Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia

Average customer rating:

Outstanding woman, mediocre biography.

This book needed an editor

Insightful Read

Desert Queen: The extraordinary Lief of Gertrude Bell

If Only Washington Leaders Would All Read This Book

Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia
Janet Wallach
Manufacturer: Anchor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark (Modern Library Paperbacks)

Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations

The Desert and the Sown: The Syrian Adventures of the Female Lawrence of Arabia

Gertrude Bell: The Arabian Diaries, 1913-1914

Suite Francaise

ASIN: 1400096197
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Amazon.com

A biography of the woman who, indirectly, was the catalyst for many of the troubles in the Middle East, including the Gulf War. In 1918, Gertrude Bell drew the region's proposed boundaries on a piece of tracing paper. Her qualifications for doing so were her extensive travel, her fluency in both Persian and Arabic, and her relationships with sheiks and tribal and religious leaders. She also possessed an ability to understand the subtle and indirect politeness of the culture, something many of her colonialist comrades were oblivious to. As a self-made statesman her sex was an asset, enabling her to bypass the ladder of protocol and dive into the business of building an Empire.

Book Description

Turning away from the privileged world of the "eminent Victorians," Gertrude Bell (1868—1926) explored, mapped, and excavated the world of the Arabs. Recruited by British intelligence during World War I, she played a crucial role in obtaining the loyalty of Arab leaders, and her connections and information provided the brains to match T. E. Lawrence's brawn. After the war, she played a major role in creating the modern Middle East and was, at the time, considered the most powerful woman in the British Empire.

In this masterful biography, Janet Wallach shows us the woman behind these achievements–a woman whose passion and defiant independence were at odds wit the confined and custom-bound England she left behind. Too long eclipsed by Lawrence, Gertrude Bell emerges at last in her own right as a vital player on the stage of modern history, and as a woman whose life was both a heartbreaking story and a grand adventure.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding woman, mediocre biography........2007-08-23

As has been mentioned by others, I too wonder at the literary excesses of this book. "She sensed his profound hunger....". "....her heart pounding, her cheeks burning hot, and as his blue eyes burned with desire, he took her in his arms".
Gertrude Bell, an outstanding woman, deserves a better, a more maturely written biography. Thankfully, they are out there.

This book needed an editor.......2007-08-05

I began to read this book with anticipation. I was a put off by the sort of breathless tone more worthy of a bad romance novel.

About twenty pages in, I was surprised by a reference to the Ottoman Empire expanding since the 13th century from Constantinople. The Ottoman Empire expanded around Constantinople from the 13th to the 15th centuries, until they finally took the city in 1453, and promptly renamed it Istanbul.

I soldiered on, until I was informed that British were fighting Germans in the Boer war in the late 1890s. The Boers, descended from Dutch colonists, would have been surprised to hear themselves described as German.

These two mistakes, obvious to anyone with a decent knowledge of history, ruined my willingness to accept anything else in the book. I put down the book, never knowing if Miss Bell was able to overcome her lost early love.

Gertrude Bell's life seems to be worthy of a good biography. This isn't it.

Insightful Read.......2007-07-04

A book which skilfully interweaves historical facts with the anecdotes and day-to-day life of a woman struggling to find her place in the Middle East.
Was left with a sense of awe from her accomplishments and the beginnings of an inkling as to the political and religious turmoil and troubles of this region based on the history retold by Janet Wallach.

Desert Queen: The extraordinary Lief of Gertrude Bell.......2007-03-09

I only wish George W and Chaney would have read this book before entering into War with Iraq. The history of British rule and their failure to solve the Tribal problems at the establishment of Iraq as a new State after the breakup of the Otterman Empire. This only proves that History can repeat itself.

If Only Washington Leaders Would All Read This Book.......2007-01-23

Yes, I would venture to say that anyone who reads this book as well as Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" would be better qualified to shape US foreign policy in the Middle East than those who are now doing that... When will we ever learn?

Average customer rating:

History done right
The Jamestown Project
A Good "Atlantic" Reworking of the Jamestown Story

The Jamestown Project
Karen Ordahl Kupperman
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0674024745

Book Description

Listen to a short interview with Karen Ordahl Kupperman
Host: Chris Gondek | Producer: Heron & Crane

Captain John Smith's 1607 voyage to Jamestown was not his first trip abroad. He had traveled throughout Europe, been sold as a war captive in Turkey, escaped, and returned to England in time to join the Virginia Company's colonizing project. In Jamestown migrants, merchants, and soldiers who had also sailed to the distant shores of the Ottoman Empire, Africa, and Ireland in search of new beginnings encountered Indians who already possessed broad understanding of Europeans. Experience of foreign environments and cultures had sharpened survival instincts on all sides and aroused challenging questions about human nature and its potential for transformation.

It is against this enlarged temporal and geographic background that Jamestown dramatically emerges in Karen Kupperman's breathtaking study. Reconfiguring the national myth of Jamestown's failure, she shows how the settlement's distinctly messy first decade actually represents a period of ferment in which individuals were learning how to make a colony work. Despite the settlers' dependence on the Chesapeake Algonquians and strained relations with their London backers, they forged a tenacious colony that survived where others had failed. Indeed, the structures and practices that evolved through trial and error in Virginia would become the model for all successful English colonies, including Plymouth.

Capturing England's intoxication with a wider world through ballads, plays, and paintings, and the stark reality of Jamestown--for Indians and Europeans alike--through the words of its inhabitants as well as archeological and environmental evidence, Kupperman re-creates these formative years with astonishing detail.

Customer Reviews:

History done right.......2007-06-24

Kupperman does an excellent job of establishing the cultural, religious, and political atmosphere at the time of the colony's origins. I found it fascinating to immersive myself in the whys of the colony: why was it started, why were people interested in investing in it, etc. I also felt there were a lot of interesting parallels to the story of the colony and to that today--of how government and corporations often place financial interests far above humanitarian interests. The book also gave me a much more accurate idea of what it must have meant to be a colonist and helped dispel the myth that in fleeing England these people found a land of freedom and opportunity. It also gave me a very deep appreciation for the first settlers as without them, I surely would never be here. This excellent work does a wonderful job of providing an intelligent, in-depth examination of our origins as a country and it does so in an engaging manner so that it reads more like a novel and nothing like a dry textbook.

The Jamestown Project.......2007-05-13

Once I started it I couldn't put it down! Very factual and riveting. The author did an exceptional job of relating what these poor people actually lived to start our great nation.

A Good "Atlantic" Reworking of the Jamestown Story.......2007-03-28

Karen Ordahl Kupperman revisits territory she knows well with this latest history of Jamestown. What distinguishes Kupperman's history from the slew of other books which have come before is the very self conscious effort to put the founding of Jamestown within an Atlantic history context.

For people who are looking for a detailed history of Jamestown itself this is not the book. Instead you should perhaps try one of Dr Kupperman's other books. She only gets to the actual founding of the colony in the last two chapters of the book. Instead she discusses the world which brought about the colonization. That is the true purpose of this book and why it is called the Jamestown PROJECT. By placing the story of the colony within the larger background of financial expansion, political maneuvering, and geopolitics, Kupperman makes us very conscious of the contingency of Jamestown. This was not an inevitable event, the precursor to American history. Rather, it was the END of a long series of events and trends which contributed to the settlement there and the way it developed.

Along the way Kupperman takes us on a sweeping journey of the Early Modern world. Her topics range from the waxing and waning of Islamic powers, to the routes of Spanish expansion, to the creation of Caribbean colonies, the continental wars of 16th century Europe, and the life of Native Americans both in America and Europe. All of this is, while at times disjointed, a welcome background to the colonization of Jamestown and reframes the familiar story in illuminating ways. The background explains why the colony was founded the way it was: why did the colonists refuse to grow food? Why did they interact with the Natives the way they did? Kupperman's book is a useful one for anyone interested in the early history of America or the Atlantic world.

Average customer rating:

A dark chapter for witches of Hogwarts
Very Mature Youth Novel
Do not miss!
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440995779
Release Date: 1978-05-15

Amazon.com

Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river to Kit's new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat doesn't help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this spirited teenager doesn't count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle's stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch. When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious townspeople?

A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities in desperate times--even current times--to find a scapegoat. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean island she left behind. In her relatives' stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit's friendship with the "witch" is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger. She herself is accused of witchcraft!

Customer Reviews:

A dark chapter for witches of Hogwarts.......2007-08-21

First read it in 8th grade about 20 years ago in reading class. The teacher was a blonde Jewish hottie about 5'6"" in her early twenties named Miss Fee. The book is great by itself, but taught by a good looking teacher makes it even better.

Very Mature Youth Novel.......2007-08-06

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and it is very descriptive. I think the message is very insightful, and I also enjoyed the love story. I would recommend this book for an older child and even adults!

Do not miss!.......2007-07-24

The message is even more important now as we continue to vilify those who seem different. A fascinating look into the mindset of the people who created the Salem witch trials. (Follow up with "The Crucible") Also a feminist tale.
Young women will relate best to this story. Images and names stick with me still, 30 years later.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond.......2007-06-06

The book Witch of Black Bird Pond was an adventurous book as well as a bit of romance. It was about a girl who travels to America to find family to live with since her family died. She ends up finding them and they are taken by surprise by some things she can and can not do. As well as thing she posses like, beautiful dresses and money. She needs to help on their farm but is not used to that so she runs off only to find a little house in a meadow of flowers about a mile away from where she lives now and the lady walks up to her, the one from the little house. She returns home and they become pals but many believe that she is a witch. What happens in the end, read the book to find out.

I loved the book! It is probably a ten (10) and older book, and a book for adults too. It is an exciting book because who knows what a response or action will be next. I would rate The Witch of Black Bird Pond a five star (*****) book for its simply wonderful story. It's a book I would recommend but mostly for girls who love a bit of romance but mostly adventure.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond.......2007-05-06

ISBN 0440495962 - Excellent, well written book for ages 12 and up, Witch is more likely to appeal to girls. This book has enough romance to make it unappealing to some, but it deserves the Newbery Award it won in 1959.

Kit Tyler was orphaned years before, but it is only now that she feels like an orphan - her grandfather, Sir Francis Tyler, a well-off plantation owner on Barbados, has died and Kit finds out that all he's left behind is mountainous debt. His entire estate is sold off to pay those debts and Kit's own slave has to be sold, as well, to finance her journey to Connecticut. There, her mother's only sister, beautiful Rachel, lives with her family. She befriends Nat Eaton, the captain's son, but fails to tell him that her family isn't expecting her. He is surprised by their surprise, when Kit shows up on their doorstep, where they part ways. Kit, too, gets a surprise, when she finds that her aunt, once a great beauty, is a somewhat worn, plain woman. Clearly her life has changed her.

It takes some time for Kit to get accustomed to the ways of her aunt's family, who are Puritans (Kit had even disparagingly referred to them as "Roundheads" while still on the boat). Their simple life of hard work is a harsh existence with little joy and Kit misses much about her old life. Still, she has no one else and tries to learn to do the chores she is given to the best of her ability. When William Ashby, a young man of some means, begins to court her, Kit realizes that he might be the best chance she has to escape from the drudgery of her life under Uncle Matthew's roof. Judith, Kit's cousin, had previously set her sights on William, but when he favors Kit, she turns her attention to John Holbrook, a budding clergyman. Judith is unaware that her crippled sister, Mercy, has fallen in love with John and even less aware that John also loves Mercy.

While the prospect of escape via marriage to William is in the future, Kit lives in the present, becoming friendly with Hannah, an elderly Quaker woman who lives alone on the shore of Blackbird Pond. The townspeople believe her to be a witch, mostly because she isn't Puritan. Consorting with Hannah doesn't do much to improve Kit's standing in the town, but she laughs off the idea of herself or anyone being a witch - until they lock her up and put her on trial. Her friendships with Nat and Prudence pay off in a big way, when they appear at the trial, but Nat runs before she can thank him - and before she realizes that it is Nat that she really loves.

As a teen or pre-teen, this book would not have impressed me much, and I'd have found the romance gag-worthy. Everyone ends up with the guy they should end up with and all, it is implied, live happily ever after. As an adult, however, I really enjoyed the story. The prejudice of the time, not unlike the prejudice of ANY time period, was interesting. To read that the ability to swim was an indication that one was a witch is funny now, but a nice bit of irony for the time - the only way to prove your innocence was to die by drowning! Not perfect, and a little more "historical romance" than plain old "historical fiction", but still very nicely done.

In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life

Average customer rating:

Little things mean a lot
Non Fiction
Remember Small Things
copied directly from Scientific American Nov. 96

In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life
James Deetz
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0385483996
Release Date: 1996-08-01

Book Description

History is recorded in many ways. According to  author James Deetz, the past can be seen most fully  by studying the small things so often forgotten.  Objects such as doorways, gravestones, musical  instruments, and even shards of pottery fill in the  cracks between large historical events and depict  the intricacies of daily life. In his completely  revised and expanded edition of In Small  Things Forgotten, Deetz has added new  sections that more fully acknowledge the presence  of women and African Americans in Colonial  America. New interpretations of archaeological finds  detail how minorities influenced and were affected  by the development of the Anglo-American tradition  in the years following the settlers' arrival in  Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Among Deetz's  observations:
Subtle changes in building long before the  Revolutionary War hinted at the growing independence  of the American colonies and their desire to be  less like the  British.

Records of estate auctions show that many  households in Colonial America contained only one  chair--underscoring the patriarchal nature of the  early American family. All other members of the  household sat on stools or the  floor.

The excavation of a tiny community of  freed slaves in Massachusetts reveals evidence of  the transplantation of African culture to North  America.

Simultaneously  a study of American life and an explanation of  how American life is studied, In Small  Things Forgotten, through the everyday  details of ordinary living, colorfully depicts a  world hundreds of years in the past.

Customer Reviews:

Little things mean a lot.......2007-10-09

I enjoyed Deetz' newly updated introduction to Historical Archaeology in America. He makes clear that much can be gleaned from the seemingly insignificant material things that are left behind in the process of living. I greatly enjoyed his putting the pieces of the puzzles together. Sometimes the result was an interesting surprise. For instance, I didn't know that porches, which became so popular in America, were not a feature of European houses and were introduced by Africans. "Shotgun houses" also have African roots. Another surprising story is told by the changing styles of Colonial gravestones. They change subtly as the religious climate changes. The oldest being very stiff and stern and later ones becoming more decorative, replacing deaths heads with angels.

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

This text looks at the recovery of everyday items from the past in the United States of America. Things like plates, cup, bowls, what stuff was thrown in the rubbish bun, all that sort of thing, as opposed to recovering things that are of highly significant historical, political or scientific importance. So, trying to piece together personal life.

Remember Small Things.......2002-04-01

The main thrust of Deetz's argument in this book points to the incomplete nature of the traditional historian's approach to understanding past societies. By focusing only on written documentation, traditional historians necessarily confine the groups they can examine to literate societies, thereby excluding most people in the history of human existence. Furthermore, written documents contain the bias of the author, and so cannot always be trusted.

Deetz argues that historical archaeology and the study of material culture opens the door to understanding a far wider band of human societies, and can further help us relate to the literate cultures we study, by providing corroborating evidence, in some cases, and filling in the gaps overlooked in traditional written documents in other cases.

This work focuses mainly on early New England societies, but the research methods Deetz puts forth readily adapt to studies in other areas. The fact that this book still stands as required reading on university course lists 25 years after its first publication testifies to its usefulness...

copied directly from Scientific American Nov. 96.......1997-04-07

History is pretty much junk, one might conclude after finishing this breezy introduction to historical archaeology. Poring over estate listings, pottery shards, gravestones and excavated foundations, James Deetz reconstructs the changing face of American life during the colonial era, as immigrant traditions and aesthetics adapted to the New World. The book makes a powerful argument for an empirical kind of history far removed from the anonymous assertions of high school textbooks

Average customer rating:

Beautiful story
The choice
Fantasict
you will love this book
A great childhood book about history

The Sign of the Beaver
Elizabeth George Speare
Manufacturer: Yearling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0440479002
Release Date: 1984-07-01

Product Description

. Young Matt is alone in the Maine wilderness awaiting his father's return to their cabin when he is attacked by a swarm of bees. To his surprise, he is saved by an Indian chief and his grandson, Attean. The boys come to know each other, many months pass without a sign of Matt's family. Then Attean asks Matt to join the Beaver tribe. Should Matt abandon his hopes for his father's return and join his new family up north? Paperback.

Amazon.com

When his father returns East to collect the rest of the family, 13-year-old Matt is left alone to guard his family's newly built homestead. One day, Matt is brutally stung when he robs a bee tree for honey. He returns to consciousness to discover that his many stings have been treated by an old Native American and his grandson. Matt offers his only book as thanks, but the old man instead asks Matt to teach his grandson Attean to read. Both boys are suspicious, but Attean comes each day for his lesson. In the mornings, Matt tries to entice Attean with tales from Robinson Crusoe, while in the afternoons, Attean teaches Matt about wilderness survival and Native American culture. The boys become friends in spite of themselves, and their inevitable parting is a moving tribute to the ability of shared experience to overcome prejudice. The Sign of the Beaver was a Newbery Honor Book; author Elizabeth Speare has also won the Newbery Medal twice, for The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow. (Ages 12 and older) --Richard Farr

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful story.......2007-09-14

This is a great book about a boy who forms a friendship with and Indian boy named Attean, and in fact with his entire family. I found it a pleasure to read, because it offered a different historical perspective than most books that come from the white man's perspective. While Matt was white, most of the book is filled with his interactions with the Indian people. We get a glimpse of how they lived, and how very practical it was as opposed to the white man's way of life. It was more in tune with the land, for sure.

I'm getting off track, but I was very touched by the story. Matt is essentially invited to join the Beaver tribe by Attean and his grandfather, and Attean calls him his brother. The warm acceptance that grew between the two boys was heartwarming, and toward the end it brought tears to my eyes, but not due to sadness; instead due to the love the two boys shared.

The choice.......2007-06-05

This book is about A boy named Matt who builds a cabin with his father and then his father leaves him alone to pick up the rest of his family. Now Matt is alone and puts marks by every day that passes.Then Matt meets an indian named attean and they become friends. Now Matt is teaching Attean to read and write and Attean is teaching Matt how to survive on his own. then time goes by and his dad never returned so Ateean is asking Matt to head north with the beaver tribe and Matt does not know if he should go with Attean or wait for his father.

Fantasict.......2007-05-30

You will think this book is fantastic because it's really interesting to see how the indians live.The beginning of the book starts out kinda of slow but it starts getting really good after the indians save Matt from the bees.My favorite part of the book is when the indians start to like matt because this is the part of the book when Matt starts to learn how to start hunting and becomes friends with Attan

you will love this book .......2007-04-18

You will love this book because this book is an adventurous book. if you like books that envolve the olden days then you will love this book.you will want to read about what happens when the boy sees the hidden beaver signs and when the boy finds out that the indians saved his life.this book showws what could realy happen

A great childhood book about history.......2007-02-10

This lovely book is a great book to show children tolerance between cultures. It is a study of how one boy sees the Native Americans in a positive light. Matt is able to experience friendship, loyalty, and acceptance. I was touched at how the grandfather showed love towards Matt. Also, Attean's final gift to Matt shows how much he thought of Matt-generosity and sacrifice. It is interesting for its historical perspective too, as the work of the Native American woman was shown in this book!! A highly recommended read.

Average customer rating:

The way to write history for children
Short Biography
the worst book ever
WARNING:REALLY BAD BOOK!
An excellent book

The Double Life of Pocahontas
Jean Fritz
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0698119355

Book Description

In a story that is as gripping as it is historical, Jean Fritz reveals the true life of Pocahontas. Though at first permitted to move freely between the Indian and the white worlds, Pocahontas was eventually torn between her new life and the culture that shaped her.

Customer Reviews:

The way to write history for children.......2005-12-05

Jean Fritz is one of the best writers of history for children. She doesn't romanticize or simplify to the point of distortion, and she really puts the story in history. Fritz looks with an intelligent and sensitive eye into the heart and mind of Pocahontas, and with an unflinching and respectful eye to Native Americans and the English. The Pilgrim's landing on Plymouth Rock gets more attention, but it all started at Jamestown and this book is an excellent introduction.

Short Biography.......2003-06-24

This is a short, less than 100 pages, biography of what is know about Pocahontas. I rated it 5 stars although I would have preferred a longer book. However the book is priced right for it's size.

From what I can determine, the book is historically accurate. If your purpose for reading the book is to learn the basics about the life of Pocahontas, then I highly recommend it. If, however, you just wish to be entertained, watch the Disney movie. The movie is not even close to being historically accurate, but it is entertaining.

the worst book ever.......2002-03-11

You should NOT buy the Double life of Pochahontas.There is barely any dialog. It's really d u l l. Its about the english at Jamestown.It is more of a text book than a story book. It is barley about pochahontas at all. It all starts when the English build Jamestown...

WARNING:REALLY BAD BOOK!.......2002-03-11

I think this book was one of the worst books in the whole world! This book sounded like a rough draft. It just stated facts and it had no dialogue. It was not entertaining at all.

An excellent book.......2000-10-20

The Double Life of Pocahontas is, I think, a very interesting book for those who like Indians,wars,and mixed emotion stories. I recommendthis book for people ages 10 and up. I do this because I think anyone under ten might not understand some of the parts of the book. This book as you might of guessed is about Pocahontas and her life. It starts right before the settlers come. Along the way you'll learn some interesting facts about the Indians and the settlers. First Pocahontas saves John Smith from being killed. He's adopted into the tribe. Then John Smith goes back to London. Things then start to fall apart. The Indians attacked the settlers and the colony falls apart. Pocahontas is then captured and is being converted into Christian. Her father never trys to save her. She marries and is taken to England to met the King and Queen. She wants to stay in England. I won't tell you what happens you'll have to find out for yourself. The author,Jean Fritz,did very good research on this book. If I could I would read it again. This book is great read it now!

Average customer rating:

Underwhelming
Franklin was ahead of his time
Great Book!
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Entertaining and Enlightening

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Walter Isaacson
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 074325807X

Amazon.com

Benjamin Franklin, writes journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson, was that rare Founding Father who would sooner wink at a passer-by than sit still for a formal portrait. What's more, Isaacson relates in this fluent and entertaining biography, the revolutionary leader represents a political tradition that has been all but forgotten today, one that prizes pragmatism over moralism, religious tolerance over fundamentalist rigidity, and social mobility over class privilege. That broadly democratic sensibility allowed Franklin his contradictions, as Isaacson shows. Though a man of lofty principles, Franklin wasn't shy of using sex to sell the newspapers he edited and published; though far from frivolous, he liked his toys and his mortal pleasures; and though he sometimes gave off a simpleton image, he was a shrewd and even crafty politician. Isaacson doesn't shy from enumerating Franklin's occasional peccadilloes and shortcomings, in keeping with the iconoclastic nature of our time--none of which, however, stops him from considering Benjamin Franklin "the most accomplished American of his age," and one of the most admirable of any era. And here's one bit of proof: as a young man, Ben Franklin regularly went without food in order to buy books. His example, as always, is a good one--and this is just the book to buy with the proceeds from the grocery budget. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In this authoritative and engrossing full-scale biography, Walter Isaacson shows how the most fascinating of America's founders helped define our national character.

In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin's life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the spunky runaway apprentice who became, during his 84-year life, America's best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders. He explores the wit behind Poor Richard's Almanac and the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence, the new nation's alliance with France, the treaty that ended the Revolution, and the compromises that created a near-perfect Constitution.

Above all, Isaacson shows how Franklin's unwavering faith in the wisdom of the common citizen and his instinctive appreciation for the possibilities of democracy helped to forge an American national identity based on the virtues and values of its middle class.

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"Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father who winks at us. An ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings, he seems made of flesh rather than of marble. In bestselling author Walter Isaacson's vivid and witty full-scale biography, we discover why Franklin seems to turn to us from history's stage with eyes that twinkle from behind his new-fangled spectacles. By bringing Franklin to life, Isaacson shows how he helped to define both his own time and ours. He was, during his 84-year life, America's best scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, and business strategist, and he was also one of its most practical -- though not most profound -- political thinkers. He was the only man who shaped all the founding documents of America: the Albany Plan of Union, the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the peace treaty with England, and the Constitution. And he helped invent America's unique style of homespun humor, democratic values, and philosophical pragmatism. But the most interesting thing that Franklin invented, and continually reinvented, was himself. America's first great publicist, he was, in his life and in his writings, consciously trying to create a new American archetype. In the process, he carefully crafted his own persona, portrayed it in public, and polished it for posterity. In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin's amazing life, from his days as a runaway printer to his triumphs as a statesman, scientist, and Founding Father. He chronicles Franklin's tumultuous relationship with his illegitimate son and grandson, his practical marriage, and his flirtations with the ladies of Paris. He also shows how Franklin helped to create the American character and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century. "

Customer Reviews:

Underwhelming.......2007-10-10

This biography had its moments, but Isaacson was far too enamored of Franklin, and did not present a balanced view. He was overly critical of Adams, but failed to be objectively critical of Franklin (or the other Founding Fathers) in return. Franklin is the Founding Father I'd most like to meet, but this biography is far too flattering, and really, rather dull. Isaacson is a serviceable writer, but does not make the story really come alive.

Franklin was ahead of his time.......2007-10-03

Many of the reviews already give the praise to this book that I would give. As I kept reading I found it amazing that this man was actually born 300 years ago. Many of his views are still so relevant today. I kept finding myself saying, "Yes, I totally agree with Franklin's opinion on that." I can imagine Franklin living in 2007 and being fascinated with things like the Internet and communication. However, I bet he would be the type of person who would still find time to write a letter and sit back and relax with some friends and tea which we so often fail to do today. Great book!

Great Book!.......2007-09-15

This bio was thoroughly enjoyable. I expected it to be informative and educational, but what I didn't expect was to be entertained. Franklin was a very complex man, both deep and shallow. He had very shallow relationships with his family, mainly his wife and son, very flirtaceous with other women, while being a deep thinker, an entrepreneur, American statesman, diplomat and genius. There's a lot of American history in the book with out being slow and boring.

I simply loved this book.

Thoroughly enjoyable........2007-09-13

I read elsewhere that Franklin was about 70 years of age before going to France as Embassador. He was quick witted to be sure but a bit unpredictable for his French caretakers. He left nothing for them in his will. Isaacson did a wonderful job of reporting on Frankin's irascible character.

Entertaining and Enlightening.......2007-08-29

Walter Issacson is a very meticulous and loquacious writer. I found myself looking for the dictionary while trying to decipher the meaning of his writing. The book is very verbose, very detailed, and gives an accurate and balanced view into Franklin's personal and political life.

Felicity: An American Girl (The American Girls Collection)

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Felicity, An American Girl
A Collection for Generations
American Girl books are wonderful
Good reading.
We love it!

Felicity: An American Girl (The American Girls Collection)
Valerie Tripp
Manufacturer: American Girl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1562470442

Customer Reviews:

Felicity, An American Girl.......2007-10-02

I bought this series for our granddaughter who is 10 years old. She read this collection of Felicity books in 7 days. Now she is requesting other books from the American Girl series. It is wonderful to see her reading instead of watching TV or playing video games.

A Collection for Generations .......2007-05-22

I am a 22 year woman who fell in love with Felicity and the other American Girls when I was about 9 years old. The American Girls Collection is why I love history and am pursuing a career in the field. I've enjoyed passing my collection of books onto my younger sisters, each of whom equally fell in love with the stories and the time periods. I am expecting my first child shortly, a girl, and I can not wait until she is old enough to enjoy these stories as I and my siblings have. These books are a must for any young girl and they are sure to become favorites for your family for generations to come.

American Girl books are wonderful.......2007-02-10

My daughter is in 4th grade. All the girls are into these books, they are beautifully illustrated and well written. They are like history books that put you into that time and space, excellent!! My daughter is loving them and we read the history part in the back together. Very educational. I have to confess, reading through one book I was close to crying, very well written, no wonder they are keeping all the girls attention. Also I have to say that Amazon has such a great price, that you can barely get a better deal used on e-bay. Buy with confidence.

Good reading........2007-01-09

This item was purchased as a Christmas gift for the daughter of a friend of my wife & I. The little girl and her mother have enjoyed reading the books together.

We love it!.......2006-07-26

This is the first time my 7yr old daughter and I have read any of the American Girl books and we love them. The Felicity series has been a great way for me to introduce history and how young girls lived in the early years of America. It has adventure, family life and lessons.I find it sweet and my daughter always wants to see what's going to happen next. With all the TV and gadgets surrounding our children today, I would definetly recommended this series.

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A Collision of Cultures
I Am Regina Review
This Book is Great
An exciting book that's hard to put down
I AM REGINA

I Am Regina
Sally M. Keehn
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0698119207
Release Date: 2001-12-31

Book Description

The cabin door crashes open-and in a few minutes Regina's life changes forever. Allegheny Indians murder her father and brother, burn their Pennsylvania home to the ground, and take Regina captive. Only her mother, who is away from home, is safe. Torn from her family, Regina longs for the past, but she must begin a new life. She becomes Tskinnak, who learns to catch fish, dance the Indian dance, and speak the Indian tongue. As the years go by, her new people become her family . . . but she never stops wondering about her mother. Will they ever meet again?

"A first-person narrative based on the true story of a young woman held by Indians from 1755-1763, related with all the impact of a hard-hitting documentary . . .Wonderful reading." (School Library Journal)

"I Am Regina is an enthralling and profoundly stirring story, historical fiction for young people at its very finest." (Elizabeth George Speare, Newbery Award-winning author of The Witch of Blackbird Pond)

Customer Reviews:

A Collision of Cultures.......2006-11-15

In I am Regina, Sally M. Keehn tells the story of a ten-year-old girl who is taken captive by Native Americans after they brutally kill her brother and father. In their village, Regina is given a new name, Tskinnak, and slowly adapts her new way of life. This young adult novel is well-crafted in terms of structure; it has a sound arc of conflict sustained by a strong narrator and cast of fascinating supporting characters that all possess individual goals and desires. Keehn masterfully juxtaposes Native American culture and the ways of the "white man" through the eyes of Regina/Tskinnak, her innocent narrator. As time progresses in the book, so does Regina/Tskinnak's understanding and acceptance of Native American culture. Though this transformation occurs slowly, the soul of her very being is forever altered. She is able to see the war amongst white men and Native Americans from both sides, and finds herself questioning where she truly belongs, a question that resonates in the minds of children and young adults of today. The only inconsistency in the book occurs during shifts in time. Keehn shifts in "moons" and at times it is confusing to judge how much or how little time has passed since the last scene. Keehn began the story using short choppy sentences, but as the book progresses, it outgrows this simplistic structure and evolves into a well-written text. I am Regina is a powerful and moving story that will captivate readers right down to the final sentence.

I Am Regina Review.......2006-10-30

I Am Regina is one of the best books I ever read. It's good, because you can learn about a good time in history, and its a true story, all in one exciting book! I didn't think it was boring, I thought it was interesting to learn about facts! It's a great book for pre-teenagers!

This Book is Great.......2006-10-21

This book is great you'll love it. First she and her sister gets caputered by indins when her mom and younger brother went to the mill and her dad and older brother got killed by the indins. Regina is sad first she wanted the white men to come and save her but they didn't entill every one of the indins were gone. Which was most of her family because she gave up hope. She was at this camp with the white men and all mom's and dad's are tring to find there dauters and sons from the war. Regina was so nice and tried to never give up like i am.

An exciting book that's hard to put down.......2006-06-05

This book gives an accurate portrayal of what it was like back in the 1700's ~ and what it was like to move into the Indian's territory.

I am Regina is a true story (historically), making it that much more exciting to read. It is also one of the best books I've read lately. Ms. Keehn keeps the mystery and excitement going from beginning to end. I am also sure she did much research to find out what the Indians ate, how they prepared their food and how they forraged for food during the winter.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes true stories, anyone who is interested in history, and anyone who likes a book you cannot put down.

Don't want to spoil the story for you ~ read it for yourself and see what happened to this darling child - as well as so many others.

This book makes me want to go to Pennsylvania and visit Regina's gravesite.

I AM REGINA.......2006-04-14

Rould you believe that two indians would crash your cabin door open, holding rifles at that, intending to kill you and your family. Well this is exactly what happened to a girl named Regina in a historical fiction novel called I am Regina.

The main charactors are Regina, Sarah, Tiger Claw, and Woelfin. This book took place back in 1755, when the French and Indian War was starting in Pennsylvania.

In the colonial times of Pennsylvania, on a small farm in the cornffield, the Leininger family were held victom by two indians. While the mother and the youngest brother were at the mill on the hill, the father and brother were murdered and scalped and the two daughters held captive to go to their tribe. while going there the two indians that met up with other indians split up at a fork, seperating the two sisters. the younger sister, Regina, and her companion, Sarah, were now held captive by the indian known as Tiger Claw to his tribe. when she reached the tribe, Regina and Sarah were adopted by none other than Tiger Claws mother, Woelfin. Will she ever see her mother and brother again, will she be able to even survive. you must read the book to find out.

this book was one othe the best books my group ever read so far, there's so much action, lost lives, war, and other great things. My personal favorite part was when Regina's sister tries to run away from the indians, on a stallion at that, I thought that showed great courage unlike her sister at the begining of the book but she does get braver. this book is great for people who like action and sorrow because in the book, the French and Indian War was going on so there was a lot of fighting and bloodshed. the author, I think, was trying to tell us to not judge people for their appearence but get to know them because in the ook when Woelfin gets to know Regina, she starts showing her good side. hope you all like this reiew and bye.

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John Smith Escapes Again!

John Smith Escapes Again!
Rosalyn Schanzer
Manufacturer: National Geographic Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792259300
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

Long before Harry Houdini thrilled the world with his impossible deeds, America had produced an escape artist whose biography reads like an adventure novel.

Many readers will know John Smith as the man rescued from death by Pocahontas, but Smith's story included a series of fantastic episodes: escape from imprisonment, ambush by Indians, attacks by ruthless sea pirates, and more escapades than seem possible in one life.

Now, just in time for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, author Rosalyn Schanzer recounts the full details of John Smith's eventful life in her engaging storytelling style, complemented with a series of entertaining illustrations.

Smith's role as the president of the pioneering colony of Jamestown is well known to schoolchildren. Schanzer's compelling narrative adds the perspective of Smith's English background to his better known adventures in America. Readers are given a complete portrait of the intrepid explorer and adventurer, of the fighter whose battling spirit always prevailed, and of the writer whose work was to shape the idea of the American Dream.

Smith's story is punctuated by several impossibly daring escapes. His final escape left us with the rich legacy of his life story: through his writings, he escaped the fate of dying unknown. He returned to England as a poor man with a rich trove of memories, spending his final years writing the popular books that defined colonial America in tales of excitement and courage.

Customer Reviews:

John Smith Escapes Again!.......2007-04-24

A delightfully illustrated adventure book for children telling a true story. The author has thoroughly researched the life of John Smith 1580 - 1631, who was a famous son of Lincolnshire, England and who became the first president of Jamestown in Virginia Colony, America. This was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Rosalyn Schanzer's attention to authentic detail and her beautifully drawn illustrations are excellent. This book brings history alive for children - and their parents!

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