Family-By-Choice: Creating Family in a World of Strangers

Book Description

Explores deep friendships that have evolved into family-like relationships.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting look at extended families.......2006-04-09

Here is one of those books that bring up some wonderful points and ideas, yet shy away from some conclusions that the authors either reached and decided not to add to the book or avoid out and out.

This book came out before the debate concerning gay marriage and polyamourous lifestyles were considered news worthy. But many of their conclusions would support those fighting for those causes.

Both authors borrow heavily from their own lives to make their points and both have very open minds. They seem to go out of their way to avoid some controversial material, even though they hint that they have reached some conclusions regaurding marriage, love and even sex.

Overall I highly recommend this book for anyone that seeks a new way of living but be sure to read between the lines and reach your own conclusions.

Revolutionary concept, filled with human interest stories.......1997-04-18

This book was enthralling from the first story of Denny who created his own family by choice, through all of the research and historical background of kinship and what it means to us as humans, up to and including all of the examination of the black culture and their ability to bond and form families without blood ties. I thought this book is a must read for anyone who is trying to cope with today's fragmented society that confounds our need to belong in a connected family. Ms. Ahern and Dr. Bailey obviously compliment each other as co-authors blending Ms. Ahern's dramatic personal stories with Dr. Bailey's reseach that fills in the link from a scientific perspective. The content in this book is ground breaking and it would not suprise me if someone like Oprah or the New York Times picks up this book and gives it very broad and favorable coverage

Family-by-Choice: Creating Family in a World of Strangers

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Family-by-Choice: Creating Family in a World of Strangers
Susan Ahern
Manufacturer: Fairview Press Minneapolis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPS5MC

Book Description

"The book is beautifully written, profusely illustrated and meticulously researched—and sure to instruct and entertain any reader of Civil War history."

— Civil War News

In an 1882 speech, former Confederate president Jefferson Davis made an exuberant claim: "That battle at Sabine Pass was more remarkable than the battle at Thermopylae." Indeed, Sabine Pass was the site of one of the most decisive Civil War battles fought in Texas. But unlike the Spartans, who succumbed to overwhelming Persian forces at Thermopylae more than two thousand years before, the Confederate underdogs triumphed in a battle that over time has become steeped in hyperbole. Providing a meticulously researched, scholarly account of this remarkable victory, Sabine Pass at last separates the legends from the evidence.

In arresting prose, Edward T. Cotham, Jr., recounts the momentous hours of September 8, 1863, during which a handful of Texans—almost all of Irish descent—under the leadership of Houston saloonkeeper Richard W. Dowling, prevented a Union military force of more than 5,000 men, 22 transport vessels, and 4 gunboats from occupying Sabine Pass, the starting place for a large invasion that would soon have given the Union control of Texas.

Sabine Pass sheds new light on previously overlooked details, such as the design and construction of the fort (Fort Griffin) that Dowling and his men defended, and includes the battle report prepared by Dowling himself. The result is a portrait of a mythic event that is even more provocative when stripped of embellishment.

Customer Reviews:

There Were Actually 2 Battles at Sabine Pass.......2007-03-29

There were actually two battles at Sabine Pass during the Civil War. The first one ended with the fort there being captured by Union forces. However, because of its distance from Union headquarters, Texas was hard to hold, and Sabine Pass was quickly returned to Confederate control. The second battle is the one author Edward T. Cotham, Jr. recounts in his well-researched "Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae."

By the third year of the Civil War, Texas had become an important objective to the Union, primarily to cut off Confederate trade. Sabine Pass was considered the best invasion point because of its proximity, not only to Louisiana and the Mississippi River, but to the Houston train yards.

In the interim between the two battles at Sabine Pass, a new, stronger fort had been built at a location where the river forks around an oyster reef, dividing the stream into two channels. Manned with six guns set to pivot at ninety-degrees the artillery could cover both channels. Lieutenant Dowling expected an assault on the fort and, in preparation, drilled his men using range stakes placed in the two channels.

On September 8, 1863, the Union fleet began to arrive at the mouth of the Pass. In all there were four shallow-draft gunboats, and seven transports loaded with Union solders and sharpshooters. The soldiers were a landing party designated to take the fort from the rear while the gunboats assaulted from the river.

At the start the battle looked to be a match between David and Goliath. The forty-four Confederate gunners, Irishmen of the Davis Guard, were outnumbered a hundred to one. But a series of missteps made by the Union fleet, the shallow water and some deadly accurate fire from the six cannons turned the assault into a rout by this small Confederate contingent.

After 45 minutes, the two leading gunboats ran up a white flag. One had been blown to bits, the other was hung on a sand bar. Dowling sent boats to recover 350 prisoners.

The troop transports never landed. In a desperate attempt to retreat through the shallow water, they off-loaded horses and supplies. For a distance of thirty-five miles west of the battle, beaches were littered with these supplies and the bodies of dead, hobbled horses. As one soldier put it, "Such a skedadling you never saw."

At times I was unable to keep straight the names of the commanding officers on either side in the battle, but confusion is one of the side-effects of the Civil War with brother fighting brother. I appreciated the detailed description of the topography and underwater terrain, as well as the background material the author exhaustively researched, including skirmishes at Corpus Christi and off Matagorda Island.

A monument stands at the Sabine Pass Battleground State Park honoring the Confederate heoes. I found myself wanting to jump in the car and make a trip there, but after a phone call I learned the park has not reopened after damage from Hurricane Rita. More information can be found at the Texas Parks & Wildlife web site, [...].

In depth study of an astonishing confederate victory.......2006-12-16

Author Edward Cotham provides a well-written and interesting account of the civil war at Sabine Pass and the events leading to a decisive battle there in front of Fort Griffin. Although the author spares few superlatives for the victorious Texans' unanticipated and stunning victory he does so for good reason and in an overall balanced manner. The Union officers' failures (as well as successes in other areas) are fairly presented.

This engagement was small but costly for the Union. It set back operations for capturing the important port of Mobile, Alabama as well as delaying operations against the Texas coast.

On the Union side, the roots of the fiasco rested in poor intelligence, coordination, and execution. The first major failure was the arrival of the attack force, when the coordinating blockader was away re-coaling--setting back the attack a critical day and a half. This provided the small garrison the opportunity to bring powder and projectiles to what would have been a defenseless set of gun emplacements.

The well-led and well-drilled garrison occupied a small but well-conceived and constructed earthen fort. It was ideally sited and designed to inflict maximum damage to any naval assault while limiting their ability to counter fire. Attacking gunboats would be forced to approach in tightly constricted channels where they could employ only their forward most guns at a low profile target. Lt. Dick Dowling's handful of men were itching for a fight and well equipped to do so.

The attack was to be a joint operation, with the navy leading the attack in order to allow the army to land. Unfortunately a lack of intelligence about the new fort and unrealistic expectations of the naval vessels' capacity to fight it meant that the gunboats were at a severe disadvantage. Earlier in the war, a small predecessor fort nearby had been easily taken by Crocker, but allowed to fall back under rebel control. This prompted the CSA to build Fort Griffin, and for Crocker to become overconfident.

During the assault everything that could go wrong for the navy did. The lead ship in the east channel suffered an early hit to its boiler scalding the crew and disabling it. Crocker's flagship in the west channel also was disabled by a hit to its rudder chain, then boiler. The other two navy gunboat captains displayed cowardice and fled, not even attempting to assist their disabled comrades. Crocker attempted to fight on, expecting that the army would land as planned and win the victory. U.S. Gen. Wietzel inexplicably decided not to land his force, squandering the painful sacrifice by the navy. The defenders had only 40 charges of powder in the fort at the end of the battle. Then after the battle Wietzel's superior Gen. Franklin retreated to New Orleans rather than carrying out his original instructions to attack elsewhere along the coast if necessary.

350+ Union sailors and infantry serving as sharpshooters were captured when the two disabled ships were surrendered. The little rebel garrison suffered no casualties. The author reasonably suggests that the setting sun would have made gunnery effect hard to distinguish for the union gunners. Texas rejoiced and the CSA enjoyed some increasingly rare good news.

In addition to the pivotal battle, Cotham reviews the initial Union capture of Sabine Pass, the CSA's successful cottonclad attack, operations at Galveston, and Calcasieu Pass. The maps and figures are excellent. My complaints and quibbles are few: I did notice a few confusing descriptions of some of the heavy artillery early in the book such as an 8 inch Columbiad rebored as a 6" rifle (?) and a 12 pdr howitzer described as a 12 inch howitzer. The author perhaps overstates the importance of the blockade running at Sabine Pass since it seems to have only been well suited for very light vessels rather than steam blockade runners. Also, supplies entering this pass would only really have been available to those in the Trans-Mississippi theater. Finally, I believe he fails to sufficiently emphasize the importance of the early delay that granted the defenders time to obtain ammunition.

In spite of the above minor criticisms I highly recommend this book. It is a fascinating read and provides a useful perspective of seacoast warfare in Texas.

How 47 "unruly Irishmen" humiliated the Union army & navy!.......2005-05-14

Sabine Pass was a narrow, 6-mile-long defile that channeled the Sabine River, which was the boundary between Texas and Louisiana, into the Gulf of Mexico. Guarding the Sabine River was Fort Griffin, a mud citadel which Union Army Intelligence believed had a force of 200 Confederate troops, including a field artillery battery, two 32-pounders (heavy artillery) and two boats that had been converted into rams. Actually, Fort Griffin was manned by only 46 Irish Texans, officially known as the 1st Texas Heavy Artillery, under the command of 25-year-old Lieut. Richard W. Dowling. It's artillery consisted only of six fieldpieces (the two 32-pounders had been removed weeks earlier). The two rams were ordered scuttled by Dowling near the entrance to Lake Sabine. This meant that any Union ships which did make it past Fort Griffin would run into the trap of the sunken boats, especially since the Sabine was running dangerously low.

The Union plan to take Sabine Pass was developed by Maj. Gens. Nathaniel Banks, Henry Halleck, and William Franklin, as well as Admiral David Farragut. The Union assault force would consist of 5,000 troops in 22 transport vessels protected by four gunboats (with another two gunboats in support). On September 8, 1863, the battle began, and after just 45 minutes, it was all over. One gunboat, "Clifton", was so badly hit by the fort's artillery that it was disabled and abandoned, while another, "Sachem", was forced into shallow water and surrendered to the fort. One humiliated captured Union officer said to Lieut. Dowling,"You and your 46 men in your miserable little fort in the rushes have captured two gunboats, a goodly number of prisoners, many stand of small arms, and plenty of good ammunition, and that is not the worst of your boyish tricks: you have sent three Yankee gunboats, 5,000 troops, and a major-general out to sea in the dark!"

The battle at Sabine Pass had disproved once and for all the myth about the invincibility of Union gunboats. And it gave the Confederacy a much-needed victory after recent disasters at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. In fact, President Jefferson Davis was so impressed by Lieut. Dowling and his men that he commemorated the battle by striking a silver medal in honor of the men. A statue honoring Dowling was later erected near the site of the remarkable fight. This is, at least in my opinion, one of the most fascinating battles of the American Civil War, yet very little has been written about it. Edward T. Cotham has obviously done exhaustive research for this book and his narrative makes for an exciting and very informative book on this extraordinary battle. Highly recommended!

Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae.(Book Review) : An article from: Journal of Southern History

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Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae.(Book Review) : An article from: Journal of Southern History
Robert J. Robertson
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000EQIJKS
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2006. The length of the article is 635 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae.(Book Review)
Author: Robert J. Robertson
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72 Issue: 1 Page: 192(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Product Description

SALT CAMP is the autobiographical narrative of South Dakota\'s 2002 Indian Living Treasure, Ollie Napesni, Lakota Sioux from Rosebud Reservation. It contains thirteen legends including "How Salt Camp Got Its Name."

Customer Reviews:

Living Treasure.......2004-10-29

If you are not lucky enough to be able to sit at Ollie's feet and listen to her in person this is the next best thing... the book "sounds" like her... it is written as though she is speaking directly to you.... so it will throw many readers at first until you get used to the voice.... this is as close as you can get to her voice without voice recordings :) This is a wonderful way of speaking that has come about from mixing traditional lakota dialects with the english language to create a new dialect that is truely unique.

The book itself is a treasure of information that gives you a personal perspective of life in this area growing up during a time when this nation was going through major changes. Ollie gives you a vivid account of daily life, life that has all but disappeared, sprinkled with wisdom and facts you won't get out of main stream textbooks or history books. This is a wonderful window into another culture and belief system that you should not miss!

This book is for everyone, from young to old, from curious to students, those who have an interest in history, culture, and their fellow humans... this has something that speaks to everyone and gives you so much more when you are finished with it .... you won't regret this purchase! Donate a copy to your local library or school!

A Great American Spirit.......2004-02-07

In this wonderful book, Ollie Napesni tells her own story (through the meticulous work of her devoted recorder and editor, Dianna Torson). Born to Lakota parents on the plains of South Dakota in 1917, Ollie straddles and unites two American cultures. Through her, they fuse and participate energetically in the travails and triumphs of the century. What emerges is a great American spirit that comes sailing out of the pages in Ollie's own salty, vivacious, mid-western voice. If you have any interest in American Indian affairs - or even if you don't - you shouldn't miss this book. You won't put it down without a lump in your throat and a smile in your heart.

Authentic Native American Voice.......2003-11-02

Once you get into the syntax of Ms. Napesni's voice, you love it. She is a Lakota speaker and she thinks in Lakota because it is her first language. Highly fluent in English she is able to bring to the reader a sense of being Lakota. The book demonstrates to readers how one must be flexible in order to live in two completely different cultures. The book itself is a joy, easy to hold and easy to read. For fastest service it is best ordered straight from www.trafford.com.

Native Amerian Life:Original,Historical,& Finally, Female........2003-10-31

Reading Ollie Napesni's autobiographical account as a Lakota Sioux Native American was a pure pleasure. Finally we have female insight what it was like growing up in Native America from the early 1920's. Ms. Napesni's account to her editor, transcriber, Dianna Torson, has Ollie's voice in traditional Lakota story telling style. Ollie's voice rings through and we listen to her tell "HerStory". Ms. Torson's ability to edit without loosing the traditional Lakota oratory style is remarkable. Even through a few instances of time wandering, Ollie's story won't let you go. You follow her recollections and look for her bits of wisdom. We learn about honor, dignity, humbleness, family values and strength. We discover women, men and children in Native American communities who were centered in family and Lakota Native American traditions.

Ms Napesni has offered to those of us who yearn for simplicity, commonality, spirituality and peace a world view and a life that attained those qualities.

One walks away after reading this book with a feeling of being a better person and a bit of a longing to pack up your belongings and to rendezvous with family and friends, taking the time to appreciate life and it's giver.

Book Description

More than a half-century ago the Canadian Wildlife Service assigned the naturalist Farley Mowat to investigate why wolves were killing arctic caribou. Mowat's account of the summer he lived in the frozen tundra alone-studying the wolf population and developing a deep affection for the wolves (who were of no threat to caribou or man) and for a friendly Inuit tribe known as the Ihalmiut ("People of the Deer")-is a work that has become cherished by generations of readers, an indelible record of the myths and magic of wild wolves.

Customer Reviews:

Slapstick Adventure.......2007-09-18

This classic defense of wolves never strays into preaching; it makes its points through slapstick adventure. A hapless young biologist named Farley Mowat gets shipped off into the bush by the Canadian government and instructed to conduct meticulous observations of wolves. He is to disembowel a lot of wolves and prove that the ravening beasts are decimating the caribou. Instead, the wolves disprove his assumptions at every turn. He becomes an ardent fan of their family life, sense of humor, restraint, and good nature. He decides to skip the disemboweling. An Eskimo named Ootek helps to illuminate wolf nature and plays the wise straight red man to Mowat's buffoon. Mowat hides under his canoe from wolves that turn out to be huskies; he ogles a she-wolf he has christened Angeline. Some of his antics could come right out of a Chaplin movie. Perhaps Chaplin should have done a movie in the far north not about Gold Rush prospectors who eat shoes, but about wildlife biologists who eat creamed mice to test their nutritional value. In one scene, Mowat jumps up naked from sunbathing to run off after a pack of wolves in hopes of observing a caribou hunt. When the wolves ignore the caribou, Mowat runs at the pack, swearing, in frustration. An Eskimo lad tells his mother, who never speaks to the mad white nudist again.

This nature writing does not sing. It is not meant to. When Mowat mentions the tundra plains around him, he calls them dreary. Nor does he praise the wolves' appearance much. What's more, enough experts have questioned the veracity of his observations that Barry Lopez labels Never Cry Wolf a "fictionalized account" in his book Of Wolves and Men. Yet Lopez still recommends Never Cry Wolf as an introduction to the species. The truth is that the book doesn't need beauty or literal truth to draw us closer to nature. Through Mowat's stories, we come to share his affinity for wolves, and we understand the hunger for connection that propels his scientific curiosity.

Never Cry Wolf .......2007-09-09

Very interesting read about the study of wolves. Farley is also a very amuzing writer which makes the subject matter easier to read. If you are a Wildlife lover, this is a must read.

A Must Read for Wolf Lovers.......2007-04-13

I am blessed to be the "Mom" of 2 wolf mix rescues and am a volunteer at a wolf preserve. This book accurately describes his experiences with wolves in a humorous yet realistic way. The author honestly describes the problems with the human factor in the wolf world through his adventures as a biologist working for the government of Canada.

Never Cry Wolf.......2007-01-20

I did not see the condition of the book as it was a gift for my nephew. I have read several of Farley's books and loved them. I have not read this one his most recognized title as I wantd to read those I had never heard about or saw the movie. I can only trust that it is great, as are his other books that were not made into movies.

Should be read by every person alive........2007-01-11

This book is breathtaking in its scope and majesty... Or perhaps that is just the wolves the author is describing. Whoever has any doubts at all about the wolves should be blown away by this gripping and revealing book.

Do not, I repeat DO NOT mistake this book for fiction. It is nonfiction, and though many bookstores and libraries mistake it for fiction, it is pure, cold, truth.

Read it. Period.

Born Naked: The Early Adventures of the Author of Never Cry Wolf

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A Love Song to Nature and Life
Mowat is a true Canadian gem
Born Naked is one of the most amazing books around.
If Only My Childhood Was Like His....

Born Naked: The Early Adventures of the Author of Never Cry Wolf
Farley Mowat
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0395735289

Book Description

Farley Mowat's youth was charmed and hilarious, and unbelievably free in its access to unspoiled nature through bird-banding expeditions and overnight outings in the dead of winter. The author writes of sleeping in haystacks for survival, and other adventures, with equal shares of Booth Tarkington and Jack London. He also brings back Mutt, the famous hero-dog of his classic THE DOG WHO WOULDN'T BE, and his pet owl Wol, hero of OWLS IN THE FAMILY. The tale of an outrageous and clever boy, BORN NAKED takes its place as the foundation of the Farley Mowat canon.

Customer Reviews:

A Love Song to Nature and Life.......2005-09-09

If you've read Farley Mowat, you know him as a passionate defender of the beautiful "Others" with whom we share our planet. This book is a joy-filled description of his early life and formation as a nature-lover. We hear of the wild beauty of Canada, the Quixotic plans his father devised and his mother endured, and the daring adventures which will become the foundation for his later writings. Although a light-hearted story overall, Farley does not avoid the difficult times, including a powerful depiction of the effect of the Depression on the Canadian provinces. It is a love song to the strength of character and perseverence of our northern cousins, as well.

When the book ends, the reader, like the writer, wonders if there will ever be such a wonderful time again. Sheer delight.

Mowat is a true Canadian gem.......2004-08-20

I enjoy all of Mowat's books, but this one is particularly good. His style is conversational, his humor is biting. Clearly a man who does not suffer a fool lightly. Farley Mowat is a national gem. Buy the book...

Born Naked is one of the most amazing books around........1999-01-31

Canadian author Farley Mowat's Born Naked is a must-read glimpse into the author's much self-written about life. It's hilarious, it's poignant and a must for any Mowat fan.

If Only My Childhood Was Like His...........1997-06-25

I've been a big fan of Farley Mowat's literary style since I first read Never Cry Wolf back in junior high school. Even as a 9th grade Earth Science teacher, I show the silver screen adaptation of this great novel. Born Naked, however, is of different 'stuff' than Never Cry Wolf. Here is a book written in a light, easy-to-read fashion that highlights his early years in this great world. We, the readers, are along for the ride when he travels to the Arctic on a research mission with his uncle, or when he makes his daily rounds to inspect the nests of local birds in Saskatchewan. This book is written in a truly entrancing style. I had a very difficult time putting it down. There are some questionable portions in it dealing with his discovery of his own sexuality, but they are far outweighed by the sense of awe and discovery he felt as a youngster. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, or anyone that wants to experience the childhood they only dreamed about

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A special kinship with the wolves

Never Cry Wolf

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0553133012

Customer Reviews:

A special kinship with the wolves.......2007-04-25

It is utterly amazing the span of emotional depth this book covers in such a short period of time. So many myths dispelled, so many shortcomings of man exposed, plus some strange similarities explored between wolf and man.
Farley Mowat is an animal lover who was sent to study the wolves in the artic. His most amazing discovery was about the predator/prey relationship between the wolf and the caribou. The wolf would hunt down the weakest of the group, thus persuading the animal to stay strong. Survival of the fittest. Overall, this book is an exciting, eloquently written tale of his journey.
It only takes a few hours to read, and it will leave you with an intense desire to pursue your own adventure.

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Never Cry Wolf
Farley Mowat
Manufacturer: Dell Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

North American Wolf Plight -

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Never Cry Wolf
Farley Mowat
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H2G7ZS

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NEVER CRY WOLF

Manufacturer: Dell Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HFFO8G

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Never Cry Wolf
Farley Mowat
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PAYLUK

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Never Cry Wolf

Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GRQRJU

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Never Cry Wolf
Farley Mowat
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QYFNIO

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Never Cry Wolf

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FJPVHI

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