My wife and I went to Belize in April 2002. I reviewed several books of Belize, of which there were few. This one seemed to be the book to buy. I wasn't disappointed. It had very good restuarant recommendations for Ambergris Caye as well as hotel info. Some information was not updated (internet cafe in Cayo had moved, [an inexpensive] great internet connection place was not mentioned also, a series of cabins that were listed as in business in Crooked Tree were *completely* run-down and *nowhere* near being in business) but this didn't hamper our vacation very much. It had good info on stuff to do in and near Cayo. Bottomline: buy this guide if you're going to Belize.

(Planeta.com Journal) - This 300-page book is a superb second edition that details the best of ways of exploring Belize (and nearby Tikal and the Bay Islands). What Belize First calls "a tour de force" is a must-read for travelers heading to this country. Author Eltringham's first visit was during his tour of duty by the UK's Royal Air Force. He's returned numerous times and covers community tourism issues with the same clear-spoken authority of trekking and diving. Independent travelers will relish the detailed information, practical advice and helpful maps.

We had Lonely Planet "Central America" and Fodor's "Guatemala and Belize", but it was Rough Guide we kept coming back too. In our trip to Guatemala and Belize we spent 4 days in Belize, but only out on the Cayes. Most of the time was spent on Caye Caulker (a very laid back and relaxing escape) staying at Mara's Place which was listed in the guide without much fanfare, but hit the spot.

If you need low budget (~25US per room - no tax!) stay with Mara. She is right near the swimming spit and has lovely cabins (no A/C, but ceiling fans) that are simple, but clean. You'll always notice Mara driving around town in her sporty ATV.

For the size of the Caye the restaurants are plentiful with most listed in the guide.

The one short coming was scuba info. Belize barrier reefs are known for their great scuba and snorkeling and the island has plenty of shops - but only 1 is listed. They will refer you elsewhere if they can't accomodate you, but I am surprised that Rough Guide didn't dedicate more space to this popular sport. I assume the writer either a) didn't spend much time on the Cayes or b) didn't care much for water sports. Might have been both, but this is a huge oversight given that the Cayes are one of the most popular destinations in Belize.

Despite this shortcoming - you won't be disappointed.

This story needs to be told. It shows how powerful Miami Cubans not only punished the man responsible for the process of dialogue that led to the release of prisoners from Castro's jails, but essentially elected George W. Bush president in the astonishing electoral race of that year in Florida.

I was moved by the travails of Bernardo Benes,who put his life and family at risk because insensitive right-wingers in the Cuban exile community in Miami turned him into a paraih because he dared talk with Cuba's Castro in behalf of political prisoners and dialogue.

This book masterfully exposes the venality of the right-wing Cuban exile power brokers, especially the suffocating voices of Spanish-language radio in Miami. I can attest to the fact that the book is wholly on the mark. It reveals details about the exile experience that are astonishing, and also very sad. This is the best book I have ever read on the subject, and also on the precarious, often bad-faith relationship between Washington D.C. and Havana.

Thirty years ago I left the plains of Western North Dakota for the woods of Central Minnesota. I lasted six mohths. Clay S. Jenkinson expresses the reasons why I came back and why I have stayed. It is almost impossible to express to someone not from here what the badlands and the prairie can mean, but the author uses imagery that evokes a strong sense of place and spiritual belonging, much as N. Scott Momaday does. The people are real and the places are too. It is good to have someone who can say what I can't. This book is delightfully humorous and at the same time profound.

Having grown up and lived my fifty-plus years in North Dakota, Jenkinson has captured my response to this place of the Plains at a very deep, thoughtful level. It is hard to explain to a "mountain", or "ocean" or "forest" person just what the prairie and badlands evoke, but this book is among the best I've read to describe it. The people portrayed in this book are people I know or very like people I know. But most especially, his challenge to those of us who live in this place to treasure it and to branch out of our great tendency toward provincialism confirmed and gave words to many of my own long-held feelings.

To journey though this book is like being on a train. You will come to the end finding you have traveled parallel tracks. . . One is the scholarly exploration of ideas and questions. The other, a man's life filled with colorful friends and experiences. Both a book of essays and a memoir. This duality is the magic that makes the book. Even the writing balances between direct and lyrical, functional and sublime.

But, what I liked most about Message on the Wind was the personality of the man telling the story. That he could make bold pronouncements and just as quickly point out his own foibles. As when he says, "Just how a man driving a tractor whose tire he could not change if his life depended upon it can feel marvelously independent is not clear, but that is the unmistakable mythology of the place. And I swallowed the whole hog."

Back to the train: Wallow in the sheer joy of being carried away on an adventure. Or, examine the tracks and ponder the method. Either course will result in many delightful hours of reading. Reading, perchance to think. :-)

As an introduction to the voyages of Columbus, this book by William Least Heat-Moon serves the task well. In its brief 180 pages, an overview of where and when Columbus travelled is well chronicled.

There are perhaps too many people who know of Columbus only that "in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue". Yet Columbus did more than just sail. Although he never discovered America and constantly thought he had arrived in Asia, he nonetheless served as the spark to the later journeys that would fully reveal the New World. Unfortunately, both his journeys and those of his followers would do much to injure the indigenous people with the introduction of disease and slavery.

If you are searching for a primer on Columbus and the New World, Least Heat-Moon's book serves that purpose well. If, however, you are looking for something of greater substance, look to other sources.

I received this book "Columbus in the Americas" as a present and enjoyed it very much. I previously read Heat-Moon's Blue Highways as well as River-Horse and this is a quite a departure from those books. Frankly I enjoyed Blue Highways and River-Horse more because Heat-Moon has such a great way of telling stories of his experiences. With Columbus he had to rely upon historical fact and obviously could not put in the first-person details that makes the other books so wonderful.

Considered on its own merits though, Columbus is an excellent interpretation of his voyages. The book has emphasis on the qualities Columbus had that make reading of his accomplishments worthwhile even 500 years after the fact. This book has stirred my interest in learning more about the life and times of Columbus.

Given the recent uproar over traditional accounts of Columbus' "discovery", it is particularly refreshing to read so balanced and unpoliticed a narrative as this, especialy from one who's ancestors were among the "discovered". This story comes as close as I could imagine to taking the reader aboard on all four voyages.

I want to recommend a great book to you. The name of the book is One Track, by Beatrice O'Brien. It's a wonderful, true story about the once grand Railroads of the Northeastern part of the United States, and it's also about the life that this family, whose fate was tied to the railroads, led up to and during WWII and then after. The true heroes in this life are people like the O'Briens. A factually correct book and emotionally engaging. What a life they've led! It's very good reading.

One of, if not the best book I have ever read. Unlike recent "Best Sellers" I enjoyed this book both content and style . I did not feel I had to read it just to say I had. I enjoyed every second in fact I could not put it down. It is written with real passion and love for each and every character portrayed. This wont be the last from B O'Brien

As a contemporary of the protagonist, I found this marvelously well written novel totally absorbing. The story of George's beginnings in abject poverty, of his wartime experiences, of his return to the railroad and of his career as a member of the Erie family is not uncommonl; and it is for very reason that it should be required reading for young people of the present affluent age. Those of us who were children of the Great Depression, who shared his war, who tried as best we could to keep to the One Track will enjoy this well-paced novel for the universality of the story. This is the story of a man's whole life. The Erie Railroad was an important part of it, but there is more to George than the railroader. I appreciate the fact that Beatrice makes that clear. oki

Fascinating story. The author, who is black, allows us with full sincerity into his heart and soul. Being middle-class white myself, I believe I know how other middle-class white people think because of our shared experiences. But blacks have lived other experiences. This book gave me a peek into the middle-class black world. For that I thank the author.
Reading how the author spent frustrating hours researching and searching for his genealogical past in different towns and states, and in archival and governmental departments was tickling. He showed me step by step how he got ever closer and closer to his goal of finding this lost branch of the family. Throwing in as a monkey wrench the fact that the branch he spotlighted was white whose patriarch disowned his child (the author's ancestor) during the slave days because she was ½-black made for a very interesting read. I recommend this book for all, esp. whites.
It's written in a simple open style except when he goes off on his black-politics tangents. But even that helped illuminate his inner workings. I have black acquaintances who hold the same hypersensitive political beliefs. But nevertheless I found that these tangents took away from the unity of the book. It could be argued that there are two books here under one cover: one is a fascinating story on finding a lost branch of the family, a black man finding his white kin; and the other is on impersonal racial politics. I skipped thru the politics. But it's OK, the first half was well worth the price. Also, I found that at times the author spent too much time on some of his immediate family who really had little to do with the book. Perhaps if he had delved more into his own experience as a black man in a white world rather then relating his parents' experiences in the Jim Crow era. But thankfully the story always got back to the struggle within the black author himself , of his anger, and of his conflicting black and (largely unknown) white heritage.
When the author finally made first contact with his contemporary (white) distant cousins, who were indeed vaguely aware of a black half-aunt from a few generations back, and after so many intervening generations of lost contact, and after so many steps of unending research, well, it was very moving. It was very deeply moving. Even a Klansman or a Black Panther would've been moved by this story of reunion of black and white in the same family. I couldn't put the book down,. What an adventure in closing the circle that spanned over a century. I hope the story didn't just end where the book did.

This is a splendid book on many levels for the historian, genealogist, or anyone who just likes a spellbinding story. For Mr. Henry tells a fascinating story of discovery. Mr. Henry
not only reveals the various paths he trod to find his other family--but reveals many insights into black/white relations and how they change, black/black relations within and outside black neighborhoods, and, in snippets, gives hints on how we all can get our act together to make this a better country for all Americans.
I was absolutely mesmerized by this book and highly recommend it.

I was shocked when Neil jumped up and angrily walked away from me saying that I was a racist. It was 1970 and Neil Henry and I were sitting with a group of friends in Franklin High School's library before the start of school. We often were together whether we were in math. class, playing chess, or basketball. Neil Henry is an old friend of mine who I haven't seen since high school, and reading his book brought back many memories. This one memory of him depicts the struggles that he must have felt about his own identity. "Pearl's Secret" tells an incredible and spiritually uplifting story of his victory to gain a hidden truth of his family that was his own identity. His life tells of a extremely capable young man who wanders through the world in search of something he isn't completely aware of himself. It is a story that many of us spend our lives dealing with in our own ways. Neil's strength and courage is his reward. That morning over thirty years ago when I felt I had hurt a good friend is now brought to light for me. I'm sorry Neil, and thank you.

Lots of good detail and smaller stories threaded into one fabric, but I was really disappointed to find the 'history' of Oregon end around 1860. Took me a long time to finish either because it's dry or because I'm a slow reader...

This book attempts to trace the history of the Oregon territory by stringing together the stories of various pioneers. The book's strength is that Walker is a wonderful story teller and you can't help but be hooked by his tales of mountain men and emigrants wandering around a vast wildnerness. Walker has a keen eye for the look and feel of the times. The book is a bit light on context with only a few brief discussions of the politics of the period, but that'a probably an unfair criticism because that isn't what the book sets out to do. I read this because I'm going to the Northwest for a vacation in a few weeks and Walker's book will greatly enrich that trip.

This book describes the history of european exploration of the pacific northwest. It is full of witty, exciting storytelling better than most fiction. Walker has a gift for intensifying the drama of historical events and vividly illustrating the most striking characters.

Wisconsin borders two of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. It is home to hardwood and evergreen forests, a superb system of lakes and streams, and a wealth of municipal, county, state, and national parks. In Hiking Wisconsin, Eric Hansen (who hiked over 800 miles of Wisconsin trails while working on this guide) showcases the best outdoor hiking trails available to the general public. Each hiking trail entry features hike descriptions, difficulty ratings, and trail lengths. Hiking Wisconsin is enhanced with "user friendly" maps, clear directions, information on camping, seasonal access, and trail restrictions. Hiking Wisconsin is the perfect "take along" guidebook whether you plan to be gone for an afternoon or a weekend or a week. If you are anticipating an outdoor excursion somewhere in the Badger State, then begin your planning by securing and browsing through a copy of Eric Hansen's Hiking Wisconsin!

Eric Hansen's guidebook provides the reader with hikes that take you away from traditional trails and allows the hiker solitude and ability to experience nature in some of its purest forms. I have personally travelled on some of the trails listed. His directions are clear. The book provides Eric's insight into various experiences along the routes. Erics's keen awareness of the environment and trail savvy makes this book a must for any serious trails enthusiast interested in the midwest outdoors.

The fifty percent of Wisconsin residents who like to hike, most of the eighty percent who like to walk, and visitors to the state will find value in this book. Several premier Ice Age and North Country Trail segments are highlighted. The introductory chapter offers insights for foot travelers to improve this popular and healthy activity. The size of the book is handy. The "For more information" listing on every hike review can be especially useful.

David, this book sat on my shelf for a long time. You used to write so many other good books. This one will not be read again by me. Unless Im dead and have another lifetime. But Ted Williams liked this book. Still, Paul, I cant see the point anyone would take this dramaticisms and past affronts to human bills. Now take off Mr. Happy David and lets go to some future books. You know you wrote The Children so much better. Made me cry like a girl. This makes me sleepy like William in the truck.

I read and loved this book for the stories and details it gives on the American press over the period of its glory, to about 1980. At that time, in the wake of My Lai, Watergate, and the Pentagon Papers, the press had revealed to Americans how much we really resembled other powerful countries and the depths to which some of our politicians fell. Halberstam makes the people who contributed to this collective glory come alive, from Kay Graham at the Washington Post and Buff at the Los Angeles Times to Seymour Hersh and William S. Paley, founder of CBS. He tells the stories with his ususal high and humanistic style, in an unmistakable moral tone (at one point he laments that the Munsters were created in place of a news program). He also reviews the presidency and politics from about Eisenhower to Nixon in fascinating detail, with plenty of editorialising, such as Nixon's snubs of his original patrons at the LA Times.

It is truly great reading, but in the end there is a bit too much of it. In retrospect, it also appears dated, and perhaps places a bit too much faith in the press. For those life myself who increasingly feel that the press is ridiculously focused on personal foibles instead of issues and failed to do its duty during the Clinton scandals - preferring to keep a trivial story alive rather than point out that it has all, like, happened before - they will find little support and that Halberstam had any inkling of when things might go to far.

Nonetheless, no one has done a better job at telling the story of the press, in print and TV, than Halberstam. He also succeeds in putting a great deal of issues in proper perspective, such as the rich careers of Walter Lippman, Teddy White, and Walter Cronkite.

For an avid news reader in Israel, such as I am, journalism in the United States always seemed like a role model, something the local press should aspire to. From the Pentagon Papers to Watergate, we've always been told the courage of the US media is something to imitate.

This book put me in some proper perspective. Halberstam's wonderful inside information, ranging from political pressure put on newspapers and the networks to squabbles among the press people themselves, avidly shows how limited American journalism was then, and by induction, how limited it probably is now. It mentions stories that were dropped not because they were not good or verified, but merely because some powerful figure in Washington, or worse yet a sponsor, chose to intervene. What to naive people might seem a scandal is shown here to be standard practice.

I heartily recommend this book. It's length (over a 1000 pages) can be intimidating at first, but not after you start reading - this is probably the most readable work I've come across, packed with information and yet never dull. While the scope of the book is limited (it was published in the 70s and does not go beyond Watergate), it is truly enlightening and mind-expanding, a must for anyone wishing to understand the media.

The Arena was built in 1929 for dairy cows, and it was in that building that the first power play in the history of the NHL happened in 1934.My grandmother could tell you about my cousin,Larry Finch, who played against mighty UCLA in 1973,for Memphis State. It was also where Penny Hardaway hit one of the most dramatic shots in Memphis State history in 1992. I cried when the place was imploded, because my friend , Kevin Holowchik, is a Blues fan and he was born there in St.Louis. You can tear the building down,but you cannot tear down the memories.

This book is a great coffee table item...I have been a Blues fan since 1986, that's right, the Monday Night Miracle. I loved the building. I played an inline hockey game with friends before a Vipers game as a promotion for the rink we played at locally. Just being behind the scenes in a "locker room" was amazing. I received this book for Christmas and read it before noon Christmas Day. I found the pictures and stories great, but it certainly lacked real information. I was very interested in the design of the building, the architechure, and stories about the tunnels and hidden walkways that this book hints at, but never dives into telling you. How about a volume two???

In the 1940s I can recall walking from our house on Cates, down DeBaliviere, through Forest Park and seeing that magnificant structure, The Arena. It featured a sign, "The Arena - Where the Big Events are held" along with the BAA Basketball sign for the Bombers and the AHL sign for the Flyers. Patti Smith Jackson's book, resplendith with photographs, allows those affectionados of this marvelous structure to keep memories such as this by putting her work in your hands whilst the building itself is now gone. Being over 65 I would have enjoyed more information about the earlier tennents of the building such as the Flyers of the American Hockey Association from 1928 to 1942 and then in the American Hockey League from 1944 to 1953. I can remember Neil Norman announcing the last period of the games starting at 9:45 PM on WIL in the 40s and Harry Caray doing same in the 50s. I would have liked more info on Tom Pack's wrestling matches at the Arena. I would have liked more information on the Bombers basketball team that started in the Basketball Association of America in 1946 and were one of the teams in the first season of the National Basketball Association in the 1949-50 season before folding. What I found missing in the Arena book was any mention of the Wirtz's moving some of the Chicago Blackhawks games to the Arena in 1953/54 to test the St. Louis market. It allowed a lot of us to see the greats, Gordie Howe, Maurice "Rocket" Richard, terrible Ted Lindsay. Also they had little coverage about the Bombers BAA/NBA team. Attendance was so bad that last season and I remember going to basketball doubleheaders with my Dad in the 49-50 season where he paid $1.25 for general admission and I got a ticket for a penny (on penny nights). Also after the Bombers folded after their first season, 49-50, the New York Knickerbockers wanted ex-St. Louis University star Easy Ed Macauley so badly that they offered to purchase the entire Bombers team but the NBA put the nix to that and Easy Ed went to the Boston Celtics instead. Harry broadcast the last half of the Bombers games on WIL also. But then it is really interesting how the folks responsible for the Big Events kept it all together with scotch tape and glue. This book is a MUST for anyone who loved the Arena and certainly will help the memories live on!