home, and that the world would lend them a hand if they fell." Amen.

Children Have No Politics.......2007-06-02

At three and a half, Ibtisam lives in Ramallah, West Bank in her happy home at the top of an isolated hill with her parents, her infant sister, and her two older brothers. Basil is six, and Muhammad is five. Every
evening, she runs barefoot to meet her indulgent father at the end of the gravel path when he comes home from work with sweets in his pocket. But when father comes home on June 5, 1967, he scares Ibtisam by
yelling for her to turn back and run. He rushes into the house shouting that the war has started. After a frightening night in a trench on the property, her parents decide to join the refugees streaming past the house heading for Jordan. Her mother tells Ibtisam to grab her shoes. Having trouble with the laces on one shoe, the child loses sight of her parents in the stream of refugees and runs down the road to find them with one shoe off and one shoe on.

Countless children have been lost forever in the eternal streams of war refugees. By her own stubborn refusal to stop walking, despite a severely damaged foot, this tiny child finally caught up with her distraught
family on the second day. Her terror, however, which comes to life in this memoir, never leaves her. Eventually returning home, her childhood can never return to the idyllic. In the straightforward, linear text,
the author shares her frightening experiences. They are universal to the experiences suffered by children everywhere who are trapped in the machinations of adults waging war. Children have no politics.

APPROVED

Tasting the Sky.......2007-04-29

Barakat, Ibtisam, Tasting the sky: A Palestinian Childhood, FSG, 2007

In this very touching memoir, the author describes the hardships her family endured during the six-day war with Israel in 1967 and then her subsequent existence growing up as a refugee in an occupied homeland. The story is gripping as it presents both the difficult and the hopeful aspects of her life; she remembers the fears and turmoil but also the joy of learning to read and write and the promise these skills held for her to navigate her way out of Ramallah to a future of possibilities. She corresponds with pen pals from other countries, "Paper and ink, poems and my postbox are medicines that heal the wounds of a life without freedom." She describes poignantly her relationship with her parents: how her father recognizes that Israeli soldiers rather than he are truly in charge of their family life, and that his authority over her is diminished. "My love for language and words seems to come between us" as books become her "references" and her world begins to encompass so much more than his. She describes how her mother copes with their situation by being harsh with her. They only seem able to communicate in writing. Her mother says, "When a war ends, it does not go away...It hides inside us...Just forget!" Itbitisam chooses not to forget but instead to remember. In one of her poems, she writes, "I reach for the raft of remembering. Where the small girl I once was stands alone...and awaits the day when she will find her home by asking her heart to take her there". We are invited to share in her memories, and by so doing, acquire insight into the tragedy of the forcibly evicted Palestinian People from their homelands. This book is a quick read that holds a powerful punch. Every library should have at least one copy.

Reading it is a tender and powerful experience.......2007-04-25

A truly exquisite book. The words weave together experiences and feelings in amazingly beautiful ways. Hearing her story of humanity in the midst of harshness is very hopeful. She doesn't pull any punches, yet shares her story without blaming.

Poignant Memoir.......2007-04-18

Ibtisam Barakat's "Tasting the Sky," is written with both a backward glance toward lost innocence, and an eye toward the future, as she offers her hope, extended without reservation, for a just and lasting peace for all people in Palestine/Israel. Her words describe what she saw with her eyes and felt with her skin as her childhood erupted in the violence of war. Despite the shattering of any remaining innocence by being hauled into a detention center during her high school years, Ibtisam responds without malice or hatred. She became determined to succeed in obtaining her education, and she has triumphed with her bittersweet memoir. She has somehow recaptured the elusive innocence of her youth , nurturing her memories, fond and stark alike, into letters, (like alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet) and then forming the letters into words that are coaxed onto the page. Barakat's yearning to tell her story was formed at a very young age and has become a reality in "Tasting the Sky," despite all the obstacles and hardships she faced growing up under illegal military occupation. Her memories are rather like the wild, red poppies that push their way up through the thin, rocky soil of the olive groves in the hills surrounding Ramallah....they are beautiful and delicate, with odds against their surivival, yet they are indomitable! Having recently journeyed to Ramallah and surrounding villages, the images conveyed in Barakat's gently-woven tapestry of language were all the more vivid and compelling. What a pleasure to read it and to see hope and future possibilities for her homeland through the author's eyes.

They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan

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They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
Alphonsion Deng , Benson Deng , Benjamin Ajak , and Judy A. Bernstein
Manufacturer: PublicAffairs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1586482696
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Book Description

Benjamin, Alepho, and Benson were raised among the Dinka tribe of Sudan. Their world was an insulated, close-knit community of grass-roofed cottages, cattle herders, and tribal councils. The lions and pythons that prowled beyond the village fences were the greatest threat they knew.

All that changed the night the government-armed Murahiliin began attacking their villages. Amid the chaos, screams, conflagration, and gunfire, five-year-old Benson and seven-year-old Benjamin fled into the dark night. Two years later, Alepho, age seven, was forced to do the same. Across the Southern Sudan, over the next five years, thousands of other boys did likewise, joining this stream of child refugees that became known as the Lost Boys. Their journey would take them over one thousand miles across a war-ravaged country, through landmine-sown paths, crocodile-infested waters, and grotesque extremes of hunger, thirst, and disease. The refugee camps they eventually filtered through offered little respite from the brutality they were fleeing.

Book Description

Native American elders will tell you there is as much to see in the night as in the familiar light of day, and here Abenaki storyteller and American Book Award recipient Joseph Bruchac offers twelve unforgettable stories of the living earth seen from the sky. "Sky Bear (also known as the Big Dipper) circles the Earth each night, and these 12 poems tell of what she sees and hears....A thoughtful collection that eloquently bears out the theme of unity of all creatures." -- School Library Journal "From the Mohawk and Missisquoi peoples of the Northeastern United States to the Pima, Cochiti Pueblo, and Navajo people of the Southwest to the Subarctic Inuit, these pieces reflect an awe and appreciation of the natural world. Locker's deeply hued paintings burst with the beauty of night." -- The Horn Book "Engrossing." -- Kirkus Reviews

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Poetry, Beautiful Illustrations, Beautiful Cultures.......2006-11-27

The lights of the night, especially the stars and the moon, have captivated Native American peoples across North America and elsewhere for centuries. Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki storyteller, has collected in this companion volume to Thirteen Moon's on Turtle's Back a series of stories what these celestial bodies mean to diverse Native American cultures; he then retells them in lyric poetry. Included are "Sky Bear" of the Mohawk, "Song to the Firefly" of the Anishinabe, "Flute Song" of the Pima (which evokes the myths of Kokopeli), "The Northern Lights" of the Missisquoi, "Mother's Bragging Song" of the Winnebago, "The Scattered Stars" of the Cochiti Pueblo, "The Seven Mateinnu" of the Lenape, "The Tale of Pinon Gatherers" of the Chumash, "A Summer Song" of the Inuit, "The Old Wolf's Song" of the Lakota, "Dawn House Song" of the Navajo, and "Spirit Dance Song" of the Pawnee. Mr. Bruchac, in an Author's Note at the end of the volume, explains what these stories mean to all Native American peoples, children and adults alike. He reveals that the constellation we know as the Big Dipper (the Drinking Gourd in African-American folklore) is also seen as a great bear, the Sky Bear of his poetry, something many of us all too often take for granted.

How Many Stars in the Sky? (Reading Rainbow Book)

Average customer rating:

There are always stars
Held the children's interest throughout

How Many Stars in the Sky? (Reading Rainbow Book)
Lenny Hort
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 068815218X

Book Description

Mama's away one night, and her son can't sleep. He tries to relax by counting stars, but the more of them he sees, the more determined he is to count every single one. Then the boy finds that Daddy can't sleep either. Together, the two of them set off on an unforgettable all-night journey of discovery.

Customer Reviews:

There are always stars.......2000-01-07

I requested my school librarian to purchase a book in memory of my sons grandmom. How delighted I was to read her choice and how appropriate too. While an enchanting story of how a father and son deal with a night without mom the message is also there of life, stars too numerous to count, of a world without end.

Held the children's interest throughout.......1998-04-23

When I read this book myself, I frankly thought it was a little boring, but I was happy to see the children paid attention from beginning to end. I read it to a group of seven 6 to 8-year-old boys. They appeared to be most interested in counting the stars on each page (and then arguing about the tally!) but when we talked about it afterwards, I found they really had been listening to the words. The paintings are beautiful.

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky

Average customer rating:

maybe not so good for 1st and 2nd graders
Great learning tool
An imaginative journey based on historical information
An excellent book
A Magical Trip on the Underground Railroad.....

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
Faith Ringgold
Manufacturer: Dragonfly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0517885433
Release Date: 1995-12-12

Book Description

Illus. in full color. Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end.

Customer Reviews:

maybe not so good for 1st and 2nd graders.......2007-02-08

I love Faith Ringgold's work but think Tar Beach might be a more appropriate title for younger students. I read it aloud to some younger children (first and second grade) and didn't think the book was appropriate for them.

There are some strange moments in the plot (and I realize the book is supposed to be surreal and dream-like). For example, Be be writes Cassie a note that says "We stayed at the house of a millionaire. He gave Aunt Harriet lots of money. We will never be hungry again." I'm not sure if this is supposed to reflect a real event in Tubman's life (I know she went on to become a Union spy but not many other biographical details) or if it's supposed to illustrate the value of charity and kindness of the people who helped escaped slaves, but it certainly does little for the narrative. While it's true that slaves had no money and runaway slaves would face economic hardships even in the free states, I'm just not sure how this plot twist fits into the book, especially because it is never mentioned again.

Another issue is that there is a scary white figure lurking in many of the illustrations--peering through a window, popping out in a graveyard. His presence definitely brings attention to the bounty hunters that would capture slaves and the danger that lurked all around, but my students didn't seem to grasp that Cassie re-lives the time of slavery. I tried the "maybe the train is like a time-machine?" tact, too. No luck.

It was a fun book and my students did like the flying=freedom metaphor but I would use it with older students next time!

Great learning tool.......2006-11-03

I have purchased this book as a learning tool for an Education Committee at our local quilter's guild. This book is well written and wonderful for young people.

An imaginative journey based on historical information.......2005-04-07

This well written children's book recounts the story of slavery in an easy to understand langugage with corresponding pictures. The pictures are primitively done with paint and canvas, but are detailed and represent drawings from that time period. The overall story draws in historical aspects of a time period using actual information that every child shoud be aware of. Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky portrays life as a slave from the viewpoint of someone who lives in the that life and compares their hardships to our life today. For furthor reading,at the book there is biographical information about Harriet Tubman and a map of the Underground Railroad in 1880. Young readers can see that although this story is fiction, it is based on real events.

An excellent book.......2002-03-05

This book is fantastic - its illustrations are haunting and lovely, and the story is magical and historical at the same time. Faith Ringgold's approach makes the history simpler for children to understand while not undermining the depth and horror of slavery in America. I highly recommend it to any parent.

A Magical Trip on the Underground Railroad............2001-08-19

"One day, my brother Be Be and I were flying among the stars, way way up, so far up the mountains looked like pieces of rock candy and the oceans like tiny cups of tea. We came across an old ramshackled train in the sky." So begins Cassie Louise Lightfoot's tale of meeting "conductor" Harriet Tubman and riding the underground railroad to Canada. Based on Harriet Tubman's account of a dream she had while very sick, of flying to freedom and enhanced with historical facts and imagination, Faith Ringgold has authored a superb story that transports youngsters back to the slave holding plantations of the south, over one hundred years ago, and then sends them on a terrifying, yet exhilarating journey to freedom. Her engaging poetic text, full of imagery and magic, is complemented by her bold, expressive, evocative illustrations and together, word and art bring this emotional story to life. With additional biographical notes and map, tracing the underground railroad routes, included to augment lessons and discussions, Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad In The Sky is a masterpiece youngsters 6-10 shouldn't miss and a wonderful addition to all home libraries.

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