The very first part of the essential, very first amendment to our Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This ringing phrase, so seemingly simple and obvious, has been the focus of an enormous amount of controversy and clarification. It is a great legacy, but what does it really mean? We are still struggling to find out. In _To an Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial_ (St. Martin's Press) by Garrett Epps we learn how one of the latest struggles is turning out. It is a fine book to show in detail how a specific constitutional decision came to be made.

On one side of the story was Al Smith. Smith was born into the Klamath tribe, but was pulled out of it to go to Catholic boarding school. Rather late in his life he was introduced to sweat lodges and Native American religion. He was also introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous, and eventually became a respected counselor, speaker, and organizer of treatment centers for alcohol and drug abuse. As he traveled to different reservations to set up recovery programs, he came across peyote religion. It seemed to give some of his clients spiritual strength, and they seemed to do better in overcoming substance abuse if they participated in its religious ceremonies. He began to consider participating in peyote religion. He was told that taking peyote at a ceremony would violate the rules of the treatment center in which he worked, and so he did so. He was thereupon fired, and he filed for unemployment compensation. That filing set the stage for a subsequent battle within the Supreme Court and beyond.

On the other side was Oregon Attorney General David Frohnmayer. He had tried in his political offices in Oregon to mend fences with the tribes of his region. He was, however, very worried about the dangers of drug abuse, and so he felt he was doing the right thing in trying to squelch community acceptance of drugs, ceremonial or not. He approached the Supreme Court proceedings with the mantra, "Drugs are bad. Slippery slope." Not only was peyote illegal, but it was used in a minority religion; if it were allowed, then surely someone would be asking to use other drugs for religious purposes. But he did reflect sadly to his legal team, "How did we get to be the Indian bashers?"

Epps is not only a journalist and lawyer, but also a novelist. His ability to describe personalities and anecdotes serves him well, for although this is a legal story, the human stories within it are what make it live. He has used process of the legal arguments as a springboard for an examination of many connected subjects: the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the story of Alcoholics Anonymous; the tale of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the Oregon town that was taken over by his devotees; the saga of the Road Man who is the ceremonial leader of the peyote religion. These set pieces are fascinating, and strengthen the main story. It is disconcerting that there is no pat final resolution, but Epps writes, "The law of religious freedom remains unsettled." Thus may it ever be.

Epps' book is one of the best in recent memory to explore a Supreme Court case. Examining the case of Oregon v. Smith, Epps deploys his skills as both a journalist and a novelist to plumb the depths of Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights. The only quibble one can have is that the book spends too much time on the minutae of Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer's life. Other than that minor matter, this is an elegantly told tale. As an aside, Epps presents a concise yet complete recouncting of the Rajhneesh cult saga of the '80's, relying to good effect of the work of Oregon Magazine Editor-in-Chief Win McCormack.

This book is one of the best looks at a Supreme Court case in quite some time. Examining Oregon v. Smith, one of the most important yet unheralded legal battles of our time, Epps' book plumbs the depths Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights in a manor which devestates the intellectual pretensions of Court conservatives such as Justice Scalia. The only quible one can have with the book it that it has too much detail on Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer. Other than that minor matter, this is a top rate book. Of additional note, the book provides an exceptionaly concise yet comprehensive overview of the Rajhneesh cult afair in Oregon, relying to good effect on the journalism of Oregon Magazine's Win McCormack.

With out a doubt one of the best books I've ever read ! Bob Welch makes the pages come alive ! I have been moved deeply and now have such a deep desire to make a difference in my little world around me ! I plan on buying this book for many of my friends, wish everyone would read it !

When one thinks of Mother's Day and Father's Day, thoughts migrate to the brilliance of flowers in bloom and a spectrum of vivid green splashed across the carpet of earth's habitat. But Bob Welch uses the starkness of a cold winter's morning with freshly fallen snow to describe the family unit and the legacies that emerge. Welch captures the reader's attention immediately. As in his past books, he uses stories of family and friends to welcome us into a kind of "fireside chat" with him. We learn about Granpa Schu and what is important in life. Gram, Welch's grandmother was "the hinge on which {the} screen door swung" and one who reflected God's love and lived it rather than preached it. Welch uses the image of the legacy tree (still in motion) rather than a family tree which is stagnant and lifeless. This book illustrates that families are made up of those who have come before to make a difference in the lives of those living today. Legacy is passed on in story form and this book does just that. Welch has given us a rare glimpse of his family's legacy in his personal stories; some humorous, some bitter. He paints pictures with the written word. He uses simile as a means of touching the mind and heart of the reader and move them into a deeper understanding and different level of awareness. He credits his mother for humor being a valuable part of his being. "The world needs laughter," she would say to him. One powerful chapter is "Fathers and Sons." If one ever wondered about the moment when they switch places with their parents and they become the parent and their parent becomes the child, this is the chapter to read. It is the prime rib cut of the meat of the book. As the season approaches where Mother's and Father's Days are celebrated, this is a wonderful gift book. Welch tells of a time when he witnessed a shooting star passing over a lake. It streaked across the dark sky for a split second but remains in his memory forever. "Why? Because its legacy was dependent not on its longevity, but on its brilliance." (p. 209) Simply stated, buy the book and experience the brilliance!

Blending wry humor with poignant insight, Bob Welch writes of a man who handed down a grand legacy despite never having a business card, never receiving a promotion, and rarely taking a vacation; a middle-aged woman who dressed in a rally uniform and yelled her heartiest at a Turkey Bowl game, her cheers meaning more to her son as the years went by; a family with 23 children (many adopted) who always have room for one more because they know there's no limit to love. These and other stories in this inspiring, satisfying, engaging collection combine to show the many ways we have of nurturing a legacy that lasts, creating a family of faith where spiritual roots grow deep, and where wisdom, values, and the sensibilities of love are passed as a kind of spiritual legacy from one generation to the next. Highly recommended.

Over the last several years, I've hiked most of the trails described in "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon." Sullivan's diving directions, trail descriptions and maps have always been perfect and immensely helpful.

The trail descriptions are both concise and crystal clear. Sullivan does not meticulously describe each detail, which leaves much to discover on your own and allows for a more personal hiking experience. He writes eloquently, and often includes great tidbits of scientific and historical information that add context to your hike. For example, he might briefly describe how a specific area was geologically formed, and point out some evidence that you'll find along trail.

Sullivan's practical advice is invaluable. If he tells you that a trail passes poison oak, you better wear long pants! If he tells you that a trail is open from July to October, don't show up without snowshoes in March! Clearly, he knows these trails well. Readers should not overlook the preface, where he provides an equipment checklist, low impact camping guidelines, contacts for trail conditions, and other useful information.

The one downside of this guide is that so many people use it. If a hike is within an hour of Portland, and is featured in this book, you can count on a crowded trailhead on a nice weekend. Plenty of the featured hikes are off the beaten path, and still consistently provide solitude. Just plan on driving for awhile.

Anybody who hikes in Oregon should consult "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon," or one of Sullivan's other books. I also frequently use his Oregon Coast and Central Oregon guides, and they too are first rate.

Just a quick additional note: When you do hike, always leave no trace! If you see trash, pick it up! Always be respectful of our Earth, and all of its creatures.

I bought this book two years ago to add to the many guide books in my library. After two years of hiking many weekends in northwestern OR and southwestern WA, it's become clear that this is the book that get's used the most. Most of the trails are suitable for the whole family. We've hiked into the crater of Mount St. Helens, eaten wild huckle berries in Indian Heaven Wilderness, hiked every slope of Mt. Hood, visited water falls in the Columbia river Gorge that we didn't know existed and more.

Many of the trails are suitable for the occasional dry weekend in the winter months as well. Sullivan provides many low elevation trails which extend the hiking season year round.

If you live in southwestern Washington or northwestern Oregon, you should own this book.

I bought this book prior to a trip to Oregon in hopes of finding some beautiful hikes. This book was a valuable tool in my search. Every hike was accurately described from details on finding the trailhead to distances traveled including the level of difficulty and points of interest along the way.

I remember years ago when I was a kid a story my father told me about an amazing river rafter and boat builder. My Dad grew up in Coquille and went to school with Buzz's younger brother. His story always ended with how Buzz had been on a rafting trip in eastern Oregon and went off and committed suicide. I could never understand how someone who had done the amazing things he did could end his life on that note. I thought about that story many times over the years and always wished I knew more. This book is incredibly well researched and documented. Even though many questions were answered, many more were raised. Such was the enigma that was Buzz Holmstrom.

Well-written and researched. But the thing that shines through is Buzz and his strong spirit - the writers were careful to be sure this was HIS book, not theirs, which is how it should be. A true boatman's boatman, Buzz was maybe born too soon - it seems the world wasn't quite ready for his singular love of the rivers and nature. This book won't disappoint you - what will disappoint you after reading it is that Buzz is gone.

True adventure is not limited to distant lands and times long ago. Here in the good ol' U.S. of A., just a few short years ago, a common man blew his fanfare in the form of beautiful wooden boats made without plans by hand in his basement, and in his solo running of whitewater rivers in those boats. If you have ever slept under the stars, you will understand a bit of Buzz and why he did what he did. You may even want to do it yourself. Buzz would like that.

Frank Mullen has added an important book to the history of Donner Party. The tragedy has been the focus of writing since the spring of 1847, but Mullen has found a fresh way to make the story understandable and, perhaps more importantly, human.

The book is a daily chronolgy of the year that it took the party to travel from Illinois to California, and each two-page spread of this large book is carefully laid out and presents a mix of graphics and text. It is rewarding if read straight through, yet very accessible if your reading style is more "grazing" than linear.

Mullen clearly has done his homework. The sheer volume of detail and complexity in the story can be overwhelming, and Mullen includes the details that are needed to clarify and develop the people in the story. He includes wonderful quotes from diaries and supporting material, and drawings of interesting side issues such as an analysis of the probable shape of the "Pioneer Palace Car." Additionally, Marilyn Newton's photographs of the trail as seen today make it real for a modern reader.

When I have given this book as a gift to anyone with an interest in American History, it has been very well received. A truly great book.

The full-color, glossy photographs of major landmarks and points of interest along the Emigrant Trail from Springfield, MO to Johnson's Ranch in Bear Valley are stunning. The color photos, all taken by Marilyn Newton, are grouped together in the beginning of the book, comprising 20 slick pages of almost 50 photos. It's hard to believe that wagon ruts from over 150 years ago still exist in places; happily, our continuous farming, building and paving haven't obliterated all traces of the route that so many people rode--and walked--in order to reach California.

Portraits, maps, drawings and sketches from the period are interspersed with sepia-toned contemporary photographs, some taken by Newton and some by other photographers, and appear on every page of the book. "The Donner Party Chronicles" is visually rich and stimulating. The area around Donner Lake and the route the relief parties followed are depicted in all seasons of the year. Even in black-and-white, the photos of Donner Lake and the surrounding mountains demonstrate the ruggedness of the terrain and deeply impress upon the reader the hopelessness the members of the Donner Party must have felt upon being snowed-in at the lake.

The book reads like a journal that would have been kept by one of the emigrants traveling with the Donner Party. The text is reprinted from installments journalist Frank Mullen, Jr. published in the weekly newspaper "The Reno Gazette-Journal" over the course of an entire year. The daily routine followed, problems encountered, and decisions made by the Donner Party are chronicled in a concise manner. The entries are short, most three or four paragraphs in length.

One very interesting feature of "The Donner Party Chronicles" is the map of the Emigrant Trail that appears on every left-hand page of the book, with the progress of the doomed emigrants clearly marked with a red dot. As you read along through the book, you see on every other page exactly where the emigrants were as the day's events took place. I found this map extremely helpful and fascinating. Watching the movement of the Donner Party as they traveled on foot at the pace of slow, plodding oxen made me better able to understand how great an undertaking their overland journey was. I shared this book with my husband, my Dad and my father-in-law, and they enjoyed it almost as much as I did!

This book is well worth the price, for the interesting text as well as the terrific photos; you can easily find what you're looking for in the pages, as each page is dated and the day's entry fairly short.

The strong point of the book is the day by day account of the Donner Party's journey. Mullen writes as if he were actually on the trail with the party, and the reader has that same sense of being there. Mullen's writing style makes this book the best Donner Party telling since George Stewart's Ordeal By Hunger.

In Booker Bend, Oregon, schoolteacher Susan Ryker waits at the airport to give a ride to fellow teacher Casper Rickert when she witnesses a murder. The killer looks right at Susan, knowing she might be able to identify him. He plans to clean up this nuisance later.

The FBI and local police interrogate Susan in hopes she will provide a description of the murderer, but she insists she cannot. Susan learned a recent lesson of what happens to a good Samaritan when she gave a statement to the police identifying a thief only have the cop shout out her address. However police officer Gene Udell knows she is hiding something, but will risk his life to keep Susan safe beyond the call of duty as he has fallen in love with her.

THE HUNT is a solid police procedural romance that will keep the audience on the edge of the seat as Susan finds avoiding her responsibility fails to protect her. The "Assassin" is an intriguing protagonist as he is a cold-blooded killing machine treating murder like a day at the office. Though the FBI acts like the stereotype of the old image and not the "improved" model as related to Congress, Christie Rose's tale is a fine novel that will spur readers to desire more romantic suspense novels from this budding star.

Harriet Klausner

I was very impressed by this book. The story was intriguing. The characters were very real and true to life. Great Work!!

I absolutely loved it! I could not put the darn thing down.

More than two decades after his death, almost three decades after he left the governor's office, Tom McCall remains the defining figure of Oregon politics. It was during his tenure in office (1967-1975) that Oregon gained its reputation as a national leader in innovative public policy.

The McCall era saw Oregon protect virtually all of its beaches for public use; adopt the first bottle bill in the nation; clean up the Willamette River; adopt the country's first statewide land-use planning system; and much more. Although many of these concepts did not originate with McCall, he was the catylist and provided the leadership to make them a reality.

This era is brilliantly chronicled by Brent Walth in "Fire At Eden's Gate." Walth, a reporter for the Eugene Register-Guard, and now The Oregonian, knows the state and its leadership well, and this allows him to tell the McCall story with comprehensiveness and clarity. But this is more than a political biography; Walth also chronicles the story of McCall's celebrated family (including grandfather Thomas W. Lawson, "the Copper King"), his path to the governor's office, and his sometimes troubled personal life.

Anyone interested in understanding Oregon public life in the second half of the 20th century should enjoy and benefit from reading this well-crafted biography.

This biography of the modern day father of Oregon, makes this native long for days past. For days when Oregon was a leader on the national politcla/cultural/social scene.

Walth does an excellent job detailing not only the political successes of one of Oregon's greatest politicians, but also of the man's personal shortcomings.

I am not certain how much appeal this book will have to non-Oregonian's or people who are unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest, but I feel that it should be required reading by all students of political science attending Oregon universities.

Our state legislators who are constantly invoking McCall's name and legacy to advance their own political gains, would do well to read this biography. Our elected officials of today pale in comparison to the individual giants of years past.

I am a Native Oregonian living on the east coast and this book helped me understand why I feel like a fish out of water in the midst of uncontrolled suburban sprawl, minimal recycling facilities, and chemical pollution violations are repeatedly ignored by local politicians.
Mr. Walth's book was exciting to read. I recommend it to anyone seeking to understand Oregonians and why we're so proud of the place we call home. Brent Walth tells the story of how Tom McCall gave us that pride.

Set in a vivid and dramatic landscape, this memoir tells a story filled with honesty, humor, and courage. Allen observes with a keen eye. She takes on one of the great challenges for a writer, giving us not just the surface of the moments of a relationship but the deep undercurrents, both real and imagined, and succeeds with a grace that seems effortless. Allen's inner journey blends perfectly with the wild spaces, the free spirited horses, and the quirky human world, which is at once familiar, weird, and sobering.

Allen is an engaging guide and companion. We can only hope she shares more of her journey with us.

I was very taken by this wonderful real-life novel. Even if the reality level is relatively high, the author manages to turn it into something that transcends the documentary, the journalistic. By mixing many atfirst sight totally unrelated elements, in the end it turns out to be a novel about spirituality in daily life, or about how to see meaning in it.
The location of the American North-West is much more than just an
impressive backdrop. The scenery in the broadest sense of the word, including the population, is subject and metaphor at the same time.
Penny Allen seems to focus on the "outside" of things, but interprets the "inside". All elements come together towards the very end, not only in a literary way, but in the way things sometimes do, in real life.

I read this book with a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. It is
introspective, but at the same time describes mundane and sometimes gruesome events that happen in the real world. And it's funny, if you share the author's sense of humor.

Memoirs are the current hot genre. Often they depend on one big event for their oomph, or they putter along in a very interior manner. Penny Allen, a radical bohemian filmmaker now living in Paris, caretook a horse ranch in eastern Oregon, which would provide enough gist for most memoirist's mills. Perhaps Allen is lucky, perhaps she draws intense people and events to her, perhaps her filmmaker's gaze sees and frames life as most of us do not--certainly most of us wouldn't have emerged with such an amazing quilt of interlocking stories. Thoreau observed that most people lead lives of quiet desperation, and Allen's time on the high desert proves no exception. She finds these desperate lives and recounts them brilliantly, but after the regular weird folks come the hardcore character actors: the cult of Rajneeshpuram, the Vietnam vet "on patrol," the ghost, and more. With the constitution of a war journalist, she never averts her eyes, and she is willing to tell us exactly what she saw. --Hollis Taylor, Sydney, Australia

This book has roads in that my MapPoint 2003 program said didn't exist. So to see who was right-we built a backroads trip using the book and the software-and the book was absolutely correct.

It is easy to read, gives great places to see and fun things to do as well as an incredibly detailed map-down to showing you were the gates are on private roads.

Clearly the best--no doubt about it.

The relief maps are wonderful at making the terrain visible, but the strength of this atlas is how clearly it shows the roads - all of them including forest roads - paved, gravel and dirt. The depiction of campsites is also very complete. Unfortunately the campsite listings are not nearly as comprehensive as the map, so you will want a separate campground guide to for amenities and descriptions. Also appreciated, the overlap between maps on different pages is generous - finally a map book that doesn't leave you on the edge, flipping pages!

I found this special atlas to be a visual treasure map. I have traveled over much of Oregon, once on a field trip for a combined graduate class of paleontology and stratigraphy students at the University of Oregon, and I enjoyed reminiscing while viewing a more three dimensional-looking map of many of the sites we had visited.

Both the Recreational and Landscape sections are very useful and informative when planning a future trip, or just to "armchair travel."

Reading the maps can be both a history and a geology lesson.

We just added "Westward to Home" and several other "My America" books to our elementary school library, so it remains to be seen how popular this particular title will be.

Author Patricia Hermes does a fine job of telling the story of a nine-year old boy, through brief journal entries, about life on the Oregon Trail in 1848. While we get a kid's eye view of the hardships, the people, and some of the typical events associated with traveling west by covered wagon, I'm not convinced that this is a genuinely BOY'S book.

I have traveled along the Oregon Trail, from Independence, MO, to Walla Walla, WA, and I was once a boy. That makes me no expert, but I think a nine-year old kid on the Oregon Trail would be less interested in the interpersonal difficulties of the adults in the wagon train, and more fascinated with guns, never-before-seen animals such as pronghorns, prairie dogs, snakes, lizards, and buffalo, and some of the amazing landforms that come into view after a monotonous trek across the flat prairies.

There was a brief mention of Chimney Rock, which would be awe inspiring for any kid to see and muse about. And what about Register Rock where a kid would surely stop to scratch in his own name and read the signatures of those who had gone on before? One would think a boy would be more amazed at his first views of the Rockies. And even when Joshua is curious about the Indians he sees in the forts along the way, I'd expect him to be more fascinated with the way they looked and talked, what they wore, how they smelled and how they did things like eat and smoke. This could also be said for the soldiers and trappers he must've seen at these forts.

I also can't imagine a nine-year old boy spending so much time in his journal worrying about a girl who was "sweet" on him. Instead, I would like to have seen his male friendships developed a bit more fully.

Having said all this, I still think this book is a welcome addition to middle grade titles about the Oregon Trail. The overall picture of the life, people and hardships, including many tragic deaths, is realistic. I anticipate that more girls will be reading this than boys, but it fills a need at this level.

Patricia Hermes' account of this dangerous exploration needs quiet time to listen. The young boy's relationship with his grandfather becomes my chief reason for buying and recommending this book to grandparents who often care for children's needs more diligently than birth parents.
The author manifests a unique sense of humor when she creates the name for "ME-TOO". Capturing the surf and the breeze the story, WESTWARD TO HOME renders the journey as nature's spiritual turf. Mary Kelly,Toms River, NJ.

Joshua is excited when he is told that his family is going to be going to Oregon. Joshua is also fortunate because his aunt,uncle and cousins are also coming with him. The only thing he doesn't like is his grandfather isn't coming. However Joshua gets a surprise when his grandfather shows up unexpectantly and decides to come with them. Joshua stares at death many times as many people die in their wagon group. However Joshua also manages to have fun as every young boy should do as goes on a bufflo hunt. However when one of his family members gets into trouble crossing a river will Joshua be brave enough to save her? Will his family ever make it to Oregon safe and sound? This is a great book and I think anyone who is interested in the Oregon Trail should read this book!