Black Wind (Dirk Pitt Adventures)

Book Description

Clive Cussler's dazzling new Dirk Pitt(r) adventure.

Clive the Mighty!" hailed Kirkus Reviews about Cussler's last Dirk Pitt(r) novel, Trojan Odyssey. "Hurricane Clive at his most tumultuous." Nobody has been able to match Cussler yet for the intricate plotting and sheer audacity of his work, and Black Wind sets the bar even higher.

In the waning days of World War II, the Japanese tried a last desperate measure-a different kind of kamikaze mission, this one carried out by two submarines bound for the West Coast of the United States, their cargo a revolutionary new strain of biological virus. Neither sub made it to the designated target.

But that does not mean they were lost.

Someone knows about the subs and what they bore, knows too where they might be, and has an extraordinary plan in store for the prize inside-a scheme that could reshape the world as we know it. All that stands in the way are three people: a marine biologist named Summer, a marine engineer named Dirk, and their father, Dirk Pitt, the new head of NUMA. Pitt has faced devastating enemies before, and has even teamed up with his children to track them down. But never has he looked upon the face of pure evil . . . until now.

Filled with dazzling suspense and breathtaking action, Black Wind is Cussler at the height of his storytelling powers.

Customer Reviews:

Ugh.......2007-10-06

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that when the Cusslers sit down to write a book they first bring out a huge box of crayola crayons and whenever the part comes to introduce a character they blindly pull out a crayon to describe the color of that chacters eyes.

And why does Dirk Jr appear to be the oldest 20 something year old in the world. There is a huge problem when a now 70ish year old Cussler is writing a story whos characters are straight out of college.

When the kids showed up in (I think it was Valhalla Rising or Atlantis) it should have ended with Dirk Sr excusing himself as the kids made there way touring his car collection in the hanger, and dirk retreating to his living area upstairs, grabbing a quick shot of scotch and pulling out that huge gun of his and putting it to him temple. Is anyone else disgusted at the domestication of Al and Dirk?

Cussler and Dirk Sr. have officially jumped the shark. Oh the irony.

Clive Cussler books.......2007-08-01

I like the action and the style of Clive Cussler books. The hero Dirk Pitt stimulates my imagination.

Think you know Clive.......2007-07-23

Dark Wind was a great read. Clive and Dirk Cussler were really great together. The interesting plot and charachter twists were fun.

not a winner.......2007-07-22

Being a long time Clive Cussler/Dirk Pitt fan I must say that this book is not by Clive nor about Dirk(Sr.)The best thing to do at this point is to get rid of all the children involved with the project.This includes Mr. Cussler the younger.If Mr. Cussler the elder is unable to continue writing, without help,then retire Dirk Pitt and crew.I would surley miss them but I missed them in this book also.

Unrealistic responses and poor judgement.......2007-07-05

Most of the writing is very much canned with relationships straight out of melodrama; however, this can be excused considering the scope of the novel. What cannot be excused are the unrealistic responses to dangerous situations the characters constantly encounter and yet, are able to escape with little or no consequences. The use of Deus Ex Machina can only be forgiven in extreme cases--this is not one of them.

The characters are two dimensional in their perfection as well as their near invulnerability. They have no flaws which is an impossibility. The reaction of the United States government to the situations outlined in the novel are naive at its most basest.

To say the least, I am very unhappy with this novel.

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement

Average customer rating:

A Walk with the Wind not a Work of Art
Pesonal journey in Civil Rights Era
Walking With The People
First-hand account of the student civil rights movement
It all comes together here

Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement
John Lewis , and Michael D'orso
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Children
The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle (Eyes on the Prize)
Pillar of Fire : America in the King Years 1963-65 (America in the King Years)
Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965 (African American History (Penguin))
Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970

ASIN: 0684810654

Amazon.com

John Lewis is an authentic American hero, a modest man from the most humble of beginnings who left a rural Alabama cotton farm 40 years ago and strode into the forefront of the civil rights movement. One of the young people who brought the teachings of Ghandi and King to the lunch counters of Nashville in 1960, Lewis suffered taunts and threats, beatings and arrests. He spoke at the historic 1963 March on Washington and became chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The nation, tuned to the nightly news, watched in horror as state troopers clubbed him viciously, fracturing his skull as he led a march in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Today, he's the only member of Congress who can be proud of having been carried off to jail more than 40 times. With the help of a collaborator, journalist Michael D'Orso, this remarkable man has written a truly remarkable book. Walking with the Wind is a deeply moving personal memoir that skillfully balances the intimate and touching recollections of the deeply thoughtful Lewis with the intense national drama that was the civil rights movement.

Book Description

Forty years ago, a teenaged boy named John Lewis stepped off a cotton farm in Alabama and into the epicenter of the struggle for civil rights in America. The ideals of nonviolence which guided that critical time of American history established him as one of the movement's most charismatic and courageous leaders.

In Walking with the Wind, John Lewis recounts his life with the fierce simplicity for which he is known, both in public and private. It began in rural poverty but within the bosom of a loving and resilient family. It has ranged across almost every battlefield in the most dramatic struggles for racial justice -- from Selma to Montgomery to Birmingham and beyond.

Lewis's leadership of the Nashville Movement -- a student-led effort to desegregate the city of Nashville using sit-in techniques based on the teachings of Gandhi -- established him as one of the movement's defining figures and set the tone for the major civil rights campaigns of the 1960s, from the Freedom Rides of 1961, during which Lewis was repeatedly brutally beaten and imprisoned; to the 1963 March on Washington, where his fiery speech thrust him into the national spotlight; to his selection as the national chairman of SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), which he helped shape and guide; to the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" attack at Selma, where Lewis suffered a fractured skull during a tear gas attack by Alabama state troopers. Lewis, as a participant in the movement, was to be, and remains, utterly true to his boyhood hero, Martin Luther King Jr., as a believer in the philosophy and discipline of nonviolent social action.

In 1966, Lewis was ousted as SNCC chairman by Stokely Carmichael, who represented the emerging militant "Black Power" direction of the movement. Two years later, Lewis joined Robert Kennedy in his 1968 campaign for the presidency. He was with Kennedy moments before he was assassinated.

Lewis, committed to the principles of nonviolence, spent the next decade organizing and registering four million voters in the South. In 1986, he sought a United States congressional seat in a campaign against his old friend, comrade, and former SNCC colleague Julian Bond. Lewis won the seat in a great upset and serves in Congress to this day.

John Lewis tells his story of struggle in the civil rights movement, of comradeship in that community, of its battles and triumphs, and of his own persevering faith with great charm, candor, and humor.

Customer Reviews:

A Walk with the Wind not a Work of Art.......2007-08-02

The junior standard-bearer for civil rights during the era of segregation recounts his rise through those times toward his own national recognition. It's an intimate and introspective offering. It's a unique perspective.
After his Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, crashes, he self-imposes exile as an "invisible man" in New York working as a grant officer for a private charity:
(p398) "New York was just too big for me. I didn't feel as if I could get my hands around it. In the South, communities seemed comprehensible, manageable, workable. You could see where things started and ended. You could get a grasp of the place and the people, as well as their problems. And you could respond to those problems with solutions that might work...."
He always has the South on his mind where there remains "a spirit instilled by the civil rights movement that is still felt and remembered today, a spirit that was not and is not felt in the same way in the North. That, I believe, is the huge difference between the legacy of the civil rights movement in the North and the South. All the great battlegrounds of the civil rights movement were in the South. That fact is cherished and remembered by the people there." (p 208).
There is confusion in "Feel Angry with Me". The chapter describes the fall of Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney. Their violent deaths in defense of the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law during Freedom Summer (1964) fixed the nation's eyes on racist brutality in Mississippi. The confusion is in character casting and mixing the ridiculous partying with his friend, actress, Shirley MacLaine and his virginity in the same chapter with the sublime. Here, especially, the book sacrifices continuity to rigid chronology.
In and out of church - and on both sides of the pulpit - his cast of characters is most colorful, including a prominent one (not MacLaine) today facing bizarre criminal charges. So many stories within the author's story could make for a better book than a strict chronology.
The author alludes to his motivation to influence the masses, (p 400) "I felt the spirit, the hand of the Lord, the power of the Bible -- all of those things -- but only when they flowed through the church and out into the streets. As long as God and His teachings were kept inside the wall of a sanctuary, as they were when I was young, the church meant next to nothing to me." Like a good, "whooping" preacher, he is, at times, poetic. It's some of his best stuff.
Congressman Lewis is no great hero, though he has a measure of both -- greatness of association to the movement he led until the times turned violent -- and heroism for holding to his sometimes politically incorrect beliefs, though not sufficiently incorrect for this reviewer. And his book is not great literature. It is his gift to us with an interest in non-violent social change.

Pesonal journey in Civil Rights Era.......2007-07-12

John Lewis's powerful and moving retelling of his journey through the
Civil Rights years, much of it in leadership positions, is a walk through
important American history. His clarity of purpose, values, honed by the
beatings and jailings of those years shine through it all. This personal
insight into events we read about in history makes it real, and makes us
admire the courage and persistence of people like John Lewis. In our present
times of struggle over issues of war, environment and economic fairness,
we need both a reminder of this historical struggle and a next generation
to press us to make changes, to make a difference. A must read for anyone
concerned about our present times.

Walking With The People.......2007-06-13

Ever since I came to the U.S. I learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his philosophy of non-violence, I always wanted to learn more about the civil rights movement because of the way African American citizens overcame their obstacles in a non-violent way.

Walking with the wind is a memoir of the author John Lewis, the book begins at his home town where he was raised and learned the meaning of discrimination at an early age. The book describes his whole life how he was discriminated and how became involved with the movement, and how he later on became chair man of the SNCC.
The book also has a part where it only describes the life of John Lewis after the movement, what he does and what happens to all of his close friends, this is at the end of the book, but also talks about how he tries to become something important in U.S. politics.

My favorite part of the whole book is when John Lewis is watching the presidential elections of 1976, when he sees that Jimmy Carter was elected he begins to cry because like he says, he finally sees the hands that picked cotton, picking a president, he cries because he sees that all his hard work pays off, by the government counting the black vote.

The knowledge that John Lewis wants to pass down to readers is the struggle of all African American people to gain freedom and rights, he wants the new generation of people of color to know how much the old generation had to go through to gain all the freedom kids posses these days.

This book is boring, there is almost no action, it is mostly talking about politics, so do not read this book if you are not hooked by memoirs. It takes time to get into the good stuff, like for example, there are parts where the author describes the way police responded in a violent way to a non-violent protest, there are many occasions like this through out the whole book.

First-hand account of the student civil rights movement.......2007-06-04

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis' broad range of experiences gives the reader a glimpse into nearly every facet of the 1960's part of the movement. However, it is also useful for the specific study of the Nashville student movement and the study of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee).

It all comes together here.......2005-12-03

John Robert Lewis "You are the man" Best book on civil rights movement I have read. The story seems to come full circle.

Black Dawn, Bright Day : Indian Prophecies for the Millennium That Reveal the Fate of the Earth

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Black Dawn, Bright Day
Black Dawn,Bright Day
Yatahey! An Old Friend...redux
Prophecies of the Bright Day
A valuable resource relevant to Y2K and Earth Changes.

Black Dawn, Bright Day : Indian Prophecies for the Millennium That Reveal the Fate of the Earth
Sun Bear , and Wabun Wind
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0671759000

Customer Reviews:

Black Dawn, Bright Day.......2007-03-10

This book is truly one of the BEST. It will raise your consciousness of the way we're living. And at the same time treating that which is providing us with life. I have ordered extras to pass out to try and help others have the same light bulb moment. I believe that nature has had ENOUGH of our craziness as far as the way we have treated earth mother. This book breaks it down to exactly what we've been doing all over this planet. We are not going to survive if this madness continues. PLEASE read and pass it on. We must change our ways in order for our future generation to have a chance.

Black Dawn,Bright Day.......2006-11-06

Sun Bear has given an excellent account of how we have abused the earth and what the consequences of that abuse will be. He also provides instructions on how to survive those 'consequences'. Sun Bear has great understanding and insight regarding the earth and its resources. It's very sobering reading and not to be taken lightly.....since many of the prophecies are already happening.

Yatahey! An Old Friend...redux.......2005-09-05

Long before, while I lived "back east", I found some wonderful books that have changed my life path, among them, I found Sun Bear. The first book of his I read was "Black Dawn, Bright Day". It struck me, as very powerful and a tad scary, but, to my then naieve self, the "millenium" was sooooo far away it was hard to take as viable, despite my mistrust of [our's most especially] government officials. We had gas shortages, we made it through Viet Nam, we know about the Ozone layer, we have learned -- I believed that they would surely do the "right thing" and fix it before his worse prophecies could materialize. With the recent onset, and increasing intensity, of many natural, and unnatural crises [eliminating "Mother Earth's Parasites i.e. humans], and now "Katrina" coupled with the [not yet declared war in Iraq], I am curious to see just how accurate the predictions were [as a personal aside, around a few months ago, the resident eagles were missing for a long while, and whales have been grounding themselves again, and I couldn't help recall that this was one of the portents Sun Bear spoke of, re: huge changes afoot]. Recently the Eagles have returned, sporadically, and I can only hope that they are letting us know that if we "do the right things" we still may have a good chance of turning things around. What I want to say to potential readers is, at worse, this book is written beautifully, with the late great Sun Bear's voice and wit, and at best, it's a hopeful warning. I'm going to peruse my shelves and /moving boxes right now for a reread myself.

Prophecies of the Bright Day.......2001-10-28

For a long time I had heard and read other individual's positive views on this book: "Black Dawn,Bright Day" by Sun Bear. Finally 3 weeks ago I order the book. I think in my opinion that this book is the best of the Native American prophecies books I had read thus far. In this age when the popular religious fever view seems to be to look forward to escaping the earth and flying off on a cloud...a book such as this that focuses on a spiritual purification of out earth and then it's renewl="The Bright Day" hope instead of it's destruction...is very refreshing. Indeed, there are "some" Judeo-Christian groups who embrace the hope of the renewl of our earth..but they usually lacked the understanding of helping taking care of our earth NOW as part of the plan to one day see the renewl of the earth and they lack the Native American's understanding and view of viewing the animals and nature as being in a kinship with us humans..Unforuantly, instead of viewing the animals and nature in this positive way that the Native Americans do...they (our white culture)tends to view the earth, animals and nature as somehting to exploit selfishly to our own benifit. To me, if we disrespect the creation...then we disrespect the one who create it and all life there upon it..the Creator. This book helps us understand all this and the harm of the "Ladder Approuch" philosophy held in our culture that is ruining our earth. My complaint would likely be that the book towards the back gets a little too doom-ish, in much they way most of these restored earth believing Judeo-Christian groups get. But other than that...I liked it alot.

Renewed Earth Press
P.o. Box 142
Ojai,CA 93023

A valuable resource relevant to Y2K and Earth Changes........1998-12-15

As a former investigative reporter for Post Newsweek TV Group, I became interested in the late Sun Bear's "Black Dawn/Bright Day", which does a very comprehensive job of explaining the upcoming Earth Changes that Native Americans and other indigenious people from around the world have been predicting for many centuries. Sun Bear begins with an in-depth, informative look at how we have gotten ourselves into the mess we are experiencing: earthquakes increasing in number; destruction of 51 acres of tropical forests every minute; consumption of 35,000 barrels of oil every minute; 1692 acres of productive dry land become desert every hour; 1800 children are dying of starvation every hour; 25,000 die of water shortage or contamination every day; etc.He also presents a fascinating account of Indian prophecies, warnings that are now becoming a reality. One in particular is the Iroquois prophecy about the wrestling match between the serpents. The white and red serpents both have the same goals of domination, conquest, and control of Planet Earth. These two serpents were seen to be wrestling with each other until the rivers boiled and the fish died. Soon the black serpent would come into the battle and defeat the red and white serpents. As the black serpent looked toward the indigenious people of Planet Earth to further his wrath, he would see the coming of the great light of Deganawida and become frightened, flee, and never bother the people again.Through contact with the Great Spirit, Sun Bear learned the white and red serpents represented the United States and the Soviet Union. Through our atomic testing we have literally killed off fish and rivers have boiled. Also through the many years of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union supplied weapons to others in the names of democracy and communism. Now the black serpent represented as the Moslem countries has appeared on the scene and gotten the United States and the Soviet Union into conflicts that still plague our world through terrorism. Sun Bear saw the next stage as war among the Moslems and uses the occupation of Kuwait leading to the Gulf War. Yes, Sun Bear does paint a fact-filled, gloomy picture for Planet Earth; however, he also sees the tremendous benefits of "the cleansing" that will soon occur. He sees this leading to the transformation of a planet plagued by greed, lust, and hate to one eventually of peace, abundance, and love. He already sees the whiteman coming to the Native Americans to learn the ancient ways of Planet Earth and how to restore peace, abundance, and love. Sun Bear shares with us how we can prepare ourselves for survival during the Earth Changes and even shares "safe areas" as he saw them through visions and the experiences of traveling through out the world. I used his map of "safe areas" for the United States for my research on the small towns mentioned in my forthcoming book "Survival Manual for Y2K & Beyond."

Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa by Truck, Bus, Boat, and Camel

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Observant Adventurer
ANGRY WIND -ANGRY ARABS
A peek into the Muslim Africa - post 9/11
Good But Not His Best
"He who does not travel . . .

Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa by Truck, Bus, Boat, and Camel
Jeffrey Tayler
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 061833467X

Book Description

Hailed by Bill Bryson and the New York Times Book Review as a rising star among travel writers, Jeffrey Tayler penetrates one of the most isolated, forbidding regions on earth--the Sahel. This lower expanse of the Sahara, which marks the southern limit of Islam's reach in West and Central Africa, boasts such mythologized places as Mopti and Timbuktu, as well as Africa's poorest countries, Chad and Niger. In parts of the Sahel, hard-line Sharia law rules and slaves are still traded. Racked by lethal harmattan winds, chronic civil wars, and grim Islamic fundamentalism, it is not the ideal place for a traveler with a U.S. passport. Tayler finds genuine danger in many guises, from drunken soldiers to a thieving teenage mob. But he also encounters patience and generosity of a sort found only in Africa. Traveling overland by the same rickety means used by the local people--tottering, overfilled buses, bush taxis with holes in the floor, disgruntled camels--he uses his fluency in French and Arabic (the region's lingua francas) to connect with them. Tayler is able to illuminate the roiling, enigmatic cultures of the Sahel as no other Western writer could.

Customer Reviews:

Observant Adventurer.......2007-02-08

Powerful lessons, yet enjoyable to read. Through the words of the native inhabitants Mr. Tayler provides eye-opening insight into religious fundamentalism, American Foreign Policy and how people who inhabit one of the poorest and most desolate areas on Earth must approach their everyday lives. Although it might actually discourage you from wanting to visit the region, it helps explain in a big way why Africa continues to be a tortured continent. It should be required reading for everyone over the age of 15 especially if you hail from a first world country.

ANGRY WIND -ANGRY ARABS.......2006-10-16

If one reads this very well written book objectively, it is quite apparent that Arab anger is deep rooted in century's of hate, for Christians, Jews, whites, Americans, Europeans, African blacks, Touregs, and even other Arabs of different sects. Oh of course they now hate Bush, but they have been hating since Mohammed; only the primary targets have changed with the years. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast moving book though it did leave me with a very pessimistic view of the world my children will live in.

A peek into the Muslim Africa - post 9/11 .......2006-07-01

Tayler is one brave traveller. Being a white American you need guts to travel in a predominantly Muslim Africa. He charts his journey across the Sahel region, following path ravaged by the vicious Haramattan wind. The author describes the poverty and despair, so characteristic of Africa, with compassion. At times he displays righteous anger when provoked, but soon consoles himself when he perceives the abject misery around him. The book is more than a travelogue. It details the political undercurrents and opinions about post 9/11 USA. Also, one understands the history and causes for the ongoing conflict between the Muslims and Christians. Can it get worse: poverty, rising temperatures and being ruled by misinterpreted Sharia ?

Good But Not His Best.......2005-09-07

This is Jeffrey Tayler's fourth book. I have read all of his books, and I would say that this ranks at the bottom of my list. However, in general, I did enjoy the book. The problem with this book is that Tayler's journey through the Sahel of Africa does not seem to be as extensive as his other sojourns. He seems to move rather quickly through a couple of targeted locations in each of the countries he visits. As a result, the books is light on interesting cultural stories and personal experiences. While he does encounter some potentially difficult situations along the way, this journey does lack the adventurous feeling of his first two books (Siberian Dawn and Facing The Congo). It seems that in this case, Tayler created a truncated trip solely for the purpose of cranking out another book. Having said that, I have to admit I did like the book. Tayler has an eloquent style of writing that makes reading about his journeys interesting even when nothing much has taken place. I am also fascinated by his linguistic skills, which helps him transcend cultural barriers by giving him the ability to converse with almost anyone he encounters. This book also gave me a glimpse into the history and culture of Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Mali, four nations that I previously had little or no knowledge of. If you are a fan of Tayler's books, you will probably like this book, but it may not end up being at the top of your list of favorites.

"He who does not travel . . . .......2005-08-07

. . . will not know the value of men" (Moorish saying)

Jeffrey Tayler must have had this saying in his mind when embarking on his extraordinary journey across the Sahel from Northern Chad to Senegal on the Atlantic Coast. His book follows in the footsteps of famous explorers of the Sahara/Sahel in centuries past, starting with Ibn Battuta and Leo Africanus to Mungo Park and Heinrich Barth. Tayler deserves an honoured place among them.

An experienced traveler in difficult terrains, as described in previous books, he set himself an unusually challenging itinerary. He trekked mainly through remote rural areas at the southern edge of the Sahara, relying on local transport and local people for assistance in his quest. The two-month excursion took place in early 2003 (prior to the invasion of Iraq) but the shadow of 9/11 confronted him everywhere, with varying degrees of vehemence. One of his objectives, in fact, had been to explore the reactions of local people to the conflicts between his home country, USA, and this part of Africa that is predominantly Muslim. He wanted to hear their concerns and how they judged American politics and treated an American in their midst. His fluency in Arabic and French as well as familiarity with Arab and West African Muslim cultures were essential preconditions for this adventure.

And it was an adventure in all respects: threat of bandits, lack of safe food and water, breaking down vehicles, military and border bureaucrats' attempts to block his way. He followed far-flung desert tracks into regions foreigner had rarely ventured to enter. Chad is not on tourist maps, nor is the northern region of Nigeria. Neither is Niger, the second poorest country in the world. Traveling on the Niger River in a local "pinasse" from Gao to Timbuktu presented its own challenges. Arriving finally in Timbuktu he is rewarded with a beautifully conveyed visit to celebrate the "Feast of Tabaski" with a Tuareg family an hour's camel ride away in the desert.

More than once was he worried about survival and safe return. Quite deliberately he immersed himself in the local habitat and routines. He shared many of the hardships of the local people whose poverty, hopelessness and sometimes anger he describes in detail with deep empathy and understanding. His skill of observation brings the villages and the people to life. His portrayal of the beauty of the Sahelian landscape despite the challenges of its harsh climate are superb, his language often lyrical. The "harmattan", the hot and destructive desert wind, made life difficult for animals and humans. His real "saviours", however, were his numerous local travel companions and guides as well as village chiefs and other people encountered. He records political and philosophical discussions with them and reflects on their personalities and surroundings. Sometimes, it is only with a sense of humour and patience that issues get resolved. It became evident to Tayler, that even in the remotest oases of Chad or Niger, the local people were well aware of the major crisis between the United States and Muslim states; they voiced their concerns of the US administration and the impending war with Iraq. "We always liked the Americans before" one chief is quoted, "but not now". Many interlocutors saw a clear distinction between an American among them and his government's politics. "You are safe here", one of them responded as he imagined the wrath of US on his country if anything happened to their visitor.

The book is rich in detail and full of fascinating facts. Tayler touches on diverse tensions and conflicts, whether religious or ethnic, internal to the nations he visited, illustrating the dilemmas of the ill-advised post colonial boundaries. Given the distances he traveled, the places he visited and the people he encountered, the book could easily have been double in length. The expansion would not lose the reader's attention.

What makes this book particularly valuable is Tayler's solid knowledge of the long and complex history underlying the socio-political context of the region. Historical information and relevant current data is brought into the flow of the reporting, adding important background information without overloading the narrative. No doubt this is a captivating read and invaluable for anybody wanting to learn more about this fascinating and least explored African region. [Friederike Knabe]

To Love the Wind and the Rain: African Americans and Environmental History

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Groundbreaking
To Love the Wind and the Rain --African Americans ans Environmental History

To Love the Wind and the Rain: African Americans and Environmental History

Manufacturer: University of Pittsburgh Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0822958996

Book Description

âTo Love the Wind and the Rainâ is a groundbreaking and vivid analysis of the relationship between African Americans and the environment in U.S. history. It focuses on three major themes: African Americans in the rural environment, African Americans in the urban and suburban environments, and African Americans and the notion of environmental justice. Meticulously researched, the essays cover subjects including slavery, hunting, gardening, religion, the turpentine industry, outdoor recreation, women, and politics. âTo Love the Wind and the Rainâ will serve as an excellent foundation for future studies in African American environmental history.

Customer Reviews:

Groundbreaking.......2007-03-09

It's a popular assumption that black people aren't "environmentalists," but what is meant by this? That black people lack proportional representation in mainstream environmental organizations like the Sierra Club? That black people are more concerned about civil rights than they are about endangered species? That they don't go camping? And if so...why?

American environmental history as a field took shape in the late 1960's, but as this book illustrates, viewing that history through the lens of race or gender is relatively new. This diverse collection of articles by historians, social scientists and environmentalists broadens both our understanding of the word "environment" and the relationship of African Americans to it. For example, historical articles explore how slaves interacted with nature (including hunting, fishing, gardening and working "in the pines" of the turpentine industry), blacks and outdoor recreation, and the "suburban passage." Others address contemporary issues of Environmental Justice, a movement which concerns itself less with wilderness preservation and more with people-centered environmental issues such as the exposure of low-income people to hazardous waste, and the societal forces which make them more likely to be in harm's way. Two articles look specifically at black women's activism during the Progressive Era.

With one or two jargon-heavy exceptions, I think most of the articles will be accessible to lay readers as well as academics. I especially liked Martin V. Melosi's "Environmental Justice, Ecoracism and Environmental History" and Carl Anthony's "Reflections on the Purposes and Meanings of African American Environmental History," the latter of which could serve equally well as an introduction.

This groundbreaking book raises as many questions as it answers, and will surely stimulate further scholarship in this important field of study. I'd recommend it for readers interested in American History, African American Studies or Environmental Studies.

To Love the Wind and the Rain --African Americans ans Environmental History.......2006-03-09

Natural resource managers and the environmental community are concerned about the lack of African American participation in natural resource and environment as issues, a profession, or a source of enjoyment. Whether this is actually true is a sensitive subject.

This book is a must read for those looking for the possible historical, economic or cultural reasons African Americas do not participate in natural resources issues, regardless of the environmental justice movement.

Personally, I believe the authors sometime stretch possible links between past culture, economic events or slavery and current attitudes. Regardless of possible stretchs, no one really knows the answer but the book is very helpful in bringing out the factors that probably conspired to produce what we see today.

Answers for how to engage the African community on natural resource or environmental issues will have to overcome deep cultural attitudes, attitudes that took generations to form. One place to start is by reading this book.

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These authors/artists rock
An Important Volume On The Assassin's Road
We learn what Ogami Itto is up to on the Assassin's Road
The prologue is over, and it's time for the first act.

Lone Wolf and Cub 5: Black Wind
Kazuo Koike , Goseki Kojima , and Dana Lewis
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Lone Wolf and Cub 4: The Bell Warden
Lone Wolf and Cub 6: Lanterns for the Dead
The Flute of the Fallen Tiger (Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 3)
Lone Wolf and Cub 7: Cloud Dragon, Wind Tiger
Lone Wolf and Cub 2: The Gateless Barrier

ASIN: 1569715068

Book Description

This volume contains five powerful, classic tales of the assassin Itto Ogami, the Lone Wolf, as he continues his journey to hell. The Yagyu clan, fearful of the growing legend surrounding Lone Wolf, has decided to protect itself by sending its own assassin after him, and later pit the greatest swordsman of a rival clan against him. Also, Lone Wolf must face the leader of a bounty-hunting gang who seeks revenge against Ogami for slaying his young lord years ago, and a master gunsmith who values the art of warfare above all else and will change his life forever. Don`t miss a single volume of the acclaimed epic series that belongs on every bookshelf: Lone Wolf and Cub.

Customer Reviews:

These authors/artists rock.......2007-01-17

I love these guys...the particular copy that I got from amazon had been stolen from a library, but the read was still good and imagine the late fees that the poor sap who sold it to me will have har har har. Seriously, its a good series and you should read it, but don't buy over 10 until I do.

An Important Volume On The Assassin's Road.......2003-05-12

Black Wind is probably the most important volume of Lone Wolf and Cub to date, as we find out the reason why Ogami Itto travels the assassin's road with his son Daigoro. The blueprint for the coming conflict with the Yagyu Clan is laid out, and Itto gains an important new weapon for his quest. As usual, creators Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima create a richly layered story, with dazzling action and deep characterization. Highly recommended!

We learn what Ogami Itto is up to on the Assassin's Road.......2002-10-13

When I read the first story in Volume 5 of the Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, I thought that the manga epic had finally started to level off a bit. But "Black Wind" might be the most important volume so far in the series in terms of laying out the larger scope of the story:

(24) "Trail Markers" is much shorter tale than we have been used to of late in this series. The Yagyu have discovered the symbols by which Ogami Itto is contacted by those who wish to hire an assassin and they send the man who was his chief rival for the post of Kogi Kaishakunin. Given this particular part of the epic's backstory that is revealed, I would have thought this would have occasioned a more detailed story, but this one really cuts to the quick.

(25) "Executioner's Hill" has a group of bounty hunters deciding to go after Lone Wolf & Cub. Their leader has a personal score to settle for one of the executions Ogami performed for the shogun and the group decides to capture Daigoro and trade him for his father's fortune. For the first time, we have are given a reason for why Ogami has been collection 500 ryo for each assassination.

(26) "Black Wind" certainly deserves to be the title story of Volume 5. For the first time Daigoro may well be truly happy, for he has a new father who works in the rice paddies planting the crop. The Black Wind is a south wind blowing up during the rainy season, an unusual natural force, that serves as an apt metaphor for Ogami Itto's presence in this pastoral setting. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished in Edo-period Japan.

(27) "Decapitator Asaemon" tends to confirm the hypothesis from "Executioner's Hill" regarding Ogami-Itto's master plan. The Shogunate may well believe the Yagyu set up Ogami because the coveted the post of Kogi Kaishakunin, but they are still offended by Ogami having gone Ronin. The title character of this story holds the post of Kiri-Yaku, who tests the cutting edge of the Shogun's Sashiryo sword. Considered Ogami's equal by his master, Asaemon is dispatched to end Lone Wolf's walk along the assassin's road.

(28) "The Guns of Sakai" marks what may well be an important chapter in the Lone Wolf and Cub epic. The assassin is hired to kill a gunsmith who has been making guns for other clients besides the Shogunate. However, Ogami's victim has a very interesting final request: that he be allowed to pass on his secrets to his apprentices. Ogami's agreement to this request may prove to be very significant down the assassin's road.

So while the first of these five stories is a minor piece, the other four tales supply some of the biggest pieces in the puzzle that is developing. The attention to historical detail continues to become a bigger part of the series while continuing to offers it compelling mix of ultra-violence with deep honor and paternal love. I have been reading a single story each night in an effort to savor each one. "Lone Wolf and Cub" deserves the reputation it enjoys as a classic in its field.

The prologue is over, and it's time for the first act........2001-06-02

Being a fan of samurai epics and manga, I had heard of "Lone Wolf and Cub" over the years and became interested in it. So when it was set to be re-published in the U.S., I wanted to see what all the talk was about. Now after reading up to this volume (and two or three volumes ahead of this one), most of the enclosed stories in this volume start to bring in a major plotline which I'm sure will last throughout the run of the series. For the beginners to the series, it's best to start back at the first volume to see how it all starts. But for those of us who have been reading the series up to this volume, this is where the payoff for the series starts. Filled with lush Black & White imagery and stunning sequences of violence, this is a must for any hardcore Manga fan!

From the Mediterranean Caper to Black Wind: A Bibliography of Clive Cussler

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The ESSENTIAL Guide

From the Mediterranean Caper to Black Wind: A Bibliography of Clive Cussler
Wayne Valero
Manufacturer: The Clive Cussler Collector's Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 097651480X
Release Date: 2005-05-01

Product Description

From The Mediterranean Caper To Black Wind. A Bibliography of Clive Cussler. This 376-page trade paperback is published by The Clive Cussler Collectors Society and contains an introduction by Jack DuBrul. From the back cover: In his bibliography, Wayne Valero has painstakingly listed nearly every English language edition of Clives works as the title says from the Mediterranean Caper to Black Wind, including his non-fiction Sea Hunters and Sea Hunters II and the NUMA Files and Oregon Files spin-offs. This is a great guide to collectors who want to ensure their books are the coveted first editions or anyone interested in the impressive scope produced by the grandmaster of adventure. Jack Du Brul. From The Mediterranean Caper To Black Wind is an in-depth bibliography listing over 400 obscure paperback and hardcover editions, with descriptions and ISBN numbers. Wayne also shares his thoughts and insights that readers will find interesting.

Customer Reviews:

The ESSENTIAL Guide.......2005-12-08

If you're a Clive Cussler fan, this should be your Holy Book.
Wayne Valero is a champion of his craft. The amount of effort and dedication he put into this work boggles the mind. It is, quite simply, the most detailed -- entertaining and even scholary -- approach to Cussler's work. EVERY single edition has been meticulously documented and served in a mouth-watering dressing of accompanying facts and notes.
The bibliography delivers everything you might expect -- and then some. Wayne Valero provides a running commentary on various Cussler-related topics -- from the Grandmaster's trademark style that impacted the genre, to insight on the Raise the Titanic movie script.
This 376-page book is crammed with value.
Savor it.

THE HARD BOILED OMNIBUS - Early Stories from Black Mask: Sail; Taking His Time; Death in the Pasig; The Man Who Liked Dogs; Fly Paper; Inside Job; Red Goose; Red 71; Best Man; Kick Back; Clean Sweep; South Wind

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THE HARD BOILED OMNIBUS - Early Stories from Black Mask: Sail; Taking His Time; Death in the Pasig; The Man Who Liked Dogs; Fly Paper; Inside Job; Red Goose; Red 71; Best Man; Kick Back; Clean Sweep; South Wind
Joseph T. (editor) (Lester Dent; Reuben Jennings Shay; Ramon Decolta; Raymond Chandler; Dashiell Hammett; Raoul Whitfield; Norbert Davis; Paul Cain; Thomas Walsh; Ed Lybeck; Roger Torrey; Theodore Tinsley) Shaw
Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GVZ3XC

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The Clues were There, I just Missed Them
Tenacious, Wisecracking Dan Fortune Always Gets his Man

Walk a Black Wind
Michael Collins
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Fortune's World

ASIN: 0881845000

Book Description

When a man for no apparent reason to do so hires Chelsea private eye Dan Fortune to find the killer of a cocktail waitress, Fortune is as curious about his employer as about the victim. Then the waitress turns out to be the scion of an aristocratic old Dutch family and the going gets dangerous for Fortune, as the trail leads him to upstate New York and a desolate Arizona Indian reservation.

Customer Reviews:

The Clues were There, I just Missed Them.......2005-10-25

I hate it when I get to an ending that I should have suspected, but didn't. You know what I mean, the kind of story where a skillful writer has subtlety slipped you clues throughout the story, but you were so caught up with the characters that you missed them. Well, that's what happened to me while reading Michael Collins's excellent mystery, WALK A BLICK WIND. Collins is certainly a pro, knows how to grab the reader by the guts and yank him along, pulling him through various twists and turns, while giving him enough information to solve the crime right along with his private eye protagonist, if only he'd read with both eyes open. "Duh," was the word that came immediately to mind when I finished the book. How come I didn't see who the bad guy killer was? The clues were right there in front of me.

They were right there in front of Dan Fortune, one-armed P.I., as well. Only he figured it out. But not before leading me on a merry chase. Right from the get go Fortune is a little suspicious when an older man wants to find out who'd murdered a younger woman he'd only been seeing for a couple weeks. However the client offers Fortune two grand and for that kind of money, he is off and running. During the chase Fortune is followed, beat up, shot, beat up, drugged, beat up and still he continues on, getting closer and closer to a killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. A killer who leaves bodies in Fortune's wake. A killer who Fortune has to unmask before he turns into one of the bodies himself.

I first read this book about a generation and a half ago. It fooled me then, it fooled me now. Michael Collins ranks right up there with the best in the ever growing mystery field. He was one of the first and his stories are every bit as good as any out there. Give him a try, you won't be disappointed. In fact, I'm betting that once you follow along with smart-mouthed Fortune on a case, that you'll eagerly seek out another Dan Fortune mystery. I've read them all over the years. I'm reading them again. Well, I'm reading as many as I can get my hands on. Some of them are hard to find, but it's worth the effort.

Tenacious, Wisecracking Dan Fortune Always Gets his Man.......2004-01-26

When John Andera walks into Dan Fortune's office and lays a thousand dollars on him to find the killer of a girl he'd only know a couple weeks, Fortune suspects something is amiss. But a thousand up front and another thousand when he solves the case is too much money for a one-armed, wisecracking, New York P.I. to pass up.

Fortune finds out from the newspaper that twenty-year-old murdered Fran Martin was really Francesca Crawford, the daughter of Martin Crawford, mayor of upstate Dresden. From his police pal Captain Gazzo, Fortune learns Francesca was most likely killed by a professional, one knife thrust, perfectly placed, straight to the heart. From Francesca's roommate, Celia Bazer, Fortune learns that Fran dated little, but when she did, she seemed to go out with older men.

Coming back to his office after interviewing Celia, Fortune sees he's being followed. He sets an ambush, the follower is too quick for our one-armed hero, beats up Fortune and gets away. Fortune gives chase, gets shot and wakes in the hospital. Now he knows somebody does not want him to find Francesca's killer. But who? Collins gives us a bevy of suspects and just when you're convinced you've got the case pinned down, you find you're wrong, and right away you're wheels are spinning again as you follow along with Fortune while he gamely tacks on a still a new course, chasing after still another suspect.

Dan Fortune is now and always has been a refreshing protagonist in the P.I. genre. He's bulldog determined as he acts the wisecracking clown and he solves his cases with brains, not brawn. He's not a fighter and he knows it. He's not macho, but he's charming as all get out and this book with the super twisty ending about a P.I. who always gets his man gets five stars from me.

Amazon.com

West Indian author, journalist, and essayist Eric Derwent Walrond (1898-1966) was the least-known and arguably most complex writer of the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Guyana and raised in Barbados and Panama, Walrond had a view of upper Manhattan's city within a city as an outsider of Afro-Caribbean descent. "The white man in America strangely does not consider the West Indian a 'nigger,'" Walrond once remarked. He is to him a 'foreigner.'" But unlike most of his countrymen who tended to mythologize their differences and allegiances with the United States and Great Britain, Walrond revealed deeper nuances of the race, ethnicity, and immigrant life of West Indians. "Like many people from the Caribbean, Walrond became a permanent migrant, always having a sense of home while simultaneously feeling the loss of it. This contradiction is what often adds power and poignancy to his work," writes Professor Louis J. Parascandola of Long Island University, who edited Winds Can Wake the Dead, a pleasing potpourri of Walrond's eclectic work. It contains selections from his days as a reporter and editor for the Panama Star and Marcus Garvey's Negro World; his essays for the Urban League journal Opportunity; and his marvelous collection of short stories, Tropic Death--one of the most moving depictions of Caribbean life ever written. From his perceptive portrayal of Harlem in "The Black City" and his penetrating review of Richard Wright's "Twelve Million Black Voices" to his critique of the black condition in "The Negro Before the World," Eric Walrond's newly recovered works are a welcome addition to the Pan-African literary canon. --Eugene Holley Jr.

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