This is a remarkable look at the untamed American West of 1834-1837 through the eyes of a young naturalist. Despite its age, this account is quite readable. The smaller segments describing Townsend's visits to Hawaii, Tahiti and Chile are also enjoyable.

Since this is a diary, it does have some flat spots (not every day can be an adventure), but mostly Townsend fills his descriptions with details and color that bring his encounters alive. You can sense Townsend maturing as the journey goes on. One suggestion to the editors: If a new edition is produced, it would be nice to include a map of Townsend's travels, because in some places it's hard to tell where he is.

A tip to the reader: Skip the introduction, since it's mostly just a summary of what you'll be reading. It does, however, contain a description of what happened to Townsend after the book, so go back and read that once you finish.

hi everyone, please buy, read and cherish this book! you would not believe how much work went into this - I know because I'm the author's daughter. BUY BUY BUY! :) thanks

This is a fascinating personal account of the lives of two men who are destined to cross paths during the attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. The story weaves back and forth between a young boy who grows up in Arkansas and a young boy from Japan. The tale is interwined with the political and economic conditions of the times that draw these two lives together in 1941. The Arkansas boy joins the Navy and is serving on a ship in Pearl Harbor. The Japanese boy becomes a fighter pilot. The tale progresses to their inevitable meeting in one of the most famous battles of World War II. A fascinating read for those interested in the personal stories of those who find themselves in the midst of history's most infamous moments.

Stunning perspective from a man who researched his attacker. Stationed aboard the USS Tennessee, Boatman, put aside his rage after the war and found one of the pilots who bombed his ship. He tells of the paths both took in order that they make their appointment in the Pacific. Fascinating insight into the pre-war conditions in the US and Japan that ultimately ended up in war between the two countries.

some spectral music and mongrel melodies do come in from across the Pacific from Honolulu to Santa Cruz to Taipei back to the grave of Henry Opukaha'ia in Cornwal and on Hilo where he lay ensconsed in the spir it of the lord...

The array of authors discussed-- Balaz, Saijo, Spahr, Hongo, Merwin, Kinsella, Tranter, Schultz, Luoma, Bernstein et al-- is capacious, and the polemic and provocations offered are splendid and revealing. It is really a chapbook about experimental postcolonial writing at its best, and blasts US literary and social tourism in wry lyrical ways, too. A devious little commodity this is--

The author recounts his days in the pre-WWII navy with candor and affection. Honest without being coarse or too sentimental, he talks of his experiences and shipmates, good and bad. The account of USS Oklahoma's sinking and his later rescue is thrilling. I read it in one sitting.

This book is absolutely spellbinding. Once you open this book, you won't be able to put it down. The impact of this first-hand account of being trapped inside the capsized hull of the battleship USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor is resounding. Buy it for yourself but share it with anyone upon whom you wish to impress the courage of what has come to be called the Greatest Generation. The next time you hear someone complaining about how tough they have it (perhaps your kids or grandkids whining about not having the coolest sneakers or the latest Nintendo), give them this book to read. Perhaps the reality of how pampered our current lifestyle really is will sink in. I suspect this book will also help you put your own problems in perspective as well.

I thought this book waz very inspired, and i used it for a report on Tsunamis.

This fascinating book is told from the perspectives of victims, observers and researchers. It gives vivid descriptions (Mrs. Ito floating out of her house on a screen) that are terse and exciting without being overblown. Some of the pictures, such as people running from the 1960 tsunami which struck Hilo, HI are simply amazing. Interspersed in the text, the authors also give a clear and concise summary, with charts, of the study of tsunamis. They describe the warning system currently in place - how an earthquake in Alaska creates a tsunami which takes approximately 5 hours to reach Hawii - and how it needs to be improved. Best of all, they describe how to recognize the signs of a tsunami and how to avoid becoming a victim. This book could easily give The Perfect Storm a run for it's money!

Found this to be a very interesting paperback book for anyone dreaming of treasure hunting/finds. But, I wish it was updated. I'm sure there are more interesting things about Florida. Not all of Fla. treasure finds are in the sea as this book notes. Worth reading.Open anywhere and begin reading.

Being an enthusiastic amateur treasure hunter myself, in years past, I diligently read each and every volume of Mr. Terry's exhaustively researched works. Although I found some the information erroneous or far from exact - for instance many locations cited as "ghost towns" are FAR from being one - there are so many intriguing stories of legends, factual evidence & stories of past recoveries that any true TH'r will be enthralled. Treasure hunting is supposedly America's fastest growing hobby: it's uniquely enjoyable for the adventure, historical aspects & healthy outdoor recreation. And when you really find something decent...Boy Howdy!! Not as easy as it sounds, though. To be a professional TH'r, one has to have patience, applying oneself with the perseverance of a detective: because that's what it takes to be successful. Exhaustive research is the key: going where people gathered long ago (old picnic grounds & abandoned schoolyards, for instance) will be beneficial for coin shooters who are after more than modern coins....for me, finding modern coins was a complete waste of time & energy. Going for the gold? Go where it is KNOWN to be & be creative: the better your equipment - i.e. a decent detector which finds gold & common sense makes this a most fascinating hobby. For some, it's a life's career. Good luck!!

Ricky Kidd is on a family trip in Hawaii for a wedding. Joseph Norbert, an old friend of Ricky's dad, is getting married. Along for the trip are Ricky's parents, Ricky's little brother and baby sister, Mike - Ricky's friend, and Lisa - Ricky's friend and babysitter for his baby sister.

Not long after they arrive in Hawaii, Norbert tells them he must go out early in the morning to go shark fishing. Ricky's dad thinks this would be a great adventure for Mike and Ricky so he convinces Norbert to take the three of them along.

They venture out in the small boat long before the sun comes up. In the still darkness, Ricky starts doubting that shark-fishing is such a great idea - small boat, big sharks - until a shark bites. With the pull of his line, Ricky's adrenaline flows. He envisions how it will be at school when he shows everyone his necklace of shark teeth and tells them how he caught the beast.

Just when the shark is starting to calm down on the line, Mike falls overboard. Norbert cuts the line and Ricky watches as his prize disappears through the dark water. Norbert jumps in for Mike and they head back to shore.

Ricky can't believe Mike was so clumsy to fall off the boat and ruin his chance of catching the shark. Mike begs him to believe that he didn't fall, he was pushed.

Mike sets out to prove that Norbert pushed him overboard and in the process discovers some very unsettling things about Mr. Kidd's old friend.

There's something about a buoy carrying an antique statue that a white haired man picks up from Norbert's boat and then throws it in a dumpster. The dumpster is emptied before anyone realizes that Mike has the statue. Then, the real adventure begins.

Who are these people trying to get the statue? Why was it hidden in a buoy and thrown in a dumpster? how does Norbert fit into all of this? How will Ricky, Mike, and Lisa learn the truth?

"The Volcano of Doom" is the first book in the Accidental Detective series. Sigmund Brouwer does an excellent job of balancing danger and suspense for the young reader. Boys and girls will enjoy the action of "The Volcano of Doom."

Ricky and his friends Mike and Lisa are enjoying their Easter vacation in Hawaii. Ricky's dad is going to be the best man in his college roommate's wedding, and everyone is enjoying relaxing on the beach the week before. But then Mike discovers a Japanese statue that was hidden on their host's boat. What was Norbert doing with it? And who is trying to steal it? But when Norbert disappears, the friends find they have more questions then answers. Can they piece together the clues they do have in time to save the wedding?

I've been a fan of this series since it's initial release, and it's wonderful to have a new story staring the Accidental Detectives. I was a little startled by the additional of Rachel, Ricky's one-year-old sister. But once I got used to this new character, I felt back in the groove of the stories.

As is always the case with this series, the plot is truly mystifying. The characters are well established in Mr. Brouwer's mind, and it shows in how well developed they are in this book. The only one who wasn't quite up to par was Joel, but that's probably because he had a small part in the story.

Once again, this group of friends is playing jokes on each other and solving life-threatening cases. This is one of my favorite series, and it's great to see it back in print.

I would rate this book as better than most as a short teen/preteen novel. It held a lot of appeal with its murder-mystery-with-some-romance-in-a-Hawaiian-paradise fare. I enjoyed it in school and checked it out more than once

This book gave you a variety of friendship, mystery, and romance. I like the way it was set in Hawaii. It made me want to visit Hawaii. This is a book for any type of reader. Though wrote, like, 18 years ago, it is modern and overall, a great book!

Shark Bait by Graham Salisbury.Isabout a boy called Mokes that, by helping a friend,loses his fathers trust.The friend ,Booley,choses the path of problems and he ends up getting hisfirend in trubl. The goodthing about the book is that the people chang their lifs. The bad thing ishat is Mokes dosen't get his love. I give the book thumbs up. The person yhat should read this book is a person who enjoys a whatching a fight and is a teen.Ireally enjoyed reading yhis book. It's interesting becauce you never know whet's going to happen next.

Shark Bait it's mostly about a boy called Mokes. He has to choose between his parents trust and a fight. It's about another boy called Booley and how his friend betrays him. Booley also has a problem is that if he doesn't win then another group is going to move in.
It was a good book and how Eric huges his father even if his friends are there. Eric also doesn't care about what his friends think. How Eric stood up for his friends when they were in trouble. How Eric also cares about his friends standies by them by what ever they do.
I think that everybody should read "Shark Bait" because everybody would love it. I also give this book four thumbs up because it was a wonderful book. I thought that the characters were realistic. The author made all of the characters like they were actually real.

I read the book called "Shark Bait" written by Graham Salisbury about a boy called Eric who has to o through a day and he has to choose between what things are right and wrong. It also talk to us about choosing our own friends. The good thing about the book was the action part when they were about to fight. The bad thing about the stories in the book was that even though Eric knew he was with a bad gang he kept following them . I give this book a thumbs up because the way they wrote it and the new words we learned. I think that any kind of reader should read this book but overall I should say target the children and let them read this book to learn right from wrong.

I ate up "December 6" by Martin Cruz Smith. Smith is the author of "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star" with the Inspector Arkady Renko of the Moscow PD character. I'm a fan of the Renko series.

"December 6" is a historical, intrigue novel set in 1941 Tokyo days before the Pearl Harbor attack. The main character Niles is an American expat club owner who grew up in Japan. He is neither totally American or can ever be Japanese, but he loves Japan and the Japanese. Think Rick in "Casablanca" and you have most of the character. The whole story takes place in about four days (with flashbacks for background) as Niles tries to get out of Dodge, avoid his enemies, and help his friends. No good deed goes unpunished should be the subtitle.

I'm a sucker for historical novels. I found the pre-war Tokyo and China setting to be very interesting having been to Japan and read a bit on the political history of the period. However, I believe the author verges on histrionics in his explanation of the embargo as the cassus belli.

Recommended.

Let Martin Cruz Smith take you on a walk through Japan just before Pearl Harbor. You'll enjoy and you'll learn.

Smith uses a character not unlike Rick in 'Casablanca' to take the reader to Tokyo in 1941. You'll take some time and feel the Rape of Nanking up close. You'll explore the 'inscrutable' geisha personality. You'll look into the Japanese psyche and understand why the attack on Pearl was inevitable. And if you believe that President Roosevelt knew that we needed to enter World War II, then you'll understand why economic sanctions worked in 1941, probably for the only time in history.

Cruz' wonderful style brings his characters to life as well as ever. If you've enjoyed anything Martin Cruz Smith has written you need to read "December 6".

Martin Cruz Smith has set his newest novel, DECEMBER 6, in Japan on the eve of Pearl Harbor. He tells the story of Harry Niles, the American son of missionaries who left him to grow up on the streets of Tokyo. Now a 30-year-old man, Harry owns the Happy Paris, a tearoom he transformed into a "...bar stocked with scotch instead of sake and a red neon sign...," in Tokyo's "Azakuza" district. The saloon is a hangout for Western journalists, a meeting place for expatriates, and a watering hole for those on the move through Japan.

Harry, had a tough time growing up in the "Hell's Kitchen" area of Tokyo. Always a gaigin (a foreigner) among his schoolmates, he was never really accepted and was the target of the samurai and Shinto games they played. He calls himself a philosopher and says, "My talent is speaking more Japanese than most Americans and more English than most Japanese. Big deal."

He is neither a Westerner nor is he Japanese. But Harry is an expert con man. He has his own business, he is part of a network of acquaintances and loves his mistress, Michiko. His life is full, and he is as content as anyone who lives the nightlife on the fringes of any society.

Everyone Harry knows believes that Japan and the United States will go to war. The only question for them in December, 1941 is when. And although Harry thinks he has a plan to prevent an attack by the Japanese on Americans, he also has a ticket in his pocket for the last plane out of Tokyo. "Well, it may be petty of me," Harry declares, "but I still want to come out of this war alive."

In alternating narratives of Harry the boy juxtaposed against Harry the club owner, Smith paints an extraordinary picture of life in Japan before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and captures the essence of that strange, exotic country on the brink of war. For the verisimilitude of DECEMBER 6 Smith says, "I was able to visit Japan with a guy I met who lived there during the time of the story...[and for his research he] reads newspapers of the time and memoirs of people who lived through the era [he is] writing about."

Smith lives up to his reputation for presenting readers finely wrought suspense-thrillers. And, in DECEMBER 6, he goes over the top. His deft interweaving of an historical abomination with the romantic tale of a man without a country is both moving and thought provoking.

Fans and newcomers to Smith's work will not be disappointed in this, his best novel to date.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum