A must-read, must-have for anyone interested in effective presentation of oral histories. Awesome for library research and as a personal coffee table book. I couldn't put it down.

Very moving, intimate personal portraits of the lives of 71 Chinese Americans who talk about the very harsh era before World War II, when discrimination and poverty were prevalent. A few of the photo portraits and stories are memorable, quite touching. Immensely readable throughout.

If you were in Seattle in the 60s, reading the Helix hippy rag, hanging out at the Eiger and the P House, sitting on the Fringie Wall, smoking dope on Hippy Hill, protesting the war, blocking freeways, going to piano drops and pre-Woodstock rock festivals (Sky River), rooting for the Seattle Seven to get off, and whatnot (and you know what "whatnot"), then you *have* to read this book. Personally, I think Crowley spends too many pages recounting distant events on the national scene, to provide background for local events, I presume, but the remainder of the book, which gets down into the nitty gritty of what went on back then on the local Seattle scene, makes slugging through a few pages on the Chicago police riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention, for instance, well worth the effort. Still, others, who weren't around back then, may need the history lesson, I suppose.

This is one of the few books I read in a single evening. Having experienced many of these events first hand, I still lacked Crowley's historical perspective. As a teenager I didn't know that much about what I was protesting about. Crowley is a first-class writer, and as a local historian he has no peer. Everyone who lived in Seattle during the 60s should find this book of interest; in fact it is so well-written that anyone who enjoys good journalism will enjoy it. Highly recommended work.

Walt Crowley and his gang at historylink.org provide a valuable service to anyone interested in the history of Seattle, King County, and western Washington generally. While this book is necessarily less comprehensive (and less easily searched and updated) than the online version, it's still an interesting and informative browse-through for Emerald City residents and a good introduction to the greater wealth on their web site.

This small title's pages are packed with colorful illustrations and punchy copy. It probably works better to open and read it at random than to try to follow it systematically from page to page, because while it's basically organized chronologically, there are so many sections, subheads, and sidebars -- plus the timeline itself on nearly every page -- that trying to keep it all straight could get maddening. It's much more fun simply to open a page and read about why Seattle's streets aren't aligned north and south of Yesler Way, what happened to the communities known as Squack and Slaughter (they're still here, under different names) and why there were as many arguments about light rail 50 years ago as there are today.

On the whole, any Washington resident with an interest in this city would probably find something entertaining or worthwhile to justify browsing this title. Gene Logsdon writes that one of the ways to avoid provincialism is to know your own province really well. This book is one useful way for Seattleites to do that.

(...)This compact volume is chock full of interesting information, some of which has never appeared in other histories of Seattle. It is readable, very attractive, and includes mention of the September 11 attacks and other recent events.

Some of the new stories include Pioneer Henry Yesler's Native American family, the early smallpox epidemics that decimated the local tribes, the last several decades of the 20th Century, Ivar Haglund, and the arrival of the Buffalo Soldiers.

I'm buying several as gifts.

While Mary Ellen Mark and husband,Martin Bell,were filming
their haunting masterpiece,Streetwise,in 1983,Mary Ellen was
also busy taking snap-shots of the runaways...and what a worthwhile effort this was!
Anyone who viewed the film will recognize most of the photographs of the Seattle runaways found in the same-titled book.
The Streetwise kids lived in a sad world of uncertainty.Many had fled from abusive homes.
Mary Ellen developed a closeness with many of her young subjects,including Dewayne and Lulu.Dewayne hanged himself in 1984,and Lulu died in a fight with a man in 1985.Mary Ellen has dedicated her book in their memories.
Like every other work that she has ever created,this book is a keep-sake.I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the film documentary and in the author`s work.
Jeffrey Bryan,White Oak,NC

While Mary Ellen Mark and husband,Martin Bell,were filming
their haunting masterpiece,Streetwise,in 1983,Mary Ellen was
also busy taking their snap-shots...and what a worthwhile effort
this was!
Anyone who viewed the film will recognize each photograph of
the runaways of Seattle found in Mark`s same-titled book.
The Streetwise kids lived in a sad world of uncertainty,many
having fled from their abusive homes.They searched for love and
happiness in a place which offered neither.
Mary Ellen developed a kin-ship with many of her young subjects
including Dewayne and Lulu.Dewayne hanged himself in 1984,and
Lulu died in a fight with a man in 1985.Mary Ellen has dedicated
this book in their memories.
Like every other work that she has ever published,this book
is definitely a keep-sake.I highly recommend it to everyone
who is interested in the documentary film and in Mary Ellen Mark.
Jeffrey Bryan
White Oak,NC

As a Seattle native who grew up near Seattle's Musesum of History and Industry, I found this to be an enjoyable story of the first white settlers we often call Seattle's "pilgrims." One of my favorite spots in the museum was the diorama of the early settlers on a rainy-looking Alki Point with their roofless log cabin.

As an elementary school librarian, I have recommended this book as a read-aloud to our fourth grade teachers, where the history of Washington State is covered in our curriculum. What we've discovered is that, while factually interesting, the boys get turned off to the love story that weaves in and out. Now we mainly recommend this to upper elementary girls, and those who do read it end up wanting to read more titles in the series.

I've only read the first book in this series, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but my wife is currently devouring, and loving, the next titles in the series.

Readers who know the streets of Seattle will begin to recognize where many of the names came from. Personally, I grew up near Louisa Street. I wonder where that name came from?

For people interested in Washington State, Seattle, or the Oregon Trail, this book is highly recommended. This title was recommended by the Washington State Centennial Committee back in 1989.

I have read this book a couple of times and have been very impressed with the writers research on the facts and history of Seattle. Living in Seattle for 10 years I learned a little bit about how Seattle got started but I found that this book written as a love story kept my interest. When I am down town and see the street names and see the different buildings I remember the stories I've read from the Sweetbriar series. I love these books. Other cities should follow suit.

My wife and I were looking for a Thomas Moran book with LOTS of reproductions of his pictures. This book appeared to be what we were looking for. I had Amazon find a copy for me and I gave it to my wife as a birthday present. It was perfect. Lots of reproductions. Lots of good information. Well-organized.

This book is the next best thing to seeing a Moran in a Museum. I'm a landscape artist and love his work. The book took me out West where Moran painted and made me feel the experience. A fantastic experience!

Although the content of this novel is aimed at Washingtonians the masterful writing of Mr. Carkonen can be appreciated everywhere. Mr Carkonen's skillful prose and mastery of the english language leave the reader wanting more. I must agree with the Vashon Island reviewer that most appropriately stated, "Sweet tasty tasty!"

all i can say after reading this book is, "Sweet tasty tasty!!"

This book is definently r-e-a-l! Barbara hits it hard on the real aspects of what it's like to love a man so much, but yet be angry with him as well because of his actions.
I never attended this church, but had relatives who did. This book opened my eyes of the pain and hurt they went through. It also gave me a hope, joy, and faith that no matter what happens in life God is always faithful to His kids. They experienced some radical things at Community Chapel & Bible Training Center. You can definently learn some good things of how to and how not to do things. Learn, learn, learn...grow, that's what it's all about.

This is a book of inspiration and hope. Barbara's testimony of her life has caused me to desire a closer relationship with the Lord. Her revealing words concerning her life, her marriage, her ministry, and the church have given me a new hunger for holiness in my own life. I admire her courage to tell about these events with honesty and humility as she had witnessed them. My heart broke for her and the tears fell, as I realized all she had so graciously gone through without the members of the church being aware of her trials and pain. I laughed with joy at the many marvelous testimonies of healing and deliverance. Barbara gives us an exciting, but sometimes agonizing, journey through the history of "The Chapel", and the work that God so marvelously did in the lifes of so many.

I really enjoyed reading this as well as Witch and Warrior. Post-apocalyptic with many different characters to walk with. Look through the eyes of those who have survived in more ways than one.

Don McQuinn writes with poignant lyricism and deft plotting, gripping a reader with struggles surreal yet universal. Don't miss this epic. Don't miss any of his entire catalog. Get every single one.

I consider this book to be one of the most interesting and BEST books of all-time. It's original and intriguing and a must read for those who like books that try new things.

"Well" is a hard-earned marvel, and Matt McIntosh is a nothing less than a prodigy. His book focuses on a tapestry of broken lives in Federal Way, Washington, outside of Seattle, drawn together by the common ailments of discontentment, disillusionment, and a yearning for some small redemption. The chapter (or story) "Fishboy," about a young man suffering from the break-up of his family, has a raw, wrenching power like something I've rarely encountered in contemporary fiction, somewhat like the stories in Denis Johnson's "Jesus' Son," but wholly Matt McIntosh's, wholly unique. His work has a kind of poetic integrity that signals a rare talent, a new voice.