As President of the Ukrainian American Club of WA from 1993-1999 and as Co-Chair of the Ukrainian Studies Endowment Campaign at the University of Washington, I was intrigued by the article in the Seattle Times about the effort which led to the publication of Nuclear Legacy: Students of Two Atomic Cities.

The book is a stunning achievement at so many levels. Students and teachers managed to do interdisciplinary, integrative study. From local settings, they dealt with international and intercultural matters. Science and technology were given a human dimension. The universal significance of particular issues was underscored. Abstractions became particulars. People came together. In a society where youth and adults are lured by the trivial, these teachers and students dealt with fundamentals. They modeled for the nation what education at all levels should and can be.

In the process, they inspired hope. While it was natural in 1986 to speak of the Chornobyl explosion in apocalyptic categories that stressed catastrophe, the basic meaning of "apocalyptic" as a "revelation" was lost. Has something been disclosed about human beings and the world? What can we learn about ourselves and our relation to other selves and the environment in which and with which we must live? The book and all that preceded it answered a resounding "Yes!"

A thank you to the authors also for resisting the pressures against doing such work in Ukrainian. It is so much easier to capitulate to those who still insist on using Russian instead of the official language of the country.

This is simply an excellent book.

Sincerely

Eugene E. Lemcio, Ph.D. (206) 281-2208 elemcio@spu.edu

This fascinating book combines the fresh and frank opinions common to youth anywhere with the unique circumstances that faced these young people, who grew up in cities dominated by the nuclear industry in Richland, Washington and Slavutych, Ukraine (near Chornobyl). It turns out the book gives you an inside view of young people in two distinct national cultures, in spite of the shared nuclear culture. The Ukrainian children faced the most tragic of pasts, and you find pieces that pull at the heartstrings, like the girl who was learning a poem with her father when the Chornobyl disaster occurred. Now she feels for him and the pain he still suffers from the radiation he received. You notice the love of town and homeland among the Ukrainian youth that is expressed quite poetically. The American youth are more straightforward and reserved about their love of their community. They have clearly dug into the history of their area, with stories about the Indians, the farmers who were removed from their land by the Manhattan Project, the current scientific culture of the Richland area, and lighter pieces-like a sidebar about a local Spudnut Shop. The book gives a good background on nuclear and environmental issues that surround each community. One of the ironies is that the remaining wastes at Hanford and the Zone around the Chornobyl accident have resulted in land remaining or returning to natural habitat for animals-and these issues and the animals are described along with the stories about local people. Another shared theme is the effort of each economy to diversify. The book has some great color photos of the local areas and people and is beautifully designed and put together with English and Ukrainian text side by side on each page. There is something here for everybody, but the book will especially appeal to those with an interest in nuclear issues and students and teachers who may be considering similar projects. It's quite amazing what these students accomplished-a powerful and professional job at a remarkably young age.

This is an excellent historical fiction story about four girls who help an elderly woman make a beautiful, unique quilt of roses. It is set in the late 1800s on the Long Beach Penninsua of Washington State on the Pacific coast. While the plot may sound boring, Patricia Beatty makes the act of quilt-making (not to mention the search for just the right fabric) come to life, much as Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of her childhood experiences.

This title was recommended by the Washington State Centennial Committee in 1989, and was quite popular with upper elementar students in this area at that time. For students who enjoy books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but would like to explore a different part of the country, this title and the companion books, "Sarah and Me and the Lady from the Sea," and "The Nickel-Plated Beauty," are highly recommended.

This is an excellent historical fiction story about four girls who help an elderly woman make a beautiful, unique quilt of roses. It is set in the late 1800s on the Long Beach Penninsua of Washington State on the Pacific coast. While the plot may sound boring, Patricia Beatty makes the act of quilt-making (not to mention the search for just the right fabric) come to life, much as Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of her childhood experiences.

This title was recommended by the Washington State Centennial Committee in 1989, and was quite popular with upper elementar students in this area at that time. For students who enjoy books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but would like to explore a different part of the country, this title and the companion books, "Sarah and Me and the Lady from the Sea," and "The Nickel-Plated Beauty," are highly recommended.

When eccentric art patron, Rene Vachey, decides to donate an original Rembrandt to the Seattle Art Museum, curator Chris Norgren is cautious. Rene is known for playing tricks on museums and making them look silly so Chris flies to France to inspect the painting. Shortly after he arrives, he is thrown out a window and later that night, Rene is murdered. Fearing that the painting may be the reason for the murder, Chris starts to investigate. I love this series because of the way that Aaron Elkins shows artwork through the eyes of Chris Norgren as well as for the good mystery.

I have read several Aaron Elkins books but this was the first involving Chris Norgren. Chris is a curator of Renaissance art at the Seattle Art Museum and goes to Paris to view a newly found Rembrandt that is being given to the museum by Rene Vachey. Rene is known in the field as a jokester and Chris is dubious as to the authenticity of the painting, especially with the limitations Rene has set on what can be used to verify the painting as being a Rembrandt.

Things heat up and get pretty hairy as Rene Vachey is killed and Chris becomes the next target for murder. Who knew that the art world was so dangerous?

Professor Chambliss bravely exposes crime and how it is allowed to operate in the big city of Seattle, and how it extends throughout the nation and other governments. When you read it, you will lose your naivity and your false sense of security, because you will learn how government really operates and for whom. It is the truth spoken when legislators can do nothing to rid the governments in WA state of their vipers, and out of fear one sent her own grandchildren to live in another state. This book is a must for all interested in the truth of political power. Look for it's sequel which is in the works, so says the grapevine.

This book shows the level and complexity of organized crime and political corruption in the United States. Using Seattle, WA as a place of study, Chambliss looks at all levels of corruption in the city and the effect it has on poltical decision making leading up to the 1972 Grand Jury Indictment.

In Knight Life, Peter David gave us funny, action-packed fantasy surrounding Arthur, the Once and Future King, who has come back to life and is making a bid to become mayor of New York. In the long-awaited sequel, One Knight Only, Arthur has advanced to the presidency -- but this is no light-hearted yarn.
One Knight Only is a much grimmer book than its predecessor. That's not to say it lacks humor, but it's much subtler and less likely to have you laughing out loud as you read. Instead, you'll find yourself riveted to the page as the ultimate fantasy hero confronts the ultimate real-world evil.

Legends never die they just wait to be reborn in another time and place. King Arthur the Pendragon slept in a secret cave for over a millennium until he was needed again and Merlin woke him from his enchanted slumber. Arthur was running for Mayor of New York when he met his reincarnated wife and remarried her. When terrorists blow up whole blocks of New York City, Arthur and Gwen were right in the middle of the rescue efforts and their heroics captured the heart of America.

Arthur ran for president as an independent and won but during his term he lost Merlin who was turned into a stone statue by a Basilisk. Arthur and Gwen carried out the war on terrorism until Gwen was shot by an assassin's bullet leading to Arthur resigning the presidency. With Percival, the last Immortal Knight, he travels to Pus Island, which is presided over by Gilgamesh. There they hope to find the Holy Grail, which is Gwen's only hope of survival, but first they must battle enemies both human and immortal.

ONE KNIGHT ONLY is a twenty-first century rendition of the Arthurian legend and the once and Future Kind loses none of his majesty and valor in a modern setting. Gilgamesh, who is two-thirds god and one third human, is the perfect opponent for the Pendragon since they are both imbued with magic. Peter David has written a fantasy novel that incorporates modern day terrorism into the Arthurian legend.

Harriet Klausner

Okay, it's the middle of winter, Christmas is past, and now is the time to break out the gardening catalogs and begin plotting the new growing year. According to Henry Mitchell, we can enjoy the garden year-round if we plan strategically and the middle of winter is a good time to begin.

Mr. Mitchell wrote two weekly columns for the Washington Post for a number of years--one of them a garden column I never missed reading. His garden columns have been preserved in several books. ONE MAN'S GARDEN follows his first book THE ESSENTIAL EARTHMAN which spread his well-earned reputation as a garden guru far beyond the Post market area. These two books were published while he was alive so one must assume they were collections of his favorite essays. The essays are arranged by season and correspond to the months he wrote them.

Mitchell can be read by gardeners living anywhere. Although his essays contain information helpful to those working in Zone 7, the reader can glean sage advice applicable anywhere. He shares anecdotes about his experiences in his own backyard, and while that might seem far from novel as every other Tom, Dick, and Henrietta is writing a garden book these days, his essays are the best. His writing is funny, philosophical, useful, and a joy to read, especially on a cold winter day when you need to be reminded of irridescent dragonflies hovering over lily ponds (former horse troughs).

In his essay on dragonfiles (July) he informs us they require lily pads for landing, they can't just plop on the water like a pelican. This little item helped me understand I needed to do more to make my back yard friendly to butterflies, dragon flies, and their insect kin. I now have shallow spots in my birdbaths where they can dip their tiny feet.

Mr. Mitchell shares all sorts of interesting insights from his adventures with clinging vines--planting them where they will not grow, growing native variants such as the American Wisteria. The American Wisteria is often overlooked by those who grow the "Oriental" kind from China which Mitchell says if left untended can form a 20-foot clump in the middle of your yard. The Chinese Wisteria is very ornate, and the U.S. Park Service has planted it all over the National Gallery of Art on the Mall, but the American Wisteria is a pretty little thing better suited for the back yard. Mitchell says you can see this Wisteria in bloom at the Henry Botanical Foundation in Philadelphia.

Mitchell's essays range far and near, from Jefferson at Monticello to flower shows in faraway places. He writes in December of bananas, not a local plant in Zone 7 by any means, but one Mitchell considered a "great good plant" nevertheless and he grows one in his back yard in a pot. Although MItchell died several years ago, his essays are every bit as timely useful and funny as ever, and not to be missed.

This book is a delight and a pleasure to read aloud. The author has helped us focus on spring planting even though the wind chill factor has been -35 degrees most of the weekend. One Man's Garden helps "cure" the cabin fever that rages at this time of year in the northeast. Well worth the money it's a refreshing window into the love of gardening.

The Mac and Cheese recipe is a huge hit with everyone that has partaken. Great recipes for dinner parties, everyone from people with discriminating tastes to the average Joe will enjoy the meal. I'm just sad I don't entertain more and find an excuse to use the book more often! Maybe that should be my New Year's Resolution....

I have had this book for a couple years now and made many of the dishes; none I've tried have ever been disapointing. I especially like the notes on how well dishes keep in the fridge or freezer. One of my most trusted cookbooks, I have given as a gift as well. Besides Pasta there are great salads, main dishes, and appetizers to be found within its pages with notes on special ingredients and techniques. Very well thought out!

"Remember," wrote the British art critic John Ruskin in 1853, "that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for instance." When a peacock unfolds its plumage, the eyespots on its feathers form exact logarithmic spirals, like those in a daisy, a pinecone, and a sunflower. Twenty years later, Ruskin's remark inspired the Aesthetic Movement ("Art for art's sake"), of which the chief proponents were the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the American painter James A.M. Whistler. Wilde sometimes wore a sunflower in his lapel; and Whistler, as is documented in this thoroughly researched and richly illustrated volume (with 250 illustrations, nearly half in color), created an opulent dining room for London businessman Frederick Leyland, with peacocks as the main motif. Completed amid controversy in 1877, Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room was dismantled and sold after Leyland's death, and, in 1923, reconstructed in the U.S. at the Freer Gallery of Art, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution, where it remains on view. A key event in design history, it was restored physically in 1989 through 1992; and now this book restores it historically, thereby "dispelling some of the myths and misconceptions that had settled over the story like mantles of aging varnish." As a cultural biography, the book's greatest virtue is its breadth of focus: Just as Whistler's interior served as an elaborate setting for Leyland's Chinese porcelain collection, Merrill provides a rich wide factual setting for the Peacock Room. (Copyright © by Roy R. Behrens from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol. 14 No. 3, Spring 1999.)

This is an erudite investigation into the life styles of both Whistler and his patron Frederick Richards Leyland. Whilst being essentially an art book, it deals with its subject matter in a lively mannner which could well form the basis of a movie script.

Really enjoyed the flavor of this book. You find yourself in a muddy tent city much like Lonesome Dove, the television series, which was surprisingly good and of course didn't last long. The mystery is interesting, although if one reads a lot of mysteries the who done it is pretty easy to figure. Anyway, this is still a good read because the author really does put the reader in this time period. Ms. Harris obviously did a lot of research. Hope we see all the characters again. (especially Chin and Mary)

In 1893, Pearl Ryan flees her New York past to take up residence in the gritty new mining town of Ruby City, Washington. Pearl earns her keep and hopefully extra cash for medical school by doing laundry and assisting the local doctor. Pearl has an ambition to become a doctor. However, she simply tells everyone in town that she aspires to be a nurse because she knows that most people will scoff at the idea of women becoming a doctor.

However, Pearl's idyll new life is abruptly disturbed when she realizes that Mayor McDonald has been murdered via poisoning. To Pearl even odder is that the doctor's diagnosis is death from typhoid fever. Other strange deaths follow. Fearing an official inquiry could expose her own secrets; Pearl begins to secretly investigate the sudden rash of deaths inflicting the small silver mining community.

THE PEARL OF RUBY CITY is a gem of a historical mystery starring several intriguing secondary characters and a wonderful but enigmatic heroine. The story line is exciting and extremely well written. Fans of historical amateur sleuth tales need to devour Jana Harris' debut novel as the author scribes a novel rarely seen in a first book. Hopefully, more Ryan novels will follow.

Harriet Klausner

Tina -Loved this book and will buy the latest.Mom says "hi" and please don't fail tostop in when in Pasadena. "Chuck"

Pilchuck Glass School is the place where every artist who works in glass comes to take or teach a summer class (2 1/2 weeks). It's the glass art world's seat of power where craft process is shared, artists go to refresh themselves (located on 40 acres of land amidst thousands of acres of tree farm overlooking the most spectacular vista including the waterway from Seattle to Alaska it's hard not to get in touch with your soul), and it's the place where artists return each summer just to be with each other. This is a very special place.

Dale Chihuly started Pilchuck one summer more than 25 years ago when he was teaching at RISD. He thought it would be fun to go west and blow glass...there was no Studio Glass Movement and, as you will read when you buy this fabulous book, there wasn't much of anything but the extrodinary spirit of a group of very special people.

Pilchuck has grown to be one of the world's most important arts institutions with a Board of Trustees that "gets it"...and we know because we've been Trustees for years.

Tina Oldknow has written an easy to read "page turner" that's a scholarly work (she conducted more than 150 interviews in two years of thorough research for this book) while it's picture filled format (gorgeous color photographs of art made from glass as well as historic photos of the artists and their art) makes it easy to understand for those who don't really like to read art books. This is a don't miss read for anyone interested in art or in the social history of the 70's, 80's and early 90's.