What a fantastic book. Didn't know wether to laugh or to cry most of the time. Being from Montana it makes me long to be back it the little town i came from. Waldie is able to truly capture the small town feel and make you feel like you are right there in the middle. Congrats again to Mr. Waldie

the book being short stories I can pick it up and read a great tale before going to bed. The charactors in this book are so real you can't help but love them!

I read this book over and over. Its a great story. I laughed and I cried. The heroine Sylvie struggled with her two month old baby boy, and went looking for her son's father,who she did find, and figured they were better off without him. All she wanted for her baby was to have good memories of her son's first Christmas. She got her good memories, a good man and a brand new family. It was a beautiful ending.

What a wonderful story. I admire a writer who can make her characters so real and the story so poignant that you find yourself bawling like a baby at the end.

What a wonderful read. The author gave a clear idea of what it felt like to grow up as a young woman in the 60s. It was an adventure, full of the heart-break of real events. The book pointed out that although life does not often have happy endings, some moments do. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and even read it twice, something I rarely do.

Only children don't want to reveal--even to other only children--what it's like to be an "only." McNamer sprawls the secrets across the page, threads the feelings through the tale, whispers the solitary questions and unspeakable answers.

The interior lives of McNamer's characters echo against an exterior heavy with foreshadowing. This reader often found herself gasping, pulling the still-open book against her breast, knowing and afraid to venture into the inevitable plot events. Yet, except for a few unconnected thoughts and moments, this is a novel that involves the reader throughout and lingers in memory even years after the covers are finally closed

One of my experiences as a biologist for the U.S. Forest Service was a brief stint in Libby, Montana where I was a weekend visitor to the remote Yaak Valley championed by resident conservationist Rick Bass. My first pass through the valley was a shock. The sea of clearcuts from past timber sales were clearly alarming, and I vowed to return for further investigation. In 1994 I studied fish populations in the Libby area now, and then, a superfund site at the plywood mill where we installed a fish weir in an attempt locate the last remaining Bull trout, now an endangered species in the Pacific Northwest. The previous year there were two. In 1994 none returned to the Libby trap. Similar conditions exist on the Yaak River, a major tributary to the Kootenai. Though superficially "wild" in outward apearance this is devastated landscape due to economic activity that has ruined the landscape and the citizenry from asbestosis at the other superfund site, a vermiculite mine once operated by W.R. Grace Corporation of "A Civil Action" fame. They are gone now, but so is everything else the area once offered. "We don't mind looking at the clearcuts," my boss a dour wildlife biologist told me. It is a legacy that Mr. Bass will be hard pressed to reverse with the current forest management leadership. But we must try. I stand with him in that battle. The chapter in my book "Against a Strong Current," is called "Three Bull Trout."

A valuable collection of diverse voices bearing witness to the last of the last: a small but ecologically rich valley in the far northwest corner of Montana. Those familiar with the prolific writings (and rantings) of Yaak resident Rick Bass know that he can come off as a monomaniac, but this anthology proves his passion is grounded and infectious. Great contributions from prominent writers, poets, conservationists, biologists, politicians, and local residents provide a mosaic of visions on the endangered magic that is the Yaak. The primary lesson: the Yaak is a biological, not a recreational wilderness. It is a place that must be saved, not for your next summer vacation, but for the itinerent wolves, the few remaining stands of ancient larch, the inland redband trout, the resident horse loggers, 15 modest-sized 'gardens' of unroaded national forest, and a tiny (perhaps single digit)population of super-survivor grizzly bears.
Once gone, they are gone forever.

Scottish Highlanders, Indian Peoples is a loving undertaking to document and treasure the dual heritage of a familial group of people descended from Angus McDonald (who was Scottish) and Catherine McDonald, who was half Nez Perce and part Mohawk. The author describes his revised purpose in writing this book as follows: "This book was begun in the naive conviction that it would have an unrelievedly happy ending. Its comparisons between the modern Scottish Highlands and the modern Flathead Reservation, it was anticipated, would be such as to allow the book's closing paragraphs to contend that Highlanders and Indians, two otherwise disparate peoples linked by the McDonald family, are today overcoming the legacies of their respective pasts in ways which will allow both Highlanders and Indians to reinvigorate their cultures, their languages and much else besides. That may still happen. But to spend even a few days on the Flathead Reservation is quickly to discover that the task of linguistic renewal - to take a single example of the many such distinctions which have clearly to be made - is enormously more daunting here than in the Scottish Highlands...(p. 194)." The reality of the poverty of the inhabitants of the Flathead Reservation hits the author and the reader hard indeed. Nevertheless, after reading the history, which includes many moments of less than glorious deeds of the ancestors, one can only concur with the Salish speaker quoted by the author:"We have a saying...that as long as our songs are sung our people will remain here. And our songs are being sung today more than they have been sung for many years (p. 194)." Though the prose style of Mr. Hunter is sometimes tedious to untangle, his text is worth reading. Scottish Highlanders, Indian Peoples will appeal to special interest adult audiences both amateur and academic.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

Dr. James Hunter, one of Scotland's most respected younger historians, recounts here the story of the MacDonalds of Western Montana -- a family whose roots run deep on two continents and among two seemingly disparate peoples: the Nez Perce of Oregon and Idaho's great inland plateau and one of the most legendary clans of the Scottish highlands. On one level, this is a first-class genealogical detective story, with plenty of local color. But it is much more than that, for what brings these two far-removed pasts together is not only the mingled blood of today's Montana MacDonalds, but the striking and, in many respects, tragic parallels in their people's histories. Just as every schoolchild in Scotland knows the dark tale of the MacDonalds' massacre at Glencoe, and their struggle to survive and maintain their identity and dignity in the aftermath, so Americans are haunted by the uprooting and dispossession of the Nez Perce and their legendary leader Chief Joseph. Those par! ! allels strike us as we readers see the MacDonalds' saga unfold, and they raise for us fundamental questions about human nature and the forces that shape history. Jim Hunter's work in both print and broadcasting, which is well-known in Britain, achieves that rare balance between sound scholarship and great popular appeal. He is a meticulous researcher, yet his interests are first and foremost human ones, and the stories he tells best are always those of common folk. The fact that this book has been a best-seller in Scotland while also earning critical acclaim shows how well he succeeds at this delicate balancing act. For North Americans with an interest in genuine flesh-and-blood Scottish history, not the bogus romanticized article that features prominently in so many clan gatherings and Scottish games [after all, how many Scots-Americans' ancestors were REALLY lairds and ladies living grandly in castles???], this book will prove very satisfying indeed. We can be thankful that ! ! the Montana State Historical Society has now made it availa! ble to North American readers. Aye, it's a fine work, and at a bargain price to boot!

Shifting Calder Wind -- my oh my, what can I say?!
It was sassy, saucy, sensual, ...., secretive and thoroughly satiable. It was a joy to read, as all Calder saga books are.
And I think I will forever dream of being Maggie by the riverside with Chase for the first time, and will always have my dreamboy as a cowboy in dress stetson riding the rolling plains of The Triple C.

If You Have Not Bought This Book, what are you waiting for? it continues the Calder Legacy, with all the juicy ingredients that make Janet Dailey books, what they are.
Addictive.

I am a huge fan of the Calder books by Janet Dailey, and when I received the latest installment "Shifting Calder Wind", I was a little hesitate because I wasn't sure if I would to read it since the last book "Green Calder Grass" where my favorite character Ty Calder was killed. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first page to the last page.

Mrs. Dailey wasted no time setting up the plot with Chase Calder getting shot while he is in Texas on business. He has no memory and Laredo Smith is introduced helping and saving him. Laredo takes Chase to Hattie Ludlow's ranch where she tends to Chase's head wound. Together the three of them determine it would best that Chase remains "dead" as his family believes till they can find out who wants him dead and why. They set out to Montana to uncover the mystery of who shot Chase. The only person they inform is Jessy Calder, Chase's daughter-in-law.

My impression of Laredo Smith is that he is a bad boy with a past but a really good man. He is the kind of man you want on your side when there is trouble. I hope there will be another Calder book because I would love to learn more about him and his past.

The first meeting between Jessy and Laredo was so heart warming. When Jessy sees Laredo, she notices him and when she makes eye contact she found herself gazing into a pair of steady blue eyes. She felt something that scared her. Laredo sees Jessy for the first time he finds that he is very attractive to her. He is more impressed with her after he meets her. Jessy is a little shaken with this new feeling because the only man she's ever loved is Ty. It was so heartbreaking when Ty was killed in "Green Calder Grass" leaving Jessy and twins alone. It's refreshing to see Jessy moving on with her life, with Laredo she realizes she does have room in her heart to love again. With another Calder book I would love to explore more of Jessy and Laredo's romance.

Of course Ty's first wife Tara would have to be in this book always stirring up trouble for Jessy. Jessy is a brave woman put up with her presence, not many women would. She is a character that I would like to see go away and not come back. She has a lot of regrets and is very jealous of Jessy. Especially that Jessy has Ty's children and she never gave him any when they where married.

The romance between Chase and Hattie was very sweet; it was about time he found someone to love again since his wife Maggie died in "Calder Born, Calder Bred."

Of course like all the previous Calder books there is a major character that dies, but that's what makes the books feel real. If you're a fan of this series this is a must read. It kept me captivated with every page turned. I couldn't put it down until I finished it and then I reread it through again. As always when I finish reading a new Calder book I always have to pull out my previous Calder books and revisit them. They are my favorite books and they will always be a keeper on my bookshelf. I would love to see for these books to become a movie one day. It would make a great 10-hour miniseries of the week.

Near the deserted stockyards of Fort Worth, Laredo saves the "old" man's life when he made noises which forces the assassin to leave the area before insuring the killer completed the job. Laredo takes the injured individual away from the crime scene, but the man with no memory insists he won't go to a hospital for fear his unknown foe will return. Obliging the amnesiac, Laredo takes him to a small spread owned by someone close to him, Hattie, a former nurse. The next day, Laredo learns that Montana rancher Chase Calder reportedly died in a fiery car crash. However, Laredo soon realizes that Chase is alive though not quite well and is with Hattie.

Two years ago someone murdered his son and now with the attempt on his own life, Chase decides the best chance of identifying his wannabe killer is to remain dead for a while. With Laredo's help he returns to Montana where they enlist his widowed daughter-in-law Jessy to help them keep the secret even from beloved kin like his daughter until the scoundrel is found as the less who know the better the chances of success.

The latest Calder tale is an exciting suspense thriller that fans of the series will enjoy. The story line is loaded with action from the moment Laredo saves Chase's life. Though the villain seems strange, readers will appreciate this entry especially the "Cat" wars against Jessy and several blossoming relationships. Janet Dailey has provided another fine story that her audience will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

Smoke Wars: Anaconda Copper, Montana Air Pollution, And The Courts, 1890-1920 was originally Montana Historian Donald MacMillan's Ph.D. dissertation. When MacMillan died in 1996, his dissertation was published posthumously with the addition of an introduction by William L. Lang (Director, Center for Columbia River History, Washington State Historical Society, Washington State University-Vancouver. Now brought back into print by the Montana Historical Society Press, Smoke Wars begins in the 1880s when copper companies in Butte processed ore by roasting it in open-air heaps and created dense clouds of low-lying, noxious smoke. MacMillan vividly depicts the history and effects of this technology upon the surrounding community and includes a narrative of a visit to butte in 1885 by Granville Stuart, one of Montana's early pioneers and a visiting dignitary from England, who gave an eye-witness account of what he saw. This is also the story of citizens banding together to fight the polluting activities of the Amalgamated Copper Company, and the legal and publicity battles that ensued for years. This 304 page history is enhanced with three maps and six illustrations and is a highly recommended contribution to American History and Environmental Studies supplemental reading lists and reference collections. Smoke Wars is also available in a hardcover edition (091729862-4, ...).

Smoke Wars: Anaconda Copper, Montana Air Pollution, And The Courts 1890-1920 is an exhaustive environmental history of the copper mining and smelting communities of Butte and Anaconda, Montana, which today constitutes the largest Superfund cleanup site in the United States. Historian Donald MacMillan begins with the fight in Butte in 1890 to abolish heap roasting (a process that created dense clouds of low-lying, noxious smoke and caused death rates in Butte to exceed those of New York City in the 18803). Smelting in Anaconda led to the second phase of the "smoke wars" with livestock and crops dying from the exposure to the arsenic and sulphur dioxide released from the tall stacks of the Anaconda Reduction Works. Then the Federal Government finally stepped in to protest the damage to the national forest by uncontrolled toxic emissions. Smoke Wars is an impressively researched, accessibly written, highly recommended, landmark study of the issues of corporate responsibility, the rights of citizens, the costs of industrialization, and the relative value of the environment -- all of which are elements in today's continuing national debate over the needs of mining and manufacturing with those of the environment and public health.

I've followed the Calder family for 3 gererations now and am looking forward to reading about the next 2. Can't put these books down.

Webb fought the newcomer's who rushed to claim grasslands where Calder cattle grazed. Lilli is a proud young immigrant married to a man who instigates fights with the Calder's. When her husband dies, she marries Webb and they fight droughts and harsh weather together along with Webb's nemesis Krueger. This man goes mad and kills Lilli. Webb is devasted. The love of his life... he only had a couple of years...is dead. BUT....they had a son, Chase!

I mistakenly picked up this book and began reading it to my 7 year old son, thinking it would be a fun read together, which might inspire him to explore other books of this topic matter. In the first page I coughed my way through the word "G--D---" and found myself coughing my way through reading the entire first chapter. I found it too much effort to "bleep" my way through the tricky French-Canadian-Cowboy dialect of the trash-mouthed main character and eventually put the book down. I can't say I enjoy reading those words, myself, even.

So, if you are a parent and think that these older fiction books are more "safe" than the onese being produced today... think again.

This book is just wonderful. . . I couldn't put it down. Cushman is truely an artist. He shows the funny side to a very real issue. His characters are deeply developed and so loveable. The reading is light enough to enjoy as a book for pleasure but would be very useful to a student of Native American culture and the Native American's assimilation into "civilized" society. You'll feel like you're there with the Champlains. You'll want to reach out to them. . .too bad you can't literally climb into a book.

Franci McMahon has done a terrific job drawing believable characters and creating an intriguing story of suspense. The horses are simply beautiful--the author writes about them with such care that I, who never knew horses, gained an immense respect and admiration for them. There's a positive flow of energy that moves powerfully through the book--made me feel good about being lesbian, about loving one, about simply being alive. Wish there were more books like that. And movies. Wouldn't this make a great movie?

Franci McMahon does a great job of connecting the world of distance riding with the world of lesbians. And she does it in a way that a reader of any age and background could relate to one of the characters. The book is exciting and moving which makes the reading effortless. I love Franci McMahon.