Sixty Glorious Years is the follow up on the author's book Fifty Glorious Years. Lots of great photos and stories about the world's best aircraft, and the first REAL airliner. A Glorious buy, but if you bought the last book, there's no need to buy this one. However, if you own NEITHER - this is the book to buy. A must for every Total Aviation Person's library.

My first impressions of America were in Rapid City, South Dakota (7-10 October 2001) and the patriotism and hospitality of Dakotans set the pattern for an enjoyable three week tour (that included NM, NYC and DC).

John Milton's concise 200 page history of the Coyote State filled in some gaps for me and simply whetted the appetite for a return visit.

Particularly interesting was the East-West divide caused by the Missouri river and how, traditionally, the political clout in the State has been in the hands of the easterners.

The conflicts between Red and White, that still persist, started with the gold rush, an event that sparked the major migration of white settlers into the territory.

Colourful characters like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Hugh Glass, Red Cloud, George Custer and others give the flavour of pioneer times and the imagery of the past was enhanced by me being able to see some of the historic places in the Black Hills as well as some of the big sky country of the prairie-both of which the author conveys well in his text.

The rural nature of much of South Dakota, with wide open spaces reminds me of my own environment (in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia) and the history of gold rushes,early inter ethnic clashes, achievement of statehood (SD was a year ahead of Western Australia), friendly people and rural conservatism is something that I can clearly recognise and which Milton explains.

If you want a good concise backgrounder to SD (with a useful section on further reading) then Milton's book is a good starting point.

As for South Dakotans in general I admire their patriotism (after Sep.11) with flags and signs everywhere- and in particular I thank Pastor Jim Patrick, and members of his United Methodist Church, who took time to make sure this traveller from a distant land not only enjoyed reading about the history of the State but also saw South Dakotans of the present for what they are-a gracious, generous and decent people.

This collection is a good primer for someone interested in the folklore of the Sioux Indians. They are a fascinating people and these tales hold great interest. There is a charm that accompanies these stories that will delight readers. One comes to understand and appreciate the Sioux love for nature and animals. These legends will inspire and awe readers. Luther Standing Bear does a great job of capturing the oral pulse of these stories. I was enamored of these stories when I read them as a teenager and they still hit the mark all these years later.

If you're even remotely considering on attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD and have never been there during the rally before, then you need this book as a reference. Even seasonsed veterans to the rally such as myself will find this an enojoyable read. There are some great stories and riding suggestions, however the real golden lining is the comprehensive listing of hotels/motels/cabins and campgrounds. Never before has such a list been compiled. The author also gives you an insight as to what to expect for weather.

In the preface to this book, Philip Hall explains the two-fold purpose of this book. It is an effort to tell a story of the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890 from the standpoint of local frontier history, rather than the more common efforts that treat the event as an episode in American Indian history, or in Western military history. Hence he tells the story of white settlers and ranchers in the area. The second purpose is to contribute to a deeper and more meaningful effort at reconciliation between Indians and whites in western South Dakota.

Hall does a good job of the first goal, orchestrating the views of participants on the settler side of the Indian-white encounter around the time of the massacre. He shows that these views were more complicated than readers of other histories might suspect. In putting forth these views, he also lays out some perspectives that could, with a focused and committed political effort, stimulate the possibilities of mutual understanding between Indians and whites in South Dakota, as well as other areas in the West. He shows that participants in the crisis of 1890 found themselves caught up in events beyond their control. They were faced with choices in which all the alternatives failed to satisfy their priorities. In the choices they would have liked to make they might have found the basis for peaceful coexistence, rather than the violence and oppression that became the mode of interracial relations.

Hall does a good job of orchestrating a narrative that evokes these possibilities. However, his approach often seems too much that of a journalist who conceals his stake in the outcome of the events. His second objective--racial healing--might be served better by stronger analysis and the commitment throughout the text that is put forth in the preface and the author's bio.

This book covers the changing of the guard in American politics, when authority was no longer unquestioned and citizens were learning how to organize and exert their positions. In hindsight, it is amazing that such an ill conceived idea as transporting 800,000 cubic yards of water over 100 miles to irrigate land inherently unsuited to irrigation could have held sway for three decades before being exposed as impractical. The fact that this feat was accomplished by a handful of citizens, against the united desires of the press and business and political leaders, makes it even more interesting reading.

During the period that this drama was being acted out, I served as a Special Assistant to the Governor of South Dakota, and I was impressed by the clear, interesting and straightforward telling of this story. While I would dispute some of the details, to a reader that did not live out this drama, these are of a minor consequence. As the staff member that authorized funding of the study of transporting Missouri River water to Wyoming, I can assure the readers that this study was done solely to determine the impact of providing clean, fresh water to ranches and small communities in western South Dakota and was completely unrelated to the Oahe project. Governor Kneip quickly distanced himself from this study when objections arose from our political base in eastern South Dakota. This study, however, documented the importance of clean water supplies to the public health and the raising of livestock. The rural water systems that were created in the wake of Oahe addressed this need and as the author noted, this was the lasting legacy of the Oahe Project.

There is a natural tendency in books like this to paint the good guys as pure and the establishment as universally bad. In this case as part of the establishment, there were major differences of opinion within the Kneip administration on the feasibility and desirability of the Oahe Project. The decision to "leak" and make public a wide array of documents that were destined to aid the opponents was thoroughly debated and I admire Governor Kneip's tolerance of those that prevailed in providing the public the truth.

The lesson that citizens can overcome incredible odds in fighting proposed developments is a fascinating story that deserved telling.

I read this book about 15 years ago and for some reason it has
stuck in my mind and I think of it often. It's an interesting
concept in that the white woman was kidnapped by Indians and struggled to return to her own people. Toward the end it gives insight into the way Indians on some reservations live today. A very good book.

In Erdrich's companion novel to Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, a character notices a spider's web in a baby's hair. For that novel and for this beautiful work, the metaphor is duly noted. The characters are involved with each other and in each other's lives through an elaborate, complicated and emotional web that exists among them connecting them and making the episodic storytelling and shifting narrative voices appropriate and enriching.

The pay-off in the book comes about half to three-quarters through it, when the reader realizes that the sections are joined loosely and not by any kind of chronology or specific plot line. Read them for the separate jewels they are. (Erdrich is particularly lovely read aloud, but to read this book aloud, all participants must embrace the feelings of chaos that come early on from the narrative method she employs.) In the end, the deeper connections will astonish and amaze.

As the Kirkus review suggests, Love Medicine is best taken as a series of stories--it is not exactly in chronological order, and the stories are related only in that they all deal with characters from two sides of a large and complex family. In fact, the family relations are so complex that at times they're downright confusing, and you might want to make a family tree--in pencil. Nonetheless, it is a powerful and compelling book with a sly wit about it; and sometimes it's so beautiful it's painful, as in "Scales," "The Red Convertible," and "Wild Geese." In all honesty the book is probably a masterpiece, as--in the best of van Gogh--it leaves you pondering nuances of what you've witnessed for days afterwards

Native Americans have not been treated well in fiction. Too often, authors merely fall back on old stereotypes (such as Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales), but authors also risk the danger of reverse racism, in which a minority group is portrayed as so noble and godlike that they insult the human traits of the group (Dances With Wolves, for example). A realistic portrait of Native Americans is desperately needed, and Louise Erdrich fills this void impressively.

This is a deep, complicated book, encompassing many years and characters, jumping back and forth through time, alternating viewpoints with every chapter. Faulknerian in scope, the book is also blessed with a rich sense of humor, which lightens the mood and rounds out the characters. Yes, these people suffer in the book, and the plight of reservation life is presented without romance or any softening of the blow. Yet we laugh as much as we cry throughout "Love Medicine," because Erdrich is a gifted enough author to replace pathos with witty perserverence. This book requires patience and time, but has rich rewards. For an uplifting look at Native American life, and an insightful view on human nature in general, try Louise Erdrich.

The author has done a great disservice to all First Nation people as she has taken children's names from a grave yard and basically "spun yarns" about their lives. I have talked first hand with people from the Blackfoot Nation and they talked about what happened to their parents in boarding schools. It was not the "sugar coating" that Ms. Rinaldi speaks of at all. Many of the problems that First Nation people have may be traced back to forcing children to attend boarding school, such as poor parenting skills, by not having any examples of parents to follow while growing up.

The White people treated the First Nation people with disrespect toward their culture, language, religion, and music. You could say history repeated itself with how the Whites treated all others different than themselves.

When you read this book, make sure that you take this into account.

I thought this book was sad but informed me of some of the stuff that was going on back then. I really enjoyed reading the book. Some of the writing in the book is very sad and emotional but other writing is happy and cheerful.
The main character is Nannie Little Rose. She is head strong ,but loves learning. She is a sioux indain and was sent to a school ,to learn the English ways, by her dad.
This book is about a young girl in America. She goes through hard stuff but always makes it though. It tells how hard things were back then compared to want we have now. It is mainly about what a tough time Indians had trying to learn the American ways.
I would recommed this book to anyone how every wonders what life was like years ago when Indains sold their land to the white people.

This book is really good. But if you like happy books, don't read it because it almost made me cry.
The book is about an Indian girl who is forced to change all of her ways, and learns many things to make her people proud.

"A Dry Spell" is an attempt at mixing two different genres that watered down both. The formula romance: good looking rogue, shy undiscovered beauty, opposites attract. The formula ghost story: wrongful death, rage, revenge. Fortunately, unlike most formula novels, the author of this one actually has talent. Her character development is quite good and well rounded. I cared about everyone from the stiff and proper Karen Grange to the fiesty, hurting Vida. However, the story held promises it never kept. The antagonistic ghost was just a shadow of a character, her history described in a mere two or three pages of a 350 page book. The promised sensuality was weak, and the suspense was almost non-existent. I found I wanted more from this book than it gave me. The author provided a feel for the prairie and the rain equivalent to watching a television show, not of actually being there.

The comparison of Susan Maloney to Stephen King is not really apt. T! he only similarity is that both authors let their characters drive their writing. I also think Maloney has not yet arrived. She needs to be bolder with her ideas. She has the talent, she just needs to add some power.

My overall recommendation on this book would be to read it. However, if you're looking for a good scare, this is not for you.

I have never had such mixed emotions about a book before. It was a "skimmer" all right. In fact, I skipped pages at a time but the book still held me like an iron fist. The author seemed to go off on tangents that departed so completely from the story line that I wanted to throw the book against the wall. So why was I compelled to read this book in two days?..... because the plot just wouldn't let me walk away from it. The plot, the characters and the expectations of great things had me picking this book up with every spare minute I could muster. I liked the mysterious rainmaker and his supernatural gift and I think his character had great promise. Unfortunately, the book closed with a whimper leaving the hint of a sequel. If there is a sequel forthcoming, I might buy it but not before I read a enough to know if the book carries the same style of writing tangents that were so frustrating in this book.
For the most part, I liked this book because the author definitely has talent and I think she can deliver the goods with a little help. This book had a lot of potential so I am of the opinion that it's the editor who should be hung out to dry, not the author. This could have been an outstanding read had wandering thoughts been traded for more on the characters and closure on the story line. Forget the sequel. I vote for a re-write.

This is not bad at all.This could be a story for x-files without
Sculler and Moldy.Paranormal and kind of dreamy.Good for the cottage or such thing.I enjoyed it.