The Faraway Horses: The Adventures and Wisdom of One of America's Most Renowned Horsemen

The Faraway Horses: The Adventures and Wisdom of One of America's Most Renowned Horsemen
Average customer rating:

Great for aspiring Cow-girls & -boys!

a beautiful honest story-about horses, yes, but truly about humans

Buck's way has changed my life.

Psychology for people and horses

The Faraway Horses

The Faraway Horses: The Adventures and Wisdom of One of America's Most Renowned Horsemen
Buck Brannaman
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Horses | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Essays | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Animal Husbandry | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Believe: A Horseman's Journey

True Unity: Willing Communication Between Horse and Human

Think Harmony With Horses: An In-Depth Study of Horse/Man Relationship

True Horsemanship Through Feel

Horses Never Lie: The Heart of Passive Leadership

ASIN: 1585748633

Book Description

"I've started horses since I was 12 years old and have been bit, kicked, bucked off and run over. I've tried every physical means to contain my horse in an effort to keep from getting myself killed. I started to realize that things would come much easier for me once I learned why a horse does what he does. This method works well for me because of the kinship that develops between horse and rider. " --Buck Brannaman

In THE FARAWAY HORSES, Brannaman shares his methods for training and provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Robert Redford's movie The Horse Whisperer, for which he was the technical advisor.

*Authoratative figure in horsemanship
*Reveals the key to understanding animals

BUCK BRANNAMAN is a horse gentler--not a horse "breaker"--who has started more than 10,000 young horses in his clinics. He lives with his family in Sheridan, Wyoming.

WILLIAM REYNOLDS is the associate publisher of Cowboys & Indians magazine. He lives with his family in Santa Ynez, California.

Customer Reviews:

Great for aspiring Cow-girls & -boys!.......2006-12-29

Buck invites us on a journey of his life that is less than perfect and yet terribly intriguing. His honesty is refreshing and his story is not tainted by the misgivings of others. This book demonstrates his desire to overcome a difficult childhood, his love of horses, and his compassion for all. He is certainly not a "Hollywood cowboy," though his skills have brought him into unintended notoriety. Inspiring for all horse lovers.

a beautiful honest story-about horses, yes, but truly about humans.......2006-12-27

The faraway Horses is what the author's young daughter refered to when she spoke of her father's job that took him away so often. As a horselover, trainer, teacher etc.. the term rang true to how faraway we can get, horse and equine alike, from where we want and need to be. Buck Brannaman's stories are introspective and beautifully told. A powerful book moving and beautiful.

Buck's way has changed my life. .......2006-07-06

Like many others, I recently jumped on the "natural horsemanship" bandwagon. I grew up riding horses, but after an 11-year hiatus I finally was able to have a horse of my own again-- and found that I had gaping holes in my knowledge and understanding. In my search for enlightenment I tried on Parelli, Clinton Anderson and others. I invested a lot of time, money, sweat and tears, but was ultimately disappointed with what they had to offer. They each do have something good to offer, but they don't have the whole picture. Buck's work has honestly changed my life. It has changed my perspective so entirely, and changed how I react and interact with people as well as horses. I can not come close to doing justice to Buck's way in one paragraph. Please read this book, and Buck's other book "Believe." While you're at it, read Tom Dorrance's book "True Unity" and anything by Ray Hunt (both were Buck's teachers). You won't see Buck on TV very often, clothes and tack emblazoned by sponsors like the other "clinicians." Buck is just out there for the horse.

Psychology for people and horses.......2005-10-04

A feel-good book, but also interesting and informative in a folksy kind of way. I'm a horse person, but I think non-horse people would get just as much out if this. It's about how you should deal with life as much as about how you should deal with horses.

The Faraway Horses.......2005-08-16

A brave insight into the childhood and early adulthood of the author. Inspirational reading.

Book Description

The island of Cozumel draws thousands of visitors every day. Known for its world-famous dive sites and beautiful white beaches, it's located on the second largest barrier reef system in the world. For the past nine years, author Patricia A. Holt has been visiting this tropical paradise—and she can never get enough!

After growing frustrated with the lack of comprehensive guides to Cozumel, Holt took matters into her own hands. Based on her trips and travel experiences, Holt divulges her recommendations for navigating the island:

General information—entry requirements, medical information, climate, and exchange rates
Where to stay—bed-and-breakfasts, economy hotels, all-inclusive resorts, villa rentals
Getting around—from bus to bike and everything in between
Miscellaneous—diving, eating, shopping, useful Web sites, etc.

Whether you're traveling on a shoestring budget or planning to blow your bank account, Cozumel: The Complete Guide will be a welcome asset in planning your trip.

Customer Reviews:

good information.......2007-05-08

I bought this book because I have a trip planned to Cozumel in a few months. And as others have found, you cannot find a book dedicated solely to Cozumel, just a chapter or two, so this book has great info. However, I was disappointed that there were no color pictures or more of them! Pictures would be much more helpful, especially when listing beaches. All-around good buy, though.

The Only Book on Cozumel We Found.......2006-03-18

Great reference for the island of Cozumel with a lot of detailed hints (reads like someone's diary). And as far as we've found, the author is right: Cozumel is usually a small blip in books dedicated almost solely to Cancun (or the entire Yucatan Peninsula). If you're spending more than one day on the island, definitely worth it.

Still Worth Getting Great Book.......2006-02-28

I tend to disagree with the most recent review of this book. I have been a LONG TIME part time resident of the Island, since 1987. I purchased this book for use by my guests, and have actually used it myself. I agree there are a few editorial errors, and some just barely out of date information, but 95%% of this book is valuable information, with out of the way dining options, that would seldom be found on the internet, and small shops who also do not find their way to the internet or printed guidebooks. Guidebooks are a difficult thing to keep current to the minute, as by the time it prints there are already changes. Used in conjuction with the Cozumel Can Do map, this is a terriffic resource.

Full of factual errors.......2006-02-26

I have been a Cozumel resident for five years. I had the opportunity to view this guide book last week for the first time. While it appears to those who are unfamiliar with the island as a wonderful resource, buyer beware. There are numerous errors in the book which include but are not limited to: incorrect phone numbers, website addresses, e-mail addresses, improper spellings of establishments, and establishments that no longer exist...one in particular has not existed in over five years!

The author has good intentions, but she did not do her homework and did not do a thorough fact check before publishing this book.

Only complete Cozumel book you will find.......2006-02-16

I have been coming to Cozumel for 12 years and this year I purchased this island directory. My wife and I had a great time trying out all the new and out of the way restaurants we didnt even know existed. This book is well worth the money and I recommend it to everyone visiting Cozumel even if you have been there before.

The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 1) Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados (Complete Diving Guide)

Average customer rating:

A bit of a let down
winston reed
Needs more vacation details
This is the book the Experts Use.
Completely the BEST Dive Guide!

The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 1) Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados (Complete Diving Guide)
Colleen Ryan
Manufacturer: Cruising Guide Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

Swimming | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Barbados & Trinidad and Tobago | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

French West Indies | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Grenada | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Saint Vincent | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Reference | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Cruising Guide To The Windward Islands: Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Carriacou, Grenada, Barbados
The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean, Volume 3 (Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands/British Virgin Islands)
Sailors Guide to the Windward Islands
Adventure Guide to Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Adventure Guides Series) (Adventure Guides Series)
St Vincent and the Grenadines

ASIN: 0944428428

Book Description

The Complete Diving Guides to scuba diving in the Eastern Caribbean, including descriptions of ALL dive sites, dive stores and operators. Island maps show the location of dive sites and stores. Dive sites are illustrated by underwater maps and photographs.

Volume 1 gives you everything you ever need to know about scuba diving on these fantastic Caribbean islands: Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent & Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago & Barbados.

Customer Reviews:

A bit of a let down.......2003-12-19

Earlier dive guides I have used have come from the Globetrotter series - who do not have a guide for Barbados, which is what I was looking for. Coming to the "Complete Diving Guide" after the high standards of Globetrotter is something of a disappointment. There is nothing wrong with the book in terms of the content it is providing - it gives information on the sites, some (though by no means all) dive schools, and a little background on the islands. However, the writing style is very narrative - think "what I did on my diving holiday this summer" type essays. The presentation is also a bit dated. It is not a bad guide by any means, but if Globetrotter do get around to publishing on the area, it is almost certain to be a better bet.

winston reed.......2002-03-07

July 2001 I dove several of the sites reviewed by ms Ryan and Mr Savage
and found their profiles of the dives to be very accurate and
helpful.I hope she and Brian Savage will do a "complete
DG of the Bahamas,I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Needs more vacation details.......2001-03-07

I found this guide pleasant to look through, but not half as helpful as Best Dives of the Caribbean by Hunter Publishing, which gives a lot more detail on the dive sites, places for kids to snorkel, hotels and everything I need to plan a vacation.

This is the book the Experts Use........2001-03-01

It is always interesting to see which books are used by the local Dive Guides at the sharp end and this is how I was first introduced to this particular book just over three years ago in Grenada. Since then I have put it to good use on a number of assignments in the Caribbean and I have yet to find it lacking in any way.

The opening introductory chapter is well written and includes plenty of general information on diving, facilities, climate, sea, regulations, boats, cruise liners, resorts, hotels, flora, fauna, shipwrecks, photography and safety. The book then commences with Dominica in the north and moves southwards to include Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago and Barbados before concluding with a Glossary, Bibliography and Accident and Emergency Information.

The relatively few photographs are all of a good quality - but this is book that concentrates on providing all the relevant and peripheral information that any Scuba Diver will want to know before and during a trip to any of the Caribbean Islands covered. The maps and diagrams are particularly useful - and very easy to follow in situ.

On first sight, however, the book cover lacks impact and might easily be overlooked as the prospective purchaser gets side-tracked by something a little more flashy. Do not be tempted away from this one - it is a straight forward, no nonsense guide containing everything you will want to know.

Altogether, almost 400 pages packed with information - although that does include a small number of one-page advertisements.

In summary, any book claiming to be "A Complete Guide" has to include an awful lot of information. This one has achieved just that and will not disappoint the purchaser.

NM

Completely the BEST Dive Guide!.......2000-07-27

We dive regularly in these areas covered by the Complete Dive Guide Vol 1, a place where information is scarce except for that offered by local operators. We found this guide, especially the Dive Maps and the information on the local Dive shops and their services to be the ABSOLUTE Best available. We recommend everyone who dives these areas grab a copy and keep it close. This guide has given us the ability to dive confidently and know we aren't going to miss anything the area has to offer.

Book Description

Volume 3 gives you everything you ever need to know about scuba diving on these fantastic Caribbean islands:Puerto Rico (including Mona, Desecheo, Vieques and Culebra), US Virgin Islands (St Thomas, St John and St Croix) and the British Virgin Islands (including Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke, Salt Island and HMS Rhone, Cooper Island, Peter Island and Norman Island)

Customer Reviews:

Good but..........2007-09-27

The book is designed to offer a good list of places to scuba relying on the use of dive operators - it lists many. Its use for a couple who just wish to go alone (in a buddy system, of course) is limited, since the locations are not exactly defined. The book also offers a lot of advice as to many facets of diving in these areas. In general, it is an excellent book with the caveat of not giving exact coordinates nor reference points by which to find the specific spots.

Very good guide.......2007-03-19

This book is very thorough on the coverage that I was looking for. I recommend this book. Actually, I couldn't find any other books that covered Puerto Rico.

The Complete diving Guide, .......2006-01-30

This is one of the most thorough and up to date dive travel books I've ever read. We used a lot of the information on diving and related material on our recent trip to P.R. and found it very helpfull and accurate.

Exactly what it says on the cover........2001-11-01

Once again we have an excellent and very useful publication aimed at amateur and professional diver alike. This is a true guide which concentrates on providing all the relevant and peripheral information that any Scuba Diver will want to know in respect of any of the Caribbean destinations covered. The maps and diagrams are particularly useful - and very easy to follow.

We live in an age where diving instructors and dive guides "have" to know what they are doing and it is interesting to see those professionals are using this book and not any of the glossy alternatives. Sadly, we also live in an age where many diving publications fall short. Too much false information - and even total lack of information is hidden behind excellent underwater photographs as publisher after publisher seeks to beguile, confuse and even mislead the potential buyer. Not so with this book!

My direct experience has been to find this series of books contain exactly the information divers require before during and even after their trip. Very well written, it includes all the general information on diving, facilities, climate, sea, regulations, boats, cruise liners, resorts, hotels, flora, fauna, shipwrecks, photography and safety. It then moves on to cover each of the target Caribbean countries which are the main subject of the book before concluding with a Glossary, Bibliography and Accident and Emergency Information.

We can all find pretty pictures on the internet - without even having to pay to see them. Information, however, especially reliable information, is much harder to find. If you are contemplating a trip to any of the countries featured in this book, you will find all - and I do mean "ALL" the information you require right here. That might be at the expense of some pretty pictures - but hey, once you get there, you can take those yourself.

In summary, once again we have "A Complete Guide" - which is exactly what it says on the cover.

NM

A very comprehensive guide to the Virgin Islands.......2000-07-31

I have been meaning to review this book for some time as it is one of the most thumbed books on our book shelf. My wife and I run a charter yacht in the Virgin Islands and many of our guests are keen divers. We bought The Complete Diving Guide for our own use initially but it has since become part of the yacht's library as our guests find it so useful and enjoyable to read. (as our copy is getting rather worn I'm pleased to say that many of them buy their own copy after having seen ours). It is rare to find a book that is so comprehensive and which presents a vast amount of information in such a readable manner. In particular we find the island and dive site maps useful along with the descriptions of the dives and the underwater route maps. I can direct our guests at the tyupe of dive that I think they would enjoy and they can read about it beforehand. They can also choose the dive store they would like to use. I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone planning to do some diving in the Virgin Islands (it even covers the Spanish Virgin Islands).

U.S. & British Virgin Islands '94, The: The Complete Guide with the Best Beaches, Sailing, Diving and Fishing (Fodor's U.S. & British Virgin Islands)

Average customer rating:

U.S. & British Virgin Islands '94, The: The Complete Guide with the Best Beaches, Sailing, Diving and Fishing (Fodor's U.S. & British Virgin Islands)
Fodor's
Manufacturer: Fodor's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Virgin Islands | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0679025553
Release Date: 1993-08-31

U.S. & British Virgin Islands '95, The: The Complete Guide with the Best Lodging, Beaches, Sailing and Diving (Fodor's U.S. & British Virgin Islands)

Average customer rating:

U.S. & British Virgin Islands '95, The: The Complete Guide with the Best Lodging, Beaches, Sailing and Diving (Fodor's U.S. & British Virgin Islands)
Fodor's
Manufacturer: Fodor's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Virgin Islands | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 067902770X
Release Date: 1994-08-30

The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 2) Anguilla, St Maarten/Martin, St. Barts, Saba, Statia, St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua, Guadeloupe (Complete Diving Guide)

Average customer rating:

Yet another first rate publication from these two experts.
The ultimate dive guide
A must for the crusing yachts bookshelf.

The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean (Vol. 2) Anguilla, St Maarten/Martin, St. Barts, Saba, Statia, St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua, Guadeloupe (Complete Diving Guide)
Colleen Ryan , and Brian Savage
Manufacturer: Cruising Guide Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Antigua and Barbuda | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Saint Kitts | Caribbean | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Reference | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0944428487

Book Description

Volume 2 gives you everything you ever need to know about scuba diving on these fantastic Caribbean islands: Anguilla, St Martin & St Maarten, St Barts, Saba, Statia, St Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Guadeloupe.

Customer Reviews:

Yet another first rate publication from these two experts........2007-05-26

As I said when reviewing Vol. 1 of this series of book, it is always interesting to see which ones are preferred by the Dive Guides at the sharp end. Take it from me, they are all using this book and if it's good enough for them then it's more than good enough for me. Not once have I found any of the three volumes in my possession to be lacking in any way.

The book is well written and includes plenty of general information on diving, facilities, climate, sea, regulations, boats, cruise liners, resorts, hotels, flora, fauna, shipwrecks, photography and safety. The book then covers each of the Caribbean countries which form the main subject matter before concluding with a Glossary, Bibliography and Accident and Emergency Information.

If you want a book full of pretty pictures - then look elsewhere. This is a true guide which contains all the information you will require. It does not fool you by pretending to be something it is not - as is the case with far too many so-called "Guides," but instead concentrates on providing all the relevant and peripheral information that any Scuba Diver will want to know before and during a trip to any of the Caribbean destinations covered. The maps and diagrams are particularly useful - and very easy to follow.

My advice is to look at the "information" given in this series of books and don't get side-tracked by something more flashy. Do not be tempted away from this one - it is a straight forward, no nonsense guide containing everything you will want to know.

In summary, any book claiming to be "A Complete Guide" has to include an awful lot of information. This one has achieved just that and will not disappoint the purchaser.

NM

The ultimate dive guide.......2000-07-26

I'd definitely give this guide full marks. It's without doubt the most comprehensive of the guides I looked at for the area I was travelling to(the Virgin Islands). It had everything we could have wanted to know and it definitely meant we did some better diving than we'd have done without it. We particularly liked that it gave us information about the British and US Virgin Islands and as they are less than 5 miles apart it's simple to dive both areas. They have some really different types of diving and we'd have missed out on a lot without the guide. We bought the book before we went but we took it along with us and used it all the time. One of the things we enjoyed reading was the descriptions of the dives andthe sections about the marine life. We've been diving for over 10 years and I've learnt more from this book than I have in my previous years of diving.

A must for the crusing yachts bookshelf........2000-07-25

The Complete Diving Guide (2) is a must for anyone diving the Netherlands Antilles. I used it while cruising in the area on my yacht in St. Maarten and dived in Saba, Statia and Anguilla on the strength of the information in the guide book. It tells you where the best dives are and how to dive them. The maps show you where the dives are and there is a lot of general background about what the diving will be like. I was surprised how much information the authors included and there's no woffle, it's all good value for money.

Scuba Times Magazine's Complete Guide to Caribbean Liveboard Dive Boats

Average customer rating:

Scuba Times Magazine's Complete Guide to Caribbean Liveboard Dive Boats

Manufacturer: GBP, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

This difinitive guidebook is a no-nonsense, straight forward manual to liveaboard diving. Each boat was visited personally by the author...

Customer Reviews:

Better than the average Hippocrene dictionary, but not perfect.......2007-04-21

Hippocrene often offers American readers dctionaries of foreign languages by rebranding those published abroad. The YORUBA MODERN PRACTICAL DICTIONARY is one example. Compiled by Kayode J. Fakinlede, the dictionary is cleared aimed at a Nigerian audience, both Yoruba speakers working with English and non-Yoruba learning this major national language.

Fakinlede is not a professional lexiconographer, but a research scientist and, as we are told, "avowed Yoruba nationalist." One of the key aims of this dictionary seems to be facilitating the development of Yoruba scientific terminologies. There's a 10-page listing of English to Yoruba wood roots (e.g. "bio-", "cardio-", "quadri-"), and the English-Yoruba portion of the dictionary contains an usual amount of specialized scientific terms for such a relatively small dictionary. There's also some example texts of mathematical operations in Yoruba at the end, such as "To divide D in a ratio of A to B, find the sum of the ratios: A + B".

That the dictionary was written for a Nigerian audience is evident in the glossing of each English listing in the English-Yoruba portion. Listings such as "nosegay [a small bouquet, a bunch of flowers] or. idi ododo" are clearly meant to help out readers whose English might be shaky. And, of course, the preface written by attorney-general and civil rights activist Bola Ige, shortly before he was assassinated, is the sort of thing that would attract a local Nigerian audience.

However, the dictionary can still be useful for English-speaking students of Yoruba outside of Nigeria. A 13-page grammar gives a good sketch of the language, and the dictionary itself contains 26,000 entries with few noticeable lacunae. I'm not aware of any better dictionary that is widely available in the United States. However, the dictionary does suffer from a fault common to all of Hippocrene's dictionaries: extremely amateur typesetting. The bulk of this dictionary, a trade paperback reaching nearly 700 pages, could have been lessened had so much space not been wasted on each page.

Good one.......2005-10-10

I am so happy I bought this dictionary. It has almost those words you need. Hope there can be more words in future editions though. Anyone know how to get yoruba fonts work on the computer with those accent marks?

Incomplete reference.......2004-09-13

Too many english->yoruba words and few youruba->english words. A lot of words missing. It is not bad, but, incomplete. A lot of pages, but...

Excellent Book! .......2004-09-04

This dictionary has it all. It is very good and basically can replace the need of a grammer book. In the beginning pages, it teaches you some of the grammar used in the Yoruba langauge. Tone patterns, the vowels, question types, greetings, verb conjuctions and word roots.

Besides that, this dictionary contains the meaning of just about any word you could think of in the English or the Yoruba language. Really, it has some odd and wierd words in here that you would never think you would even say in a sentence. Also, the dictionary itself doesnt just give the definition, it also defines small variances of the word. (Ex: See: lati ri (nkan); Let me see: Je ki nriran; To understand: lati ye; I see: O ye mi.) It also translates the English word to Yoruba. (Ex: Shout [A loud cry] or Fox [Doglike wild animal])

This book is a must-have for anyone trying to learn Yoruba. It contains so many words, even primitive Yoruba word such as Ireti which means Hope or Gbimo which means Plan. It contains over 26,000 entries.

The only thing I would advise anyone to do, is to learn the Yoruba alphabet if you do not already know it. That will immensely help you pronouce the words correctly, because of course, there is no audio that comes with this book to help you. (...)

I recommend this is any and everybody.

Yoruba-English/English-Yoruba Modern Practical Dictionary.......2004-08-10

I was very pleased with this book. A definite must have for anyone learning Yoruba.

English-Yoruba Yoruba-English: Modern Practical Dictionary.

Average customer rating:

English-Yoruba Yoruba-English: Modern Practical Dictionary.
Kayode J. Fakinlede
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M4SFCO

Book Description

Like Huck's raft, the experience of American childhood has been both adventurous and terrifying. For more than three centuries, adults have agonized over raising children while children have followed their own paths to development and expression. Now, Steven Mintz gives us the first comprehensive history of American childhood encompassing both the child's and the adult's tumultuous early years of life.

Underscoring diversity through time and across regions, Mintz traces the transformation of children from the sinful creatures perceived by Puritans to the productive workers of nineteenth-century farms and factories, from the cosseted cherubs of the Victorian era to the confident consumers of our own. He explores their role in revolutionary upheaval, westward expansion, industrial growth, wartime mobilization, and the modern welfare state. Revealing the harsh realities of children's lives through history--the rigors of physical labor, the fear of chronic ailments, the heartbreak of premature death--he also acknowledges the freedom children once possessed to discover their world as well as themselves.

Whether at work or play, at home or school, the transition from childhood to adulthood has required generations of Americans to tackle tremendously difficult challenges. Today, adults impose ever-increasing demands on the young for self-discipline, cognitive development, and academic achievement, even as the influence of the mass media and consumer culture has grown. With a nod to the past, Mintz revisits an alternative to the goal-driven realities of contemporary childhood. An odyssey of psychological self-discovery and growth, this book suggests a vision of childhood that embraces risk and freedom--like the daring adventure on Huck's raft.

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL CONDITION!.......2007-05-12

THIS BOOK CAME IN PERFECT CONDITION! NOT A MARK ON IT! I LOVED THE CONTENT TOO... THIS BOOK OPENED MY EYES TO THE UNIQUENESS OF AMERICAN CHILDHOOD, AND ITS HISTORY! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

superb!.......2005-12-25

I used "Huck's Raft" in a senior seminar I taught in the fall 2005 semester on Children's Health, Education & Welfare, and it was one of my students' favorites. It works especially well as a first book in a course, because it is so comprehensive and engrossing. Seldom do academic books read as well as this one. It is literally hard to put it down and, at the same time, one learns so from it much chapter after chapter. For a history of childhood in the U.S., this is probably the best book available. I cannot recommend it more highly.

good general discussion, loses detail toward end.......2005-04-05

Delving into the complete history of childhood in America is a huge undertaking, and for the most part Mintz handles the difficulties with detailed aplomb. Surveying the culture of childhood as lived by children and as represented and mythologized by current or later society, Mintz moves from pre-colonial times to the very-near present.
With so much to cover, not just chronologically but socially as well (after all, "childhood" isn't the same for all at any given time--race, class, ethnicity, etc. all create separate spheres of childhood rather than an all-conclusive web), one might expect some problems. Luckily, the strongest parts of the book are also those which will probably be most insightful and new to readers.
The sections that deal with pre-colonial and colonial times are especially detailed. Richly vivid, they open up a world most people are unfamiliar with or, if they are familiar with it, are so through less-than-accurate myth or romanticism, the kind of "history" we all "know" to be true.
As the book progresses, it becomes more and more difficult to keep that level of detail and richness as the topic literally grows larger and larger. Slavery, war, immigration, race, class, economics all force Mintz to deal with different subsets of childhood as well as with the relatively simple chronological changes and so some detail is shed, some richness lost, and the book begins to feel a bit scattershot, a bit unwieldy. By the time we get to the last 20-30 years, one feels Mintz is running to keep in place. The sections are more generalized, the conclusions not so deeply explored. But as nothing really new comes up in these sections in comparison to what one has read in recent articles or books dealing with just this time period, it isn't really much of a loss.
It's hard to imagine a longer work, or one more fully documented. And while I personally would have wished the same length but with a narrower focus on the pre-1900's, I can't really fault Mintz for not deciding to write several volumes, say one for each century. So the negatives aren't really much to complain about and are more than overshadowed by the scope of the book as a whole and the depth of the first half. Stylistically, the book is clearly written, if at times dense, and the more personal, anecdotal stories focusing on a single historical individual do a nice job not only of conveying the more academic arguments, but of breaking up some of the factual density. Strongly recommended, especially for its early history sections.

The More Things Change?.......2005-04-05

An excellent scholarly work that brings together a lot of work on the history of childhood in America. Mintz is concerned with looking at the way in which we have mythologized childhood and to what degree the truth is reflected in that mythology. What he discovers is that our recent conception of childhood is a fairly modern phenomenon. Along the way, he constantly draws our attention to the fact that childhood experience varies greatly depending on class, race, religion, etc.

The thing I found most interesting about his work is the degree to which adults have defined how children experience childhood for most of this nation's history. It was only in the last part of the century that youth began to define their own culture. For the vast majority of the history of childhood, children have faced a difficult road fraught with perils and privation. In contrast, modern-day parents work hard to shield children from the reality of culture and the world around them. Part of what Mintz argues here is that modern day children need to return to some of that freedom while parents and government works to ensure their health and access to a home, food, clothing, etc.

This is an incredibly broad work that sets itself up to cover a huge time span--both in terms of history and childhood. Mintz covers all stages of childhood and youth. This is my only criticism of this wonderful book. I wish he had focused more closely on the different stages of youth. At some point he focuses on infancy and in others the teen years; this leads to a somewhat scattershot narrative. This is the sole thing that prevents me from giving this book an enthusiastic five stars. Having said this, I will say this is a small criticism for an otherwise fantastic and highly readable work.

An American childhood .......2005-03-10

I have read two truly outstanding reviews of this book. One is by Joyce Carol Oates in the Times Literary Supplement. Another is by R. Hardy on this Amazon site. Both of them provide clear outlines of Mintz's book, and excellent analysis of it. They show how Mintz explains Americans changing conception of the child, the evolution from the little sinner of Colonial times, to the pampered superconsumer of today. They show too how one fundamental theme, of the older generation's lament on what the younger generation is, runs through American history. They indicate that Mintz's treatment is exhaustive, scholarly, clearly written and of course the by far best work on the subject that has ever been done. They suggest that this work is one that anyone who takes a real interest in American society and its development would be interested in reading.

Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood.(Book review) : An article from: Journal of Southern History

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Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood.(Book review) : An article from: Journal of Southern History
Joseph F. Kett
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000G1TBDA
Release Date: 2006-06-05

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 788 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood.(Book review)
Author: Joseph F. Kett
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72 Issue: 2 Page: 445(3)

Article Type: Book review

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Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Social History

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Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Social History
Michael Zuckerman
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Social History, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 2071 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood.(Book review)
Author: Michael Zuckerman
Publication: Journal of Social History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 40 Issue: 1 Page: 219(4)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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