Customer Reviews:
Clearly evangelical propaganda..........2007-09-04
First, the book has a clear bias against Hinduism and has been written in a style to promote conversion. The use of slight negatives, which you may not notice on a first read, in the first chapters lead to the introduction to Christianity which of course is portrayed in positive language. The book is clearly written for someone who has little understanding of Hinduism. It is one thing to know the different names of the gods, ceremonies, names of scriptures, and local superstition then to truly understand the underlying principles of any religion.
The author does a good job of making the reader interested in the story he builds but the knowledge he bestows upon the reader of his lifelong pursuit of his religion is a farce. It is like a child who first learns to add, 1+1=2, 2+2=4, 3+3=6. The child sees an arrangement of numbers and lines and remembers them. If the child is asked to tell you what 2+1 equals, he is lost. He does not know, he only knows what he has memorized based on the pictures his teachers had drawn on the slate/board. That is the level of understanding the author has of his religion which he supposedly pursued all his life.
Anyone who has read a simple translation of the Bhagavad Gita (e.g. Eknath Easwaran) should be able to point out all the errors (giving him the benefit of the doubt) the author has made on Hinduism.
And to D. Raj's comments, shall you have non-Christians interpret your Bible for you as you so easily are interpreting a religion for which you show little aptitude.
"ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanty"
"Truth is one, the wise call it by many names"
-Rig Veda
"Superstition is a great enemy of man, but bigotry is worse. Why does a Christian go to church? Why is the cross holy? Why is the face turned toward the sky in prayer? Why are there so many images in the Catholic Church? Why are there so many images in the minds of Protestants when they pray? My brethren, we can no more think about anything without a mental image than we can live without breathing. By the law of association, the material image calls up the mental idea and vice versa. This is why the Hindu uses an external symbol when he worships. He will tell you, it helps to keep his mind fixed on the Being to whom he prays. He knows as well as you do that the image is not God, is not omnipresent. After all, how much does omnipresence mean to almost the whole world? It stands merely as a word, a symbol. Has God superficial area? If not, when we repeat that word 'omnipresent', we think of the extended sky or of space, that is all.
As we find that somehow or other, by the laws of our mental constitution, we have to associate our ideas of infinity with the image of the blue sky, or of the sea, so we naturally connect our idea of holiness with the image of a church, a mosque, or a cross. The Hindus have associated the idea of holiness, purity, truth, omnipresence, and such other ideas with different images and forms. But with this difference that while some people devote their whole lives to their idol of a church and never rise higher, because with them religion means an intellectual assent to certain doctrines and doing good to their fellows, the whole religion of the Hindu is centered in realization. Man is to become divine by realizing the divine. Idols or temples or churches or books are only the supports, the helps, of his spiritual childhood: but on and on he must progress.
If a man can realize his divine nature with the help of an image, would it be right to call that a sin? Nor even when he has passed that stage, should he call it an error. To the Hindu, man is not traveling from error to truth, but from truth to truth, from lower to higher truth. To him all the religions, from the lowest fetishism to the highest absolutism, mean so many attempts of the human soul to grasp and realize the Infinite, each determined by the conditions of its birth and association, and each of these marks a stage of progress; and every soul is a young eagle soaring higher and higher, gathering more and more strength, till it reaches the Glorious Sun.
One thing I must tell you. Idolatry in India does not mean anything horrible. It is not the mother of harlots. On the other hand, it is the attempt of undeveloped minds to grasp high spiritual truths. The Hindus have their faults, they sometimes have their exceptions; but mark this, they are always for punishing their own bodies, and never for cutting the throats of their neighbours. If the Hindu fanatic burns himself on the pyre, he never lights the fire of Inquisition. And even this cannot be laid at the door of his religion any more than the burning of witches can be laid at the door of Christianity.
Unity in variety is the plan of nature, and the Hindu has recognised it. Every other religion lays down certain fixed dogmas, and tries to force society to adopt them. It places before society only one coat which must fit Jack and John and Henry, all alike. If it does not fit John or Henry, he must go without a coat to cover his body."
-Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago January 12, 1893.
Edgar in Virginia.......2007-05-26
A significant warning to naive Western World thinking regarding the "innocent" world of spirit. It is a first person, well written account by one who grew up to be a Guru within the highest caste. A real page-turner that is easy reading. I highly recommend this book.
Death of a Guru.......2007-01-16
Great book. I recommend it to anyone interested in knowing the background of the Hindu religion and Yoga
A blind man's description of an Elephant.......2006-06-22
While reading this book, I remembered a story of "Four Blind Men and an Elephant" that I have heard since my childhood days. The story goes like this:
Four BLIND MEN decided to "see" an elephant for the first time. When they were near one each tried to understand how it looks like. Being blind by birth, they decided to touch and feel the elephant and each one started to describe it one by one.
One of them said, by holding its tail in hand, "I know how the elephant looks like, it is like a long rope" and thus announced his great discovery to other three blind men.
Immediately another blind man who was holding one of its legs said, "No, you are not correct, it is like a pillar!" He sounded very confident!
In the meantime, yet another said, "No, you both are terribly wrong! It is like a long tube"! He was holding its long trunk.
The fourth person disagreed with all the other three and said "No, it is like a big round rock" and he was holding its body by the belly.
So, if you are not blind you know how the elephant looks like and you know for sure it does not fit into any of these descriptions proposed by the four blind men. But all of them were so confident and each tried to describe to the other, but no one finally had true knowledge about how the elephant looks like.
Think about this situation. When these men go back home and they all try to explain it to others, what would be the end result? And if those who heard from these four blind men in turn explain it to yet others, it would be no less than a catastrophy!
Unfortunately, the author of this book Mr. Rabi (Mr. Rabindranath R. Maharaj) in fact was surrounded by a group of people who were "Blind" to "True Spirit of Hinduism" (it is very evident from lot of conversations honestly portrayed by the Author himself in the book that none of them were qualified in scriptural knowledge of "Hindu way of life" the modern name of "Sanatana Dhrama") who were shaping his childhood basic lessons in spirituality and that too in a land far away from the root of Hinduism. Mr. Rabi was too focused on "Brahman" concept and he saw the "LIGHT" (or Brahman radiance/energy which is neutral to everything, focussed in maintaining the material manifestations and it sure lacked in Love) and missed the "SUN" (The Supreme Personality of God, the source of pure Divine Love) which emits it.
I would never criticize Mr. Rabi for writing this book (like others) but rather appreciate his openness in admitting his failure and his reasons in not understanding Hindu religion so that others can learn from him and avoid those mistakes. Also I feel very sorry for the poor guidance he got from the people around him when he was sincerely trying to follow a faith that he once tried to believe in. His father might have been a great Yogi for many, but was of no use for anyone in showing the right path and not even for his son who was craving for God's love. Or may be he too was merged deep into the neutral nature of Brahman effulgence! This path to God has been highly discouraged by Krishna himself in Bhagavat-Gita! Thus lack of proper guidance and emergence of "Self made FALSE Hindu GURUS" in this world is eating into the very base and existence of Sanatana Dharma (or Hindu way of life).
Same way many "Hindu born" persons fall prey to other religion and faith, thanks to their understanding based on a blind man's theory of the "elephant" which ends in conversion. This book would be a "Very Good Tool" for converting those who are weak in Hindu (Sanatana Dharma) scriptural knowledge! Well done Mr. Rabi!
One message for the author: If you were looking for love of God and would like to experience and nourish it through the study of Vedic scriptures (of Sanatana Dharma), please read BHAGAVATHAM, (it describes the personality of the Supreme, his Love and His activities and one of the best admired English translations is about 17,000+ pages written by Srila Prabhupada) and you can relish it for rest of your life and fill-up your consciousness with full blown true love for God (in his special personal form) which would ultimately result in reaching the Heavenly Father (through Moksha) in the spiritual realm of the Supreme as stated by God in Bhagavad-Gita.
As always, true guidance from a self-realized person is required for understanding the true meaning of the scriptures and of course, true devotion to God is a must. Otherwise, your chances of getting lost in the vastness of its knowledge is very high. Hinduism has answers and methods for fulfilling all kinds of desires (material and spiritual) and in the end when a living entity (after several life times having enjoyed material life in return for positive karma or even sufferred enough for negative karma accumulated through various free will actions) desires for getting connected back to God (his original father) it shows the right way only through a qualified teacher (Guru) who could guide you in the right direction otherwise you would follow the wrong scripture and rituals and could even mistake Kamasutra (if you have only read "Kamasutra" while trying to understand Hinduism) as the designated way to spirituality. This would be like the blind man's description of elephant.
Ultimately any practice or faith that promotes love for God and His creation need to be encouraged and every true faith should teach ONLY that. No faith should teach hatred towards another faith. No faith should use false information about another faith for "Selling" its own Theory of God and Love even if it is true. In the end, faith or belief is not important, but Love that has developed is important. After all, God does not belong to or follow any faith or religion!
Krishna has rightly said in Bhagavad-Gita: "Leave all forms of religious worship and just surrender unto me and you shall come to me without fail". So, why should there be any fight between religion, faith or belief? Know that nothing matters in the end except Love between God and Man to return to the Original Eternal Home!
SEARCH FOR TRUTH.......2006-03-21
"GOD": a term loosely used, and can describe any number of deities including the Greek gods and their Roman counterparts. The term "god" may be used interchangeably with "divine being", among many others, and may also be referred to as "any controlling element in ones life", eg; materialism or even food. You may have heard someone say, "food is her god." "God" with a capital "G" is also the term referred to in the Christian faith for "the One and Only God and Father of the One and Only resurrected Jesus Christ, His Son."
In this true and compelling book Rabi, a loyal and respected Hindu guru is driven to decide who/what "god" is to him. The elusive peace he has sought to harness his whole life eventually becomes a personal reality.
A MUST READ for those who struggle with questions pertaining to love, life and death, reincarnation, karma, and personal value here and now as human beings on planet earth. A good read for those wishing to learn more about Hinduism and the influence of eastern mysticism on western society.
Customer Reviews:
Better than Rebus.......2007-01-09
Sure the main character is overdone, the plotting would not stand up to close analysis, and the "philosophy" is basically garbage but the story moves and is competently written. What more can one ask for in a thriller? Jack Higgins made a fine living out of similar stuff which was not nearly as good. Four stars, perhaps because the competition in this genre has become so weak.
An early Rankin not worth the time.......2006-12-06
Former soldier Gordon Reeve flies to California to claim the body of his brother Jim, an apparent suicide. But it soon becomes obvious that the facts aren't fitting together and that Jim's death was murder.
In spite of three attempts, I just could not get into this book. I will admit I'm not a big fan of conspiracy themes but, that aside, I didn't find the character interesting or the plot compelling. For me, this was a Rankin practice book until he started writing Rebus.
Slainte, Rankin! But This One Just Didn't Grab Me.......2006-11-13
My first foray into non-Rebus Rankin (Jack Harvey, whatever) left me with an understanding of why authors might use alternate names for their earlier, less-stimulating projects. "Blood Hunt" has some elements that kept me entertained, but they seemed to wane as I worked my way through the 500 pages. The bad guy, Jay, seems to hold a kind of silly grudge from his SAS experience in the Falklands War while on an operation with main character Gordon Reeve. There is also the story of a highly provocative cover-up involving BSE (Mad Cow Disease) and a murdered journalist/brother that is never brought to a close. Too much, really. Reeve is definitely cool, but he doesn't come off as a sympathetic or fully drawn character. Note: I absolutely love the Rebus series, but I don't feel inclined to pick up the other remaining Jack Harvey-penned novels. Hope I'm not missing something, but "Blood Hunt" has done nothing but cool mine a little. Ouch. Sorry, Ian.
Nietzsche's Gentlemen........2006-07-17
Oh, the blessings of being an author with too much time on his hands. I can just picture Ian Rankin sitting in the house (farm? cottage?) he and his wife bought in rural Dordogne, having whizzed through the manuscript for yet another increasingly well-written John Rebus novel and - having left behind all other employment across the British Channel and neither inclined to carpentry nor gardening - feeling his mind growing restless, in need of occupation. Now, wouldn't you have started looking for another outlet for your creative energy had you been in his spot?
The result of the aforementioned process, which Rankin describes in the foreword of a 2000 (alas, so far [???] British-only!) compilation uniting all three novels in one volume, were a series of thrillers written under the pseudonym Jack Harvey: Jack for his newborn son, Harvey for his wife's maiden name.
In "Blood Hunt," the last of the three books, fans of Inspector Rebus meet an old acquaintance; George Reeve from the first Rebus novel, "Knots and Crosses." Only here he's the good guy - well, mostly; because there isn't such a thing as a clean-cut "good guy" in *any* Ian Rankin novel. In any event, "Blood Hunt" introduces us to Reeve's back story; his life as an outdoors survival teacher, and his own memories and nightmares of his service with the SAS - after we've already gotten a fair share of Rebus's in "Knots and Crosses" - particularly the Falklands campaign, during which he met the man who would soon turn out to be his biggest nemesis; as much as Reeve will later become a nemesis to Rebus.
Further, we learn that Reeve had a brother; a journalist on the trail of a story centering around a chemical company headquartered in San Diego. When that brother is murdered, Reeve's instincts as a hunter are awakened - and like a bull terrier he pits himself to the heels of those responsible for the murder and doesn't let go until he has brought them to justice: *his* kind of justice, that is, which isn't necessarily that of the police, but one they understand only too well. The SAS call themselves Nietzsche's gentlemen - believing in the self-proclaimed amoralist's teachings that the will to power is all that matters and all that controls life; and the novel's conclusion is very much in keeping with that adage.
As a back story to the first Rebus book, "Blood Hunt" works only just so - while the essential facts are in synch with Reeve's and Rebus's SAS past, to truly click with "Knots and Crosses," this book would have had to be written about a decade earlier, or vice versa, which in turn wouldn't square with the later Rebus books' historical and political references ... you get the picture. Read as a stand-alone, however, this is a tightly-plotted thriller, every bit as violent as the second Jack Harvey novel, "Bleeding Hearts" (there's a reason why blood figures in both books' titles) and, while based on a conspiracy theory that easily dates it as a mid-1990s release, as strong as both "Bleeding Hearts" and the best of the Rebus books on characters and settings (Scotland to San Diego, London, France and back, with - literally - a cliffhanger finale on the Outer Hebrides' rough mountainous territory). And then there's that children's rhyme that I don't think I'll ever hear quite the same way I used to ...
Although I'm happy enough for Rankin's success with Inspector Rebus and wouldn't want any story featuring Edinburgh's finest (and most hard-drinking) D.I. missing from my bookcases, in a way I regret that Rankin had to shelve Jack Harvey after only three books. So just in case, Mr. Rankin, in the unlikely event that you should ever resurrect that alter ego (or write another non-Rebus novel under your own name): I promise I'll read that one, too, and probably with just as much pleasure as any of your other books.
Don't judge Rankin by this novel.......2006-07-16
If this is your first Ian Rankin book, forget it as fast as you can, and run quickly to one of his wonderful Rebus books. They are as good as this one is hollow. First one must swallow the coincidence that a US pharmaceutical/chemical company hires a former SAS companion and enemy of our hero to do their dirty work. After that, when trouble erupts for Bro. Reeve, our hero, he gets on Interpol's list of wanted folk. But still he is able to fly back and forth from US to Heathrow at will, pass through immigration and customs, without as much trouble as a US tourist heading to Cancun. So much for Interpol. Under all this is the pasty treatment of our hero's wife and son. This novel is something like the computer games Bro. Reeve's son Allan plays continually. So please, don't judge Rankin by this one. He's really a good writer, who must have felt the need for some extra cash by churning out BLOOD HUNT.
Book Description
It was one of the most tragic events in American history. The famous president, beloved by many, reviled by some, murdered while viewing a play at Ford's Theater in Washington. The frantic search for the perpetrators. The nation in mourning. The solemn funeral train. The conspirators brought to justice. Coming just days after the surrender of the Confederate Army at Appomattox, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln has become etched in the national consciousness like few other events. The president who had steered the nation through its bloodiest crisis is cut down just as the bloodshed ends. It is a story that has been told many times, but rarely with the care and immediacy of The Darkest Dawn. Thomas Goodrich brings to his narrative the meticulousness of the historian and the flair of the fiction writer. The result is an engrossing account, filled with detail and as present as today's headlines. A gripping account of one of the most shocking events in American! history.
". . . This book moves at high speed, is tremendously exciting and true to the core. It is a priceless observation of America in a time of horrendous challenge. Thomas Goodrich deserves high praise for his achievement." —The Washington Times
Customer Reviews:
Booth assured Lincoln's place in history.......2007-08-06
He is one of the most recognisable figures in history: The tall, angular frame, the sad half smile, eyes dark, tired and sunken. The last picture of Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, and reproduced here, is that of a man whose race is almost run.
Taken four days before the prominent actor and Southern sympathiser John Wilkes Booth ended his life with a shot to the head, Lincoln seemed ill at ease, the slight blurring around the hands indicating he was unable to keep them still for the time required for the exposure to take effect.
Could he be wondering about the next four years of his presidency, the monumental task of healing the wounds of a civil war he had insisted should be fought? The conflict, in which he had thrown the overwhelming might of the United States at the rebel Confederacy to bring about a difficult and costly victory, was all but over, but as shrewd a man as he would have guessed that the peace was going to be an even more formidable adversary. Did he have the answers?
We shall never know as Booth's dramatic act at Ford's Theatre in Washington relieved Lincoln of that responsibility, leaving him simply as the leader who saved the union. Dying with Southern armies still in the field and the final acts of the war yet to take place, his administration was linked wholly with the conflict. The emotions his assassination unleashed ensured not just his place as a great American president, but his conversion into a secular saint.
As Goodrich points out in his epilogue: "In the stampede to elevate the slain president, his virtues were magnified and his vices diminished until the one became a caricature and the other all but forgotten." The cynic might add: "good career move, Abe."
The author, an historian and storyteller, who has specialised in this brief, dark period in American history, has taken the events of a few weeks of the spring and summer of 1865 and made them live again.
An act of outstanding scholarship, he has amassed hundreds of contemporary sources - biographies, eye-witness accounts, newspaper articles - to the point where he blends his own narrative with the quotations from which he draws, producing compelling descriptions that immerse the reader in the zeitgeist. His passage on the chaos that resulted from a `lying in state' in Philadelphia during Lincoln's cross-country funeral procession is typical.
"Mingled with the normal dull roar of so many thousands were the shrieks of crushed women, the shrill cries of trampled children, and the cursing and shouting of men. Silk hats, bonnets and parasols were smashed flat, dresses were ripped, hoop skirts were broken and mangled, the neatly pinned hair of ladies now fell to their waists in a disheveled mass. Ragged and tattered debris, including destroyed mourning badges and black crepe, littered the ground below."
The book is full of such rich description, including the wild and random acts of vengeance wreaked on anyone who did not show proper respect for the slain president. Any words said against Lincoln in public risked a beating or worse. Lynch law took hold. Even those whose mourning was not considered sincere enough faced the anger of the mob.
In the occupied Confederacy, civilians were forced to decorate their houses in black to honour the man they hated and reviled. Most swallowed their pride and complied, some like Mrs Stuart, hung herself rather than yield to the humiliation.
From the fall of Richmond, which signaled the end of organised resistance in the Confederacy, and Lee's surrender at Appomattox, through the assassination, its aftermath, the funeral procession, the death of Booth and the trial and execution of his associates, Goodrich opens a series of windows on those troubled, turbulent times.
For a while the victorious north, plunged from the pinnacle of joy to the depths of despair, became unhinged. As one witness recalled: "The sorrow and sadness caused...cannot be written; no pen can tell it. Only those who lived in these dreadful days can appreciate the pain we suffered."
Thanks to this book, we can appreciate a little of the anguish experienced by the bloody, war-ravaged nation as, united once more, it wearily resumed the journey towards its ultimate destiny.
One of the most informative reads on Lincoln and Booth.......2007-06-08
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The author is obviously not as much an admirer of Lincoln as I am. Other books I've read are more biased in Lincoln's favor. This author went much deeper into the history of the conspirators and others surrounding the assassination than other have done. A refreshingly unbiased account of the months before and after America's greatest tragedy.
Informative but Unkind to Mrs. Lincoln.......2007-02-16
I've read all I've found on Lincoln and yet I found new details about his death here that I had not read elsewhere. It doesn't rehearse the ins and outs of the conspiracy which is good if you've read "Blood on the Moon" and, even more so, "American Brutus". My cavil with 'Darkest Dawn" is that it portrays Booth all but sympathetically and Mrs. Lincoln as the devil herself. Mary Todd Lincoln was, without doubt, a manic-depressive who was dogged by bad health and hellish luck. She was a difficult lady who nevertheless withstood considerable slander and ridicule from both North and South. However, she was a staunch abolitionist who loved her husband dearly and was a kind and devoted mother. The author has the irritating habit of referring to her consistently as the "woman" and even finds her breakdown immediately after the assassination as reason for criticism. I guess if she hadn't, he'd be accusing her being part of the murder plot.
Darkest Dawn Review.......2007-01-09
I thought I knew a lot about the assassination of Lincoln. I was wrong. This easy to read book holds your attention as well as a novel, but is completely documented to please an academic. It provided intriguing information on the era, the people, and most notably to me, Mrs. Lincoln. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in American history.
All The Blame Should Not Be Placed On Booth Alone........2006-12-01
He was merely a player in this tragedy. Trained as an actor, he did his biggest role which changed the face of this country forever and ended his short life. John Wilkes Booth would never have killed Lincoln on his own. For some reason, by indoctrination or brain-washing by the conspirators who wanted Lincoln dead, he was used by the group and was in his own mind playing the theatrical role of his life. He was A Deluded Southern Sympathizer. He sprang from a great family of actors; his brother Edwin was an accomplished stage actor. Edwin did his deed so as to be famous in his own right. Many books have been written about John Wilkes Booth's participation in the Lincoln death.
It is sad that so much blame was put on his shoulders. I have been interested in Lincoln's assassination for over twenty years, mainly because they hanged Mary Surrat, the first woman to be officially killed in this manner. It was at her boardinghouse where the conspirators met to discuss and plan killing Lincoln and others in his Cabinet. John Wilkes Booth, from a prominent acting family, was a Confederacy sympathizer. But that in itself does not make him guilty. He was denied his right to a trial.
Most of the South were more than a little upset when Lincoln was inaugurated for the second time. They refused to accept him as "our" President. We had Jefferson Davis who married Zachary Taylor's daughter. I have read so much about Lincoln and also sympathized with Booth's reasoning. Lincoln, as it so happens, was a Shakespeare fan and enjoyed going to Ford's Theatre. John Wilkes Booth (Brutus) was one of the most promising young Shakespearean actors of his day. Booth considered Lincoln an "American Caesar." John Wilkes Booth is sometimes called the "American Brutus." There is a book out with that title, also one called The Myth of John Wilkes Booth.
He was a very handsome man and, even though he broke his leg in the leap to the stage (instead of running down the back stairs), he eluded capture with the help of a Dr. Mudd for twelve days. He was not given a chance to tell his side and the complex, misleading reasons he did what he did. That took fortitude! He did not act alone! That's a major issue. He was cornered in that barn like an animal and burned (at the stake) by the vigilante cowards. He was merely a misinformed player who ended up "on his own" after the dasdardly deed. He deserves better than to be called a devil. To some, he was an avenging angel. Terry Weber played the dual role in the Knoxville production of "Killing Lincoln," and had both Lincoln and Booth down pat. I have read many books about Abraham Lincoln and several about John Wilkes Booth which I have reviewed for Amazon.com
Customer Reviews:
Excellently written and researched; I recommend it.......1999-11-04
In his book, Belue has carefully researched and written an account of the death of the buffalo east of the Mississippi. In a greater sense, this work examines life on the frontier as well as the history of trade and colonization of the frontier. The author uses personal accounts, journals, and memoirs of the traders, long hunters and trappers who played a role in the settlement of the frontier as a basis for the work. I highly recommend as well as the author's other works on the life of Daniel Boone.
Full of useful information!.......1999-04-29
Chronicling the demise of buffalo that ranged between the Blue Ridge and the Mississippi, this book includes previously unpublished material on flora, fauna, and Woodland and Southeastern Indians. Living historians will find useful information on arms, accoutrements, attire, and frontier skills and lifestyles. --Living History, Spring 1997
"A welcome addition!"--Beth Rengstorf, Bison World.......1999-02-19
Buffalo history enthusiasts will find that Ted Belue's book is written just for them. While there are a number of effective historical, nonfiction books on the American buffalo available, this one has the advantage of focusing attention specifically on the death of the buffalo east of the Mississippi. This noteworthy recounting of buffalo and their gruesome end gives a realistic picture of what occurred. Belue provides readers with enough information to gain both insight and comprehension. By the 1820s, the eastern buffalo herds were gone. The author uses many quotes from early chronicles to illustrate a vivid account of the hardships hunters encountered as well as the plight of the buffalo east of the Mississippi. Belue's careful research is evident and reinforced by the excellent selection of black-and-white photographs and old maps. The glossary, index, and selected annotated bibliography are very helpful to the reader. This book is written on a slightly higher reading level and is very comprehensive. This title will fill a gap in most collections and will appeal particularly to readers of American buffalo history. This book would be a welcome addition to any "buffalo/bison" book shelf.
"Required Material! " John Curry, Smoke and Fire News.......1998-12-23
This excellent piece offers an up close/analytical look at the tale of the buffalo and those men who hunted buffalo in the 18th century "Middle Ground." Names, dates, places, hunts, scouts, etc. unfold in front of your eyes in an understandable and exciting manner via so many new and varied primary documentation sources I don't even want to get into listing them. Long Hunt presents you with a highly accurate perception of the era and its players. Somewhat akin to Arnow's SEEDTIME ON THE CUMBERLAND but much more specifically directed toward the over-mountain eastern frontiersman, I would have to consider this as "required material" for anyone whose persona involves hunting for a living in the 18th century frontier. Do yourself a favor...buy it!
A must read!--Western Writers of America.......1998-12-04
Several good books about the American bison are available in today's marketplace. Among the best are David Dary's The Buffalo Book, and Tom McHugh's The Time of the Buffalo. Now comes Ted Franklin Belue's The Long Hunt to make a threesome of outstanding volumes on this most recognizable of American wildlife. But Belue's book is different. Now, for the first time (that I know of) the eastern variety of the species is chronicled. Drawing upon archaeological evidence and utilizing first-hand accounts of early explorers, pioneers, and settlers along the Eastern seaboard and in the vast trans-Appalachian country, Belue follows the buffalo's saga from its earliest confrontation with American Indians, through the first European impact, and all the way down to the animal's extinction east of the Mississippi River. A valuable part of this book (aside, of course, from the invaluable information about the buffalo itself) is the huge amount of data that Belue imparts to his reader about the long-hunter, the eastern forerunner of the mountain man. Complete with extensive notes, illustrations, appendices, and bibliography, The Long Hunt is a volume to be read and intensely studied by any student of America's first West. One of the finest tributes to this book that I have read came from Dr. Richard Taylor of Kentucky State University, who wrote, "What David Dary has done in his study of buffalo west of the Mississippi, Belue has done for those east of it."--Jim Crutchfield, Western Writers of America, April 1998, Roundup Magazine
Customer Reviews:
A good geologic review for the beginner.......1999-07-28
This book is a good review book for the novice geology fan or the most crusted old timmer. Good indepth explinations without much of the techno babble that can be associated with geology. Easy to fallow and understand. A good companion for those who do the Death Valley car tour. A must have.
Book Description
Aurora Rose Norquest is different from her neighbors, different from most people. Still single at thirty-five, she spends every hour of her days and nights in an elegant Manhattan apartment, quietly caring for her invalid mother.
Then her mother dies, and Aurora's world spins on its axis. Reality shatters into startlingly realistic nightmares, and the shards of troubling memories slice into her sleep. Everything Aurora has believed about herself and her world fades into murky dreams that will not let her rest. Something, someone is pursuing Aurora--growing more threatening by the day, testing the limits of her sanity.
Will she find the courage to confront her unseen pursuer? Or will she surrender to the destructive melancholy that haunts her days and nights? What will it take to satisfy the relentless intruder whose voice presses her toward
The Awakening?
Customer Reviews:
Amazing!.......2006-09-19
This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Hunt's books have the power to really bless the reader. An amazing story that is anything but predictable, but not so complicated that the message/symbolism isn't perfectly clear. Sleeping Beauty being my favorite fairy tale as a child drew me to this book, but this book is more than that. Aurora's dreams will suck you in, her relationship with Philip is romantic most in the way that it follows no formula you have ever found in any other book. I strongly recommend this book, and any by Hunt, she is an incredible author who never sticks to a prescribed formula. Her books will lift you up, and carry you to a place you've never seen before. I loved this book!
Excellent Contemporary Faith-Based Literature.......2006-08-02
The Awakening is a truly astounding work of art, all the more compelling as it arises from a genre, Christian literature, that has been a dim light in the field of literature, to say the least. I am reluctant to even write a review on this book as I feel completely handicapped in relating how much Angela Hunt means to me. Since becoming a Christian I became both lost and found; found in Christ, but lost in the world. Everything I had once loved, the literature, the art, movies, it all now lacked that God-spark and spirit. When I would reach for Christian fiction I was deflated by the lack of creativity, intelligence, percision of language, not to mention the ability to bridge my spirit. Books have always been my bridge to the world, my path to feeling connected and understood and so for the last 3 1/2 year I have been flailing as no contemporary Christian writer came even close to creating a connection in me. Then came Angela Hunt onto the shelves of my church library and what a blessing she is. She never cowers from asking a tough question that one of a weaker faith would fear to ask, let alone satisfyingly tackle.
In The Awakening we have Aurora, the significance of the name not lost, trapped by lies built up as stakes supposedly to keep her safe. I related deeply to this woman who connects to the world through books, and is somewhat wary of the human heart. She is in want of nothing, rich, intelligent, attractive, but she is disconnected from the world, from her heart and from her soul and her mind is becoming unseamed as it knows she needs the truth to survive, but is Aurora strong enough to let the truth enter her world? Gently a neighbor helps Aurora see the light, the light of truth, of God, of her own being and she lifts those stakes of lies and realizes she is not alone, she is not helpless. I would recommend this book to anyone as a testimony to the power of Christ and as a testimony that there really is a contemporary Christian writer who knows her way around a pen. Thank you Angela Hunt.
Revealing.......2005-08-05
The book was slow to begin but took off in great wonders. The author was very detailed oriented - she made you feel as if you were sitting in the same room. It was a very good read.
Intriguing!.......2005-07-04
What a captivating book! The story is intriguing and the characters are well written and well developed with realistic flaws and emotions. The heroine, Aurora, wasn't your typical beautiful princess/damsel in distress type that is found in so many other books. She was realistic and at times her actions frustrated me to no end, but that was what made the book so great. Ms. Hunt also does an excellent job of incorporating humor into the story. The book is a page-turner that never gets dull. Occasionally the dream sequences got a little unrealistic, however they were necessary to keep the story going.
Great book.......2004-09-21
In this book, Aurora's life spins out of control when her mother, suffering from dementia, dies. Aurora struggles with strange dreams, visions, and memories, and with agoraphobia.
I thought all of the symbolism in this book was very interesting. The memory of Aurora's father telling Aurora's mother, that she wanted nothing to do with love because she wanted nothing to do with faithfulness, was interesting. That parallels our relationship with Christ, when sometimes, we aren't as faithful to Him, and we can't feel His love at times. I thought the book written within this book, I Know She Weeps was very interesting as well, about the love between father and daughter. I thought that strongly paralleled our relationship to Christ as well.
The characters were great in this book. I loved Phil and his sense of humor when Aurora played "Walked Like An Egyptian" in the middle of the night as a way for Aurora to cope with her dreams. I loved how Phil was there for Aurora. I also got so aggravated at Clara for not letting Aurora be an adult. The characters were written so well.
And the ending was great, as Aurora did find love. The book focused on a lot on love, but not in a "boyfriend/girlfriend" sort of way.
I look forward to reading more books by Angela Hunt.
Customer Reviews:
Remarkable account of an investigation........2006-08-30
Philip Ginsburg has done it again! Like Poisoned Blood, I could hardly put this book down. Shadow of Death is an in-depth look at a series of murders and the investigations in New Hampshire and Vermont in the 1980s. As I read, I experienced the frustration and the urgency of the detectives and the profiler to catch the killer (or killers). Although the murders remain unsolved, it wasn't for lack of trying. Philip Ginsburg has done a remarkable job in relating the murders, and detailing the victims, the psychologist, and the detectives, to the point where you know them well. Truly one of the best books on a serial murder investigation.
This is what true crime should be - almost.......2006-04-12
I've reread this countless times. I have ties to the area and was amazed at how little public play this got while it was happening. I still need to know the answer of "who" but it is without a doubt one of the best true crime books ever written
The best book of all time.......2000-06-15
When you first read this book you will probably think this is the best book ever written, I did! I live in New Hampshire and when I read it I was so entriged by the wording that it just pulled me into the book and I thought I was one of the FBI officers working on the case with them. If you like to read Supense Thriller and Murder books you will diffently want to add this book to your collect like I did. I hope you read this book, and enjoyed it as must as I did. Well, I actually know you will love it so much that you will log on to Amazon.com and order the book as fast you can! ....
Book Description
This poignant and elegantly designed collection of stories and verse provides comfort and healing for anyone experiencing the grief of losing a dog. An essential resource for veterinarians, bereavement counselors, pet loss support groups, and, of course, pet owners themselves, Angel Pawprints is a heartwarming book for anyone who has ever loved and lost a dog.
Customer Reviews:
Continuing Saga.......2004-10-07
This book continues the saga of the friends (minus Dean). It makes sense. While it's not loaded with tons of "mutant action," it is noteworthy in that it furter explores the dynamic between the members of the team. Does it also illustrate the genesis of one of the OUTLANDS settlements? Maybe.
DEATH HUNT BORE-FEST!.......2004-09-22
Please don't waste your valuable time on this particular novel in this series. This author does not have the knack to do this series and it's characters justice.
Bland and boring adventure with stupid and irrational direction.
All the other 2 or 3 authors of this series are solid. But the last 3 books have been horrendously written by this one. It has been a grueling 9 months of reading hell.
Thank God the next one will have a new author. An author who has written solid action/adventure for over 2 decades. Let us hope that he can inject some much needed good storytelling in the next volume, titled - Shaking Earth.
Good title, at least...
Books:
- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
- Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth
- Dragon's Egg (Del Rey Impact)
- Epicenter: Why Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future
- Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (The Every Man Series)
- Fallen Angels and the Origins of Evil: Why Church Fathers Suppressed the Book of Enoch and Its Startling Revelations
- Female Ejaculation and the G-Spot: Not Your Mother's Orgasm Book! (Positively Sexual)
- Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
- Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past
- Haunted : A Novel of Stories
Books Index
Books Home
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Faith
| Christian Living
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
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I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Womans Encounter with God
Sharing Your Faith With a Hindu
Torn Veil
If I Perish
Jesus Among Other Gods The Absolute Claims Of The Christian Message
