Where No Gods Came (Sweetwater Fiction: Originals)

Average customer rating:

a real coming of age story

Fastest Book I've EVER Read

Please, Ms. O'Connor...write more!

Tragic Hope

Beautiful

Where No Gods Came (Sweetwater Fiction: Originals)
Sheila O'Connor
Manufacturer: University of Michigan Press/Regional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0472030515

Book Description

Where No Gods Came, the 2003 winner of the Michigan Literary Fiction Award for original novel, is a candid portrait of the unlikely faces of good and evil, and how an innocent must learn to recognize them to endure

Customer Reviews:

a real coming of age story.......2006-07-11

Where No Gods Came is a true coming of age story: the brave Faina McCoy navigates the dangerous waters of the adult world with all the spunk, know-how, and hope she has in her heart. O'Connor's vivid prose lets us deeply into each character as the story slowly winds/unwinds through the year. A must read book.

Fastest Book I've EVER Read.......2005-10-21

This has got to be the fastest book I've ever read. O'Connor's ability to attract and capture the audience's attention does not falter once. Written from three different perspectives, you see humanity in real terms. This is an exceptional story of survival that I hope everyone has a chance to read. Bravo, Sheila!

Please, Ms. O'Connor...write more!.......2004-03-22

A treasure of a book. O'Connor masterfully depicts the coming of age of young Faina McCoy -- at once tough and fragile.

No detail is wasted. No emotion goes untested.

O'Connor's tale of a youth exposed to the fallout of the her damaged family's reckless life choices, keeps you on the edge of your seat, fervently hoping that Faina will emerge with a happy ending to her story.

O'Connor's attention to detail allows us to immediately identify and sympathize with Faina. The author deftly depicts the cruelty of throwaway comments by those around Faina, the pressures of wanting to fit it with other preteens and having to shoulder (literally) the frailties and flaws of the family that makes it impossible to fit in anywhere. And she does so with gut-felt truthfulness and gritty accuracy.

Don't miss this wonderful novel.

Tragic Hope.......2004-01-31

This is the story of Faina, a young girl sent to live with her mother and sister, neither of whom she has ever known, while her father takes a job on an Alaskan rig to pay off gambling debts.

Faina starts off charmingly naiive, but is quickly immersed into the tragic world in which her sister and mother live. In different ways she becomes a magnet of salvation for both mother and sister, both of whom seek redemption and freedom from the choices of their past. It is truly a compelling read -- a simple story of a girl suddenly thrust into a highly unstable environment. There is not a hint of fakeness to the book. You almost want to reach out and wipe Faina's tears away with a Kleenex.

This is not at all the type of book that I usually read, but I would highly recommend it.

Beautiful.......2004-01-13

Exquisitely written with excellent character development. You will embrace Faina in your heart. A poignant and memorable read. Looking forward to O'Connor's next novel.

Product Description

Once a haven for pirates, 67 sleepy islands and cays off the Honduras mainland are now a budding ecotourism destination. The clear, warm waters are home to every fish species found in the Caribbean, as well as most hard corals, gorgonians and sponges. Renowned for wall diving, the region also boasts several wrecks, shallow reefs and fascinating blue water sites. Visitors can swim with dolphins, while lucky divers may spot a passing whale shark. This book describes 74 of the best dive sites, with full-colour photos throughout

Customer Reviews:

All the information you need.......2004-08-17

I live in Utila in the Bay Islands in Honduras and i see many people arriving with this book in their hand and all of them tell me that they use it all of the time and it is an invaluable source of information.

I myself have seen it and read it i would say that it is the best travel guide on Honduras it gives you all the information you will need.

Steve
www.DeepBlueUtila.com

Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Roatan & Honduras' Bay Islands (Lonely Planet Pisces Books)

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Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Roatan & Honduras' Bay Islands (Lonely Planet Pisces Books)
Sharon Collins
Manufacturer: Pisces Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1559920742

Book Description

This informative and savvy guide captures the best that Frankfurt offers in a practical, easy to use format. With opinionated reviews, essential travel tips and detailed fold-out maps, Frankfurt Condensed has all the information the discerning visitor needs - for a day or a week, for business or for pleasure.

must-see sights: fairy-tale castles, Roman ruins, stunning museums
top entertainment options, from techno clubs to classical ballet
the best places to sample traditional German food, wines and beers
day trips to nearby villages, plus mountain and forest walks

Customer Reviews:

Good succinct information, enjoyable read.......2002-06-21

I bought this book during an extended stay in Frankfurt, to get to know the city. I was so happy with my purchase because it didn't weigh itself down with wordy descriptions of hotels, etc. Instead, this is a very practical, carry-with-you book that gives great ideas for food, shopping, entertainment and activities. The best part about it was that I felt that it gave you the highlights of the city up front, then showed what other things you'd like once you covered the not-to-be-missed stuff. A great section also is Quirky Frankfurt. You get a great idea of the special things about the city throughout the book.

I think this is useful for younger travelers who are looking for what to see, where to eat and where to hang out. It's also perfect for longer-term visitors and people new to the city.

Book Description

9X12 In, 96 Pp, 45 Black & White Illustrations We Are Proud To Introduce This Handsome Commemorative Edition of On Desert Trails With Everett Ruess (First Introduced In Our 60, 000 Copy A Vagabond For Beauty), Which Was Originally Published In 1940 and Has Since Become A Collector's Item. The Poetry, Letters, and Artwork Contained In This Book Reveal The Adventurous Young Artist Who Loved The Arid Wilderness and Disappeared Into The Desert of Southern Utah. To The Original Book We Have Added Many Photographs of Ruess On The Trail, Along With Others Taken By Ruess of The Land That So Inspired Him. A Special Appenidx Tells The Salt Lake Tribune's Account of Its 1935 Expedition To Southern Utah In Search of Everett Ruess.

Customer Reviews:

Poetry at its best.......2005-02-03

Everett Ruess is a marvelously gifted poet. He writes in elegant lines teeming with passionate imagery. "Wilderness Song" is the most incredible piece and describes nature at its fullest. Any poet can write beautiful lines, but Ruess writes with soul, the soul of an aficianado of the wilderness.

An amazing read.......2004-06-23

A chilling voice out of the past from one who loved wilderness so much he vanished without a trace in it. I am hard pressed to come up with a book or person who was able to articulate the beauty around him more than Everett Ruess. In a tragic twist this lover of the purity nature gave and continues to give a painter's perspective in words to the American west despite the mysterious circumstances surrounding his disappearance. He left behind not only the beautiful writings of a master (and at such a young age) but also a mysterious tale of intrigue that leaves people guessing to this very day. Was he a victim of murder or did his love for wilderness drive him into the vast unknown to live out his days in the peaceful tranquility only nature can provide? Buy the book and formulate your own opinions. I highly recommend it.

Dear Mother and Daddy: World War II Letters Home from a WASP

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Dear Mother and Daddy: World War II Letters Home from a WASP
Marie Mountain Clark
Manufacturer: First Page Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1928623638

Book Description

During WWII, Marie Mountain completed U.S. Air Force pilot training with the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) and then served at the Las Vegas Army Air Base. While stationed there, she wrote frequent letters home, informing her parents of the adventures, joys and difficulties she experienced as a participant in the ground-breaking national experiment of having women serve as military aircraft pilots. This book presents her letters and an autobiographical memoir, as well as many personal photographs.

Snowshoes and Spotted Dick: Letters from a Wilderness Dweller

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Snowshoes and Spotted Dick: Letters from a Wilderness Dweller
Chris Czajkowski
Manufacturer: Harbour Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Canadian | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Maritime Provinces | Regional Canada | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Mountains | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1550172794

Book Description

Chris Czajkowski chose to build her life and small ecotourism business on the shore of a high-altitude lake near the southern tip of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. It is a formidable landscape of lake-dotted alpine plateaus abutting the glacier-swathed backbone of the central Coast Range.

Snowshoes and Spotted Dick describes Czajkowski's experiences as she builds her fourth cabin in the wilderness with hand tools, two chainsaws, an Alaskan Mill and some helpful friends. One of her helpers is Nick Berwain, a quiet but literary young German who corresponds with Czajkowski long after his return home.

In these fascinating letters to Berwain, Czajkowski details her often solitary life: how she breaks trails by snowshoe with her two pack dogs, encounters grizzly bears, builds a custom stone oven and learns how to use it to bake bread -and spotted dick, a traditional English steamed pudding. The letters also chronicle Czajkowski's challenges and triumphs as she tries to finish her cabin. Food and building supplies must be flown in and Czajkowski must hike more than 30 kilometres to the nearest road to lead guiding trips and to attend craft fairs and book promotions to supplement her income.

Lyrically written, Snowshoes and Spotted Dick provides a close look at a simpler way of life that most of us only dream about, one that cleaves to nature with beauty, resilience and independence.

Letter to Beaumont, Letters Written from the Mountain, and Related Writings (Collected Writings of Rousseau)

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Letter to Beaumont, Letters Written from the Mountain, and Related Writings (Collected Writings of Rousseau)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Manufacturer: Dartmouth
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

Book Banning | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Letters & Correspondence | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History, 17th & 18th Century | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Religious | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1584651644

Book Description

Published between 1762 and 1765, these writings are the last works Rousseau wrote for publication during his lifetime. Responding in each to the censorship and burning of Emile and Social Contract, Rousseau airs his views on censorship, religion, and the relation between theory and practice in politics.

The Letter to Beaumont is a response to a Pastoral Letter by Christophe de Beaumont, Archbishop of Paris (also included in this volume), which attacks the religious teaching in Emile. Rousseau's response concerns the general theme of the relation between reason and revelation and contains his most explicit and boldest discussions of the Christian doctrines of creation, miracles, and original sin.

In Letters Written from the Mountain, a response to the political crisis in Rousseau's homeland of Geneva caused by a dispute over the burning of his works, Rousseau extends his discussion of Christianity and shows how the political principles of the Social Contract can be applied to a concrete constitutional crisis. One of his most important statements on the relation between political philosophy and political practice, it is accompanied by a fragmentary "History of the Government of Geneva."

Finally, "Vision of Peter of the Mountain, Called the Seer" is a humorous response to a resident of Motiers who had been inciting attacks on Rousseau during his exile there. Taking the form of a scriptural account of a vision, it is one of the rare examples of satire from Rousseau's pen and the only work he published anonymously after his decision in the early 1750s to put his name on all his published works. Within its satirical form, the "Vision" contains Rousseau's last public reflections on religious issues.

Neither the Letter to Beaumont nor the Letters Written from the Mountain has been translated into English since defective translations that appeared shortly after their appearance in French. These are the first translations of both the "History" and the "Vision."

A Mountain View: A Memoir of Childhood Summers on Upper Saranac Lake (New York State History & Culture)

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A Mountain View: A Memoir of Childhood Summers on Upper Saranac Lake (New York State History & Culture)
Lewis Spence
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

i'd just say "nice try"
This book is about a troubled boy who changes.

Letters from the Mountain
Sherry Garland
Manufacturer: Harcourt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Teens | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

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Give a Boy a Gun

ASIN: 0152006591

Book Description

A teenage boy sent to live with relatives discovers self-respect, honesty, and family loyalty through an unlikely friendship with a poor boy. “A good read for those who enjoy a contemporary story with an upbeat ending.”--School Library Journal

Customer Reviews:

i'd just say "nice try".......2001-08-04

This auther atempted to write a metaporical story of a boy overcoming the death of his "friend", but came out choppy, corny, and pretty boring. dont waste your time.

This book is about a troubled boy who changes........1998-01-23

In Letters from the Mountain, I learned how fast people can change. I also noticed in this book, that the main character, Taylor, grew more mature as the book went along. At the beginning of the book he really had no respect, especially for his mother, and he was acting like a little child. He stole and did bad things. As the book progressed, and Taylor started facing problems and questions, the real inside of himself begins to emerge. He discovers real friendship and how precious life is. I think I learned that, too.

The Secret Life of John C. Van Dyke: Selected Letters (Western Literature Series)

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The Secret Life of John C. Van Dyke: Selected Letters (Western Literature Series)
John C. Van Dyke
Manufacturer: University of Nevada Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0874172942

Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury transmitting report upon the mineral resources of the States and Territories west of the Rocky Mountains

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Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury transmitting report upon the mineral resources of the States and Territories west of the Rocky Mountains
Michigan Historical Reprint Series
Manufacturer: Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

United States | History | Historical Reproductions | Formats | Books
ASIN: 142553239X
Release Date: 2005-12-20

Product Description

This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Reading
Beautiful
A Bloomin Bouquet Letters From Myrtle
Laughing and Crying With Myrtle
Fun and entertaining

A Bloomin' Bouquet: Letters from Myrtle
Sherry W. Boone
Manufacturer: Parkway Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Essays | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

General | Contemporary | Romance | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1887905812

Book Description

Bloomin' Bouquet is a collection of essays that were broadcast on National Public Radio and distributed via homemade cassettes.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Reading.......2007-07-28

Not only is this book excellent reading it is so funny. The writer is so true to form. Sherry W. Boone deserves a standing ovation. I have the cassette and laughed from beginning to end. Hope those who bought either or..enjoyed as much as I did.

Beautiful.......2005-02-11

One word......PERFECT.....
and to Sherry Boone, thanks
so much, write more!!

A Bloomin Bouquet Letters From Myrtle.......2004-09-17

A bloomin bouquet letters from myrtle is one of the most uplifting books I have ever read. I love all myrtle's letters. The book makes you feel like you are visiting with your best friend. I looking forward to more in the future.
Vivian Greene
Deep Gap, NC

Laughing and Crying With Myrtle.......2004-06-01

"A Bloomin' Bouquet: Letters from Myrtle" is one of the most uplifting books I have ever read. You need to read each and every letter. Some are funny and some tug at your heart strings. Sherry Boone has such an insight when it comes to people and it really shows in her "Letters from Myrtle." I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Fun and entertaining.......2004-05-15

This book makes you feel like you are visiting with your best friend. You want the letters to go on and on. I look forward to more in the future.

Civil War Letters and Memories from the Great Smoky Mountains

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War In the Smokies.

Civil War Letters and Memories from the Great Smoky Mountains
Hattie Caldwell Davis
Manufacturer: H.C. Davis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

War In the Smokies........2006-08-21

Letters are factual documents and, as such, are things the historians miss. It's one thing to research a project, but letters may have the writer's prejudiced view, they still tell the actual events in their own words. The Smoky Mountains soldiers were on both sides, and thus we have a diverse population with differing views and ideas about the matter. Before the Civil War, there were 4,370 slaves owned by 773 slave owners in the seven counties of the Smoky Mountain region. It is not true that the family of Nathan Bedford Forrest in Chapel Hill were slave owners. That's a vicious rumor by Northerner invaders. During the 1700s and 1800s the settlers swarmed to this area, displacing the Cherokee Indians, the first inhabitants. Some re-located to the Chattanooga terrain and called themselves the Chickamauga. Those who were left had to resort to violence like the tribes up around New York and the Eastern part of America. John Sevier used deceit to take more and more of the Smoky Mountain lands from the Indians, even securing the large plot which was named after him, Seviervillle, now a major tourist destination.

In 1813, under the leadership of Gen. Andrew Jackson, 800 troops of Cherokees fought and were successful at Horseshoe Bend against the Creek Indians. Deceived again, that very same leader sent them packing out of his state 25 years later when he was the country's presient. Those who managed to escape 'The Trail of Tears' settled in the North Carolina side of the Smokies.

Many whites who moved South were too poor to own land and they became tenant farmers. For a free house (no rent), they were the same as slaves as they had to work the land for their own food, but the yeoman took most of their harvest to profit. There are many orchards in this area, thanks to Johnny Appleseed. Farms for the most part have mostly died out now.

Bleak House (1858) home of the Armstrongs on Lake Loudon was confiscated by Longstreet's troops and used as Confederate headquarters during the seige of Knoxville and Fort Sanders in Novembre 1863. If you saw the movie, 'Cold Mountain,' you know how deserters were treated as scum (some hanged) and not allowed to reside in the Appalachian Mountain area. This region was divided between Union and Rebel peusuations back then, making our area of the Civil War literally a battle of brother against brother or cousin, just as we're divided now politically. Knoxville is predominantly Republican, but there are enough Democrats to cause a constant rivalry and dissenion. You don't find much laughter in this divided town unless perhaps you visit the bars and drinking places all over town even on Gay Street. Because of their troubled background during the Civil War, this is a drinking town, even out on the sidewalks. Literally.

There is a continuing Civil War in the Smoky Mountain environs, now between native Southerners and too many encroaching rich people moving here from the North for no good reason. As always, they feel superior (they're not!) to those in whose territory they are trying to take over and change things. I predict that the walls they are building will fall down on their heads. We are a diverse Irish-Scots/part Cherokee population and some of us resent the way the UT professors presnt us as "white trash" because we don't have the money to buy the antiquated buildings which the last mayor (for 14 years) allowed to deteroriate and now the rich developers have taken over. But not for good. They are aided by the mayor's office to acquire government monies to ruin this town. The Smoky Mountain area is poor economically with the exception of Asheville, North Carolina, and the Indian casino at Cherokee, N.C., but we'd like to live in peace and continue to enjoy our splendid mountains and towns without intervention from outsiders. Letters tell the story as it really happened. Previously I reviewed a book of letters written home from Strawberry Plains to the Confederate's family in middle Tennessee.

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