As part of my 10 step recovery from "Shelters of Stone" I had been searching for other great works of Pre-Historic Fiction. I found one such book in "Serpent and Storm"(and the first book "Sky Knife"), what a fast paced, fresh, gripping tale. I hope Mrs. Sands keeps it up, I really like Sky Knife and I would love to see the rest of his story. I did keep me on the edge of my seat and up late on a few nights to see the end. I would give it 6 stars if I could!

Since I usually read and collect pre-historic/Native American fiction, I was kinda weary about this book and "Sky Knife". How come I have never heard of it, why has Amazon never linked me to this author when I looked up "Aztec" and other novels of Ancient Mexico, is it that bad of a book?
The answer is no! This was a fast paced, full bodied book that has me hooked on this author and I hope she writes more, I really like her style.
The one hang-up I have with this book(and "Sky Knife")is that it leans a little too much on the "Magic of the Ancient Maya" and not enough at times on describing the culture and temples and... ah what the heck, it is just a good story.

The Centenary of Siqueiros' birth was in l996, and this book makes an outstanding contribution to a celebration of Siqueiros' life and works. It is a full political biography of the artist-citizen-socialist fighter, as well as an "art book" with 72 pages that present 134 photos and reproductions. These are discussed and explained in the text along with Siqueiros' theories about art and new realism. Philip Stein discloses for the first time the extensive FBI files meddling in the affairs of Mexican citizens. Siqueiros: His Life and Works has an extensive bibliography of the writings, exhibits and lectures of Siqueiros as well as background bibliography. (Reviewer's Bookwatch, January 1995). - "I am a citizen artist, not a Bohemian.I don't believe in a world where each artist is a little god, each one with his own philosophy, each one with his own little kitchen to fry his abstract ham and eggs. The only bad painting is the one dominated by the individual ego. Easel paintings whisper to the private few. Murals shout to the public." These words by Siqueiros embody the militant stance on art taken by one of the most forceful painters of the 20th century. Together with Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco, this triumvirate was the phalanx that led to the founding of the Mexican mural movement, the most significant advancement in art since the Italian Renaissance. This and much more is the subject of this book by Philip Stein an artist who spent a decade working with Siqueiros. It is a work of painstaking research and personal knowledge that is not only a biography of Siqueiros (l896-1974) but also a political history of the 20th century Mexican revolution and its aftermath. This book is a powerful argument for social commitment in art, a valuable source of education for all artists, yuoung and old. (Norman Goldberg, artist-critic). - This magnificent biography is a comprehensive study digging deeply into the historical roots and tempestuous conflicts that shaped Siqueiros into an agressive leader, including his Indian and Mexican heritage, union struggles, military action, political conflicts and his role in organizing cooperative groups of artists who would put their collective endeavors to the service of humanity. This biography is a remarkable work of art with a beautifully felt poetic prose. It is a wonderful restoration of the life of a complex artist. Documentation has a scholarly completeness, color photographs aid us in grasping some of the magnificence of his painting and mural accomplishments. This a biography of enormous importance and beauty, so rich one will go back to it again and again. (Anthony Toney, artist). Stein's marvellous book is a meticulous and inspiring study of a great artist. But more than that it is a cultural achievement in its own right. Throughout its pages Siqueiros is brought powerfully alive. Stein himself writes with the perception and sensitivity of an artist and presents a fascinating account of the artist's technique and methods. This is definitely not a "coffee table" book; nor is it aimed at the art expert. The style is always readable and accessible to the general reader. At times "Siqueiros" even has the pace and excitement of a novel. (Julian Holt, professor of literature, Lancaster, England).

The Centenary of Siqueiros' birth is in 1996, and this book makes an outstanding contribution to a celebration of Siqueiros' life and works. It is a full political biography of the artist-citizen-socialist fighter, as well as an "art book" with 72 pages that present 134 photos and reproductions. These are discussed and explained in the text along with Siqueiros' theories about art and new realism. Philip Stein discloses for the first time the extensive FBI files meddling in the affairs of Mexican citizens.Siqueiros: His Life and Works has an extensive bibliography of the writings, exhibits, and lectures of Siqueiros, as well as background bibliography. (Reviewer's Bookwatch, January 1995) --"I am a citizen artist, not a Bohemian. Idon't believe in a world where each artist is a little god, each one with his own philosophy, each one with his own little kitchen to fry his abstract ham and eggs. The only bad painting is the one dominated by the individual ego. In Europe a private market has determined a private art. Here (Mexico) our art is for an audience of millions. Easel paintings whisper to a private few. Murals shout to the public." These words by Siqueiros embody the militant stance on art taken by one of the most forceful painter of the 20th century. Together with Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco, this triumvirate was the phalanx that led in the founding of the Mexican mural movement, the most significant advancement in art since the Italian Renaissance. This and much more is the subject of this book by Philip Stein, an artist who spent a decade working with Siqueiros. This is a work of painstaking research and personal knowledge. It is not only a biography of Siqueiros (l896-l974) but also a political history of the 20th century Mexican revolution and its aftermath. This book is a powerful arguement for social commitment in art, a valuable source of education for all artists, young and old. (Norman Goldberg,artist-critic). This magnificent biography is a comprehensive stiudy digging deeply into the historical roots and tempestuous conflicts that shaped Siqueiros into an aggressive leader, including his Indian and Mexican heritage, union struggles, military action, political conflicts and his role in organizing cooperative groups of artists who would put their collective endeavors to the service of humanity. This biography is a remarkable work of art, with a beautifully felt poetic prose, comprehensively organized. It is a wonderful restoration of the life of a complex artist. Documentation has a scholarly completeness. Black and white and many color photographs aid us in grasping some of the magnificence of his painting and mural accomplishments. This is a wonderful biography of enormous importance and beauty, so rich one will go back to it again and again. (Anthony Toney, artist). Stein's marvellous book is a meticulous and inspiring study of a great artist. But more than that it is a cultural achievement in its own right, and an act of solidarity with the artist and the working people who were his subjects. Put another way, it is itself a work of socialist realism. The biography is written with a moving affection for Siqueiros who is brought powerfully alive through its pages. Stein himself writes with the perception and sensitivity of an artist and presents a fascinating account of the artist's technique and methods, his pioneering experiments with new materials and the numerous practical problems posed by murals and frescoes of the size and complexity of Siqueiros' creations. This is definitely not a "coffee table" book; nor is it aimed at the art expert. The style is always readable and accessible to the general reader. At times, "Siqueiros" even has the pace and excitement of a novel. (Julian Holt, professor of literature, England).

This book does a lot to shed light on this very important topic. Soldaderas played a very important role in the Mexican Revolution and in the Mexican military from the time of the MesoAmerican Indians up though the period of the Revolution and even afterwards. Their role has, unfortunately, been overlooked, except in some of the songs of the period of the Mexican Revolution, which focus on certain almost mythical soldaderas, such as "La Cucaracha" and "La Adelita". The author of this book, Ms. Salas, whom one gets the impression is a sort of a chicana activist, does not mix chicano politics with the historical treatment of this book, much to her credit, but rather she gives a very serious treatment to the subject, and the whole account is moving and interesting. It is both historically relevant and easy to read, and in my opinion, it is a really important book for anyone who is interested in history of Latin America - specifically of Mexico. Whereas it has been demonstrated that Pancho Villa is the most famous Mexican of all time, and the most intriguing considering the amount of attention he has gotten in print, then the background of the Mexican Revolution is indispensable for understanding his own saga. However, the other characters are almost of equal importance - at least - and the most overlooked but deserving of the same kind of attention that Villa and otehrs have gotten are the soldaderas, who were, frankly, in my own opinion, fascinating. The one soldadera that I am most intrigued with is "La Generala" Petra Herrera, who was actually a general, and she had an all woman troop, and had any men caught sneaking into her camp at night summarily shot! I recommend this book! I read it, and I loved it.

i feel that the book gives readers the ability to learn the history about the soldaderas.

I read "Someone Stole My Outhouse," by Cindy Bellinger, last week on a long flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta. Like any good book, this one made many long miles just disappear. At 37,000 feet in the air I looked down and realized I might well be right over the backwoods cabin home of the notorious Cindy Bellinger and her outhouse stealing neighbors.
On the surface this is a book about home improvement, and indeed there is much interesting material here on building footers and tearing down walls and vanishing outhouses. But actually, as I quickly discovered, Cindy Bellinger's writing is certainly always more than just how to fix or build something. I first read a piece of hers in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper a few years ago, an article about the fire raging across New Mexico, and the impact it was having on peoples' lives. I was immediately impressed and showed the article to friends who were also impressed.
Very interesting here are the stories of the down-home sort of folks who wander in and out of these tales of home improvement. I also love the way Ms Bellinger uses construction as her focal point to discuss what it is like for a single woman doing things her own way. She has an uncanny interest and appreciation of good tools "for a woman." I admit, I was surprised by much in this book, surprised by her depth of know-how at building, at her appreciation of doing things herself, of the way she never let her sex be an excuse for not doing something she wanted to do.
The building and repairing going on in this book are always central but she admits that, "I'm not a finish carpenter, probably because nothing ever gets finished." But really, like any good artist, Bellinger understands well that it is the doing that counts, that the actual process of building may be more important than the end product. I recommend this book to anyone interested in: good writing, in something unusual and different, to anyone who appreciates a salty, no BS kind of a lady, to anyone who values a woman who has the guts to live life on her own terms, and who knows how to write about it. Someone Stole My Outhouse would make an excellent present for any liberated lady, or for any fellow not easily intimidated by strong women. A darn good read. Check it out.

Reading this book made me feel as though I could try what is usually left to professionals, because Cindy captures the personal aspects of home repair and shares it as a woman, who learns as she goes, has successes and some failures. She gives hope and a wonderful sense of humor to every phase of her projects. She expresses her feelings about the tasks she's tackling and that brings in the human aspect which puts it in the realm of possiblilty, even for the beginner. Her organic way of approaching projects, spiced with her tonge-in-cheek sense of humor makes this book a refreshing and delightful read.

This book features beautiful colorful illustrations and a very cute story, full of accurate cultural details. To be enjoyed by children and adults alike, it also is a great way to "teach" your kids about death, or to help them deal with mourning, whether or not you are hispanic.

El Espiritu de Tio Fernando is an excellent book describing the mexican celebration of Days of the Dead. The book follows a young boy and his mother as they remember his uncle who has died within the last year. The book is simple yet includes many aspects of the celebration. The illustrations are wonderfully detailed so as to show the emotions of each part of the celebration. The text is in both English and Spanish allowing all children to enjoy it equally.

I read this book in one day. The author's description of the wild west is as captivating as is the action. His description of the area now known as Monument Valley is so real you can taste the dust and feel the heat. If you love action, suspense, are interested in an age when people were tough and a passion for life meant something, this book is for you. I'd recommend it for 14yrs and up.

Sister St. Agnes is a model Christian. Happy and morally upstanding, no matter what situation she is in. Willing to die for The Faith. Obviously not politically correct. There is no lack of action. Some of the corpses are described a little guesomely. I cried at the end!! Very touching.

This is a great book even you are not interested in the state of New Mexico... and if you are that much the better. Toby, a journalist for the Albuquerque Tribune, looks at ordinary people, landmarks, and places in a way that brings them alive. He choses interesting subjects and then lets you feel that you've been there and met them. Very objective, interesting, and accurate.

Toby Smith has an enviable ability to bring his subjects -- the people of New Mexico -- to life. My favorite story is "A Clean Sweep," but every one has something to enjoy. This is my second favorite book on New Mexico. My first is "New Mexico Odyssey," by the same author!

I just hope she writes more books. Enjoyed this one so much I couldn't put it down. She puts you right there in Baja on the warm sand by the vivid blue sea. Her stories of her dog Ink add much to the pleasure of reading this cheerful book.

The only thing wrong with this book is it ends! I just wanted it to keep on going I enjoyed reading it so much. It really makes you feel like you are right there watching the whales sprout and the sun set over the brilliant blue green waters of Baja. Please Barb, keep writing!

The best literate companion for a trip to the four corners area of US. It has selections from writings touching all areas where curiousity may take you as you travel through the deserts and canyons of the Anasazi.

Stories and Stone: Writing the Anasazi Homeland is a beautifully conceived, designed, and engaging work. The book sheds new light and understanding on the ancestral puebloan people. Reuben Ellis' forward and introductory essays to each excerpt engender a deeper appreciation and cultural awareness of the southwest and its history. Excerpts from Tony Hillerman, Wallace Stegner, Marietta Wetherill, Frank Waters, and Terry Tempest Williams were among my favorite--leaving me with a strong desire find and camp in a secluded canyon beneath the silent, ghostly ruins of the Anasazi

I also read this book in 8th grade (in the D.C. area), and can still remember being overwhelmed by its story and imagery. I remember a favorite in my class was the page about Cortez making love to the gold. On a recent trip to Mexico, I visited the Aztec island of Mexcaltitan to try to learn more about their history. Maybe I thought I would see Nanautzin... This book did the best job I have seen of capturing the point of view of the outsider, one who belongs to both 2 tribes and no tribes. Really, it is about Nanautzin and his failure to exist in either society, magnified by the failure of the Aztecs to continue existing at all.

Also recommended: Cortez the Killer by Neil Young.

I read The Sun, He Dies for my 8th grade english class several years ago, and we were struck by the intensity of the images and stark reality portrayed in this book. Mr. Highwater does a superb job in making the reader feel as if they were actually there repelling the Spaniards from Teotihuacan (sp?). This is the best book ever written and it is a shame that it went out of print. that is an honor it did not deserve.