5 comments about No Man's River.

1. It has been a long time since i have enjoyed a book as much as those written by Farley Mowat. His respect for native cultures and his skill at describing their environment are what make these books so enjoyable and interesting. I will read all of his works--it is well worth the time.



2. No matter how many books he writes, Farley Mowat continues to amaze his fans. His non-fiction is never dry or uninspiring, though he's a talented fiction writer as well, and this faithful reader of his work is certainly not disappointed. Thank you again, Mr. Mowat for your great writing. It is truly appreciated!
   Chrissy K. McVay



3. A book I could not put down. It is a well written insight into a world that none of us will ever experience. Mr. Mowat is a great story teller and a national treasure. Anyone who is interested in the least about people and lands of the north must read this book.



4. Farley Mowat has been one of my favorite authors since I was in 6th grade in the early 1960s. I ordered a copy of "Two Against the North" from the Arrow Book Club and read it over and over. The story of two boys from different cultures trying to survive winter in the barrens was riveting to me, a gal firmly stuck in the suburbs. Mowat's descriptions of glacial landforms in that book remained with me and were recalled with every earth science and geology lesson I ever took. (The book can be found in some libraries under the title "Lost in the Barrens"--a great read for a middle schooler curious about the world outside familiar places.) Part of what I loved about No Man's River was that the journeys described were clearly the basis for many aspects of "Lost in the Barrens"--kind of like an echo of an old favorite. Mowat is the consummate story teller--reading his books makes you want to sit around a campfire with him for several hours hearing spin his yarns. One of my favorite quotes comes from him--"Never let the facts get in the way of a good story." No Man's River has jaw-dropping adventure as well as thought provoking commentary on the clash of vastly different cultures. Enjoy!



5. Readers can count this book as one more captivating true tale of Canada's far north, told by its best-read authority. The young Farley Mowat, returning disillusioned from the War in 1947 and thinking to become a biologist, joined with a taxonomist on a collecting "scientific" expedition into the Barren Lands of Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The headstrong 26 year old was improbably paired up with a disciplined naturalist of the old school, who killed and skinned every animal he could shoot, poison or trap. After a while, Farley, having seen enough killing in the war, became disillusioned with this approach to appreciating the wonders of nature, and deserted his post in favor of exploring the largely uninhabited territory in the company of an Indian half-breed, Charles Schweder. His real desire was to contact the "People of the Deer," the Imhalmiut. These people came to be idealized in Farley's mind as a people "uncontaminated with the murderous aberrations of civilized man."
   
   Mowat gives a clear picture of the hardships encountered by the few inhabitants of this harsh landscape. By the time of the expedition, the Imhalmiut had dwindled to only a few scattered bands, having been nearly wiped out in a succession of epidemics. Farley tells of the well-intended but sporadic and largely ineffectual aid given to them by the Canadian government and its minions, and how Schweder had been traumatized by his experience in a partially successful rescue attempt he had made the year previous. His rescue of a six year old replacement for his child bride, dead of starvation, presents the reader (and Mowat) with a thought- provoking moral dilemma. So much for the myth of the noble savage...
   
   For me, though, the message of the book was how uncaring and ruthless "Mother Nature" really is, and how down and dirty a bare-handed struggle it is. He, Thoreau-like, at one point meticulously gives a complete list of the things they chose to carry on their epic trip down an unmapped river system: guns and ammo, flour, sugar, baking soda, canned food, gasoline and oil for their outboard motor, tarps and tents. Even with all these products of Western technology, their trip was hair-raising and nearly disastrous. And the bugs!
   
   For such a rough subject, this turns out to be an engrossing tale and hard to put down. On the other hand, the map requires a magnifying glass to read and there are no illustrations. I really appreciated, though, the last chapter, in which he follows up on the fate of the characters he encountered, giving the reader some "closure" as it is disgustingly called these days.
   
   I found it a little curious, though, that Mowat felt the need to apologize in a postscript for his use of some now politically incorrect words, such as Indian, half-breed, and Eskimo. This is largely a story of the encounters of people with different cultures, of different races, viewed through eyes that are quite a bit more honest than is usually tolerated by the demagogues and girly-men of our sensitive time.

No comments about Josef's Journey.

1 comments about Footsteps on the Ice: The Antarctic Diaries of Stuart D. Paine, Second Byrd Expedition.

1. During the Great Depression, Stu Paine signed on as a dogsled driver for Admiral Byrd in his attempt to reach the South Pole. It was Paine and his companions who set the record for the "farthest South" any American had yet gone. Now his daughter has edited his diaries for publication, with lots of contemporary photos. The result is a book that is raw and real. Paine's diaries have given me more of a picture of Antarctica than a dozen books I've read about that vast, cold land.
   
   For example, he wrote on August 14, 1934: "Nature, strong + big, has let human ambitions contaminate her realm only at great cost. But it is only for a while -- We will return. Other expeditions will come + go, hanging like flies on an edge of a dish, to the edge of Antarctica, here to-day, gone tomorrow. And all the while the blizzards come, the temperature sinks to the seventies +eighties [below zero F], the seals + penguins + gulls come +go, the overwhelming forces of the ice pressing down from the plateau will go on, tremendous, grand + awful. How few see it -- what a pity, a land of inspiration and to most people a land of monotony + terror. As in no other place, peace holds sway, the peace of God perhaps --"
   
   A great book for Arctic and Antarctic fans and also for those who love reading diaries to get a glimpse of the person who wrote them.

1 comments about Paddling The Boreal Forest: Rediscovering A.P. Low.

1. See Max morosely viewing the map on the floor. See Max glance forlornly at his paddling partner, Jim Stone. Hear Max exclaiming, "We're lost! And we haven't left the house yet!" It's easy to sympathise with Max Finkelstein's distress. He and Stone have set themselves a daunting task. They intend following the path of one of Canada's "iron men", A. P. Low, who explored the vastness of Northern Quebec at the end of the 19th Century. Adding to the usual problems of preparations for the journey, the vagaries of Canadian sub-Arctic weather, and the endless supply of stinging or biting insects, the pair face one condition Low wouldn't have dreamt of - some of the rivers don't run the same direction any longer.

   In this fine account of Albert Peter Low's travels in the northern boreal forest, Finkelstein and Stone use an unusual technique. They retell Low's records of exploration, following with their attempts to trace the trail he left. They have one great advantage. Low thoroughly recorded and mapped what he saw and where he traversed. The great disadvantage is that Low left virtually nothing of himself in the annals of Canadian explorers. The chance of bringing A. P. Low "to life", a major factor in any author's attempt to capture a subject, thus eludes these biographers. Yet, as you read this book, you'll see that you're not dealing with but "half a man".

   Canoe trips are part of the weave of Canadian history. The voyageurs who brought furs from the upper Great Lakes are honoured by a bus line. Their route, however, quickly became a commute - arduous and not without peril - but the unknown was dispensed with after a few trips. A. P. Low's journeys were nearly all into territory unfamiliar to the "white" European-derived population of urban Canada. He followed rivers on the Quebec-Labrador border, scouting for timber, minerals and potential agricultural sites. He utilised whatever resources he encountered. Aboriginal guides told him of their fur-trade and hunting routes. Hudson Bay Company factories [trading posts] provided records. Low, however, merely used these aids as pointers. It was important to him to see for himself. For Finkelstein and Stone, it was important to trace his paddling and his steps. How they accomplished that makes for highly entertaining reading.

   Although they had every modern convenience at their command, the authors found matching Low's pace through the forests and along the rivers a distinct challenge. Weather wasn't cooperative, although it seems little different than in Low's day. Fires, a frequent occurrence in the spruce forests, sometimes left trees toppled across the trail. That's assuming the portage was visible at all. In a delightful aberration, they recount a live interview for a CBC programme using a cell 'phone. Another device, a Global Positioning System unit, was occasionally dug from the pack, only to be apparently thwarted by heavy cloud! Finkelstein develops what canoeists delicately refer to as "diaper rash", and nauseates himself by adding the wrong "creamer" to his morning coffee.

   There is another, more meaningful aspect of their journeys, however. All those rushing streams, the wildlife depending on them and the Cree who have inhabited these lands for millennia, are under threat. The Quebec government, declaring that the James Bay region must be "conquered" is diverting the rivers to feed the maws of hydro-electric generators. Finkelstein is vividly aware of what the diversion of waters will mean as he travels the Rupert River with paddling partner Alain Filion. There's more than backward-running streams, however. He knows what impact the James Bay Project has had on the Cree peoples. The building of houses and introduction of packaged food has significantly transformed their lifeways. Finkelstein asks "are the economic benefits worth the social turmoil" and emerging health problems. These are questions, he reminds us, that not only the Cree, but all North Americans must ask themselves. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

No comments about Jack London's Grand North.

No comments about Jefferson's West: A Journey with Lewis and Clark.

3 comments about The Founder of Opus Dei, Volume II: God and Daring.

1. I enjoyed this story of the heroic sanctity of Saint Escriva.
   
   The organisation he founded is ideally positioned to straddle the seperate spheres of the city of God and the City of Man in evangelising the world today.
   
   Their understanding of the inner operations of democracy today ideally position them for evangelising the Peoples Rpublic of China, consonant with the common good of the Chinese people and the national interest of their sovereign nation.
   
   A thoroughly enjoyable read.



2. And following on from the armpit wash there will be money made from what hemmeroid cream he used. VatiCabs all roads lead to Rome!



3. This book was the second volume of Andres Vazquez de Prada's biography of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, canonized by His Holiness a year ago this month.

   While this book isn't for the casual reader, it is engaging and deeply moving. Whether you are familiar with Opus Dei or not, Vazquez de Prada gives you an insightful and occasionally awe-inspiring look at an important decade in the life of Saint Josemaria and his efforts to establish Opus Dei.

   Rarely do the faithful have an opportunity to follow a Saint in the making with such extraordinary detail. This masterfully written account is itself a testament to the meaning of Opus Dei; sanctification through one's everyday life, at work, at home, or at school. The reader cannot fail to recognize that the life of this 20th Century spanish Priest is a witness to this concept. Although his rare piety and charity are virtues most will have a hard time grasping, the childlike submission to suffering, persecution, and illness offer a practical example that any Christian could understand as a model for their own life.

   Cynics and anti-Catholics looking for conspiracy theories and dubious affiliations will be greatly disappointed to discover that Opus Dei was opposed from the beginning by powerful forces inside the Church who feared the potent combination of a traditional faith and an empowered laity less dependent upon clericalism and more concerned with personal sanctity. Further disappointment for skeptics will be found in the revelation that Father Escriva and Opus Dei were persecuted by each end of the political spectrum in war-ravaged Spain for his failure to adhere to any political movement.

   For those with a deeper interest in Escriva's correspondence and the particulars of the Canonical journey of Opus Dei, the book is well sourced, with extensive explanations.

1 comments about On Belay!: The Life of Legendary Mountaineer Paul Petzoldt.

1. This is an average book. It does not capture the true character of this special man. Paul Petzoldt's life would be hard for any writer to summarize. The author should have concentrated on a more detailed introspective of this famous man. Too much writing was centered on certain events that do not actualize his true persona. Yet, the author does reflect a reverance for Paul's achievements that are well deserved. An easy reading book.

No comments about Breve historia de Francisco Pizarro/ Brief History of Francisco Pizzaro.

No comments about The Memoirs of Someone Awesome.