Customer Reviews:
Great book to have on the canyon for river runners.......2007-06-05
Loads of detail. Really liked this book.
- River and Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon by Kristin Huisinga, Lori Makarick and Kate Watters published 2006 by Mountain Press Publishing Company Missoula, Montana PO Box 2399, Missoula, Montana 59806 (406) 728-1900 Great book!
- "Guidebook to the Colorado River Part 1 Lee's Ferry to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon National Park (and Part 2 Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon National Park to Lake Mead Arizona-Nevada) Two BYU Geology Professors W. Kenneth Hamblin and J. Keith Rigby. Indepth mile by mile with some pictures etc. They are only $5 a piece. A publication of the Department of Geology, Brigham Young University Provo, Utah 84602.
Field Guide to Grand Canyon.......2006-11-11
Useful guide for visitors who are hiking, but limited use for river runners.
nice intro to canyon flora and fauna.......2006-06-12
This book was a nice introduction to the geology, plant and animal life of the grand canyon. It is small enough to take in your pack and is fun to read once you've arrived at camp and try to identify the plants, animals and strata you saw. Not too much specific information about any one species, strata, etc., but good general intros to flora, cacti, etc. I'd recommend it if it's your first hike in the canyon and you're just looking for a simple book to become familiar with the names of thing. You can find it in the gift shops on both rims too.
best available guide to plants and wildlife.......2005-04-14
Handy easy-to-use guide to birds, flowers, cacti, wildflowers, reptiles, mammals, geology of the grand canyon. Nothing like it anywhere.
Concise, and yet thorough.......2000-01-26
I agree with everything the previous reviewer said, except that I really like the overviews of Canyon geology and so on, and don't feel that those make to book too heavy to be useful as a field guide. This is probably the best and most informative guide for a hiker or visitor to the Grand Canyon to take along.
Customer Reviews:
wonderful direct engagement with water.......2004-01-21
As was written by the copy editor to introduce the foreword by Ms. Zwinger to my recently published book "Deep Immersion: Thoreau's Engagement with Water" (Green Frigate Books): "Few have ever been so 'haunted by waters' - to use Norman Maclean's wonderful phrase - as has naturalist and 'water logged' nature writer Ann Haymond Zwinger." This particlar book, like all of her works, very much offers a deep well for thirsty minds.
Seductive prose, incisive observations from the bottom........1999-09-01
Ann Haymond Zwinger has contributed her scientific expertise to subsidized, multi-week inner-canyon environmental impact expeditions, has run each of the Canyon's rapids countless times (in nearly each month of the year), in every sort of water craft. What her scientific eye takes in, her pen transmutes into its own river of irresistible prose, carrying the reader, willing or not, from one chapter to the next. As a hiker, I expected the vision of a "boat person" to suffer from its constricted horizons. A bottom-up myopia. Instead, we find ourselves soaring with eagles. We climb cliffs, clawing our way through a darkness of thorns and pain. We crawl along brushy beaver tunnels. We ponder the local history and lore...and the primeval past. Our journey evokes visions of thousand foot-high lava dams filling the entire Canyon with water, as well as today's horror of a rapid at Lava Falls. While some of her snippets of local human history are rarely mentioned in other books about the Canyon, Zwinger's forte is in the natural sciences. In that arena, she has no peer among Grand Canyon authors. Since this is not a trail manual, it is not easy to restrict one's reading to a single, specific Canyon location. Rather, the chapters are organized by seasons of the year. No matter. If you start at the beginning, its 220 or so pages of narrative will sweep you into their main current and, well... I'll see you below the rapids.
Customer Reviews:
Time to revise this!.......2003-07-19
I just returned from an 18-day private trip and found the "Blue Bible" worth packing in my day box for the whole trip. However, some storms have come through and many of the rapids are now misclassified. Anyone with a moderate interest in life around them should tote the latest version of this book along with them down the canyon; I was able to ID snakes, bugs and landmarks. But find a companion who has run the river more recently than Larry to tell you whether to scout the next rapid.
P.S. Hey Larry, if you need some help...
Grand Canyon Private River Trip Guide Book.......2000-11-07
This is THE book to have for anyone taking a private river trip through the Grand Canyon. It's the only guide book that shows all of the camp sites and their relative size. It also rates the difficulty of all of the rapids. There should be one on every raft.
For those quiet moments in camp the book contains a lot of information about the history and geology of the Grand Canyon as well as a lot of other information.
Book Description
60 color photos 260 color drawings 6 x 9 Grand Canyon National Park draws 5 million visitors from around the world each year. More than 280 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 4,600 feet deep, the Grand Canyon is one of the most impressive gorges on earth. The ecosystems within its boundaries are diversefrom desert to forestand support a variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, mammals, and plants. Grand Canyon describes and illustrates in full color each of these plant and animal species and explores the canyons geological history, land use issues, native people, and past explorersat once a travelers guide, field guide, and natural history of one of Americas most popular and extraordinary national parks. George Wuerthner is a full-time photographer, writer, and ecologist.
Average customer rating:
|
Grand Canyon: A Natural History Guide (Natural History Guides)
Jeremy Schmidt
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Natural History
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Parks & Campgrounds
| Food & Lodging
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arizona
| States
| United States
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
North America
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Field Guides
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Arizona
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0395599326 |
Book Description
The Grand Canyon is perhaps the most awesome sight in the United States--and one of the wonders of the world. Much of the park's beauty is related to its geology and ecology. Schmidt explores the shape of the land, its plants and animals, and its human history. A fascinating book that everyone visiting the Grand Canyon should read.
Average customer rating:
|
Arizona's Grand Canyon (Plateau, Vol 62, No 2)
Dorothy A. House
Manufacturer: Museum of Northern Arizona
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Natural History
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Specific Locations
| Geology
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0897341058 |
Average customer rating:
- Inventing the Grand Canyon
- The best of Grand Canyon Nature Notes 1926-1935
|
Best of Grand Canyon Nature Notes 1926-1935 (Grand Canyon Association)
Manufacturer: Grand Canyon Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Ecology
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Nature Writing
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Forests
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Forests & Forestry
| Natural Resources
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Natural Resources
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Natural History
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Forestry
| Agricultural Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
| Deforestation
| Ecology
| Economics
| Fires
| Management
| Products
| Wood Science
Arizona
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 093821649X |
Book Description
In 1926, park naturalists began writing a compilation of articles about Grand Canyon National Park known as Nature Notes. A splendid selection of favorites is featured in this collection.
Customer Reviews:
Inventing the Grand Canyon.......2006-02-08
Imagine being able to invent one of the great natural wonders of the world. This was practically the opportunity of the first park rangers to live at the canyon. Famous explorers and scientists had come and gone from the Grand Canyon and written their reports, but they seldomed stayed there any length of time. The rangers who came with the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919 were the first naturalists to live their lives there, and there was still plenty to explore, plenty of unknown geology, biology, and botany. Within a few years after 1919 these rangers were writing down their discoveries and experiences at the canyon, basically figuring out what this place was all about and how visitors could best experience it. 1919 was also much closer to the age of Humboldt and Muir, when natural historians were adventurers and heroes and seers, expected to speak both science and poetry. The "notes" in this book are the record of those first park naturalists as they come to terms with a great natural wonder, and they are also notes in the sense of musical notes, a song of celebration.
The best of Grand Canyon Nature Notes 1926-1935.......2000-10-23
If you love the Grand Canyon, you will be delighted with this selection of naturalists articles written in the first half of the past century (!). Easy to read, most of the writing consisting of articles of a few lines to a few pages, you can open the book anywhere and transport yourself on or below the rim, at a time when a lot fewer tourists visited the canyon.The book is divided in three parts, Earth sciences (geology, river, sky and seasons), Life science (flora, fish, birds, mammals,) and Human history (archaeology, ethnobotany and history). Nice little B&W drawings throughout the book, this is a very good complement to a visit to the Grand Canyon or to any coffee table picture book on the Grand Canyon usually thin on writing.
Average customer rating:
|
Grand Canyon Birds: Historical Notes, Natural History and Ecology
Bryan T. Brown ,
Steven W. Carothers , and
R. Roy Johnson
Manufacturer: University of Arizona Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Birds
| Field Guides
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Arizona
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0816509301 |
Average customer rating:
|
A Naturalist's Guide to Hiking the Grand Canyon
Stewart W. Aitchison
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Arizona
| States
| United States
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
North America
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sports
| Subjects
| Books
Arizona
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0136102395 |
Customer Reviews:
At one time, unbeatable.......2005-05-06
When was this published, 1985? I don't have a copy in front of me. But it gave the clearest, best organized and most graphic overview of major trails and routes in the Grand Canyon, from Lee's Ferry downriver to the Hualapai Rez of all the books I consulted. There are photocopies of topographic maps along with plain and concise descriptions of the nature and history of each trail. If you can get a copy, just keep in mind that
A) access issues have changed, in a number of places, and
B) the author assumes top fitness in the reader, and some willingness to scramble, if not actually downclimb. So, be realistic about your own abilities.
Amazon.com
As its title suggests, this useful guide offers about as exhaustive a course in river running as you can expect to get on dry land. Author Jeff Bennett outlines a simple approach that will take you from the showroom of your local paddling outfitter to the rapids of your favorite river. You'll learn about rafting history, equipment, safety, and rescue, and explore the dynamic forces at play in the rivers themselves. From underwater currents, surface hydraulics, and rapids classifications to water and wave patterns known as haystacks and pillows, The Complete Whitewater Rafter examines all facets of river running. Bennett also covers the planning procedures for full-scale river expeditions and the advanced maneuvers essential for Class V rivers. --Lance Judd
Book Description
This is the manual endorsed by professional guides, instructors, and recreational river runners everywhere. With comprehensive step-by-step coverage starting with the first run, it includes tips from top guides, outfitters, and instructors, plus the most complete guide to Class V rafting techniques ever assembled. This is the completely revised and updated successor to Bennett's best-selling manual, Rafting!.
Customer Reviews:
exceptional information.......2003-04-25
Bennet's book is detailed, readable and contains all the information that is needed to start rafting, though the information on the types of boats available is a bit dated. His chapters on the river bed morphology and the effects on the moving water are understandable and excellent and far makes up for the older information on this years raft models.
We have used this as a basis for our white water rafting cours.
if you're thinking of rafting it's a must!.......1998-09-11
Jeff Bennett has been doing rivers in North and Central America as a guide, whitewater instructor, international racer and professional photographer since the early 1970's. He has co-authored several other books, including Class Five Chronicles. The Complete Whitewater Rafter is the culmination of his river experiences and the progeny of his previous book Rafting!. Although sole author, he envisions The Complete Whitewater Rafter as the culmination of a river-running evolution that has been ongoing for the last half century. He has borrowed tips and techniques from contemporary instructors and classic technique textbooks.
Bennett characterizes this book as a complete course in river running. For those who raft, the book has it all, beginning with a chapter on the Evolution of Rafting: From Powell to Paddle Cats and ending with a chapter that covers becoming a professional guide, whitewater photography, rafting for the physically challenged and rafting with children.
I primarily bought the book to get tips on oar rigging and everything was there, including all existing boat, frame, and oar designs. The chapter on gear maintenance and repairs was first rate and complete (it even included material on maintaining wetsuits, drysuits, lifejackets, and pumps). For those with interests in paddle rafts the cook covers all the strokes and more importantly has an entire chapter on Paddle Captaining: The Art of Whitewater Choreography. Several major rafting companies include this as mandatory reading for guide certification. Finally, the book has several chapters on multiday trips, which review packing and carrying gear, river camping and cooking, and river exploration. This material is applicable to anyone who is contemplating a multiday trip (whether raft supported or not).
If you are not particularly interested in rafting check-out the book for the information in chapters 5, 8, and 10. Chapter 5 - River Morphology: The Dynamics of Running Water looks beneath the surface at river mechanics, laminar flow, turbulent flows, chaos, helical currents, and meanders and relates all this to tongues, upstream Vs, standing waves, diagonal waves, haystacks, breaking waves and stoppers, pillows, undercuts, rooster tails, boils and holes. It's really well written and excellently illustrated. I will probably scan-in some of the illustrations and make slides to use in lectures for paddling classes. Chapter 8 covers running rapids in oar rigs and paddle rafts but the information is equally applicable to hardboats. Again, the illustrations and suggestions on tactical approaches to rapids are excellent. Finally, chapter 10 - Rafting on the Cutting Edge discusses class V rafting including boulders and slots, waterfalls, high water techniques, and even steep creeking. I hadn't even imagined creeking in a raft but it is done. I have a whole garage full of hard boats for every possible use. This book has made be consider getting an R-2 for this year's creek season.
Book Description
The national bestseller that can help you create the life of your dreams for only $10 a day, using Jean Chatzky's powerful "debt diet."
Is it really possible to live without credit card debt, bill collectors, whopping interest payments, or anxiety about retirement? Yes it is, and Jean Chatzky, one of America's most beloved money experts, can teach you how to use the debt diet to make that dream a reality.
Millions of Americans watch Chatzky on NBC's Today show, and millions more read her articles in magazines like Money, Time, Life and Travel & Leisure. Unlike some financial gurus, she offers straight talk about the problems real people face in the real world. Chatzky proves that anyone, no matter how debt-ridden or how low on income, can find an extra $10 a day to knock out their debt and build a bright, secure future.
It might be as simple as spending less on your morning coffee or as drastic as trading in your SUV for a more practical car. You'll also learn how to track your spending, consolidate your debts, force credit card companies to give you their best rates, and plan ahead for the inevitable surprise expenses that crop up from time to time.
Customer Reviews:
Financial Relief.......2007-09-10
"Pay it Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day" is an amazing book: easy to read, a workbook to help you sort out your own debt, and a wonderful resource of emails and phone numbers of all the places related to helping you get out of debt--whether you are just trying to get a better car loan rate or are in deep financial trouble. Jean Chatzky regularly appears on the NBC's "Today Show," as well as writing for magazines like "Time" and "Money."
In this book, she provides great advice for following a plan of finding $10 a day to put toward your debt and working your way to a happier life (her plan takes about three years of solid financial discipline to get to most results). She begins with the less painful ways to save and works her way toward much tougher choices. She offers practical advice and even builds in a way to have (planned) splurges. She offers practical advice that anyone can adapt, she realizes the reality of the need for cell phones and (basic) cable, at the same time helping you figure out how to find that extra money to reduce those dreaded credit card totals. She provides excellent advice about credit scores--how they are calculated, how you can improve your own, why you shouldn't cut up all those credit cards, and more.
Whether you just want to save a little more for retirement or need some serious financial help, this book is for you. There isn't anything much on investing money or what to do when you accumulate wealth: that's for another time. This is the nitty-gritty on dealing with debt and getting out from under those oppressive bills. I recommend this book.
Very Happy.......2007-08-23
I had a very pleasant experience purchasing this product. It was delivered in a timely manner, and was in the exact condition that the seller said it was. I will definitely be shopping at Amazon.com again.
Very basic, but there is some good information in it.......2007-08-06
So many negative reviews of this book are based on what the reviewer thinks everyone already knows - however it is they know that. True, this is not an in-depth economic or financial text, but it isn't meant to be. I consider myself an educated, relatively organized professional with workable financial knowledge, but I still picked up a few good tips from this book, and it made me think about a couple topics in a new light. My husband and I did the short exercises and discovered a surprise or two about our spending - nothing that was breaking the bank, but correcting the issues will save us some money that will add up over time.
This book is a very quick read done in a friendly, conversational tone. If you get it from your local library as we did, reading it won't cost anything, won't be much of a time investment, certainly won't hurt anything, and who knows, you may end up learning a thing or two that'll save you a few bucks.
Common Sense for those in debt and feel helpless.......2007-08-06
Get this book from your library (point one in saving $), and then go to your local library and get Oprah's Debt Diet series DVD's. Coupled together, (Jean is in both) you have GOTTA learn something!
Love this book! Way to go Jean!!
book full of nothing.......2007-04-10
If I ran a publishing company, my books would be different.
I would give each nonfiction author who has written a first draft of a book a sheet of paper with the following:
1. have more than 10 other famous authors already written widely available books with identical advice? if so you do not have a worthwhile manuscript. try again.
2. if you are saying "my plan works" where is the data to support your conclusion? basic numbers on compliance with your plan over the first month, first 12 months, two years?
3. if you have no data and you are saying the same thing as everyone else, why publish a book that only has a slight twist that differentiates itself from other books?
those 3 questions would stop books like this, leaving more space for the ones with substance.
the bottom line is that the covers of this book are too far apart. often that is said to disparage the book's content. in this case there is no content to criticize.
waste of paper. waste of time. waste of money and this "author" has damaged her reputation by putting this out, judging from reviews here.
Average customer rating:
- Abruptly different in mood and style from its prequel...
- Girlhearts Rocks!
- Girlhearts by Norma Fox Mazer
- GIRLHEARTS is worth a read.
- girlhearts review
|
Girlhearts
Norma Fox Mazer
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Orphans & Foster Homes
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Death & Dying
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Emotions & Feelings
| Social Situations
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Mazer, Norma Fox
| ( M )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
( M )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
| Marshall, James
| Martchenko, Michael
| Mayer, Mercer
| McPhail, David
| Milne, A.A.
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Orphans & Foster Homes
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Death & Dying
| Social Issues
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fiction
| Emotions & Feelings
| Social Situations
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Silver
-
After the Rain
-
What I Believe
-
When She Was Good
-
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen Reissue
ASIN: 0380722909
Release Date: 2002-11-05 |
Amazon.com
One moment 14-year-old Sarabeth Silver's life is all her own, quirky mom and all. The next minute, she's spinning out of control, her mother dead of a heart attack at 30, family friends debating who should take her in, her home rented to another family, her stuff in storage. And Sarabeth herself changes. She becomes jagged, cynical. Her funny, loyal friends stand by her side, but nothing is the same anymore. The loss of her mother, conversations with her new friend James, and her uncomfortable living situation with her mom's best friend, her husband, and their baby--in a one-bedroom apartment--inspire Sarabeth to embark (with great trepidation) on a journey to trace her mysterious roots. The town where her parents grew up--and were later shunned--reveals some very unexpected secrets that ultimately provide the starting place for Sarabeth's healing.
Continuing the story of Sarabeth begun in Silver, award-winning novelist Norma Fox Mazer plumbs the depths of adolescent souls. Girlhearts unflinchingly explores the unthinkable, refusing to drift into sentimentality or easy fixes. Mazer's keen eye for what is important makes her one of the finest, most tuned-in young-adult authors around. She is also the author of the Newbery Honor Book, After the Rain and many other fine titles for older readers. (Ages 12 to 16) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
It all happened so suddenly...
One minute, her mother is waking her in the middle of the night to dance with her in the rain. The next, Sarabeth is pulled out of class and told that her mother has died of a heart attack. All of a sudden, Sarabeth faces unanswerable questions:
How could this happen?
Where will she go?
Will she ever find a place she truly belongs?
This is Norma Fox Mazer's long-awaited sequel to her best-selling novel Silver.
Customer Reviews:
Abruptly different in mood and style from its prequel..........2006-08-01
Having read "Silver" as a young teen, I couldn't resist picking up the sequel when I discovered it well into my twenties. I loved the world that Sarabeth and her mother inhabited. Although they were poor, and struggled through every day, they had a special bond that no one could match.
In "Girlhearts," Sarabeth's mother unexpectedly dies of a heart attack, barely thirty years old. In a matter of days, Sarabeth finds her world turned upside-down permanently, as she becomes a ward of the state and is taken in by her mother's best friend Cynthia.
Although Cynthia and her husband Billy were always like family to her, Sarabeth finds that living with them is not exactly ideal. Things come to a head until she flees from their home, determined to find out more about her parents' mysterious origins.
While the book is certainly powerful of its own accord, I'm not sure I really like it as a follow-up to "Silver." The Sarabeth that existed in that novel peeks through in a few points here, but is essentially replaced by a hard, grieving replica, which readers may or may not like.
Girlhearts Rocks!.......2006-06-02
Girlhearts, by Norma Fox Mazer is a teary eyed story about Sarabeth Silver who goes through the pain of a lost loved one. On the last night of the life of her mother, they played in the rain having a wonderful time. The next thing poor Sarabeth knew, her mom had died of a heart attack. Sarabeth goes through depression, sadness, and is now living with the neighbors. This story is about losing someone and being able to cope with it.
The chapters have been organized to end with cliffhangers so that you want to read the next chapter immediately. Sarabeth is an interesting character with questionable emotions. Norma Fox Mazer has used fascinating wording that grab you and transports you into the story.
This has been a winning story with very lifelike characters and personalities. I would recommend that anyone who has lost a loved one or family member should read this book. Or perhaps someone who wants to read an emotionally eventful story should read Girlhearts.
Girlhearts by Norma Fox Mazer.......2005-11-27
"Come on, Sarabeth. Drink the rain!" my mother said. This is probably the most memorable sentence in the story, Girlhearts by Norma Fox Mazer. What makes this the most memorable sentence is that, who in the world would drink the rain? It is completely absurd, but this absurdity suddenly crashes down with Sarabeth's mother in the hospital.
After a few hours of impatient waiting, the doctors announced Jane Halley, Sarabeth's mother, dead, from a heart attack. Sarabeth is speechless, and wondering what has happened. How could her mother leave her in this world alone? Sarabeth's life is dramatically changed after the incident, she is now living under the roof of her mother's friend, Cynthia and her husband Craig with their baby, in a one bedroom apartment.
This book is heart warming down to the last sentence, with Sarabeth dreaming her mother was back. They were talking and joking around with each other. And Sarabeth felt extraordinarily happy over these illusions. The story is surprisingly accurate with the emotions put into Sarabeth. With the author capturing how it is like to lose everything, but the memories of a home and a mother. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has lost something important in their life and trying to find again, a little light of hope.
GIRLHEARTS is worth a read. .......2004-07-30
Like any kid her age, 13-year-old Sarabeth isn't sure what to think of her young, hard working, sometimes eccentric mother, but she is all Sarabeth has; her mother lost any sort of family support when she became pregnant with Sarabeth at 16. However, mother and daughter manage to form a semi-stable relationship and make a home for themselves in a modest trailer park. When a heart attack takes her young mother's life, Sarabeth is shocked. Left alone without a real family or a home, she moves in with Cynthia and Billy, two of her mother's friends. While trying to cope with the staggering loss of a loved one, Sarabeth finds herself dealing with vague feelings that she is intruding on Cynthia and Billy's life as well as confusion in dealing with her mother's estranged family and former boyfriend.
Most compelling in GIRLHEARTS is the conflict Sarabeth faces when dealing with the reactions of the people around her. The relationships Sarabeth has with her school friends are strained as she becomes cynical and hard. Also, the tenuous friendship between her and her mother's old boyfriend, Leo, changes rapidly over the course of the book. These developing conflicts were intriguing, and I eagerly waited to see how they would work out.
However, this was the best part of the book. Other characters seemed flat and lacked depth. Often, Cynthia and Billy's actions seemed pointless --- only occurring because the story needed to be moved along. Sarabeth was realistic only some of the time, and her emotions were often illogical and decidedly hard to believe. Of course, I don't expect to understand completely, never having lost such a close family member myself. Still, the story would have been greatly improved if there were more of a connection between Sarabeth and the reader. This might have been forgivable if the story had been stronger and the outcome more gripping, but because the story was not particularly extraordinary in those areas, it had no room for the uncomfortable flaws in Sarabeth's character.
Still, GIRLHEARTS is worth a read. It is flawed, but it is a fascinating process to watch Sarabeth change and grow as her situation evolves.
--- Reviewed by Mary Crew
girlhearts review.......2004-01-13
Girlhearts, a book by Norma Fox Mazer is a very touching story. It's about an unwealthy 13-year-old girl, Sarabeth. She and her mother live in a small trailer by themselves. Her mother unexpectedly dies from a heart attack one day. Sarabeth moves in with a family whom she had known her whole life. Sarabeth goes through the hardships of being yanked outn of her home and put into another while facing her mother's death.
For anyone who has ever lost anyone this book is for you. I have lost family members in the past, and I could relate to the way that Sarabeth felt.
In the book, Mazer writes with a technique that I found confusing: she doesn't specify who is talking during the dialogue. However, if you were as interested in the story as I was, then you'll enjoy reading through the text to figure out the confusing parts. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever gone through any kind of loss even if it isn't a death. This book really illustrates that everyone goes through hard times but the better you deal with them, the better of a person you will be afterwards.
Books:
- A Sense of the Morning: Nature Through New Eyes
- Already Home: A Topography of Spirit and Place
- Amazon Grace: Re-Calling the Courage to Sin Big
- An Illustrated Laboratory Text in Zoology
- Analysis Of Health Surveys (Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics)
- Archipelago 2007 Wall: Portraits of Life in the World's Most Remote Island Santuary (National Geographic Calendar)
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land
- Basin Analysis: Principles and Applications
- Biological Sequence Analysis: Probabilistic Models of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
- Biosocial Mechanisms of Population Regulation
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans
- All That Glitters
- Thomas Food & Beverage Market Place, 2002-2003: Food and Beverage Manufacturers, Product Categor
- Utopia
- Transforming Stress: The Heartmath Solution For Relieving Worry, Fatigue, And Tension
- Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
- A Dog Is Listening: The Way Some of Our Closest Friends View Us
- Introduction to Estate Planning in a Nutshell, Fifth Edition
- Unlocking The Value Of Your Business : How to increase it, measure it and negotiate an actual sale p
- Let's Add Bills
Day Hikes from the River Third Edition: 100 Hikes from Camps Along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Trail Map
Downcanyon: A Naturalist Explores the Colorado River Through Grand Canyon
The Hidden Canyon: A River Journey
The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons (Penguin Classics)
