2 comments about What I Would Leave for My Family: What I leave for my family.

1. My point of view :The Book "What I would Leave for My Family Before I Ship out" is a marvelous Book!
   
   Really I am not a writer or journalist, but I can tell the originality of the Book, his Author's messages, personally and specifically addressed.
   
   The Book "What I would Leave for My Family Before I Ship out" is not an adventure book, nor the Sciences research;
   It is a book talking about the culture, an example for a man who learned other cultures and look back on their own.
   It is a direct message, personalized and the same time a testimony of faith and truth.
   It is a solution of common problems in African cultures
   It is the story alive which serves as training, taking into consideration the cultural point of view.
   
   Now if there is a Technical need for a writer to review the book, I am sure the tittles will be raised from the each text (page) itself.
   
   Thank you
   
   Marcous Dajeu, USA
   "What I Would Leave for My Family" : To Read and Share with others!



2. Wow. This is a great book. I'm into my second reading and I know I'll be going back for more. Let me say up front, and with all honesty, this book deserves more than just this single review. Each page is so rich with good information and detail back ground of the author that each could have stand alone reviews themselves.
   
   One thing I really appreciate about the book is that it's great tie-in with family history and culture. This book approach to doing what you say you'll do, in a higher elevation. Make no mistake, there are plenty of actual "things-to-do" in It's Not What You Say...It's What You Do, but at some point you're going to need to manage all of those "things-to-do" so that you can keep promise before you ship out.
   
   If I understand correctly, Moshoeshoe took a couple of years to research and write this book. I really wish there was some kind of wrap up at the end of each chapter that pulls together, such as mini index of the chapter to make it easier to find those ideas. Otherwise, the execution of this book is near flawless. The organization of the book is simple. The beginning of each chapter makes clear what's coming up and, of course, the follow through is right on target. The book speaks highly about the characters Wycliffe him self.

1 comments about Rattlesnake Poetry: Explorations of Ancient Places and Personal Values.

1. A unique collection of travel/adventure essays, strung together as a cohesive plotline which is not necessarily in chronological order, this is easily one of the most engaging books I've read in a long while. It is provocative and heartwarming, a rare combination, as well as opinionated and raw. It is also brutally honest, something that you don't find enough of in the "autobiography" genre!
   
   The book traces the trajectory of a kid starting out as an insecure "ugly duckling" who uses too many drugs, to a young college dropout bartender in New Orleans, to a roustabout backpacker vagabond in the spirit of Chris McCandless (Into the Wild), to a passionate and renowned Southwestern archaeologist. Twists and turns involve love and heartache, personal and national tragedies, rebelliousness, fierceness, creativity and the power of the imagination, and courage in the form of both facing down physical challenges and facing down social and cultural ones. Admittedly, there are times when the book is a bit dark, and times when the subject matter is not necessarily appropriate for all audiences, but ultimately the premise is a positive one and the book's redemption is a message of enlightenment.
   
   I recommend this book for anyone trying to understand Gen Xers, anyone who is curious about the outdoors or adventure cultures, anyone who is interested in either the Southwest or archaeology, and basically anyone else as well!
   
   (Note: do not let the title deceive you; there is no actual poetry in this book. The title refers to one of the essays in the book.)

5 comments about Close to the Wind: An Extraordinary Story of Triumph Over Adversity.

1. Pete Goss was born to be close to the wind. Although Goss admits in this autobiography that he had rather weak goals growing up, it is clear that Goss is one of those persons born to be before the mast. Even his nine year stint in the Royal Marines was that of a compleat sailor as his military career focused on representing his Service in a series of transatlantic and other competitions. It all seems too serendipitous, at least until the reader realizes that Goss's life is one where his ambition and his circumstances happily coincide in an almost preordained fashion.
   
   Perhaps that is why Goss's constant (realistic) financial concerns and searches for sponsorship grate so badly upon the reader. His money worries are a consistent theme in CLOSE TO THE WIND. And it is true that had Goss not pressed himself to continually move forward he probably would have been broke and unable to pursue his dreams. To me, Goss is not the bigger hero in this book, but rather his wife Tracey, who never seemed to flag in her devotion either to Pete or to his dreams.
   
   The ultimate dream was to compete in the 1996-97 Vendee Globe, a single-handed circumnavigation across the Southern Ocean. For the Vendee, Pete Goss commissioned the building of "Aqua Quorum" a revolutionary high-speed sailboat with a pendulum keel. "Aqua Quorum" performed magnificently.
   
   And so did Goss. A thousand miles from land in a Christmas Day Austral Summer hurricane under polar conditions, Goss received word that a race competitor, Raphael Dinelli, was aboard his sinking boat and facing certain death. Goss immediately turned "Aqua Quorum" back into the teeth of the storm, sailed nearly 200 miles back on his track, and plucked the hypothermic Dinelli from the sea.
   
   Although Goss came in only fifth (in a field of six finishers) he was awarded the French Legion of Honor and an MBE by Queen Elizabeth for his rescue of Dinelli. CLOSE TO THE WIND is a tale of true heroism told in an honest, unassuming, but never diffident tone by a man who merely did what he felt he had to. And, more important than any accolades, is Goss's pleasure at making a new friend.



2. There seems to be an odd hero worship associated with this author and his book about adventure and glory seeking. I found Goss's feats to be impressive but the account disturbing. I finished the book wishing I hadn't read it. He comes across as quite impressed with himself and has little of the modesty and understatement that I have found more typical of good adventure writing. (Compare Bernard Moitessier's books about equally difficult sailing accomplishments.) If you are looking for a philosopher/adventurer, Goss is not it. His reliance on expletives in key passages gives the account a vulgar quality. Like many others I was mystified as to why so much ink was spent on the fund raising effort. There probably was a good story there but I don't think he told it. Clearly Pete Goss is an awesome sailor, but this book portrays him more as attention seeker and even his website still boasts about the rescue. If you haven't read sailing books before read Moitessier or Smeeton instead.



3. This book is basically a life story, with no details spared of the races leading up to the vendee, the innumerable business ventures. If you're a novice sailor and want to read this book to learn about racing and bluewater sailing and whatnot, you may find yourself learning more about fundraising, instead.
   
   Granted, it is a decent book, it was a quick and light read, and it really really motivates one to get up and do stuff. While he spends a great deal of time talking about his effort to raise the cash, his tenacity is impressive and inspiring.



4. One of the great books of mankind's love for his brother. The strength of that love and the power of that love proven in the ice cold seas of the roaring forties. The saved and the saviour both watched over by an angel named Tracey whose love and faith in her husband, Pete, made it all possible for the heroic rescue of Raphael Dinelli.



5. A great story of adventure, as the author describes his voyages around the world in several premier yacht races. Of course, the author did not chose a literary profession as a career, but never the less, he does a good job of describing in exciting detail the struggles and achievements of his life long obsession with some of the most challenging sailing events in the world.

4 comments about Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark.

1. James Holmberg has done an excellent job of providing new insight into the Clark family, in particular the relationship between William and his eldest brother by twenty years, Jonathan. ALthough the basis of the book is a set of letters that were uncovered just a few years ago, the information is a fresh look at the Clark we normally view as being part of the word "LewisandClark".
   The Journals of Lewis and Clark can tell you a lot about how he acts when he is in a business or military setting, but these intimate letters that he wrote to his brother show that William was a much deeper man that just an explorer. He truly looked up to his brother, and because they lived 200 years ago, that relationship is often lost, especially in since published Clark or Expeditionemorbelia. This is a wonderful book, and if you are trying to get a better persepective of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, this book is a must read to better understand the man that became famous.



2. This is indeed a book full of history and tidbits that add to our current historical knowledge. I think that for the non-historian, it is difficult to read all of the notes at the end of each letter (usually longer notes than the letters themselves). I would love to see this book with many of the obscure notes removed and just the very important historical facts included to help explain what is being written about. I am loving learning about Lewis and Clark, but this book was more difficult than most.



3. This is the kind of book cherished by all lovers of frontier history--historical researchers and genealogists, as well as those who simply love to read about it. Not just a book of letters, but a lusciously annotated treasure chest of biographical information, and not just on the Clarks, but on the frame of frontier history which surrounded them.

   The insights on William Clark and York are indeed interesting, but biographical sketches in the notes reveal arcane facts on Daniel Boone, General James Wilkinson, Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and many others less known but equally interesting. Mr. Holmberg sometimes indulges in speculation and tentative assertions, but the demarcation between fact and inference is always clear.

   The work is handsomely constructed, the font easy to read, the notes easy to follow. A complete bibliography is provided along with a complete index. All and all, a pleasure to peruse, a delight to own.




4. Mr. Holmberg's new forthcoming edition of letters discovered
   in an old Louisville, Kentucky estate some two decades ago
   will shed new light on many long unanswered questions regarding the life of William Clark, of Lewis and Clark Expedition fame.
   Aside from being an archivist at Kentucky's prestigious Filson
   Club which holds its own substantial William Clark collection,
   Holmberg is himself an expert Lewis and Clark enthusiast who brings passion, intelligence, clarity and understanding to interpretation of these significant letters. I have been privileged to hear the lectures of Mr. Holmberg at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lewis and Clark Training Academies, and without a doubt this book and its letters give valuable
   insight into the life of York, William Clark's slave and
   fellow expedition member, the winter at Fort Mandan, William Clark's relationship with his wife, Julia, and his ongoing honest and open, although often grossly misspelled, literary discourse with his brother Jonathan. Readers of Ambrose's UNDAUNTED COURAGE will revel in this book as it gives further insight into the character of William Clark, who often gets
   far less press coverage than the colorful figure of
   Meriwether Lewis. Every Lewis and Clark enthusiast should
   be sitting on the front porch swing awaiting the VERY MOMENT when the mailman delivers this upcoming Amazon offering. The fact that these unknown letters survived AT ALL is amazing. The added scholarship and editing added to the project by
   one so respected in the field as Jim Holmberg makes the prospect of this literary work almost too grand to imagine.

   Discovery of the letters of William Clark is as significant
   as finding an undiscovered portrait of Lincoln. We knew the
   man before the discovery, but now we will know him better!

No comments about River of Love "By Way of War".

1 comments about Douglass And Melville: Anchored Together in Neighborly Style.

1. The subtitle is taken from Melville's short story "Benito Cereno." Although Wallace cannot verify that the two major early 19th-century American figures ever met, he abundantly demonstrates from themes and quotes from their influential writings and activities and associations of theirs that the two men were kindred spirits. A professor of Literature and Language at Northern Kentucky U. and former president of the Melville Society, Wallace found his intuition that Douglass and Melville were connected in significant ways "deepened and expanded in multiple ways" as he researched and wrote this work. No one can argue with this after reading his work with much visual matter emphasizing the ties between these two important literary and cultural figures. Stories of Melville's and essays of Douglass's deal with individuals at the bottom or margins of society, the cruelties of physical punishment, and also the characteristic perspectives and abilities of individuals treated as less than human. An accessible work for young adults and adults that with its plumbing of comparisons of the works and concerns of Melville and Douglass sheds new light not only on them, but also American society in the years leading up to the Civil War.

No comments about Voices from the Sea.

3 comments about Isabella Lucy Bird's "a Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains": An Annotated Text.

1. "It is hard to recall another woman in any age or country who traveled as widely, saw so much, and who left so perceptive a record of what she saw," says Daniel Boorstin who wrote an introduction to an edition of "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains."
   
   The daughter of a respectable English clergyman, Isabella Bird was a short, dumpy, 41-year old spinster in 1873 when she visited Colorado. She found there a bunch of people she mostly disliked, but a place -- Estes Park -- on which she lavished pages of Wordsworthian nature worship. She climbed Long's Peak -- no small feat of physical endurance -- described Denver, Colorado Springs, and other Colorado cities, and lived briefly the life of a pioneer ranchwoman in a mountain wilderness.
   
   The reader should be aware of a romantic subtext not fully described in "A Lady's Life." Isabella met "Rocky Mountain Jim" Nugent, a famous desperado who she described as an
   "awful looking a ruffian as one could see." Jim became her guide and companion in Estes Park, but she only hints in her book at a romantic attachment. In letters to her sister in Scotland, she tells much more of the relationship and of Jim's ardour and his marriage proposal. Was she fantasizing? Was Jim, known as a ladies man, putting out a lot of Irish blarney to this less-than-glamorous gentlewoman? Or was his infatuation with her real? The relationship between the two is explored in several biographies of Bird. In any case, Isabella left Jim behind and headed back to Scotland after a couple of months. Jim was killed in a gunfight a few months later by another man Isabella had known. A romantic triangle? Who knows?
   
   With a story like this -- and a backstory of frustated love and gunfights -- "A Ladies Life in the Rocky Mountains" can hardly fail to be fascinating. This edition has an introduction, illustrations, and a map of Isabella's travels plus footnotes that complement her text. Isabella Bird was quite a woman.
   
   Smallchief



2. After 125-plus years, Isabella Bird comes across as a formidable, judgmental, frumpy and brave (if not foolhardy) woman who saw parts of Colorado at a time and in a condition that a lot of us wish we could have seen it. Her standard for measuring anything human (character, behavior, diet, education, etc.) can pretty much be summed up in the formula "English and Christian, good; everything else, bad."

   She was keenly observant, although her writing style seems overwrought, romantic and sentimental (I'm trying not to say "cheesy") by our standards.

   Most remarkable, though, is her bravery and her (apparent) charisma. By her account, she was welcomed wherever she went, and even the grotesquely grizzled recluse Jim Nugent fell for her -- she hints that he proposed marriage. And she went places alone, in winter, that you are more likely to read about these days in cautionary tales from the Colorado State Patrol or a search and rescue unit, where the protaganist ends up in a coffin.

   Was she telling the truth? Maybe. Probably. Better-educated people than I seem to take her at her word. And the detail in her stories has the ring of authenticity. So, OK, let's take her at her word.

   As a witness to a pre-sprawl, pre-Vail, pre-John Denver period of the Colorado Rockies, she is fairly readable and considerably entertaining. And her precise and photographic descriptions of the people and landscape are invaluable. You just have to keep in mind that she's looking (which is to say, judging everything) through the lens of a smug 19th century Englishwoman.




3. The book was an interesting account of Bird's travels through the Rocky Mountains, but as I read it, I kept wondering why, why, why? Why would a 41-year old woman travel through the Rockies on horseback in winter? Living in the area where she traveled, I appreciate the descriptions of the mountains and the awesomeness of nature which she elegantly describes. The book is an interesting travel log of her journey and adventures in 1873.

4 comments about Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa.

1. I have just finished reading the Kindle version of this book, and found it fascinating reading. Mr. Park is an amazing explorer. The story of his initial adventures is amazing and humbling. He really was a persistent guy!
   
   Worth reading for the insights to slavery as it existed in those days, as well as traveling both as a priveleged white man and later as a fugitive.
   
   The Kindle version works well and was cheap. I doubt I could have found this book readable or affordable in its initial form.



2. Kate Ferguson Marsters' edition of Mungo Park's TRAVELS is an excellent example of the travel narrative - easily comparable with the Journals of Lewis & Clark or Francis Parkman's OREGON TRAIL. The book is broken into three parts: Park's travel narrative , Marsters' Introduction & Major Rennell's Geographical Illustrations Of Mr. Park's Journey (which is rather dry and dated).

   The main work is a narrative of Park's travels from Barra, on the West African coast, to the town of Silla, just west of Jenne and his return to the western coast. Park provides many interesting details and asides, including that of Mumbo Jumbo (also mentioned by Francis Moore) for disciplining wayward wives. Park also spends a fair amount of time explaining local governments and social norms. Throughout, the account attempts some degree of neutrality while noting acts of kindness and avarice by various individuals and rulers; although, not surprisingly, he explicitly criticizes the Moors who continually interfered with his progress and those who robbed and stripped him. Perhaps his most disturbing account is of the female slave who becomes too sick to continue traveling with the coffle. The entire work puts black slaves and their families in a very sympathetic light and shows the slave trade at its worst; although, due to the continuing conditions of slavery and internal conquest pre-dating major European involvement in the trade, Park stated that the termination of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade would not provide as great a benefit to the populace in Africa as many hoped.

   The Introduction is important in providing the history of Park's early years, the important role of the African Association and its leader, Sir Joseph Banks. More importantly the Introduction deals with the Bryan Edwards controversy. Richard Burton and Orlando Patterson's criticisms have held that internal African slavery and slave trading was not nearly so prevalent as suggested by Park. In light of this, Marsters' statement that Joseph Banks, a critic of slavery, had to approve every piece of Edward's editing becomes extremely important. In addition, it is made clear that the reason for the stylistic differences is that the original TRAVELS was a book derived from Park's notes whereas the published work of his second, ill-fated journey was merely a compilation of those notes retrieved from the dead man's party!

   All-in-all, an excellent and informative read!




3. This book is not too bad, but it would have been better if its author and editor were frank with their "facts".
   Mungo Park, an inquisitive Scottish doctor and explorer, displayed a lot of courage in his adventures. He was steadfast and result-oriented. However, it is wrong for anybody to assume that he discovered the 'Nile of the Negroes', (as the River Niger was then called). The indigenous Africans who lived by the river banks knew its course long before Mungo Park's forefathers were born. They showed the Scot the way!
   Thus, claiming that Dr. Park discovered River Niger is absurd. It is as ridiculous as claiming that the first African who sailed across River Thames discovered the English river.



4. Mungo Park (1771-1806?) was the first European to visit the Niger River basin in 1796. He resolved, once and for all, a debate that had European cartographers and geographers confused for centuries.

   His initial journey (1795-1797) was a tale of tremendous personal hardship and suffering, but triumph in the end. After returning to Scotland in 1798, he became acquainted with Sir Walter Scott. They became close friends, and it was Sir Walter Scott who convinced him to return to Africa to encover the secret of the mouth of the Niger River.

   In 1805 he convinced the British government, in the middlle of a war against Napoleon, to send another expedition to seek out the mouth of the Niger. With 100 officers and men he set out, retracing his earlier steps. The journey was filled with personal tragedy and heroism. After arriving on the Niger, he built a boat, named the Joliba, and travelled down the river. During the course of his journey he met and traded with the many kingdoms that lined the river. However, he also incurred the wrath of many local kings and chiefs who believed that he was cheating them.

   Near the town of Bussa (now covered by a huge dam), Mungo Park met his unexpected end. For many years it has been assumed that he was attacked by hostile natives seeking to rob him. In fact it may have been due to the fact that he just failed to navigate the river

No comments about Great Black Heroes: Five Brave Explorers (level 4) (Hello Reader).