Drive: The Story of My Life

Book Description

"Of all the people I play against, the only one I truly fear is Larry Bird."--Magic Johnson, from the Foreword.

The heart and soul of a champion: his life, his career, his game. To understand basketball, you have to understand Larry Bird. Arguably the greatest all-around player the game has ever known, he led the Boston Celtics from the basement to three world championships, collecting three NBA Most Valuable Player awards along the way. Yet, despite these massive accomplishments, Bird has rarely talked to the press, and much about the man has remained a mystery. Now in Drive, the long-silent superstar sets the record straight, revealed a side of himself-and of basketball-you've never see before. Inside, you'll learn Bird's most private feelings about: The momentous decision to transfer from Bobby Knight's Indiana University to Indiana State. The heartbreak of his father's suicide and his own failed marriage. The single-minded discipline that tumed a small-town hero into a national superstar. The Boston Garden and the legendary Celtic charm. The Isiah Thomas controversy and the fierce Celtic-Laker rivalry. The great players of the NBA: including Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and Michael Jordan, and much more. here is the book that puts a basketball legend-and his game-on the line. And scores!

Customer Reviews:

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

It is quite likely that this bloke from absolutely nowheresville Indiana's picture would be next to a dictionary that had an entry that said 'White Men Can't Jump'. If you can do everything else though, you can win a lot, and even get some of those Championship type ornaments to hang in your stadium and about your preosn.

The Greatest.......2007-06-12

This is the story of a person who is one of the greatest players of all time, Larry Bird. He grew up in the small town of French Lick, Indiana. He came from a very poor family of six. His mother was a hard worker and took care of the family. Larry's father, Joe, worked for little money at a shoe company. This was hard for Larry, but it got worse. His father committed suicide when he is young, which forces his mother to work two jobs.

Larry didn't always love basketball. His first love was baseball. He also liked football, but these two sports didn't work for him, so he decided to play basketball. Larry didn't really start liking basketball until his sophomore year, but then he starts to live for the sport. His high school coach helped him improve his skills and during Larry's junior and senior year he goes to the state championship. After high school Larry goes to Indiana State University, where, during his senior year, they go to the NCAA championship to face Michigan State and Magic Johnson. Unfortunately, Larry lost in the most watched final ever.

My favorite part of the book is the Foreword by Magic Johnson because it explains how Larry Bird changed the game of basketball forever.

This book is similar to with other sports biographies. It shows how Larry worked hard to get where he is similar to Bo Knows Bo by Bo Jackson. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys sports and is a fan of Larry Bird

Must Read for "Bird" Fans.......2006-07-06

A great and truly under-rated sports book. Bob Ryan (the actual writer) is a long-time Boston Globe columnist and a terriffic writer. He captures the essence of Larry Bird, from his childhood to his journey through high school and college to his emergence as both a basketball legend in the NBA and a larger-than-life sports hero in Boston. You may like this book even if you don't care for basketball. You will definitely enjoy this book if you area a hoops fan. And if you are a Larry Bird fan and you haven't read this book... shame on you!

Book review for Drive.......2006-01-25

Book review on Drive

Dedication, spirit, and heart are some of the words you can use to describe Larry Bird. Larry is a small boy growing up in the rural town of French Lick, Indiana. He never thought that one game of basketball would change the course of history and send him on the road to stardom. This book takes you on a journey inside the game and the life of an N.b.a. superstar. I recommend this book to basketball fans of all ages.
The combined themes of sadness and irony make this a great and unique novel. An example of irony is when Larry enrolled at Indiana University. He spent less than a month there then hitch hiked back to French Lick. An example of sadness happened when Larry was 19 years old. His father committed suicide so his family could have the money from his life insurance.
There were many characters that Larry talks about in his book. He talks about his first basketball coach Jim Jones who taught him the fundamentals of the game. He talks about his siblings Mike, Mark, Linda, Jeff, and Eddie. He talks about his teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. He even talks about his opponents (Ervin Johnson, Moses Malone, Julius Erving, and James Worthy to name a few).
When he played in the N.B.A., he traveled across the country playing basketball. Therefore, their were many settings in this book. The main setting was Indiana. It was very hot there and most of the men around where he lived were farmers. Another main setting was Boston, Mass.
I recommend this book to any basketball fan wanting to know about the game. This book brings you closer to the game and shows you the life of a basketball star. The main lesson in this book is that nothing comes easy in life. It's hard to realize how much work it takes to become successful. Read this book and you'll find out.

Lacks the "wow" factor........2006-01-14

This book is a good read about one of the greatest players to ever lace 'em up, but....it reads more like a review of his basketball career rather than a true look inside the man Larry Bird. It's a must read for any Bird or Celtic fan and would be a great addition to any personal library.

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Larry Bird Drive the Story of My Life
Larry; Ryan, Bob Bird
Manufacturer: Doublday & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LCGLJQ

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Drive - The Story Of My Life
Larry with Ryan, Bob; Foreword by Johnson, Magic Bird
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GZE9OM

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Drive the Story of My Life
Bird Larry
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NV7SA6

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Drive: The Story of My Life

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HTYX4I

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Drive: The Story of My Life
Larry; Bob Ryan Bird
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PJ8968

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Drive: The Story of My Life
Larry Bird
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M4GVTS

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Larry Bird Drive the Story of My Life
Larry Bird with Bob Ryan Foreword By Majic Johnson
Manufacturer: Double Day
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000W8RFT4

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Larry Bird, Drive, The Story of My Life
Larry (With Bob Ryan) Bird
Manufacturer: New York: Doubleday, 1989
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NV9WRI

Book Description

On April 8, 1956, drill instructor Matthew McKeon led Platoon 71 on a forced night march through the backwaters of the Parris Island recruit depot in an effort to restore flagging discipline. An unexpected and extraordinarily strong tidal current in Ribbon Creek swept over the recruits, and in the panic that followed six men drowned. This book is the story of that night, the recruits of Platoon 71, and especially Staff Sergeant McKeon and his court-martial.

The Ribbon Creek incident, as it came to be called, rapidly escalated into a national news story, replete with tabloid sensationalism. With the Marine Corps seeking a scapegoat, McKeon's fate seemed sealed until a skilled New York trial lawyer, sensing injustice, agreed to defend the sergeant without fee and mounted a massive public relations campaign to sway public opinion. The name of that defense attorney, Emile Zola Berman, is but one of a number of haunting parallels to the renowned Dreyfus court-martial in France fifty years earlier. The final verdict pits Marine Corps tradition against conscience in the pursuit of justice.

The author, a former marine and an experienced trial lawyer and judge, spells out in detail for the first time the strategies and tactics of the prosecution and the defense, while maintaining a sharp focus on the human side of the tragedy. Based on exhaustive research and interviews with the participants, including McKeon, his book presents an account of the incident from a wide range of perspectives. The riveting narrative rivals the best courtroom fiction.

Customer Reviews:

little-known source.......2003-08-20

I have not yet read this book, but after reading the reviews, I thought a further recommendation might be helpful. My grandfather, Colonel William B. McKean, was in command of the weapons training battalion at Parris Island when the Ribbon Creek incident took place. He wrote a book about his experiences and impressions called Ribbon Creek. It is out of print but still possible to find through used and rare book stores.

Ribbon Creek Review and Commentary.......2002-12-09

I want to begin my comments by saying this is an excellent balanced book and that Stevens deserves a lot of credit. I would further recommend it to any Marine or others interested in Marine Corps history.

I will also state it is my opinion that S.Sgt. Matthew McKeon was a good man who made a tragic mistake. The factors leading up to the events of the evening of April 8, 1956 are manifold and can only be fully understood by reading Stevens' book.

My personal perspective comes from having served in the USMCR and the USMC from October 1956 until August 1962 when I was Honorably discharged as a Corporal E-4. I went to Parris Island in early February of 1957 and my recruit training virtually overlaps the events of a year earlier, putting me at the rifle range at about the same time of year.

Like all of us who went though boot training, I too pulled butts at the range. The discipline and control there was far different than back at main side so on several days I took the opportunity to spend my entire lunch break walking all over the Ribbon Creek area. I wanted to understand this incident.

Definitions from Webster...

Marine: Of or relating to the sea.

Amphibious: Able to live on both land and in water.

Swim: To propel oneself in water...To float on a liquid...

DI Motto: Let's be damn sure that no man's ghost will ever say "If your training program had only done its job."

And from Chesty Puller we learn the mission of Marine Corps training! "...success in battle..."

When I got to Parris Island, I was shocked to see recruits who could not swim had joined a service called the Marine Corps. I also thought it strange the USMC would accept anyone who could not swim, but I guess the Navy does too. How much W.W.II footage have you seen with Marines wading ashore under heavy fire when the Peter and Mike boats could not make it to the beach? Or, in jungles up to their chests and necks in water at Guadalcanal and then all over the south Pacific and Vietnam as well.

HELLO! This is the mission!

In training "...the nonswimmers had been taught how to float, tread water, and dog paddle. All recruits in the platoon had received ten hours of swimming instruction before April 8."

Platoon 71 got themselves into trouble by not following McKeon and by "joking, kidding, and slapping others with twigs while yelling "Snake" or "Shark! Suddenly there was a cry for help and panic broke out..."

I had looked closely at Ribbon Creek while at the rifle range and my "vivid" reaction then was someone would need to be retarded or radically incompetent to drown in that area! Several in platoon 71 fit this description.

"About three-fourths of the platoon was squared away. But the remainder were foul balls." "For example, eight of the men in Platoon 71 were either illiterate or had General Classification Test scores - approximately equivalent to an IQ test - below 70."

McKeon's colorful assessment that 25 percent of the platoon were "foul balls", may not have been far off the mark based on the testimony of several members of the platoon at the trial and in later interviews"

"The quality of some of the men under McKeon's tutelage may also be measured by their behavior after completing boot camp. At the time of the court-martial, two men were AWOL from Parris Island, one was AWOL from Camp Lejeune, one had deserted, one was in the brig, and one was awaiting punishment by his commanding officer." Remember these men did not complete their recruit training under McKeon, so other DI's also had a chance to make these guys good Marines.

SDI Staff Sergeant Huff had basically washed his hands of the young men under him...Stevens states "McKeon was failing, and he knew it." I think it was SDI Huff who was failing.

As far as the charges of being drunk the testimony is flawed and inconclusive. "Not until the court-martial nearly four months later would Dr. Atcheson admit that there was no clinical evidence of intoxication."

His own recruits "...testified that there was no evidence that Mckeon was drunk or impaired by drinking". Of all the recruits in the platoon who had made statements "...not one...had anything negative or critical to say about Sergeant McKeon".

McKeon was victim of being a nice guy by helping Scarborough with his bottle, allowing him to leave it in the barracks, driving Scarborough to the NCO club and accepting congratulattory drinks he never finished. Granted, McKeon used bad judgement but he was certainly not a bad guy.

S.Sgt. McKeon was the first person in the water and he was the last one out. He was leading, not just ordering recruits into an unknown situation. It is empirically obvious that if they had just followed him, as instructed, they all would have gotten back safely. Basic for military training!

Bottom line, McKeon was a new junior DI carrying virtually the whole burden of squaring away this platoon. When I got there a year later there was a "Motivation Platoon". I don't know if this approach existed in 1956 but what I saw of the "Motivation Platoon" regimen would have straightened out these "foul balls".

Although busted to Private, McKeon was allowed to stay in the Marine Corps. He attempted to rebuild his career, capitalizing on his W.W.II carrier experience. He worked with an all-weather fighter squadron and supplemented his private's pay by working nights in the kitchen of the EM club. Remember he had a wife and kids!

Earlier that year he had earned his squadrons "Marine of the Month" award.

"With one exception, all of the men interviewed forty years later spoke as highly of their former drill instructor as they had at the trial."

Enough said!

Learning about my father!.......2002-10-04

I am so glad to have found this book. I am the illegitimate daughter of Charles Reilly whom I knew nothing about since he died one month before I was born. This book not only took me through the trial but also gave me incite to the person he was. Through the years I have only had a home town newspaper article of the incident and was never recognized by his family.
I am sure McKeon did not march the whole platoon into the marsh with the intent that some would surely die and do feel that he has been justly punished for his bad judgement on that fateful night. I could almost feel like I was at the trial by the way Stevens writes. As a former wife of a Marine who spent four years living the "life", I, too, would like to see this depicted on film. I would also like to locate some of the surviving members of Platoon 71 who might have more information of any kind about my father.

Revisionist Fluff.......2002-03-16

Drill Sgt. Matthew McKeon had consumed some quantity of vodka, beer, and whiskey on April 8th, 1956 when he decided that the best way to instill "discipline" in his laggard platoon was to march them, at night, through a treacherous swamp that he had not reconnoitered. Several platoon members could not swim, a fact known to Sgt. McKeon, who nevertheless still plunged foolishly and criminally into the muck and mire of Ribbon Creek where six young men quickly drowned. Sgt. McKeon was arrested and ultimately convicted of negligent homicide and an alcohol-related offense. His nine-month prison sentence was reduced by the Secretary of the Navy to time already served in pre-trial confinement and his Bad Conduct Discharge was rescinded. Sgt. McKeon, now Private McKeon, was permitted to remain in the Marine Corps until he was medically retired in 1959.

Judge Stevens correctly portrays McKeon as a stand-up guy who immediately knew the enormity of his actions. It appears that McKeon spent his remaining time in the Corps, and has lived his civilian life, atoning for the conduct that cost six lives. It can not have been easy living with these unquiet ghosts for so long. The Secretary's decision to spare McKeon further jail time and to allow him to remain in the Marine Corps was correct: so was the guilty verdict, for actions this far beyond the pale deserve, and demand, the censure of a criminal conviction. Judge Stevens' slender volume, however, questions both the verdict and the decision to try McKeon in the first place. True enough, the Commandant did proclaim this presumptively-innocent man guilty within days of the incident. Yet this same Commandant later appeared at trial as a defense witness and was allowed to opine that perhaps the proper verdict should be guilty of the alcohol-related offense only and the proper punishment should be the loss of a stripe. Judge Stevens maintains that McKeon was thrown to the wolves for doing nothing more than following established precedent for dealing with a bad training platoon, sort of a "just following orders" defense with a scapegoat twist. Further, it is as hard to portray McKeon's lead civilian counsel, a wealthy personal injury lawyer, as a defender of the constitutional rights of the downtrodden as it is to portray a career Marine as downtrodden, yet that is the tack Judge Stevens takes. The Marine Corps may indeed have a "...propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's," as President Truman once observed, but the Corps is not an evil monolith that would sacrifice one of it's own to the false god of public opinion. Sgt. McKeon was convicted of exactly the charges he was guilty of. Not only was the court's verdict correct but so is the verdict of history.

"Court Martial at Parris Island," though far too breezily written for so weighty a subject, bogs down repeatedly in trial-evidence minutiae. And how many times can McKeon's attorney be described as "clever" before the word ceases to have meaning?

A thoughtful and very well written book........2001-02-20

I bought and read this book with every intention of hating it and the author. My uncle was oneof the men in Platoon 71. The author's retelling of the events surrounding the death of several young men was realistic and plausible. The trial participants are described in wonderful detail and dimension. Perhaps the drill instructor was not punished severely enough. His actions immediately after the trial indicate that he had no malice but was guilty of very poor judgement. The author was kind enough to respond to several email questions which I sent him before and after I read the book. The book reflects the shades of grey that we encounter in life. There are few black and white explanations of events such as the one that happened at Ribbon Creek. I agree with another reviewer in my hope to see this event portrayed on film. My only fear is the possible "Hollywood" type treatment it would receive. My only other criticism of the book is the lack of detail about the recruits in Platoon 71. I feel that they were overshadowed by the trial and it's participants. The United States Marines have never apologized to the recruits for their suffering at Ribbon Creek. I do not know if any memorial exists for the dead marines but there should be one. I believe that all the surviving recruits should be located and sent official apologies for the Ribbon Creek tragedy and it's aftermath. Thanks to the author for very well written account of a very sad day in U.S. history.

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The Great Libertarian Offer

Rest in Peace, Harry - you deserve it

HARRY DOES IT AGAIN

A Return to what America once was

What an eye opener.

The Great Libertarian Offer
Harry Browne
Manufacturer: Liamworks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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At Last an Escape from Big Government

Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne shows how we can get from todays oversized, $2 trillion federal government to a libertarian America in which you can live as a free person free to live your life as you think best, not as the politicians want free to raise your children by your values, not as the bureaucrats demand.

In this provocative book, Harry Browne demonstrates:

How we can be free of the income tax, so you can keep every dollar you earn to spend it, save it, or give it away as you choose.

How we can be free of the Social Security tax completely and immediately without forsaking the elderly so you can arrange a safe, convenient, prosperous retirement for yourself.

Why the insane War on Drugs is a war on you, on your liberty, on your property, on your familys safety even if youve never used drugs.

Why your children should never have to fight or die in a foreign war.

How getting the government out of health care will give you a longer life, more accessible medical care, and low-cost health insurance.

How your children can get a much better education without higher taxes or government vouchers.

How a Libertarian President can reduce government dramatically and enhance your liberty on his first day in office without the consent of Congress.

How we can rally the American people to give up their favorite federal programs and accept a massive reduction in government.

Whether you intend to vote Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, or not at all, youll want to see the proposals in this thoughtful book. Here youll find concrete solutions for todays social problems solutions that dont involve more government and more restrictions on your liberty. On the contrary, these proposals will set you free free to live your life as you want to live it, not as the politicians think you should.

Customer Reviews:

The Great Libertarian Offer.......2007-05-13

Harry Browne is why I became a Libertarian. He presents the Libertarian standpoint in a down to Earth matter that is easy to follow. Harry you're still the greatest. R.I.P.

Rest in Peace, Harry - you deserve it.......2006-03-03

I became a libertarian gradually, but it wasn't until I watched Harry in a televised 3rd party debate in 1996 that I really became aware of him and got more interested in the Libertarian Party. He seemed so trustworthy and reasonable, and unlike the other candidates, everything he said MADE SENSE!

By 2000 I had begun to be active in the Libertarian Party, and traveled to see Harry twice during that campaign, once in Philadelphia while I was on a business trip in Eastern Pennsylvania, and once in Marin County, California. Harry signed our copy of The Great Libertarian Offer, and we got a chance to speak with him at the Marin County event. I believe he said that very day was his wedding anniversary. He obviously would have rather been with Pamela then, but Harry and Pamela made many personal sacrifices for the cause of liberty.

I am intensely saddened to hear of his death last evening. I'm trying to see what I'm typing even though my eyes are full of tears. Harry meant so much to me. His 2000 campaign inspired me to get more actively involved in politics: I ran for local office in 2001, and for Congress in 2002. I often referred to Harry's books and web site for ideas on how to answer questions and present my own views in a more compelling, concise way.

The world has lost one of its best men. Thankfully, Harry's legacy will live on through his many books and other writings, and through the memory of millions of fans like me. But the world will never be the same without him.

Harry, thank you.

Kevin Bastian
Encinitas, California

HARRY DOES IT AGAIN.......2005-04-24

Harry Browne is an "IN YOUR FACE" Thinker. He does brilliantly in this tome. He defends Libertarianism quite well and for someone like me (a former Republican), his writing style shocks! Not just what he says but how he says it is both a breath of fresh air and at the same time shocking. Luckily Browne is still around to tell us all of the evils of big government (of all sorts) that sadly continues to grow in this so called War on Terror. Luckily I came across the Party (in detail) and Harry Browne some 4 or 5 years ago. I am glad it saved me from the silly political/intellectual path I was on. Listen folks, read this, and you'll see what Liberty is really all about.

A Return to what America once was.......2004-05-10

Harry Browne's Great Libertarian Offer is a call for a return to the principles that made the United States the great nation it once was. Browne lays out a precise and coherent blueprint for returning to the American ideal of individual liberty and freedom. Browne cogently points to how the rapid growth of the Federal government has led to more crime, danger from abroad, and the destruction of liberty in America.

Browne calls for reducing the Federal government to only it's constitutional functions enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. He calls for abolition of the welfare state, a reaffirmation of the 9th and 10th amendments of the Constitution, and a return to Jefferson's maxim "peace commerce and honset friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none".

Browne calls for freedom in health care by abolishing medicare, medicaid and other socialist programs. He also calls for the gradual abolition of Social Security by selling off Federal assests and replacing SS with private annuities.

This book is a snapshot of what a Libertarian administration would be like. A fun and fantastic read!

What an eye opener........2004-03-10

This book opened up my eyes. I now clearly see what direction the country needs to head in order to be both free and competive in the world. Bravo, a master piece of facts and conclusions

Amazon.com

Running 100 miles from north to south and 200 miles from east to west, the Sandhills make up about a quarter of the state of Nebraska and constitute the largest grass-stabilized dune field in the Western Hemisphere. Sparsely settled, the region has inspired a fine literature, numbering books by Jim Harrison, Mari Sandoz, and Merrill Gilfillan, among other writers.

Stephen Jones's The Last Prairie is a welcome, elegant addition to that library. An inspired blend of science, natural history, ethnography, and memoir, it recounts Jones's travels along the Niobrara River and deep into the heart of dune country--once the province of buffalo, cranes, and scattered bands of Pawnee and Cheyenne Native Americans, now the site of huge ranches and, as Jones notes, an army of white-tailed deer and other former denizens of wetland forests that edged out onto the plains with the disappearance of large predators. "When it comes to ecosystem disturbances," Jones notes, "the white-tailed deer are just the tip of the iceberg," and indeed the Sandhills are threatened at every turn by industrial agriculture and other manifestations of putative progress. Jones considers some of the programs that have been advanced to save the area, including the apparently ill-advised "Buffalo Commons" preserve that residents fear would make the region an unnatural zoo; he suggests instead a more modest prairie preserve that would attract tourists and provide new revenue for the region's residents, now dependent on ecologically destructive ranching.

But Jones's book is less a program for action than a literate, attractive celebration of a place unlike any other--a book that will inspire readers to go and have a look for themselves. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

It is an area that has captivated and inspired travelers, philosophers, and artists for centuries. Long celebrated as one of the most visually stunning regions of the American landscape, it is also one of the most historically significant. And now, this vast, 25,000-square-mile expanse known as the Nebraska Sandhills is brought to life with passion, perspective, and ecological timeliness in an unforgettable collection by Stephen Jones.

The Last Prairie is an extraordinary triumph of the essayist's art. By turns graceful and penetrating, introspective and universal, ruminative and prescient, the 20 essays in The Last Prairie embodies the essence of Sandhills life. Jones delivers a series of riveting accounts of the Sandhills, flora and fauna, wildlife, and rich cultural history. Fascinating descriptions of bald eagles, trumpeter swans, and the annual migratory flight of a half-million sandhill cranes stand alongside equally vivid accounts of trailblazing homesteaders, range wars, and devastating prairie fires. Jones speaks eloquently to such timeless themes as humanity's search for community and the ties that bind man and nature.

Customer Reviews:

A lyrical book about a fragile habitat.......2001-06-26

Mr. Jone's admiration, appreciation and concern for this very special ecosystem shines through this lovely book. In it, he intertwines Native American myth, Plains history and well researched scientific data into a cohesive and readable overview of the Sandhills of Nebraska.

Through his eyes, we visit and experience a landscape of beauty, solitute, history and rich wildlife. It is, in turns, thought provoking, humourous, enlightening, yet never preachy. Steve is most respectful of the current private owners of these lands, and integrates their ongoing stewardship into well reasoned suggestions to insure the long-term integrity of this fecund habitat for posterity.

Sandhills Classic.......2000-07-13

The Last Prairie: A Sandhills Journal is an astonishing blend of nature, myth, and love of the land--richly textured with wry wit and something very close to wisdom. It's so deeply rooted in love and its own particular landscape that it transcends locality and becomes universal. In other words, it's a classic, akin to Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Writing, details, and a sensibility to treasure.

A lovesong to an alluring, little-known place.......2000-06-17

Stephen Jones notes in the book that the Sand Hills of Nebraska make up one of the few "dark spots" on those wall posters featuring a satellite view of the United States at night. It is, truly, a wide open space, and he does the landscape great justice with his evident love for the land, its wildlife, its people and history.

For those who think Nebraska is simply home to a football team and endless acres of corn, "The Last Prairie" should open some eyes.

Jones is a prose poet. He makes the Sand Hills live and breathe right there on the page. An excellent, deeply-felt homage to one of America's little-known (thankfully?)great natural treasures.

When a book makes you dream about a place you've never been........2000-05-31

As often happens in Washington, DC, I got inside information. The author (my eighth grade history teacher) tipped me off about his book, before it was available. I got to read a "galley" I think it is called, and felt even more like an insider. It's exciting when a friend publishes a book, and when that friend telegraphs, with the sound in his voice, that this one might be something special. Steve knows. I read the hardback copy as soon as I got it. Growing up in Colorado gave me some appreciation of this majestic place to the East, which I now plan to visit for the first time. Stephen Jones has woven history, geography several sciences into a literary work of art, that can provide great inspiration, even to the uninitiated. His images are vivid, whether he is describing the hard-scrabble personalities that live there or the spirit-ghosts of Native Americans that have long since perished. His treatments of the landforms and myriad species of animals that dwell in the Nebraska Sandhills, are characteristically perfect. He has written a couple of other nature books, including one with his photos, called the Shortgrass Prairie.What many do not know about Steve is that he was diagnosed with a back problem before he undertook his arduous weeks long trips, the several hundred miles East. He would not want me to mention this, Steve is a low key guy. But his courage is, well, another story. I hope everyone who loves nature, and our vanishing wild places will read this book and be inspired and dream and go there.

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