"Recommended for visitors who want to research a trip ahead of time and take the book along for repeated reference. An outdoors-oriented guide which includes all the best fishing spots, hiking trails in largely uncharted areas and whitewater rafting. An excellent guide." The Bookwatch

"...intended for the adventure-minded travelers with special affection for the outdoors and nature. Each Adventure Guide packs in outdoor-oriented activities set in different regions. There's something for nearly everyone." Midwest Book Review

"[Adventure Guides] direct you away from the theme parks and into the great outdoors... the information on trekking routes, canoeing, wildlife refuges - even golf courses - is well researched." The Sunday Telegraph

Anyone familiar with Pete Turner's work over the past years, knows that he is a master magician of color. His new book, Pete Turner African Journey, a collection of color photographs taken over his many years of return travel throughout Africa is magnificent to behold for both its color and content. Pete has a creative passion for color. His connection to color reminds me of a statement by the artist Paul Klee, "Colour possesses me...color and I are one." So it is with Pete who creates his colorful art using a camera and a searching eye. The way he photographs the people, places and culture of Africa is best said in one of the quotes I have by Gordon Parks. " Recording images of serenity and beauty was a matter of devout observance." I can think of no better way to describe the beauty, sensitivity and reverence of Pete Turner's photographs. His photographs are artfully displayed in a beautifully designed book by the prominent designer and friend, Massimo Vignelli. An introduction by another prominent friend, Gordon Parks, pays tribute to Turner for "...an unforgettable gift that urges me to breathe my own roots." African Journey, is a hero's journey, and an invitation to witness the rich and radiant colors and culture of Africa, the second largest continent on our mother earth.

Showcasing 148 full-color photographs, and with an informative introduction by photography, fillmmaker, composer and author Gordon Parks, Pete Turner African Journey captures the exotic glamor of a seven-month journey from Capetown, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt while Pete Turner was on assignment for National Geographic. This is a stunningly visual journal of people, landscapes, wildlife, and visual beauty where the images captured by Turner's camera could easily stand as individual works of high art and hang on any gallery wall. Pete Turner African Journey is a superbly produced and highly recommended addition to any personal, academic, professional, or community library photography collection.

This book is a wonderful trip that takes us though the landscapes of Africa, visiting the people and the incredible wildlife, seen through the lens of one of the world's greatest photographers. Turner is a master of color and light, and he fell in love early in his career with the richness of the African continent. To spend time with this book is to be his travelling-companion, visiting ancient temples, witnessing animals in their world, crossing the Sahara and spending time in villages, getting to know the proud people who live there. One beautiful image is of a dog sleeping in an Ndelele village, its white paw matching the painted architecture. In images like this, Turner shows us again and again scenes that only his eye and lens could capture.

"Common Fire" is a scintillating work--but I'm not sure it's (ENTIRELY) aptly named. The "Fire" part seems to me entirely appropriate, for this book is positively pyrotechnic in its passion and pizzazz! On the other hand, its approach and content are FAR FROM "Common." This book is a masterful synthesis of wit and wisdom. It combines impeccable intellectual and academic credentials with a profoundly spiritual sense of consciousness. It taps and appeals to both the heart AND the mind. In other words, it plumbs the depth of our souls. Citing scholars as diverse as Ronald Heifetz (of "Leadership W/out Easy Answers"), Robert Kegan (of "In Over Our Heads"), Nel Noddings (of "Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics & Moral Education"), Robert Bellah et al. (of "Habits of the Heart"), Robert Putnam (of "Bowling Alone"), Lev Vygotsky (of "Thought and Language,"), Cornel West (of "Race Matters," etc.), Erik Erikson, Thich Nhat Hanh, Peter Senge (of "The 5th Discipline"), and Garrett Hardin (who wrote the seminal essay: "The Tragedy of the Commons")--as well as MANY others, "Common Fire" touches its readers in remarkably nuanced and incisive ways. The book chronicles the lives of actual people who are extraordinarily committed to serving the common/public good. These (auto)biographical sources lend the book an air of practical, non-fictional, personal authority. The "subjects" of the authors' study thus come across with all their human subjectivity, diversity, and individuality intact. But the book is also carefully enough researched, and thoroughly enough informed, that it conveys a more sweeping sense of "objective truth," as well. Perhaps that's because its authors understand and appreciate paradox, mystery, etc. Dialectiticians at heart, they see the world thru' a subtle lens of dialectical sophistication & perspicacity. Moreover, their lyrical, compelling prose makes it a veritable page-turner. This book is engrossing. Once it entranced me within its seductive clutches, I couldn't put it down. When I finally finished it, I felt CHANGED, renewed, inspired in a way books rarely make me feel. "Common Fire" demonstrates the power of "constructive engagement with otherness," of the transcendent joy and possibilities of "living within and beyond our respective tribes," of "developing critical habits of mind, a responsible imagination," and "struggling with human fallibility." SOMETHING has made you investigate this book thus far. I recommend your continuing to follow WHATEVER cosmic force is drawing you thither: So now you have only to go get your hands on this book in order to feel its promethean spark!

Common Fire is more than a book. It is itself a vision and an inspiration. If you're looking for hope and innumerable practical tips about how to create more possibilities for compassion and creativity in our schools and communities, then you'll love the incredible stories that this brilliant, care-full group of four author/educators has put together. Common Fire introduces us to a vision of what our good country can be when we re-envision ourselves as citizens rather than mere "consumers." I find it unbelievably heartbreaking to see America play darkly at the edges of cynicism, despair and violence, all of this supported by a daily barrage of TV and newspaper stories that hold out the lowest possible standard for what we humans can be, individually and in our communities. We are capable of so much more! Each one of our children should grow up in a safe home, surrounded by adults who know how to deal artfully with differences and potential conflict. Each one should grow into a visionary neighborhood of people who help one another and speak well of one another. These courageous Common Fire authors of have really gone out to the edge of what is possible for us as a nation, grounding their vision in the real experience of over one hundred extraordinary, visionary, incredibly committed leaders who refuse to take despair as the answer. As someone who has done professional interviewing, I know how difficult it is to ask good questions, to sort through masses of material for the gold. The Common Fire authors have done a superb job. These are good stories, real pearls of wisdom from mature American citizens who know what they're talking about. I am inspired by their stories, by their tenacity and creativity in situations where so many of us have given up. Common Fire is food for our hungry imaginations. Please read this book and present it as a gift of enkindled love to friends who are teachers, parents, college students, mental health professionals, politicians, community activists, business leaders, priests and ministers. I for one want the new life that these authors and their interviewees offer for us all. And I humbly thank them for all that they have already accomplished for my neighbors and for my country.

The book was astonishing in pinpointing the hearts of our "miracle workers" who have been able to elevate the conscious of those people who have either lost hope in the restructuring of our social fabric.

The photos collected in this book, about 150 of them, capture a period in time from 1872 to the early 1930s, when the area along the upper Snake River below Yellowstone was explored and settled. There are photos taken by seven photographers, the earliest of them William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) traveling with a scientific expedition and working with cumbersome equipment and 11x14 wet glass negatives.

The bios of all seven of these men recount the lives of 19th and early 20th century adventurers, intrepid trekkers across the wilderness and frontier to make a visual record of the West during its early years of settlement. Their images are joined by those of scores of amateur photographers, whose snapshots were collected for this edition and fill many of the pages of the book.

The book is organized by various themes, from rodeo (see cover) to farming and ranching, communities, dudes, hunting, and so on. An interesting sequence captures a landslide which blocked the Snake River for 2 years in the 1920s and then gave way, causing a flood that inundated the valley, wiping out the town of Kelly. Another sequence illustrates the years of change at Teton Pass, the only winter access to the valley, transport progressing from horses to automobiles.

Lest we think of this as entirely a man's world, there's a photo of the all-woman town council of Jackson, the first U.S. town to be governed entirely by women (1920-1924). There are photos of the first aeroplane landing, winter dog sled racing, and the environmental devastation caused by the damming of Lake Jackson. Photos record the vists of European royalty and the John D. Rockefellers, whose influence and money helped create Grand Teton National Park.

For lovers of the Old West and old photographs, the images reproduced here are a rich treasure. From significant and historic events to everyday life, the book is a picture album of Americana. I also recommend another excellent collection of old Western photographs in Richard Collins' "The American Cowboy."

This wonderful book shows you the real spirit behind the town of Jackson. Before it became a resort and a vacation town, Jackson was a gateway through the Teton Mountains.

Through vivid photography, the author relay to the reader the struggles and hardships associated with living in a small western town during the turn of the century while also expose them to the joy and beauty that make people move to the Jackson Valley today.

Seeing Jackson in this early state makes you appreciate what is there today and what is lost of yesterday.

When my mother first began work on her second book, I thought, what is she up to now? At any rate, she saw the project through, and it actually came out very good. It truly gives the reader or looker, a feel for life in Jackson Hole in the early days. My mother gave birth to me in 1951, (not the early days) and I had just opened my eyes, and she said "son, "Life" magazine is for people who can't read, and "Time" is for people who can't think. Her book covers both basis (bases), so is something an entire family can enjoy. If it passes my test, it's worth a peek. Jim Huidekoper Jackson Hole Wyoming 4/11/97

As a beginning NAF player, I found this book fascinating. I read it before I bought my first flute, and I found the information on various types of flutes, construction, care and history to be very helpful.

I've used this book as one of my main texts for teaching myself to play this wonderful instrument. I also found the presentation of the TAB system to be useful as I have branched out into writing music of my own.

With The Art Of The Native American Flute, Carlos Nakai draws upon his many years as an educator, performer, and student of the Native American flute to present the reader with a comprehensive and "user friendly" instruction manual for learning to play this core Native American musical instrument. Part one includes discussions on tunings, fingerings, performance technique, tablature, style, history, standard notation, traditional ornaments, and a section on the care and maintenance of the flute. Part Two includes sixteen transcriptions of songs from Naki's recordings. Part Three is an informative analysis of Naki's role in Native American culture as a recording artist and performer by the ethnomusicologist David P. McAllester. The Art Of The Native American Flute is a very highly recommended performance guide and insightful source on the Native American flute, as well as a concise review of the career and artistry of one of the most important ethnic artists in America today.

This book is an amazing collection of knowledge, use, and cultural history of the Native American flute. Its discussion of flute construction, fingering, scales, ornaments, and care and maintenance is excellent. The book expects the reader to have a basic grasp of musical notation and concepts.

An added bonus: eighteen of R. Carlos Nakai's tunes transcribed for flute. These are: December Snow, 12/13/82 song, Wioste Olowan Inkpa taya, Wioste Olowan Tokiya, 11/3/82 song, Death song, 11/11/82 song, Zuni song, 12/20/82 song, 12/13/82 no. 2 song, 11/20/82 song, Whippoorwill, Whirlwinds Dancing, Coventry Carol, Rainy Nights in Taos, Omaha song, The Colours Fall, and Crow Wing.

There is also an excellent chapter at the end of the book regarding R. Carlos Nakai's recordings and his influences. Ken Light, the maker of Amon Olorin flutes (R. Carlos Nakai plays an Amon Olorin Sonoran) also contributes. This is an indispensable guide to the Native American flute and is worth the cost.

The absolutely facinating lives of two women who devoted their lives to serving the presidents and their families. It's not exactly a weekend read, but well worth your time. I mean, how else would you find out one of our distiinguished presidents got stuck in the bathtub? Wish the television mini-series was available on video or DVD.

This book is a fascinating look at the people who are a integral part of the White House-- the staff and the occupants. Based on the lives of Lilian Rogers Parks and her daughter, it presents the everyday happenings in this historical house from the viewpoint of the staff. This historical novel is filled with personal memories, touching stories, humorous quips, and some sad moments. After enjoying it, the reader will feel as if they have spent time in the White House themselves.

I have read this book many times. The historical content never ceases to amaze me. It is almost like being there. I never tire of reading this intimate picture of Maggie and Lillian's years at the White House. Wish there was a sequel.

Here in one book were all the shots of flora and fauna that I missed. Upon opening the first page, I was instantly transported back to the rainforest. At times, I felt the author had stood in the same spot that I did to take his photographs. Glorious color that captures the mood, emotions and life in the rainforest. A beautiful book to give anyone who has been to Costa Rica or who can only be an armchair traveler.

Kevin Schafer's gorgeous photographs and thoughtful and well-written prose make Costa Rica come alive. This beautiful book definitely makes me yearn to visit Costa Rica sometime soon!

Costa Rica; Forests of Eden is a spectacular book with spectacular photos. The photos are realistic, they give a good view of how things really look. No tricks are used in the photography, so when you go to Costa Rica yourself you can actually see it as it is photographed. The text that goes with the photos give good information about ecotourism and about the environment and animals that are on the photos. The book is made with care of the photographer.

I've tried many recipes out of this book and they've all been outstanding. The chili verde was excellent, the jalapeno poppers make those frozen things taste like dog doo. This is down home "comfort food" cooking at its best. Not only that, its well written, with mouth-watering descriptions of the foods, it inspires me to cook!

Coming from a true South Texan, I am constantly trying to re-create recipies from the eating establishments around us. I found this cookbook and so far believe the Green Chicken enchiladas can walk on water. I have also prepared the double spoon bread, chipotle-lime mayonaise and the smoke signals barbeque sauce. I usually work with serranos and jalapenos and this book opened up a whole new world of peppers. It is a must have.

After about twenty-five years of looking for a reliable guide to reproducing the tastes I remembered growing up with in El Paso, I found Park and Norma Kerr's book. My search is over. His meat recipes (and his methods) for pork or chicken deshebrada are outstanding, and typical of the entire book. Tamale pie for company and pot beans for home alone! He combines the basically simple (and timeless) ingredients of Border cuisine to yield results which will delight anyone who longs for home cookin' as it was yesterday and remains today from the Franklin Mountains to Houston. Instructions are complete and clear, a pleasure to read and execute. Keep 'em coming, Kerrs.

This is an excellent book. At first, the book seems confusing as the author continuously refers to the individual elephants on a first name basis when one has no idea of who these "people" are. As the names become more familiar and the individual stories develop, the strange names develop into a wonderful, although at times anthropomorphic story on the natural history of these gentle animals. As she warns us, the author takes the liberty of adding unwitnessed, fictional pieces to most stories, which can be confusing and at times blur the objective observations that she makes with subjective, although probably real, assumptions.
But this book is not a hard core technical text, despite glimpses of it being so in the beginning. The book is about remembering the wonderful social and behavioral characteristics of individuals that make up a population. From matriarchs to lonely males, from birth to death during periods of drought or at the hands of Masai warriors, this book gives a comprehensive insight into relevant issues affecting the survival of the African elephant. The author comes across as a human being, with emotions that go beyond the hard-core science. Although her prose is dry at times, this book is very enjoyable and opens a magnificent window into the world of the Amboseli elephants.

This is a wonderful book. Cynthia Moss takes the reader deep into the intricate social lives of Africa elephans in Amboseli National Park (Kenya), and leaves a profound impression. How very sensitive these animals are, and how endearing. It is entirely clear how these creatures have suffered at the hands of humans, but also nobody can read this book and not feel the urge to conserve this fantastic species. Also it may inspire some to travel to Amboseli to see the elephants 'in person' - an experience that you will never forget!

This book covers thirteen years of Cynthia Moss' elephant research at Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Several of the elephant families residing at Ambosli are featured. Cynthia Moss learned to distinguish each individual elephant by such characteristics as the shape of their ears, ear markings or the the size and shape of the tusks. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of elephant life like mating, draught etc. Together with fellow researcher Joyce Poole Cynthia Moss discovered that the bulls like their Asian cousins go into musth too (the period they're the most highly attractive to the cows). And thereby a longstanding mystery was solved. But through it all shines Cynthia Moss' deep love for the elephants, she found with them so much to recommend. Learning from them. She certainly succeeds in sharing the joy of studying and living with elephants. I warmly recommend Ian and Oria Douglas-Hamilton and Joyce Poole's books too. And indeed Cynthia Moss has found new insights but this is still the book to read on elephants in the first place.

Existing Nirvana: a daughter's life with autism, by Clara Claiborne Park, is a book about Jessy, the author's daughter, growing up with autism. Although it would seem to be hard growing up with autism, rather than focusing on the negative, Park shares the story of her daughter focusing on her differences from 'normal' people in society and stressing the remarkable progress Jessy has made despite her abnormalities. This progress has allowed her to mentally and socially move more and more from her own world, 'Nirvana', into the world in which everyone else operates. By giving an account of Jessy's life, the reader becomes more aware of the disability and its characteristics. The book focuses on they way individuals with autism think and even their speech. The speech portion of the story is more focused on Jessy specifically because her speech was worse than most individuals with autism. Park uses journals and pictures Jessy has drawn to looking deeper into her speech, thought process, portraits, and her current living. Through these different aspects, the reader becomes enlightened on the type of characteristics that define autism.
One of the many strengths of Exiting Nirvana is that readers receive an accurate account of autism by the specific analysis of the way individuals with this disability think and respond to situations. In addition to this, it shows the possible personal growth from childhood to adulthood of someone with autism. One of the weaknesses is that Park does not focus on Jessy's negative qualities. Although they are not totally ignored, the book idealizes autism by continually expressing Jessy's happiness. "She is still happy. I can't think of another woman in her forties who is more content with who she is, less likely to question how she lives or what she does" (Park, 9). The struggle of having a child who is autistic is not emphasized to the extent that it probably exists. This is partially because Jessy has showed so much improvement as she has grown up. Besides the idealism of the parenting necessary with autistic children, Exiting Nirvana is a great book to learn more about autism and the impossible improvements by looking at an actual person's life.

Clara Claiborne Park describes her daughter Jessy, an autistic woman in her 40's and discusses how her daughter has changed in the years since she wrote The Siege: A Family's Journey into the World of an Autistic Child, which ended when Jessy was 8. The book is an eloquent argument for the education of autistic children, and a detailed glimpse into the family life of an autistic person. Park describes different aspects of their life in a matter-of-fact manner-- no whining or victimhood here. Her love of Jessy is obvious, and there is no complaining, but it becomes obvious through the descriptions of Jessy's behavior and personality that their life has been difficult. It's also obvious how well Jessy has been cared for and loved. It's refreshing to read this book because the Park family just seems so, so good, and that's unusual to come across these days.Parks is a great writer-- the book is intelligent and readable. I'd recommend this book for any family with an autistic child, and for anyone who is just interested in thinking about how love, personality, and intelligence relate

This is a wonderful sequel to her earlier book, The Siege. I enjoyed being able to follow her daughter's life and see how it all turned out. Clara Park writes about her daughter with so much love and insight into all the positives and negatives of raising a challenged child/woman. Yet she so clearly admits there is so much they will never understand. I would have liked to have seen more written about how the rest of the family interacts with Jessy - the focus is somewhat narrow. Recommended for any parent or person that works with others with any type of disability. This book will heighten your sensitivity!