When Abby's friend Charlotte Kendall becomes ill with a strange fever in Oahu, Abby, Sarah, and Luke are forced to sail to California to escape bein infected. Soon there are children disappearing from goldfields, and Abby and her friends realize someone doesn't want them there. It's now up to Abby to save the day.

This is a wonderful historical adventure that's good for all ages.

My daughter purchased this book at author Pamela Walls's book-signing and I was delighted to know there are such good, interesting Christian books out there for young readers. When I read it with my ten-year-old granddaughter, her eyes grew round as CDs whenever the thirteen-year-old Abby, her young sister Sarah, and their friends worked their way out of so many perilous situations. Though always relying on the Lord to help them and trusting in Him, they also used their natural resources and good old common sense.

ABBY: CALIFORNIA GOLD is the third in a series and I am definitely going to buy the entire set. The writer, Pamela Walls, has a knack for getting the kids in and out of trouble in ways that are inventive, yet realistic for their ages in the 1800s. Things were different back then and children had to mature early, so it is not surprising that Abby should be so responsible in taking care of her younger sister, handling heavier work loads, and solving problems that would overwhelm young people of our day. In this book, the children travel from Oahu to California where they stay for a time with Luke's very stern aunt. The purpose of the trip was to get the youngsters (Abby, Sarah, Luke, and Kini) out of harm's way in case the disease carried by the girls' mother was "catching." This frees their parents from worrying about them while their father seeks a doctor for their more isolated side of the island.

I was delighted that the chidren's journey led them to San Francisco, from there to old Alviso and then on to Pueblo de San Jose ... and, eventually to the Gold Fields of '49 where they had some fabulous adventures. Since I lived in San Jose for many years, it was interesting to see how they traveled in those days and to learn of the various flora and fauna.

I am recommending that my granddaughter, Michelle, read the "Abbys" to my great-grandchildren, too. If the others in the series are anything like this one, they are definitely five-star books.

If you've never been to the sites listed in Adventure Kayaking, Jenner gives the info a kayaker wants to know to make an informed selection: Clear accurate directions to the put-in sites . Comments on winds, tides. Suggested paddle routes. Maps. Notes on the presence or absence of power-boats and picnickers. Where to camp. What a joy to read a guide book, go to a place and experience no major surprises!

Jeneid's writes beautifully of natural features and wildlife encountered. Clearly he has a love for birding. If you are a kayaker and a birder, then I highly recommend this book before you plan your next outing.

I checked this book out at the local library and thought it was so valuable that I bought my own copy. My only complaint is that I wish the book could of been bigger so more trips could be included. I had already done some of the trips in the book and I found the book to give not only a fair representation of the area, but I learned a few new things.

Diane reminds us sometimes the most difficult and unbearable journey leads to the most beautiful view and its' valuable surroundings. Wisdom gained from her journey stregnthens her innerself, a place atop the highest mountain with the most beautiful view of her life! Take us there!

When I read this book I was amazed how the story flowed from one detail to the next. This moving story was something I related to. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a deeper understanding about their own lives and relationships.

A truly inspiring book and ultimately a practical lesson about the steps to recovery from a horrendous accident. Medical professionals can learn much from this, the patient's point of view.

For anyone who has been in a serious accident, or any friend or family member of an accident victim.

Marsha takes us step by step into the world of someone suddenly faced with multiple traumas, someone so terribly hurt by a runaway bus in a random crosswalk. Throughout her 88 day ordeal in three different hospitals, and throughout her subsequent recovery at home as well, she demonstrates a rare courage and spirit in the face of constant pain and despair. She triumphs over the depersonalized medical system by retaining her dignity and humanity during times when many other folks would just go mad. And, against all odds, she keeps her promise to herself and snow skis one year after the accident.

Truly an inspiration for anyone facing serious trauma recovery!

Sarah E. Olson

Vastly expanded my consciousness regarding the desert I love. A beautifully written book based on a tremendous amount of personal experience, research, and soul searching.

A near-perfect blend of anthropology, geology, human and natural history, it is the thorough overview of the Anza-Borrego Desert that I was looking for. There is no preaching or strong advocacy for either conservation or exploitation of the region, but rather a balanced presentation of the various viewpoints of a surprisingly large number of stakeholders. The easy-going tone and pacing make for an enjoyable read. There is a storytelling quality about the writing that drew and held my attention firmly but pleasantly. There was enough technical detail to flesh out the themes but not so much detail that I felt overwhelmed. The only exception was the chapter on the Salton Sea which included, perhaps necessarily, quite a bit of information on past and current politics regarding the handling of this unique area. While there were parts of the book that challenged my previous impression of the desert as "untouched" and "pristine" - and made me wonder if I really wanted that impression challenged - ultimately my attraction to the desert became more informed, not spoiled.

There has been the deluge of books and articles on Japanese keiretsu. But this book published a decade ago (1992) is still one of the best. There are so many good enough accounts on the vertical keiretsu appeared in the Toyota¡¯s value chain. But not so, when it comes to the horizontal keiretzu. There is no shortage of materials but most of them are no more than anecdotal case studies or, at best, cursory impressions. I can¡¯t capture why they form such a long-term ties based on what interest at all, for example. The advantage of vertical keiretsu is obvious and well described. But what is the economic foundation of horizontal keiretsu? Is it mere social club of economic elites? Nobody could think so. The network structure (or network form) of horizontal keiretsu is well documented, such as main bank, cross shareholding, sacho-kai, and the preferential trading. But those are merely links forming the network. The network is more than the sum of links. It¡¯s the linkage of links and it has contents. Links reproduce itself for something flows between nodes. This book plugs the gap systematic explanation of horizontal keiretsu with network analysis. In doing so, the author mobilizes not only qualitative data from interviews and business history but also extensive quantitative data to generalize his remarks to level of the population of the Japanese businesses. The author begins with describing the network structure of keiretsu from chapter 3 to 4. Then the remaining chapters deal with how the network formed and how it operates in real business environment. Namely, those chapters deal with the contents of network. Now you might retort ¡®what¡¯s the difference from other materials? This book would supply better and well-organized illustration of keiretsu. But aren¡¯t those features common in other works?¡¯
Maybe. But the most inspiring piece lies in the use of image. Keiretsu is the interfirm network and it¡¯s not unique on Japan but the ubiquitous phenomenon all over the world. Usually, they use the image of coalition, as it has developed in the game theory. The interfirm network, however more stable it is than arm¡¯s length trading, is usually depicted with the image of coalition. The coalition, particularly in the form of game theory, is relatively fluid relationship. The coalition comes and goes according to the logic of strategic self-interest. This is the reality of business such as strategic alliance. Yesterday¡¯s foe could be today¡¯s friend. For example, Apple shook hands with IBM to make PowerPC. But such an image doesn¡¯t fit into the long-term relationship of horizontal keiretsu over more than a generation. Affiliation in a keiretsu group is considered as permanent one. Instead, Gerlach uses the metaphor of alliance to illustrate the features of Japanese keiretsu. The image of alliance comes from anthropological fieldworks. It suggests long-term social relationship that links kinship groups over generations. The self-interest is also the driving-force in the kinship alliance. Kinship groups establish the long-term ties with other kinship groups through swapping women. Through this tie, they exchange resources like calling on in times of need or for protection of one¡¯s own group. Those are valuable resources in primitive societies, with no doubt, and this relationship is long-term by nature. But in such a relationship, self-interest is tempered by the central role played by group history.
Horizontal keiretsu emerged from the self-interest of member firms to stabilize the flow of resources. So at the center of group have lain the bank and sogo shosha. During the early postwar period, the capital and raw materials were scarce and most needed resources to be secured, and that, affiliation in the group opens doors to trade with other group members, and with the trading partners those firms have. But once the network is put into action, it takes the life of its own: It was instutionalized in the routine of business. Just as firms seek to position themselves advantageously in their industry and in the broader business community, so too do groups as a whole. Keiretsu network, for instance, expands itself with new memberships. Most of expansion has involved the firms that compete against firms in other keiretsu. Keiretsu compete against keiretsu for positioning in the business community. By expanding to include group-level representation in a broad variety of fields, the group simultaneously preempts market opportunities, enhances its prestige in the larger business community, and diversifies risk across a spectrum of industries. The power and prestige of the group make the individual member firm more appealing to prospective business partners and improves its status in the larger business community. The fortunes of group and companies are in this way intertwined. In other words, affiliation in group translates into marrying with the group. The individual firms act as if they are the members of the clan. This kind of interfirm network could be facilitated for the unique Japanese business history. 3 out of outstanding 6 (now 4) groups are ex-zaibatsu (industrial group). And some influences in early postwar period are crucial in forming the keiretsu.
But this is the problem of this book: no convincing explanation about why such alliance is found only in Japan? This book offers good enough description of the phenomenon. I can¡¯t help asking ¡®Is this enough explanation?¡¯ Unfortunately I don¡¯t think so. If you have this kind of question, I recommend, Ulrike Schaede¡¯s ¡®Cooperative Capitalism¡¯. This book has a very long-term standpoint from Tokugawa period to the present. This book is not about keiretsu. But you could understand the institutional background of Japanese business.

This is the most insightful book I have ever seen on the subject of Japanese business. The author clearly knows his subject

As I searched for a novel on the Filipino American experience, I brought with me a list of 60 books related to the topic to the two largest bookstores in my area. Out of all 60, only two of the novels were on the shelf. I was saddened by the fact that out of the hundreds of books they had in both stores, only two were about Filipino Americans. But it must have been fate that my choices were limited which led me to the wonderfully written memoir, Almost Americans - A Quest For Dignity, by Patricia Justiniani McReynolds. Patricia, or Patsy as she is called by her parents, recalls her life as a daughter of a Filipino man, Jose, and a Norwegian woman, Ruth. Born in 1926, Pasty recalls the struggles her parents faced, working as domestic servants, surviving through the Depression, dealing with racism and anti-Asian laws, and living in the United States as immigrants during a time when they were not allowed to become citizens. As Patricia tells her story, we are given a first hand history lesson of the lives of immigrants in America, and the advantages and disadvantages of being a Filipino during those times of Depression and World War II. Later in her adulthood, we see Patsy fight to gain acceptance in a society where very few Filipinos, yet alone, half-Filipinos, are visible during her years at UCLA, where she received a Bachelors in Fine Arts, and soon after. She, herself, feels the sting of discrimination when the parents of her Caucasian boyfriend disapprove of her and when they must leave California due to anti-miscegenation laws to get married in New Mexico. Along with their hardships, we get a glimpse of the Filipino culture through the life of her father, Jose. As a Filipino myself, I was elated to finally read a novel that I could truly relate to and connect with. It is not possible to tell the story of Filipino Americans without mentioning the history of Filipinos in the Philippines, which is told through the stories of Jose, who reminds me very much of my own father. Patricia pointed out several things about the Filipino culture that I myself never realized. An example is the fact that the letter "F" does not exist in many Filipino dialects, making it hard for Filipinos to pronounce. Another is that many Filipinos mix up "he" and "she" because Filipino dialects do not differentiate pronouns into male or female, such as the word "siya." Asides from learning more about Filipino history and culture, Almost American also made sense out of many things I previously did not understand about my parents and grandparents. Growing up, I found it so hard to understand why they were so strict, why they worked so hard, why they mispronounced so many things, and reading about the life of another Filipino American, Patricia Justiniani McReynolds, finally answered many of my questions. I recommend Almost Americans - A Quest For Dignity to anyone who wants to learn more about an important part of American history that for so long has been left out of many history books - the Filipino American experience.

Fill in the blank: The Filipino in America is best known for _____. It is hard to complete that statement, for although Filipinos have been in this country for almost 100 years, they have hardly been noticed. Their calm adaptability, their inward acceptance of the racism and oppression which all immigrants experience and "hiya", the Filipino balancing act of self-effacement and face-saving, have enouraged Filipinos to disperse quietly into America's mainstream. Today Filipinos are America's fastest growing Asian population. Patricia Justiniani McReynolds traces her father's life from his beginnings as the son of wealthy landowners in the Visayas, the central portion of the Philippine archipelago. The author's father, Jose Justiniani comes to the U.S. in 1913 in search of adventure and wealth. His youthful gambling ways are tempered after his marriage to Ruth Kongswold, a wide-eyed Norwegian immigrant who throughout their long marriage bows to Jose's masculine authority. Author McReynolds is the beneficiary of this mixed couple's strong love for one another and devotion to her, their only child.

Lacking education in a trade or profession, Jose finds work as a man-servant to a wealthy Los Angeles white businessman. Jose is on call at all hours and suffers daily the demeaning yes-sir-ing and yes-ma'am-ing, his job demands; a fact not lost on Patsy as she grows up.

The family's visit to the Philippines in 1936 when Patsy is 9-years-old, opens her father's world to her: the large and generous family; the vast land-holdings and spacious house. Once a Spanish colony, the Philippines is now U.S. property with a citizenry restless for independence. The Philippine-Norwegian-American family is welcomed like celebrities with lavish parties in Manila and Saravia -- later known as Sarabia. In 1936, there are only hints of a Japanese military threat and the terrible war which would engulf the country in half a decade.

After their Philippine visit, the family resumes life inthe U.S. and Patsy make! s it safely through a normally rebellious adolescence. Jose, resigned now to never finding meaningful work in the U.S. continues as servant -- a fact hidden from his family in the Philippines through careful choice of words. But Jose's jovial spirit has been broken. One day after two decades of faithful service, he simply quits his job and leaves without retirement or severance. Times are tough for the family, but the couple manages to put Patsy through college.

McReynold's account leaves us with a deeper understanding of the Filipinos who have come to this country in waves: first, at the start of the century, as did Jose Justiniani; after World War II; and more recently in the 1980s. Filipinos have come as laborers, service providers and professionals. "Almost Americans" belies its title, for it is truly an American story. During its telling, McReynolds deftly embroiders her story with insights into Philippine history; its long subjugation under Spanish rule; its resistance to U.S. takeover; finally, independence. Filipino contributions to America are considerable, but remain to this day -- despite this year's Philippine centennial celebrations -- largely unheralded.