Nora Vitz Harrison has presented us with a collection of wonderful and provokative stories of adventure, sharing and unconditional love. They let you explore your own needs and dreams. It's a treasure.

Without being sentimental, this wonderful book brings you closer to all animals, but especially to dogs you have known, past and present. I found myself laughing and crying and I hadn't even gotten to page 7. Nora Vitz Harrison's writing style is lovely, warm, and enveloping. She has given us a gift with this book, not only of her story, which is inspiring. She gives us a glimpse into the special world of guide dogs and how they fulfill their mission. I guarantee you'll want this book for every dog lover on your list (a portion of profits goes toward training guide dogs!). And your own dog is in for a lot of hugs once you start reading this. I couldn't put it down.

DEAR KILROY is about making connections in life that are meaningful and lasting. I found myself melting in my chair as I read it. I could not put it down. In a compelling and heartfelt way, it reminds us what we need to do-laugh more, love more, live more. The stories shared are personal; they provide relevant life lessons learned from canine companions-touching and heartwarming. For seven years I was a mental health therapist and I wish I had this book to give to my clients. It is a self-help book in the truest sense.

My father was a close freind of the deceased in the book. He never met the author, but he knew the family. He was described in the book as building his own house (which is fictional, because he never built a house). This book is very graphic in how the bodies were found, and how the family was killed. Wharton makes up some of the names and of course some of the events in the book.

A year and a half ago I read the, then latest book, "Ever After," by my favorite author, William Wharton. The author of "Birdy," "Dad," and most recently, "Houseboat on the Seine," depicts the horrendous 23 car pile up on Oregon's Interstate 5 in the summer of '88, that occured due to field burning near Albany, Oregon. Seven deaths resulted out of overt negligence on the part of Oregon laws, businesses, political action committees and the farmer(s) involved. The author dealing with the personal impact of this tragedy, eventually decides to take action and attempts to pursue legal recourse. The book outlines the tremendous forces that come into play within our business/legal/political system(s) when it comes to assuming responsibility/liability for both the personal and ongoing environmental disasters that evolve out of negligence and irresponsibility. This book stirs even the apathetic into action

William Wharton, author of DAd and Birdy writes a moving account of his daughters death in Oregon and of his attempt to bring attention to the dangeous practice of field burning by large seed companies. An intensely moving experience, especially if you have children. Highly reccommended

Five stars plus for this young mans insight, interpretation, and brilliant display of history. I like many other readers were turned off by the boring history books we read in school. Lambers captures the true spirit of history! Because of the excitement this book ignites; this book has the potential to change the course of how history is viewed and studied. This book is a MUST READ for everyone. This book would make a great gift not only for teachers and history buffs, but also the person who hungers for knowledge. (The study guide is an added bonus to treasure) BRAVO!

I read the book first, and it was interesting to realize that the peaceful relations with Britain that we now take for granted were nonexistent and took hard work to accomplish. And the Study Guide is very good, and is surprisingly loaded with historical facts and fun word searches. I wish I had studied with this kind of material instead of boring history books that made me "hate" history for many years. Now I love it!

This book is early American history in a "capsule," full of important events describing the conflicts between America and Britain, yet imagines the ordinary citizen's feelings about the wars in an interesting blend of fiction and history. Young people especially should read it.

This book is one of my favorites! The day-to-day living of a family with quintuplets is captivating. The pictures are precious. You will come away feeling that you know the family. It is wonderful how the Anderson quintuplets were raised as regular children. I also have wondered how the family is doing now, but have not found any information.

I loved this book!
The pictures are so fantastic that I can't help looking at them again and again.
I really want to know how all the Andersons are doing now; I've been searching to know avail. After reading this book, they seem very familier to me. I just envy them.
Anybody know anything?
Must read; a great book for all parents and those who love children.

Can you imagine having quintuplets when it was hardly ever heard of? Karen Anderson describes her emotions, the physical process, and incredible experience of giving birth to quintuplets. This narrative lets you into their lives on a very personal basis, with many funny moments as well as great parental advice.

This book should be published again for the next generation. The hardcover edition includes excellent photographs from the birth of the quints to age 6, as well as comments from Dr. T. Berry Brazelton. A must-read!

Now in its third edition, General History of Oregon by Charles H. Carey is an exhaustive, complete-in-one-volume, 916 page history of the Oregon Territory. An impressive, definitive, meticulously researched history ranging from the days of Spanish explorers in the New World to the opening years of Oregon's statehood, General History Of Oregon is a classic repository of knowledge, informed and informative reading, and highly recommended for academic American History reference shelves and supplemental reading lists.

I found this gem in a non-chain bookstore in Eugene. (The Book Mark) Having lived in Oregon for 20 years, I have always been interested in the history of why Oregon is so unique and such a wonderful place to live. This Book covers it all! From the Spanish and English ships of the 1500's to the late 1800's this book covers in very readable detail the who, what, where, when, how, and why things happened as they did. If you confine yourself to the adventures of Lewis and Clark for your Oregon history, you'll miss some of the best stories about how this area was developed and people who developed it. I higly recommend this great work to anyone who is serious about wanting to know the complete history of the region.

Having lived in Oregon for 20 years, I have always beeninterested in the history of why Oregon is so unique and such awonderful place to live. This Book covers it all! From the Spanish and English ships of the 1500's to the late 1800's this book covers in very readable detail the who, what, where, when, how, and why things happened as they did. If you confine yourself to the adventures of Lewis and Clark for your Oregon history, you'll miss some of the best stories about how this area was developed and people who developed it. I higly recommend this great work to anyone who is serious about wanting to know the complete history of the region. END

As the director of several programs for the homeless, I know that Ms. Connolly's account of her work captures the complexity of homeless services. This book is captivating as she layers the client's stories with her own responses, as well as artfully mixing in theoretical and philosophical points. A great book if you are in the field, considering the field, needing closure on feelings if leaving the field. I would also highly recomend this as required reading for any clinical field training, particularly where the subject is supervision. Ms. Connolly does a fabulous job illustrating the points during interventions when her own feeling bubble just over the line. While her actions remain professional, this read takes you into the subjects that supervision is designed for, while giving an honest beautiful illustration of "the work." Thank You for not only describing the complex reasons for peoples homelessness, but also the approaches you used to work with them, and the way most of our "clients" fall into the gaps between services.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about homeless women and their personal struggle. The author did an excellent job of bringing the mothers and children to life for the reader and showed the reader the human side of their struggle. The families depicted are easy to relate to and their stories are thoroughly engrossing. An excellent read--A++++!

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. The author really made the women come alive and I feel like I got a first hand glimpse into the lives of mothers struggling to make ends meet. This book is for anyone interested in why people become homeless and what it would take -- personally and politically -- to get back on track. The stories are fascinating and enlightening -- it's absorbing reading and you'll learn a lot from it.

Being interested in taking up hunting, I found Hunting Oregon quite informative as well as enjoyable reading. The full color photos were great!

Hunting Oregon is a complete hunting guide, covering waterfowl on up to big game. It is full of information and very well put together. It is written for, but not limited to, Oregon Hunters. All those who appreciate hunting will be delighted to see this book, packed with fantastic photos of game in their habitats and hunters in action. There is information ranging from shot selection for birds, Oregon unit maps and capturing your trophies on film. It gives complete instruction on caring for big game meat, and field care of trophies to aid your taxidermist. You'll find information for rifle, archery and muzzle-loaders. This comprehensive guide even includes recipes! A GREAT BOOK FOR HUNTERS, FROM ANY STATE!

I found "Hunting Oregon" to be a very good read. It was hard to put it down. Because I am an avid hunter I found myself gobbling up as many chapters as I could before I had to give my eyes a break. For those not familiar with hunting in Oregon or those wishing to bone up on the different species - THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ!

A beautiful book to add to your collection. The pictures are wonderful and to read the book is a joy. A great buy to learn more about lighthouses on the coast.

This book written by Leffingwell and Welty is visually appealing and sets down historical facts in an engaging style. The beautiful photographs taken by Leffingwell are augmented by stories of the politics and history behind the lighthouses and their keepers. They include information about women lighthouse keepers, how the lighthouses were constructed, which have been de-activated, and most important - how to get to the various lighthouses for a visit in person.

The most interesting story was that of a construction crew and Coast Guard team working nearly around the clock for five days to restore the Cape Flattery lighthouse near Neah Bay in Tatoosh, Washington. Also worth noting were the descriptions of life as a lighthouse keeper, the artisanship of making the Fresnel lights, and the automation that replaced the need for human presence in these remote outposts.

As the Oregon Contributing editor at Suite101.com, I am always on the lookout for books my visitors will enjoy and will help them plan their next trip to Oregon. This one is a winner!

This pictorial coffee table guide highlights lighthouse history and lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, revealing the development of lighthouses in three states. From the technological evolution of the lighthouse to how they were maintained and are today restored and preserved, Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast provides very beautiful photos spiced with descriptions and information accessible to both destination-bound and at-home enthusiasts.

I'm am glad to finally see a comprehensive mountain bike guidebook that covers subjects that many readers want more information about. This guidebook includes a section on mountain bicyle camping and biking with your dog. I've always wanted to take my gear with me and camp overnight and this section was very helpful. It lists outdoor vendors that carry camping gear and gives you a sample list of what you should bring. This book even has overnight a trail called "Haystack Lake" that is a good trail for those wanting to try their first overnight trip. I also have a dog and the "Mountain Biking with Your Dog" section gave a lot of practical advice I could use and also listed vendors that sell dog gear. I'm so glad to finally see a book that not only describes great trails but also is a great reference for other aspects of mountain biking!

This book is the first guidebook I've seen that truly has maps that are useful. They are so visually detailed and helpful that I would highly recommend this mountain bike guide to any new or experienced mountain biker. Oh yeah, when I'm on the road this book also gives me a lot of history and information about the area I'm visiting.

Lizann's book is the best guide I've ever read! Great photos, maps and descriptions of some of the best riding in the Pacific Northwest. A great buy for any fat tire rider who's new to the area.

THE OREGON STORY is a beautifully made book. There is an illustration on at least every other page. Some pictures are are color, but most are black-and-white.

What I enjoyed most about THE OREGON STORY is its coverage of important events in my lifetime, such as the Rajneesh group that created quite a stir in Antelope when I was very young (I remember a school teacher telling our class, "There is a man here in Oregon going around telling people that he is God."), and the Tonya Harding Olympic controversy. I also enjoyed the photograph and description of the Keizer Shipyards because I have recently become acquainted with the works of an Oregon writer named Cleta Brooks Lee; in SING ABOVE THE PAIN Cleta writes about her time as an employee at the Keizer Shipyards. The photographs in THE OREGON STORY helped add a dimension to my understanding of that era of history.

Being a former Oregon resident and to this day occasional Oregon visitor, I was fascinated by this book, which is a history of the Beaver State, and one that is done quite well. From the chronology of the state, to recording historic events, and sidebars about influential people in its history, this book takes a wonderful look back over the past 150 years.

Since the book was written by staff members of the Oregonian, it reads like a "newspaper account" of the days leading from Oregon's inception to the present. But what an entertaining account. From the early days, through the "turn of the century, the roaring 20's, the Depression, wartime, the fifties, turbulent 60s, up to the year 2000, all events are well-documented.

I never knew for example that Tom McCall when he was governor in 1970 staged the only ever state-run rock concert. I only saw him years later when I lived in Oregon and saw him deliver commentary on the evening news. I knew of course about Vanport and its horrendous end. I also remembered the bad flooding in 1996, having been in Portland the weekend before it happened. And of course, who could ever forget Mt. St. Helens erupting in 1980? These of course are just a few of the events that have occured in Oregon's history

I mentioned sidebars about influential people. People like McCall, Artie Wilson (a famous Pacific Coast League baseball player now living in Portland), Beverly Cleary (who wrote the Henry books I loved as a kid), Neil Goldschmitt, and the current Portland mayor Vera Katz, among others.

I have always loved the state of Oregon and its people, even if I'm a dreaded "Californian." This book reinforces my love and admiration of the state to the north of me.

We recently moved to southern Oregon and my wife wanted a few coffee table books. I thought "How about books on Oregon?" That way, I could learn a few things about my new environment while satisfying the coffee table's needs, too. So I made an Amazon.com list of several books that looked attractive to me and then narrowed it down as best I could.

I put on hold the more expensive historical atlases and books on Indian folklore that were calling out to me, then I bought three bona fide coffee table books, the kind with plenty of obligatory photos of the beautiful northwest. But I reserved at least one spot on the table for a book with some intellectual interest in it.

I finally settled on "The Oregon Story." It seemed a central and topical enough choice to warrant it as a coffee table book, while at the same time it appeared (in the Amazon "book description") to offer a good amount of material on Oregon history.

How happy I was to discover this excellently written book on Oregon history! The layout is concise and topical enough to be a good book to lightly browse through in the presence of company (hence, coffee table book), and there are dozens of fascinating historical photographs.

The text itself is large and reader friendly, the photos include captions and there are several separate, half page descriptions of the most famous luminaries of Oregon history. The book is not too thick, further qualifying it as a coffee table book, but once opened, the reader is in for a nice selection of easily readable historical pieces, each dedicated to a decade of Oregon history.

Okay, so it's a good coffee table book - but how might it fare for the more serious reader? Well frankly, after it arrived in the mail, I couldn't wait to get right down to reading it. I found it an exceptionally engaging read from cover to back. Granted, I'm the kind of person who will pick up my children's history textbooks and read them through without hesitation (what can I say? I love history), but there's also a special reason why "The Oregon Story" is a particularly excellent historical documentation.

That is, it has been written by newspaper journalists. Such journalists know how to write concisely and entertainingly. I only wish my old school's history textbooks were written so well!

I truly believe that this team of journalists is on to something good here. In fact, I consider this one of the best history books ever conceived. There are subtle reasons for this, not the least of which is the unbiased yet in depth coverage of Oregon political and social events throughout its history.

The chapter on the controversial 60s is a case in point. It is topical, but what is covered is provocative and gave me the feeling that I'd read between the lines without actually having to sift through several paragraphs of detailed information. This is the real gift of this kind of historical reporting.

These newspaper reporters truly are talented writers. But it's also apparent that each and every column has been edited by several more journalists. In the end, one begins to understand the value of team written, thus finely edited, journalistic writing. The person who benefits from this artfulness is the reader. I truly felt as if I was getting a great bargain as I read through the set of refined articles fairly detailing, yet not dwelling in detail upon, Oregon history.

Nothing is held back, it seems, from the editorial process. This is exciting historical reporting, not boring academic facts. The journalists' opinions are often exposed, both conservative and liberal slants, and this ingratiates the reader even more to the material at hand.

Did you know that Oregon had its own home grown suffragette? Some of the most influential political figures in American history were Oregonians. I learned that Oregon has been, since its 19th century pre-state years as the Oregon Territory, a place of controversy, where people have traditionally come to "escape" the world, yet where some of the most important progressive ideas and social achievements of the 20th century have originated. Much of the environmental movement, for example, was spearheaded in Oregon due to the controversy that came as a result of the inherent problems attached to the logging industry.

I was also fascinated to read about the slanderous exploits of Oregon's early entrepreneurs and about details of the Ku-Klux-Klan's "legal" criminal behavior during the 1920s. There's much information concerning Oregon's roller coaster economy; particularly interesting are the chapters on the boom of the 1970s and the relative bust occurring during the most recent two decades.

On the down side, most of the more detailed material - biographical study (particularly businessmen) events and photos - is concerned with Portland and the Willamette Valley, which is understandable considering that The Oregonian newspaper is located in Portland. I was hoping that there would be more information on southern Oregon, where I now live. Strangely, the only picture of Ashland (home of the Shakespeare Festival) is one showing the Ku-Klux-Klan marching through the streets during a 1920s parade. Scary!

If journalistic reporting of the history of Oregon sounds as if it may be your cup of tea, then this book is exactly what you need. All in all, I consider it well worth its price. And I can only imagine, with relish, what such a journalistic team could create on the subject given more space and freedom of their collective pens.