Book Description
Twice-Upon-A-Time is a unique adoption resource for young children, 3-8 years, and their families. Conception, birth and curiosity about birth parents are discussed as part of adopted children's stories. The book encompasses diverse adoption experiences using a text and line drawings that are simple, direct and affirming.
Customer Reviews:
Home is the arms holding you.......2003-06-15
Sex education for 3-6yr olds should be simple but should also reassure that they started life like everyone else in the world. It goes on to say why birthparents could not be parents is about them and not about the child. Using simple almost coloring-book style outline drawings (which my son does love to color in) it tells how life began, how birth happens, that every child is born to a woman. It also avoids the "a man is in love with a woman" problem that I wanted to avoid and instead talks of biology of a man's sperm and womans egg joining. From there to the "that child is you" part are many places to talk about your child's own adoption. This book is suitable for young child as well as infant adoption and for children that have been in foster care too. The womb that floats on a page unconnected to a woman is harder to explain but over-all this is a good book, much less complicated than many.
Book Description
Michael Reagan's life is much more than just an interesting story. It is a testimony of how Christ allowed him to find healing from many of the issues that confront our culture today, such as sexual abuse, divorce, loneliness, the feeling of rejection, and the belief that God does not care about us. Michael Reagan's first adoption gave him an identity, but he did not find his true identity until he found Christ.
In this book, Mike Reagan shows how others can meet a God who loves them, and who wants to embrace them and bring them healing, salvation, and meaning to life.
Customer Reviews:
A true story of redemption.......2007-08-19
This book is so good I read it in two days. I could not put it down. I can't help but think about the Bible verse, Romans 8:28, after finishing this book. Truly, God has worked out all the things that happened to Michael in his life for his good, and now Michael is allowing God to use his experiences for the good of others. What a testimony!!! I was touched by the transparency of Michael --- he made me laugh (the story about the nun throwing erasers) and he brought me to tears (almost forgetting to hug his Dad during a visit to see him). One of the things that spoke to me the most is the perspective he gives on healing. I think that many times we think that healing means we will not experience pain, but Michael describes quite the opposite in his book. It is clear that God has healed him from the harmful effects of his past experiences, but also clear that he still feels pain from them. Michael demonstrates that one of the reasons God allows us to still feel the pain and still be healed is so that we can share in the sufferings of others who are going through similar experiences. I encourage anyone who wants to read a story of how Jesus Christ truly redeemed a man and how we can "redeem" others to read this one.
Redemption After Childhood Traumas.......2005-11-02
Michael Reagan writes from a child's perspective here. He details traumas that he suffered as a child including adoption, molestation, the divorce of his parents, and boarding school.
Although he is in his 50s now, he is still affected by childhood events, particularly the molestation. During the course of his life he has engaged in high risk behaviors and had suicidal thoughts stemming from his experiences.
It took decades, but he finally found redemption through his relationship with Christ. His wife was a major player in helping him overcome this as well.
This book would be good to read for those who have experienced some of the issues mentioned above. Additionally, I think it would help to provide great insights for adoptive parents, all parents, and those who work with children. I also recommend it for anyone who likes to read an inspirational story of the redemptive power of Jesus in one's life.
Twice Adopted.......2005-09-20
One of the most important publications in recent years. It not only helps with the survival aspects of molestation and abuse but also alerts adults how to recognize preditory behavior in caregivers, teachers, etc.
Michael has exposed a raw edge of hurt in himself and also shared healing. Bless him for his courage!
Story of Angst & Redemption.......2005-08-29
Michael Reagan writes the kind of autobiography one would expect from a radio talk show host -- part soul-bearing, part diatribe. This is not a particularly well written book, so don't wait around for the Pulitzer, but it's a quick read so you won't hate yourself for having spent the time reading it. It it is a heartfelt account of a man who has finally battled his demons and come to peace with his place in life. Along the way, Reagan uses his story as a jumping off point to talk about social issues (divorce, pornography, etc.). His story is interesting for fans of his father, a little insight into the family history and a sympathetic portrayal of two parents (Ron & Jane) who did their best to raise a troubled kid. Mike also shares a clear story of his commitment to Jesus Christ and the huge difference that has made in his life story.
The Reagan Machine Churns Onwards.......2005-06-17
Well I hope Christ is nicer to Michael than Ronnie was. Ronnie once famously asked which one is mine when visiting Michael at camp, not knowing which of the boys was his adopted son. Presumably on the day of judgement Christ won't ask Michael "Which one are you?"... I've always cut Michael some slack despite his pandering conservative views and his seemingly insatiable thrist to milk his connection to his father for every last dime he can hustle. And in a way it is refreshing to see Michael still throwing himself at Ronnie's cowboy boots even after his passing. Then again there are still dollars to be made which brings us back to this book. The sob story presented here is not without genuine sobs, but I found it all a tad tragic that here is this abandonded boy still trying to win some acceptance from Dad - be it his earthly one or God - and that his method of winning that acceptance is to live on his knees instead of his own two feet. Hopefully Michael's next volume will be when he finds his own voice and his own manhood.
Book Description
A reissue of the classic 1975 memoir that Elie Wiesel called "deeply stirring…important and enriching."
In this significant and lasting account, Betty Jean Lifton, acclaimed author of several books on the psychology of the adopted, tells her own story of growing up at a time when adoptees were still in the closet. Twice Born recounts her early struggle with the loneliness and isolation of not knowing her birth parents; her identification, as a journalist in the Far East, with the orphans left behind by American soldiers in Japan and Vietnam; and the guilt she experiences over what feels like a betrayal of her adopted parents as she sets off on a forbidden quest to find her roots.
With the mounting suspense of a detective novel, Twice Born explores the difficulty of searching for one's past when records are sealed, and the complexity of reuniting with a birth mother from whom one has been separated by both time and social taboos. More than a vivid and poignant memoir, Lifton has given us a story of mothering and mother-loss, attachment and bonding, secrets and lies, and the human need for origins.
Customer Reviews:
Enlightening.......2007-04-30
In this wonderful volume, BJ Lifton conquers the ghost territory known only to members of the adoption triad--adopted children, birth parents and adoptive parents.
That is to say, each member of the triad traverses the adoption journey haunted, as it were, by spirits of "would have's" "could have's" and "should have's"---those beings they imagine they could have had, or been--- if only their birth parents had raised them, if only they had not forsaken their birth children, if only they could have born biological children themselves.
At the time this book was first published, in 1973, this topic was still quite taboo. Adoptive children were supposed to be grateful for the new lives they had been given and never to look back, just as birth parents were supposed to give their children to those better suited to raise them than they, and as adoptive parents were to raise their new children and never reflect on the ones they might have had, if only....
But for all three members of the triad, and especially for the children, the ghost beings---who they might have been, and who their birth parents might have been---are powerful psychological forces with which, even today, the educational, medical and psychological communities are all too unfamiliar.
People assume that adoptive children (barring illnesses of any kind) will develop in the same ways as all other children, but as BJ Lifton shows us from her own upbringing, this is far from true. Such children carry other beings with them, secret selves, and secret birth parents, who live in their imaginations, and whom they need to discover and meet in order to develop a complete sense of self.
Herein, Lifton offers readers the very daring, candid observations she made concerning her own journey through self-discovery, the process of determining what it means to be adopted, and what it means to each and every adopted child to discover the biological roots from which they hail.
This book is superbly written, and should be required reading not only for adoptive parents, but for all members of the educational, psychological, social services and medical communities who ever come in contact with adopted children. Reading it was truly enlightening.
--Alyssa A. Lappen
Traces her journey and feelings........2006-11-06
The author's written several books on the psychology of the adopted, but here provides her own autobiographical experience, telling of a life where adoptees were still kept in the dark about their identification. As an adult she not only identified with orphans left behind by American soldiers in Japan and Vietnam; she embarked on her own journey to discover the forbidden knowledge of her own adoptive parents and her roots. TWICE BORN: MEMORIES OF AN ADOPTED DAUGHTER traces her journey and feelings.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
A powerful memoir that should not be generalized.......2003-09-11
This is a truly moving book with poignant descriptions of Lifton's suffering as a child. She was adopted at age 2-1/2, told of her adoption at age 7 and warned by her harsh and controlling adoptive mother never to tell anyone, especially her father, that she knew the secret. Lifton grew up with the poisonous idea that an adopted child is the product of an "evil deed that hangs over most adoptions." The little girl was told that her natural parents were dead, which was a lie. It is easy to see how the adult author of Twice Born came to the view that a person is "fragmented" as long as she lacks a link with biological kin, that an adoptee is forced out of the natural flow of generational continuity, as others know it, and feels as if having been forced out of nature itself. Seen in these terms, adoptees become impotent creatures who have been denied free will. I am very moved by the story but want to say that this is the voice of one adoptee whose experience we should take careful note of but at the same time refrain from universalizing. Not all adoptees are raised by such harsh and emotionally vacant parents and also never had adopted friends with whom to discuss things. I am an adoptive mother of a daughter whom we adopted at age 4 days and who grew up into a contented, strong-willed and self-reliant young lady. Of course, we told her of her adoption, but she was not interested in searching for her natural parents. Unlike Lifton who as a toddler had experienced separation, loss, grief, mourning...going from mother to Infant's Home to Foster Home to Adoptive Home, our daughter and the other adoptees in our neighborhood were spared such miseries. Luckily, our birthmother looked for us and today we have a wonderful relationship with her and her family. Our daughter, however, does not feel she changed since meeting her birthmother, or that she became "whole" as if she had been fragmented before. Several of her neighborhood adoptee friends are also not interested in searching and consider themselves well-adjusted adults and parents. I wonder whether Lifton would have become a happy adoptee if she had been raised by loving and honest adoptive parents. Unhappily, when she found her natural mother and the link with biological kin was made, she discovered that now she "had two mothers instead of one, but since both had disappointed me, I had none." Yes, the bitter search for one's roots may take one to an empty place. It seems that the impulse of the adoptee to find the original mother, an urge traceable through the ages, exists as a force independent of the desired object, and continues even when the object has been found. Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?
Thought provoking enough to prompt me to write my own story!.......2001-08-21
Twice Born is a wonderful and thought-provoking account of one adoptee's journey. I related on so many levels that it prompted me to write my own story.
Happiness is truly found in healing.
Kasey Hamner, Author of "Whose Child?:An Adoptee's Healing Journey from Relinquishment through Reunion and Beyond"
Excellent writing in an adoptee's view of adoption.......1999-06-04
One thing's for sure: BJ Lifton can write. And she understands adoption intimately. This book really tells it like it is, from relinquishment to long after the reunion. As a birthmother, I found "Twice Born" an extremely valuable look into the mind of the adopted person.
Customer Reviews:
If I could give it 6 stars, I would.......2001-11-13
I knew from the moment I received this book I knew I was going to enjoy it. Rhonda's story took me on a much-needed journey into the life of relationship conflicts, after all, most adoptee's have difficulty in relationships. However the theme throughout remains clear--everything worthwhile is difficult. Robert and Rhonda are soul mates and the way they write about each other is breathtaking and honorable. The way they describe how their respective relinquishment affected their lives--especially their relationships--was brave, intimate, and necessary. As an adoptee and fellow author I felt a part of their journey, cheering them on all the way. I consider this book a masterpiece on the affect adoption has on adult relationships and especially how to persevere when the going gets tough.
Kasey Hamner, M.S., adoptee and author of "Whose Child?"
An Excellent Book.......2000-09-04
This is another excellent though difficult book on the subject of adoption, like Robert Andersen's other title Second Choice: Growing up Adopted. Both were very useful to this adoptee.
It is difficult in two ways. It may unsettle adoptees reading it who have not considered the adoption issues raised. That is good. That is why it is valuable.
It is also difficult in its introduction of a private language and definition of terms to describe the effects of relinquishment by the birth mother and the transference that results; terms such as ghost kingdom, land of denial, free territory. Thankfully there is a page of definitions, page 314; a good starting point.
I feel that my trauma from adoption was not as severe, pervasive and all-encompassing in my life as it was for the authors. I also feel a suspicion that I delude myself. To paraphrase Clifton Fadiman, this book is a tool for self-discovery. `It will simply help you to change your interior life ...'
Robert Andersen finds insights in dealing with adoption issues from helping those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The authors tell an extremely personal story in vivid and disturbing terms, courageously exposing their feelings and relationship. Bertrand Russell said about being blackguarded for his beliefs over his appointment as a New York college professor "`to withdraw' ... would certainly have been more prudent as far as my personal interests are concerned, and a great deal pleasanter. ... it would also, in my judgement, have been cowardly and selfish."
I feel that the authors have been similarly courageous in exposing their feelings, writing this book and so aiding other adoptees. They deserve the thanks of adoptees everywhere. I heartily recommend this book.
Addresses important internal issues.......2000-08-29
Reading your book evokes the same emotional unrest one experiences with a serious contemplation of death. Neither is a feel good experience but both would be useful to most people. The very discord evoked by such an examination is an indicator that there are important internal issues unresolved and in immediate need of attention. In my mind, I compare the emotional trauma of such an inquiry to the process of birth. Both are traumatic but once done are the beginning of a new life. If nothing else was accomplished by the writing of this book, it's creation required that you both complete that difficult journey. Having suffered together through the birth of the book, I like to think that you both are now ready to live the new and better life you have made for yourselves. Enjoy!
The adopted person's personality from within.......2000-07-22
This unique book offers a new perspective on the inner world of the adoptee that is insightful, intelligent and intensely provocative. The authors have written a classic that is a must read for any adopted person or anyone who wants to understand what makes an adoptee tick.
Joe Soll, CSW, author of "Adoption Healing ... A Path to Recovery"
"Must" reading for anyone considering adoption & adoptees.........2000-07-04
In A Bridge Less Traveled: Twice Visited, Doctor Robert Andersen and classroom school teacher Rhonda Tucker collaborate to present issues arising from adoption and how adoption colors everyday experiences. Anderson and Tucker are themselves adoptees and explore the consequences of relinquishment unobscured or discounted through platitudes. They draw upon their adoptive experience to suggest avenues for resolution of these issues for adoptees, which includes much more than search for and reunion with their biological parents. A Bridge Less Traveled is "must" reading for anyone struggling with a need for an authentic identity as an adoptee and has much of critically important value and insight for the parents of adoptees and for anyone contemplating the adoption of a child.
Average customer rating:
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Twice Adopted
En Quad
Manufacturer: Cooper & Vernon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDVDDA |
Average customer rating:
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Twice Adopted
Manufacturer: None
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000CQXZUO |
Average customer rating:
- Best book about the Fw 189
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Focke-Wulf Fw 189 in action - Aircraft No. 142
George Punka
Manufacturer: Squadron/Signal Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Aviation
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General
| Military
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General
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Military Science
| History
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General
| Aviation
| Transportation
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History of Technology
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Aerospace
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General
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ASIN: 0897473108 |
Customer Reviews:
Best book about the Fw 189.......2000-06-10
I was surprised to see that there is a well illustrated book about this amazing bouble-boom plane. As many planes of this type have been in service as few documentaton about it is left.
The book gives a great overview about the several version of the Fw 189 even about the very few Fw 189 C - the ground assault fighter.
Detailed information in words and illustrations are given by the authors. That includes very clear sketches of the amazing tailgun mechanism which was never seen on another plane later on.
The many photographs are in really good quality and give a universal impression of the planes shape and look. The one of the first prototype is worth buying the book!
Amazon.com
In 1995, a watchful patron alerted a librarian at Johns Hopkins University that another patron, a middle-aged and well-dressed man, was behaving suspiciously. The librarian called the police, who discovered that the man, a Floridian named Gilbert Bland, had cut four maps from a set of rare books. On investigation, the police were able to attribute dozens of similar thefts to Bland, thefts that had taken place at a score of the country's best-regarded--and, presumably, best-protected--scholarly institutions.
Like countless other readers, Miles Harvey, a writer for Outside magazine, encountered the news of Bland's arrest as a brief item in the back pages of the morning newspaper. The story stayed with Harvey, who wondered why otherwise law-abiding people behave so badly around antiquities. In The Island of Lost Maps, a wonderfully rich excursion into the demimonde of what might be called cartographomania, Harvey follows Bland's tracks from library to library, reconstructing the crimes of the man he deems the Al Capone of map theft, following the contours of Bland's complex, sinister character. Along the way, Harvey examines the history of cartography generally, and the ravenous market for old maps--once the quiet province of a few knowing collectors, now invaded by speculators. These maps are just another corner of the overpriced status-symbol commodity market--and one that richly rewarded Bland's nefarious work.
Harvey's winding narrative, full of learned detours, adds up to a superbly rendered tale of true crime (and, many readers might object, of insufficient punishment), one that will appeal to book lovers and mystery buffs in equal measure. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
The Island of Lost Maps tells the story of a curious crime spree: the theft of scores of valuable centuries-old maps from some of the most prominent research libraries in the United States and Canada. The perpetrator was Gilbert Joseph Bland, Jr., an enigmatic antiques dealer from South Florida, whose cross-country slash-and-dash operation had gone virtually undetected until he was caught in 1995–and was unmasked as the most prolific American map thief in history. As Miles Harvey unravels the mystery of Bland’s life, he maps out the world of cartography and cartographic crime, weaving together a fascinating story of exploration, craftsmanship, villainy, and the lure of the unknown.
Customer Reviews:
A wandering tale which doesn't lead where you think.............2006-09-25
This is an interesting tale of a writer getting lost. The author embarked on a mission to find the story of a thief who stole valuable maps from right under the noses of unprepared rare book collections. While he was well on the journey, he found his subject to be uncooperative and not particularly interesting. Nonetheless, the writing flows, and the book gives a brief but interesting look into cartographic history, the antique map-dealing subculture, and the gentle madness of map collectors. The book does seem a bit stretched, and it is more the story of the author's quest to write the book than the nature of cartographic crime, but I liked the diversions, and the writer does an excellent job of making a foriegn topic accessible. The book is both engaging and meandering, and doesn't go where you think it is going.
A memorable tale.......2006-06-28
Explores a whole different world....that of the rare map collector and those who become a bit too much obsessed with possessing them.
I found it a delightful read with lots of good detail about a little-known but fascinating world.
Island of Lost Marbles.......2006-04-28
Author Miles Harvey describes the bizarre world of map thieves (including explorers, cartographers, collectors and vandals) as "deliciously offbeat," and so it is. Perhaps a fascinating narrative on cartographic crime could be culled from these 350 pages. Sadly, Harvey structured his book around Gilbert Bland, a petty crook whose life is remarkable only for its sheer dullness. With all the build-up in the introduction, the reader hopes for more.
Also, Harvey can't resist the urge to write about HIMSELF. He constantly interrupts mesmerizing tales of New World discovery with drivelly personal thoughts better confined to LiveJournal. Lest we forget, Harvey is a Professional Journalist On Assignment Interviewing People! And he likes maps, and his mother often cried when he stayed out late, blah blah blah.
Worst of all, Harvey constantly compares Bland and himself to reckless explorers like Pizarro, Fremont "the Pathfinder", Sir Walter Raleigh and even Christopher Columbus. Considering the absolute mediocrity of Harvey and Bland, such metaphors ring false and are in fact ludicrously disingenuous. At one point Harvey describes the violent fates of certain explorers (including cannibalism, decapitation, mutiny and the murder of thousands). Then--with a straight face--he draws a parallel between these outrageous events and his own drive down I-85 to Hardee's. I'm NOT kidding.
Harvey makes the case that he and Bland are similar people, and there I must agree. Both are utterly boring people. Bland conned dealers into buying stolen maps, while Harvey conned me into buying this book.
In short, the explorers and cartographers of old make for rich subject matter. Librarians and map collectors of the modern age do too, for the most part. As for Bland, I cringed whenever his name popped up, and Harvey's self-indulgent reveries nearly drove me to hurl the book against a wall. Too bad "Island of Lost Maps" is mostly about Harvey and Bland as opposed to all those wonderfully weird, historical characters left in the margins.
Interesting historical information, crime comes in second.......2006-02-20
Until I read some of the other reviews here, I was unaware that this was a "True Crime" book. I really enjoyed the historical information in the book and thought that the modern day crime story added some interest, particularly because it brought into play the value of antique maps in todays market.
I also felt that the ease with which Mr. Bland (truly a perfect name for him)was able to remove maps and other documents from public institutions points to a severe problem in local libraries and historical societies. These, often underfunded, institutions lack the money for everyday expenses, much less high tech security systems. What is to prevent their collections from ending up on e-bay? Not much if you follow this story.
Mr. Bland may not have been the interesting character some readers may desire, but the historical information and the importance maps hold in history is facinating.
Story could have been written in 10 pages.......2005-12-28
Diverges from the main point for about 300 pages. I kept reading out of hope that I would find out what happened to the map thief. Only bought the book because it was on clearance - a total waste of a $1.99.
Amazon.com
Ever pick up a toad only to have it soak your hand? Don't worry, it was the animal's emergency water storage (not urine!), dumped in a fight-or-flight panic. Think that new beaver clan will dent the trout population in your favorite fishing hole? They don't touch the stuff: beavers are strictly vegan. And go ahead, get close to that porcupine, because they can't fire quills like an AK-47. Want more? Warner Shedd, a native Vermonter, lifelong naturalist, former Forest Service honcho, and a retired executive for the National Wildlife Federation, dispels wildlife fallacies that have passed through generations of well-intended grandfathers and poorly informed folk tales. Shedd covers everything about most backyard critters--from gray squirrels to newts--and expands on some wilder species that we only think we understand.
But Shedd's refreshing anecdotes aren't entirely naysaying. In fact, he confirms many myths with a bit of explanatory elaboration. Take the raven's knack for mimicry, for example; it's entirely capable of uttering "nevermore" if it desires. And while bats aren't entirely blind, Shedd writes, they rely largely on echolocation to navigate, bouncing high-frequency shrieks off nearby objects, sometimes in the range of 115 kilohertz (a human's range goes to a mere 20 kHz).
While these details gives us some solid facts to gnash on, it's Shedd's personal anecdotes (much to the dismay of his resilient Labrador Heidi, who, while accompanying Shedd, has been jumped by muskrats and porcupines, among other things) that elevate his information to entertainment. Retelling stories from his boyhood in Vermont and from his professional work, he takes the reader on a ride through familiar territory: describing roadside carcasses, trash-ravaging raccoons, and clumsy coyotes, among other encounters. To keep us current, however, Shedd updates ongoing conservation efforts and opens an occasional window into his own personal opinions on wildlife management. We're left with a satisfying, inspiring handbook to some of North America's most familiar and erroneously understood creatures. --Lolly Merrell
Book Description
Have you ever seen a flying squirrel flapping through the air, watched a beaver carrying a load of mud on its tail, or ducked when a porcupine started throwing its quills? Probably not, says Warner Shedd, debunking these and many more popular myths about our animal friends in
Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind. In this charming and eminently readable biology lesson, Warner Shedd, former regional executive for the National Wildlife Federation, offers scientific evidence that refutes many of the most tenacious and persevering folklore about wild animals. Full of humorous anecdotes and fascinating facts about more than thirty North American species,
Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind is an entertaining dose of scientific reality for any nature enthusiast or armchair adventurer.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book on North American Wildlife.......2005-03-07
You'd be hard pressed to find a book more packed with fascinating information that Warner Shedd's "Owls Aren't Wise And Bats Aren't Blind". Each chapter provides a concise description of the characteristics and habits of a particular animal (or family of animals), and, as the book's subtitle suggests, debunks some common myths about North American wildlife. Shedd's writing style is earnest and straightforward, and is perfectly suited for this type of book. Shedd deftly addresses controversial issues in a reasonable manner, and imparts a wealth of information about some common wildlife. A chapter on snakes would have been welcome, although I'm sure a discussion of the myths surrounding snakes would fill an entire book on it's own. This is an information packed book that has appeal for a wide age range.
Works too hard on the "debunking".......2004-07-20
The authors are too intent on "debunking". Sometimes they get facts wrong in their eagerness to debunk myths (e.g., one of their "myths" is "Polar bears are white". Which they are, at least approximately. The _hair_ of polar bears isn't white. It's transparent (think fiber optics). But polar bears themselves are not transparent. Crows can probably count, too - the brighter parrots can, and corvidae and psitacidae seem to be of roughly equivalent intelligence). And some of the myths seem to have been made up largely so they could be debunked.
Aside from that, it's not bad.
bats aren't blind, they just don't see too well.......2001-05-10
Warner Shedd reveals his wealth of knowledge about the outdoors in a style that is pure Vermonter. Although it seems as though at times he is refuting a so-called myth by re-stating the myth as fact, Shedd's enthusiasm for his subject and willingness to share personal anectdotes overcomes his sometimes pedantic style. The illustrations are a capable addition to the book, and anyone who comes to this well will go away knowing a bit more about their subject. My irrational exuberance is not all just because the author is my Mother's sister's husband! Good luck, Uncle Warner!
Superior North American wildlife book.......2001-02-05
I didn't really think that owls were wise, but these things are relative. Owls are probably "wiser" than sparrows, but certainly not in the same IQ league as ravens and crows. And, although I didn't suppose that bats were completely blind (Shedd assures us that "most actually see quite well"), I knew they didn't depend on their eyes to catch prey. There is a lot of other "obvious" and generally well-known information here, but there is also a wealth of knowledge about thirty or so of the familiar animals of North America that I didn't know or even suspect. I didn't realize, for example, that there are "frequency modulation" (FM) bats as well as ones that use a "constant frequency" (CF), and a third group (CF-FM types) that use both methods of echolocation to zero in on prey. For another example, while I knew that grizzlies are bigger than black bears, I didn't know that Alaskan brown bears are the biggest bears of all, and are not just another name for grizzlies.
What makes this a superior book on the wildlife of North America is the wealth of experience that Shedd brings to the subject and his imminently readable style, combining lots of concrete fact with well-told anecdote. He does an especially good job of clearly defining each species. The chapter on bears is as vivid and memorable as a PBS special. The easy reading (and this is always the case) belies what I know was the very hard work that went into the construction of every sentence. Typical of Shedd's illustrative style (in the floral mode) is this description from page 68: "...a bat's flight is as unpredictable and indecipherable as the movements of a prestidigitator's hands."
Additionally there are a number of beautiful full-page black and white illustrations of the animals by Trudy Nicholson that delight the eye. She has the knack of not only accurate detail, as Shedd notes in the Acknowledgments, but of infusing the animals with a sense of an appropriate and pleasing emotional aspect.
Politically speaking, and every wildlife book in this day and age has its political position, this book steers a middle course. Shedd, himself a hunter and a conservationist, eschews both the tree-hugging sentimentality of the left and the purely commercial mentality of the right.
Attractive and popular, Owls Aren't Wise and Bats Aren't Blind, would make an ideal present for anyone interested in wildlife, from grandchildren to grandparents.
Warner Shedd offers a new pair of glasses.......2000-11-22
Warner Shedd's book has deepened my whole family's enjoyment of the animals in our midst. We have read it to the kids before bed and shared it with company. After reading a chapter I feel as refreshed as I would after a leisurely stroll through the woods.
I live surrounded by red squirrels, but it was not until I read Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind that I could really see them. Shedd articulated what my peripheral senses have been barraged with all these years, and brought these cute rascals into focus for the first time.
Likewise, my rodent-phobic mother has grown positively fond of the muskrat who visits her suburban yard (It better stay out of the house though.). Shedd helped her identify the animal and understand what a positive contribution it made to her environment.
My son recently found a dead porcupine in the woods. Shedd's book got us looking at its quills under the microscope and equipped us to make an educated guess about its demise.
Books:
- Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race
- Ulysses S. Grant: The Unlikely Hero (Eminent Lives)
- What Can I Bring?: Sharing Good Tastes and Times in Northern Virginia
- When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences
- Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?
- Wild Steps of Heaven
- Wisconsin Death Trip (Wisconsin)
- Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson
- A Lifetime in Every Moment
- A Man Called Peter: The Story of Peter Marshall
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria, Virginia
- Tapping the Healer Within : Using Thought-Field Therapy to Instantly Conquer Your Fears, Anxieties,
- Reinventing Mona
- New York 1900
- Obituary Cocktail: The Great Saloons of New Orleans
- Introduction to Spectroscopy
- Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
- Broken Dream: Twenty Years of War in Eastern Europe
- Insight Guide Us National Parks East
- Wildflowers of Mount Rainier and the Cascades
W.I.S.E. Up! Powerbook
Did My First Mother Love Me?: A Story for an Adopted Child
Rosie's Family: An Adoption Story
A Mother for Choco (Paperstar)
Adoption Is For Always (An Albert Whitman Prairie Book)
