I had to read an adventure book for a book report. This was a good one. It started slow, but it got better when Celou was tracking her family. It got really exciting at the end -- I didn't know what was going to happen to Celou next! It was yukky to read how Celou fed and cleaned up her baby brother, but I guess that's how they did things back then. Neat book about a girl who was a heroine.

Celou's family has been taken captive by another tribe-except for her and she has to save them. She follows them to their camp and has to figure out a plan. But what can she possilbly do? She must also survive herself. But how? Very, very exciting!

Celou's father is a French fur trapper and her mother is a Shoshone Indian woman. Celou's father has gone away for a month to sell the year's pelts. Celou, her mother, and her two younger brothers are alone in their remote summer camp. All of a sudden, four Crow warriors arrive and take Celou's mother and brothers captive. Celou mannages to escape. She rides for help at the main Shoshone camp nearby, but finds that it has been attacked by the enemy. Now Celou is completely on her own. Can she save her family, or will she be captured as well?

Extrenuating and overbearing at first. I kept sighing and wondering when the barage of puns would stop. Then I sat back and enjoyed it. The book messes with your mind. At one moment, you think you understand how the author structured the book and then you think you can be ready for any setup of a pun or paradigm shift. But then it catches you off-guard. If you're put off by a book that catches you sleeping, then this book isn't for you. Otherwise, have fun!

A great parody! Robert Waller deserved every bit of it!!! I liked the part about the main oaf (main character) so stylishly opening beer bottles with his teeth! This makes good fun of Waller's original silly trashy book, where the sleazy (but gloriously "romantic") unfaithful farm housewife is so taken by her bohemian hero's sensuous ways of opening beer cans and lighting cigarettes! You're desperately looking for a reason to leave your husband or wife? Not to worry, just LOOK at the way that slob doesn't light cigarettes and open beer cans in just that precisely correct, sensuous way!!! Other parts of the book were good as well. Making the anti-heroes into low-brows for humor grew a bit stale, though, for being over-done. I like to ALSO make lots of fun of the original "Bridges" for being ridiculous in making a virtue out of unreason. The less rational you are, the more you are morally superiour to others, merely boring rational types that they are, some silly pseudo-sophisticates like Waller will have us believe. If you want a good spoof of "Bridges" done from that perspective, see the chapter "Grain Elevators of Madness County" in the book, "Jurassic Horde Whisperer of Madness County".

From the momentI first grasped this weighty tome between my turgid palms, it consumed me - consumed me the way a sponge consumes water or the way a drunk fraternity boy consumes a piece of pepperoni pizza (except if this book were a pizza, it would definitely have anchovies and probably peppers too). The book reads evenly - first you turn one page and then another - and so on, and so on, and so on, until, just when you and the book have reached a deep level of personal intimacy - it ends. It's gone, and like yesterday's meatloaf, the memory just spoils. great book

Martin Stadius has put together a narrative of travel along the Nez Perce trail, and through the stacks of books and articles that have been written about that episode in US history. He navigates both trails well. His blend of personal narrative and historical analysis does a good job of sorting facts from myths, and offers often compelling description of the landscape.

Some of what I like about this book: Stadius took some good pictures along the route and put them in this book. He spent the obligatory time in Pullman, Washington poring through the McWhorter papers. He listened well to one of the most knowledgeable people alive today concerning the Nez Perce war--Otis Halfmoon, National Park Service Ranger--and gives a good description of that Nez Perce man's storytelling ability. He reveals a sense of ethics in his exploration of places and sources. He recognizes the incompetence of the would-be poachers he saw fishing in a "no fishing" section of Yellowstone Park.

My first thought when I saw this book was that it would be another urbanite's tour through Indian country (like Ian Frazier's _On the Rez_). But as Stadius follows the Nez Perce trail, he deftly weaves together natural history, perceptive observation, good manners, and an inquisitive spirit tempered by respect for the sacred. His prose keeps running smoothly in a manner akin to his miracle bus because he's willing to get out and wade a creek before attempting to drive through, and knows his limits. That scene from the book could stand as a metaphor for his journeys through the pasts and places along the Nez Perce trail.

This book will not have the enduring power of McWhorter's accounts that are based on first hand testimony. But in our time it is one of the better books on the subject.

Dreamers is an excellent account of the Nez Perce flight for freedom as they are chased by all the stars of the American military. Beginning with Gen. Howard (infamous already for the disaster at Chancellorsville during the Civil War, cameo appearances are made by Gens. Sherman, Sheridan, and Miles. Stadius retraces the path of the Nez Perce from the Willowas, to the Battle at Whitebird, and then the run through the Idaho Panhandle into Montana, through Yellowstone and back up trough Montana. There is a balanced mix of personal accounts of civilians, soldiers, and Nez Perce that makes this a rich historical account. This, coupled with Stadius's own journal account of retracing the Nez Perce Trail and how it looks today makes this a most enjoyable book. It reminds me of William Frassanito's style of taking old Brady photographs and determining exactly where they were taken by revisiting the sites. The reliance on written and oral histories and Stadius's gift of describing the terrain and geography enlivens this book, to the point that I am already planning stages of traveling over parts of this trail. Occasionally Stadius will inject some of his opinions, but overall I most appreciated the contrast of experience from participants and not some attempt at political correctness or personal sermonizing. History as it should be written is what Dreamers is most about. It starts slow, but after Howard starts pursuing across the Lolo pass, I couldn't put it down. I bought this book at the U. of Idaho bookstore when the author was doing a signing, let it sit on the shelf for 7 months, and finally stuck it in my brief case to read on a cross country flight. The return flight has never seemed so short. I highly recommend this book.

I reccomend this book for any one wanting to learn more about the Nez Perce Trail. I found this book very interesting.I have driven parts of the trail myself and found this book to be so factual. The authors respect for the Native American Culture shines through. It is a very interesting book of historical importance. I found myself reading the book with a road Atlas by my side.

What an excellent guide! Very through. Great maps. The book covers every drainage in Idaho from ice out to ice over.

This book is the best Idaho guide I have seen. It has clear directions (especially for people who are not familiar with Idaho), plenty of maps, and good complimentary information such as fly shops, motels, and restaurants. It is well written without being condescending, yet it is of just as much use to the experienced flyfisher as it is to the novice. I have not tried out all the streams and lakes listed (obviously), but Retallic and Barker's descriptions and evaluations match those of the fly shops on the internet as much as could reasonably be expected. If I could fault anything, it would be that the book is 5 years old and many things can change in that time. I would really like to see an update. Other than that, I would rate it 4 ½ to 5 stars.

Retallic and Barker know of what they speak. The writers live near, and fish, the water of which they write. It is refreshing to see a "hook and bullet" book that does not try to browbeat you with the authors casting expertise or remembrances of the West of long ago.

This is a very good, easy touse guide on idaho water. If you are going ther, buy it.

This selection of short stories by Les Montgomery is like going to a family reunion and hearing a potpourri of rememberances and misadventures. He weaves the history of his family with the history of Idaho and the northwest US. His style of writing is very animated, even though somewhat opiniated, which adds interest and entertainment to his story telling. Very enjoyable book!

This book is great! The author has combined great wit, keen observation, and humor to write a book that is funny at times, serious at other times, and interesting all of the time. From early medicine and the harh realities of early western life to the advancements we have today, Les Montgomery takes the reader on one fascinating tour through time. Wether you like fishing, hiking, history, or reminiscing of a bygone era, Idaho Anthem is a must have!

Whether you live in Idaho or outside this great state you will love the sense of humor and insight Les Montgomery shares with his readers. You will find yourself smiling and many times laughing out loud. Montgomery has the gift of telling and writing stories that few have. Picture a man who has lived with a notebook in his pocket, a camera on his shoulder and a tobacco pipe in his pocket observing life in his medical practice, traveling the world and sitting on his deck at his lakeside cabin. Idaho Anthem should be read at leisure and enjoyed at a slow pace so not to miss any of Montgomery's delightful wit.

Terry Johnston's "Lay the Mountains Low" is a must for the avid fan of western history. Part of the Plainsmen series, we are not gifted with the rugged Irishman Sheamus Donnegan, as he is on duty miles away trying to quell a different Indian uprising (this makes Johnston's writing less fictionalized)instead we fall in love with numerous characters both Native American and European. This is the second part to a trilogy about the Nez Perce War of 1877, focusing on the drama which occurred after the Battle of White Bird Canyon and culminating with the tragic Big Hole Battle. Johnston takes you to the campsite, the fort, the trail ride, the battle ridge, and makes you consider how you would stand up against the elements, enemy and morality. Without a doubt, this is Johnston's best piece of work and is a must read for all fans of the Great American West. Make special note to read the afterword as Johnston provides information on his fact-finding trips thoroughout the West. Johnston provides valuable information and insight to battle sites, cemeteries, forts and historical road-side stops...again, Johnston gives the reader a seat on the fifty yard line to some of our nation's most famous locations.

Terry Johnston writes like a man who was there as events unfolded. He leaves no doubt that he was there--not during the events, but at the locations. Weaving contemporary newspaper articles and original letters throughout the text firmly roots this novel in time and space. This, plus occasional historical footnotes quenches a historian's thirst for authenticity. It made me want to go and visit these places for myself, equipped with Johnton's literary visual aids.

As always with Terry, a great book, an excellent way to learn about the history of the American West. If you are looking for a typical shootem up western this is not the book for you. This book is not for the faint hearted, there are few heros here, just a people fighting for their freedom and their lives against impossible odds. There is a lot of pain and and heart break here for both the Nez Perce and the whites, but mostly for the Nez Perce. This book really got to me, it was heart breaking reading what happened to the innocents on both sides. My family,s history goes back over 150 years in the west, so Terry,s books have special meaning for me. Read this book and you will never forget it.

Letters of long ago gives a sometimes harshly honest look at frontier life from a woman's perspective. It chronicles the tragedies and triumphs of Emma Thompson Just in the desolate and isolated west. First hand accounts of a woman's life in the frontier are uncommon and this is a book that gives an entertaining and very real look at the simple yet difficult life of a pioneer wife.

Written by the daughter of Emma Just, who is the central figure of this book first published in the early 20's. The book gives a factual account of the very interesting and often difficult life of a pioneer woman in the late 1800's. For anybody who is interested in history, especially from a woman's point of view, this is a fascinating look into what life was really like for those who chose to brave a new and untamed frontier. It chronicles the not so average existence of an incredibly courageous woman across the span of two decades. The "plot" is interesting and well written, giving the reader an honest look at pioneer life from Emma's correspondence to father... through her own letters of long ago.

A very sweet book. The heroine would be thought of as quite a modern women even today, but she lived in the late 1800s. Heartbreaking at times. You'll never forget the decision she made when the Nez Perce were coming-At least, she thought they were!

I found the book hard to put down. Bud Moore writes of first hand travels through the mountains of Idaho and Montana and has some great tales of encounters with wildlife and nauture as he grew to become a Mountain Man.

I had the please of meeting Bud while visiting Condon MT several years ago and he shared first hand many of the stories on this book..

Purchase this one and you won't be sorry!

Russell

Outstanding history, which is very easy to read, of a wonderful part of the West. Also, is a great wake up as to how changes in the environment affects the wildlife that lives there. I recommend highly.

In 1930, thirteen-year-old Bud Moore climbed over the high ridge above his parent's western Montana homestead, carrying "a battered .30-.30 Winchester, light tarp, one blanket, fish line and hooks, and salt, bacon flour and oatmeal to supplement berries and game." He wanted to explore the wilderness of Idaho's Lochsa River country -- then one of the largest wild regions left in the country. As it turned out, his journey lasted a lifetime, returning as a young man to trap furs in winter, and later as a U.S. Forest Service ranger. His book recounts the history of this region, beginning with the Nez Perce Indians and early Anglo explorers, through his own days as the man responsible for overseeing the first logging and roadbuilding on the forest. As a witness to man's sometimes destructive effects on the forest and its wildlife, Moore has spent a lifetime trying to understand how we can cultivate a better relationship to the land. He shares his wise reflections with us in a deeply personal narrative. Anyone who is concerned with the future of this beautiful region will learn much from "walking the trail" with Bud Moore. The Lochsa Story is an eloquent plea for understanding the land and treating it with respect.

The book is an entertaining account of some of Idaho's characters. It is one of those books that you hate to see end.

truly enjoyable, informative and easy to read james angleton was my favorite worth reading for any one interested in idaho history.

The author surmises that Idaho has more loners than any other western state, and he celebrates a dozen of them in his book. Whether Idaho has so many hermits because of geography or luck, it is a far richer place because of them!