The Frontiersmen: A Narrative

The Frontiersmen: A Narrative
Average customer rating:

Writing at its best

Couldn't Put It Down

The Frontiersmen

What a book!

My All Time Favorite Historical Narrative !!!!

The Frontiersmen: A Narrative
Allan W. Eckert
Manufacturer: Jesse Stuart Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0945084919

Book Description

The frontiersmen were a remarkable breed of men. They were often rough and illiterate, sometimes brutal and vicious, often seeking an escape in the wilderness of mid-America from crimes committed back east. In the beautiful but deadly country which would one day come to be known as West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, more often than not they left their bones to bleach beside forest paths or on the banks of the Ohio River, victims of Indians who claimed the vast virgin territory and strove to turn back the growing tide of whites. These frontiersmen are the subjects of Allan Eckert's dramatic history.

Against the background of such names as George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone, Arthur St. Clair, Anthony Wayne, Simon Girty and William Henry Harrison, Eckert has recreated the life of one of America's most outstanding heroes, Simon Kenton. Kenton's role in opening the Northwest Territory to settlement more than rivaled that of his friend Daniel Boone. By his eighteenth birthday, Kenton had already won frontier renown as woodsman, fighter and scout. His incredible physical strength and endurance, his great dignity and innate kindness made him the ideal prototype of the frontier hero.

Yet there is another story to The Frontiersmen. It is equally the story of one of history's greatest leaders, whose misfortune was to be born to a doomed cause and a dying race. Tecumseh, the brilliant Shawnee chief, welded together by the sheer force of his intellect and charisma an incredible Indian confederacy that came desperately close to breaking the thrust of the white man's westward expansion. Like Kenton, Tecumseh was the paragon of his people's virtues, and the story of his life, in Allan Eckert's hands, reveals most profoundly the grandeur and the tragedy of the American Indian.

No less importantly, The Frontiersmen is the story of wilderness America itself, its penetration and settlement, and it is Eckert's particular grace to be able to evoke life and meaning from the raw facts of this story. In The Frontiersmen not only do we care about our long-forgotten fathers, we live again with them.

Researched for seven years, The Frontiersmen is the first in Mr. Eckert's "The Winning of America" series.

Customer Reviews:

Writing at its best.......2007-10-08

If you like compelling writing that generates a lightning bolt narrative about manifest destiny and those who were major players in this exciting but heart breaking game, this book is for you. I also recommend another thunder storm of a book: Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears by Cherokee author Jerry Ellis. He was the first person in the modern world to WALK the 900 mile route of the Trail of Tears and the book was nominated for a Pulitzer and National Book Award.

Couldn't Put It Down.......2007-08-27

This was a great read. Once I started I couldn't put it down. I plan on reading the other 5 books by Allan Eckert. It takes you back to pure human nature and puts you in touch with yourself. You have to ask how you would respond to the situations encountered by these brave frontiersmen. I'm telling most of my friends about this book.

The Frontiersmen.......2007-08-15

A very powerful and informative historical narrative of some of the personalities that shaped the settlement of this country ;from the perspective of Simon Kenton. A "must read" !

What a book!.......2007-07-28

I can't decide which I like better, this book or Eckert's 'Dark and Bloody River', but they are both MUST READ's for any history fan. For even a casual reader this book will hold your attention, and provide you with a facinating insight into our nation's history.

My All Time Favorite Historical Narrative !!!!.......2007-06-05

This is a fantastic book if you love Early American Historical Narratives which I love. I first read this book about twenty years ago, and recently read it again. The author's foot notes and reference material allow you to really dive into the time period of the book!

A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh

Average customer rating:

Good Read, Amazing Life
great book about great man
A Masterpiece of Algonquin Historical Writing
One of Eckert's Best
EXCELLENT book

A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh
Allan W. Eckert
Manufacturer: Domain
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 055356174X
Release Date: 1993-02-01

Customer Reviews:

Good Read, Amazing Life.......2005-12-02

I highly recommend this biography for older children (15+) or anyone interested in the early American history. It is about Tecumseh, a Shawnee warrior in the Ohio territory in western America during the period from 1768 to 1812. He was witness to the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

The book reads like a colorful novel with plenty of "amplification" notes for extra historical detail. Life was rough in those days for Indians and settlers. There was a lot of distrust on both sides. During this time England, France and America are vying for control of the new world and the various Indian tribes were in the middle of it all. Much of the story takes place in locations familiar to many of us; Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois for example.

It is the story of Tecumseh's amazing life and his efforts to unite native Americans to defend all Indians against the white settlers and their government. It is brutal at times.

The narrative is told from the perspective of the Indian. But I found Eckert to deal pretty evenly with both sides. That was one of the reasons I enjoyed the book so much. Indians and whites both had their fair share good and evil characters. Hope you check it out!

Here is a quote that I really liked:

"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation

great book about great man.......2004-04-21

I have a new hero. I recently came across this excellent biography of the great Indian leader Tecumseh, and I'm stunned. First, by Tecumseh. This brilliant warrior and visionary understood that civilization is insatiable, and that one must never make peace with the culture that uses any means necessary to kill the indigenous, and to kill the land. This is a powerful account of necessary resistance to the depredations of the dominant culture.
I'm stunned also by the writing. Allan W. Eckert is an extraordinary writer, and tells Tecumseh's story beautifully and movingly. The book is very hard to put down.

A Masterpiece of Algonquin Historical Writing.......2001-11-21

Eckert's A Sorrow in Our Hearts is nothing short of a masterpiece, and will assuredly stand the test of time, perhaps as no other "Native American" history book before it. I have read many hundreds of books on Algonquin history, and nothing I have seen comes close to A Sorrow In Our Hearts in being fair to the individuals involved. Eckert's portrayal of Tunskwatawa as a misguided opportunist may irritate some, but it holds together as the most credible explanation of how things turned out. I turn to this volume over and over again and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of useful information that it contains. It maintains a high level of historical accuracy without losing the mystical feeling of standing in Tecumseh's presence, seeing the world through his eyes, and the bracing sense of strength, courage and upliftment that those around him must have felt. If there were a sixth star to award this book, I would not hesitate to add it to my review.
I have stood by that battlefield where he died and heard the accounts of his demise and burial from a descendant of those who were there and I sense the greatness of the man, and somehow Eckert has managed to do him justice through a medium that is not always compatible with the Algonquin way, and it makes me feel that sorrow to which he refers. We all must die sooner or later, but Tecumseh was still a young man (younger than I am now) when he died at the battle of the Thames. When I am buried, let them lay me to rest with only a well worn copy of Eckert's A Sorrow In Our Hearts in my hands.
Evan Pritchard
Professor of Native American History, Marist College
author of Native New Yorkers, The Remarkable Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York;
No Word For Time, the Way of the Algonquin People, etc.

One of Eckert's Best.......2001-09-27

"A Sorrow In Our Heart" is definately one of Eckert's best historical novels, right next to "The Frontiersmen" and "Dark and Bloody River". It, of course, tells the story of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, who has been hailed by many as the greatest Indian leader of all time. Tecumseh came closer than any other before or after him to saving his people from total destruction by the whites on the eastern frontier in the early 19th century. In the end, Tecumseh's death is not just a loss in the Indians' long struggle against the Americans, it signals the death knell for their way of life, as their defeat in the War of 1812 sealed their fate on the North American continent. A great and a wonderfully entertaining book, history has never been so hard to put down.

EXCELLENT book.......2001-05-19

This is an amazing true story woven expertly by Eckert!

Average customer rating:

Shawnee!
James H. Howard
Manufacturer: Ohio University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0821404172

Average customer rating:

gripping, memorable Tecumseh
Good book
Thoughtful, exciting, and moving novel
Wonderful Study on the Indians
Superb!

Panther in the Sky
James Alexander Thom
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Red Heart
Long Knife
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Warrior Woman: The Exceptional Life Story of Nonhelema, Shawnee Indian Woman Chief
Follow the River

ASIN: 0345366387
Release Date: 1990-02-13

Book Description

"Thom shows how, in honest, capable hands, fictionalized biography can add verisimilitude to the life and times of this extraordinary America....The dialogue has the ring of reality about it....Thom is able to get into the thoughts and emotions of his characters...."
DEE BROWN
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Rich, colorful and bursting with excitment, this remarkable story turns James Alexander Thom's power and passion for American history to the epic story of Tecumseh's life and give us a heart-thumping novel of one man's magnificent destiny--to unite his people in the struggle to save their land and their way of life from the relentless press of the white settlers.

Customer Reviews:

gripping, memorable Tecumseh.......2007-03-08

a shooting star in the sky heralded a Shawnee baby with greatness..this baby would grow up to be Tecumseh. The Shawnee leader who had visions of his race being wiped out by the coming of the white man, he knew that survival depended upon all the Indian tribes pulling their resources together and he also knew that their survival depended upon moving beyond their savagery if they were to be accepted. Tecumseh was able to do the first but not the second and that would be their downfall as the savagery so inflamed the 'newcomers' their extinction was the only response that could be accepted. This was one of the most memorable characters and books that I've ever read.

Good book.......2006-09-27

I liked the book. I did not find it as 'gripping' as some of the other Thom works, but it was still a good read. A little long and sometimes slow and repetitive, but worth reading.

Thoughtful, exciting, and moving novel .......2006-09-01

This novel is about the life and works of Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief who was at the center of Indian resistance to American expansion from the 1790s until the War of 1812.

Like other great Indian leaders before him (Pontiac, Joseph Brandt) and after (Crazy Horse), Tecumseh dreamed of uniting the Indian tribes and throwing back the white encroachment, carving out the space for the Indians to continue to practice their traditional way of life. He had many obstacles to overcome, not all of which were caused by the whites. In general, Indian societies were plagued by short-term thinking and an inability to grasp the big picture of what was really happening to their world. A number of Indian leaders were great tacticians, scoring big victories and then scattering while the whites regrouped and came relentlessly on. Only a few leaders were able to think strategically enough to actually slow the white advance. Tecumseh was one of these military geniuses.

The novel works as history, but it also works as a great story. Thom creates a sense of grief and regret about the loss of the Indians' world, but he doesn't whitewash the Indians. Tecumseh's brother, The Prophet, is depicted as a charlatan, and there are some brutal scenes of the torture that the Indians inflicted on their white captives. This low and cowardly behavior is a source of great despair for Tecumseh, who wants to elevate his people to a higher spiritual plane.

In a few spots in the book, Tecumseh appears too good to be true. I had a hard time believing that his goodness would have caused his arch-enemy, William Henry Harrison, to question the righteousness of his own cause. But overall the character of Tecumseh comes off as admirable but very human as he wrestles with spiritual questions, doubts, and vulnerabilites.

Wonderful Study on the Indians.......2006-03-18

A great read!! Really will hold your attention. I read it in a weekend.

Superb!.......2003-05-31

Panther In The Sky is historical fiction at its absolute finest. It details the life and times of the famous Shawnee war chief in a compelling and realistic fashion. The descriptions of the native American way of life, spirituality and bloody battles with the encroaching white man are riviting. This is an epic that I found impossible to put down. This was my first Thom book--I intend to read all of his work. A truly great book.

Warrior Woman: The Exceptional Life Story of Nonhelema, Shawnee Indian Woman Chief

Average customer rating:

A Disappointment
Herstory-Warrior, Peacemaker?
No fairy-tale ending for Warrior Woman
Exceptional Depiction of early Frontier Life
Warrior Woman

Warrior Woman: The Exceptional Life Story of Nonhelema, Shawnee Indian Woman Chief
James Alexander Thom , and Dark Rain Thom
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345445554
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Book Description

A bestselling master of historical fiction, James Alexander Thom has brought unforgettable Native American figures to life for millions of readers, powerfully dramatizing their fortitude, fearsomeness, and profound fates. Now he and his wife, Dark Rain, have created a magnificent portrait of an astonishing woman–one who led her people in war when she could not persuade them to make peace.

Her name was Nonhelema. Literate, lovely, imposing at over six feet tall, she was the Women’s Peace Chief of the Shawnee Nation–and already a legend when the most decisive decade of her life began in 1774. That fall, with more than three thousand Virginians poised to march into the Shawnees’ home, Nonhelema’s plea for peace was denied. So she loyally became a fighter, riding into battle covered in war paint. When the Indians ran low on ammunition, Nonhelema’s role changed back to peacemaker, this time tragically.

Negotiating an armistice with military leaders of the American Revolution like Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark, she found herself estranged from her own people–and betrayed by her white adversaries, who would murder her loved ones and eventually maim Nonhelema herself.

Throughout her inspiring life, she had many deep and complex relationships, including with her daughter, Fani, who was an adopted white captive . . . a pious and judgmental missionary, Zeisberger . . . a series of passionate lovers . . . and, in a stunning creation of the Thoms, Justin Case–a cowardly soldier transformed by the courage he saw in the female Indian leader.

Filled with the uncanny period detail and richly rendered drama that are Thom trademarks, Warrior Woman is a memorable novel of a remarkable person–one willing to fight to avoid war, by turns tough and tender, whose heart was too big for the world she wished to tame.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

A Disappointment.......2006-11-10

I was very disappointed by Warrior Woman. I had read Thom's Panther in the Sky, and it is one of my favorite books. This one didn't even come close. It was boring and soooo frustrating to note Warrior Woman constantly waiting for the white man to keep his promises.

Herstory-Warrior, Peacemaker?.......2006-09-21

My heart was filled with sorrow and pain at the many difficulties
Nonhelema faced as she struggled to fight for peace between the Long Knives and her people. It is excellently written, but I wonder at the title. There was only one scene in which she was a warrior. In truth her main efforts were devoted to peace. Somehow, I feel the title, Warrior Woman, misguides the reader who is picking the book. Time and time again, even when she has to go against her people, Nonhelema choses to speak to white people, asking for peace. Even when she sees family members killed, she clings to a belief in Christian beliefs of peace. It is only at the very end, when she is near death, does she come to realizations that were part of her life long before missionnaries came to these shores... James Alexander Thom and Dark Rain Thom have taken historical information and written a novel of rare understanding and beauty.

No fairy-tale ending for Warrior Woman.......2004-05-29

I told Dark Rain that it would be hard to read yet another Shawnee story, because it inevitably ends in tragedy, and I come away depressed. "Ah," she said, "but Warrior Woman ends on an uplifting note."

More like bittersweet, I think, after reading the life story of Nonhelema, the Shawnee woman chief and warrior. But the story is irresistible, as all Thom historical fictions are. Action combined with deep emotion, love and peace juxtaposed on a canvas of prejudice and war, all in that fascinating period of American history, the 18th century Old Northwest.

Nonhelema was a remarkable woman who gave up everything--her material wealth, the respect of her Shawnee people in the Ohio Valley, and many of her loved ones--all in the name of peace. "Blessed are the peacemakers," she read in white man's bible. The words touched her heart and, like her famous brother Cornstalk, she dedicated her life to being a peacemaker.

Warrior Woman follows Nonhelema through her life, delving into her deep faith in Jesus, her love affairs with prominent white men of the frontier, her family dynamics, and her exasperating relationship with Brother Zeisberger, a missionary at Gnadenhutten, the fateful home of the "praying Indians." As a village chief, Nonhelema is responsible for leading her people in their ancient ceremonies. She wants her people to stay together and preserve their ways, yet she also wants to be written in God's Book of Life. Zeisberger torments her, claiming she cannot have both. She must renounce all her so-called heathen ways, or God will never claim her as one of His children.

She works as an interpreter for white men at the fort at Point Pleasant, along the Ohio River. Some of her people call her a traitor, and they no longer trust her. Repeatedly she is betrayed by those white men she helps, and repeatedly her beloved family members fall victim to the white man's violence and hatred. Yet not until her life nears an end does she decide to never again help the white Americans do anything.

Throughout the book, I want Nonhelema to wake up, to realize the treachery around her, the way white men were using her as a means to their own end. Especially Brother Zeisberger, with his pious, self-righteous platitudes and the way he constantly shames her into compliance. But for much of her life, Nonhelema seems confused. Eventually she ponders, "When war and the Jesus God got mixed up together, nothing much makes sense."

Finally, though, she does see the truth about those around her, and she no longer has a need for Zeisberger's approval. I love her best when she goes to him after a near-death experience and, when he complains that her promiscuous ways have taken a toll on her "comely" appearance, she tells him, "My `promiscuity' always made me radiant. What has `ravaged' me is peacemaking." She puts what remains of her mangled hand before the missionary and says, "Our American soldier friends did this when I tried to prevent them killing my uncle. Such have been the rewards for peacemaking."

Nonhelema's life is far more complex than I can express in these few words. Dark Rain Thom and James Alexander Thom have created another rich narrative, this time a story whose Shawnee protagonist lends a rare female voice to the tumultuous 18th century American frontier. Uplifting? Maybe not. But we're all adults here, and most of us have long ago stopped expecting fairy tale endings. We gain so much more enlightenment from the courageous exploits of real-life figures of our history. Or herstory.

Exceptional Depiction of early Frontier Life.......2004-02-21

One cannot read this exceptional biographical fiction of the famous grenadier squaw without feeling like one of its characters, Justin Case, who while cowardly crouching in the bushes experiences an epiphany to see the remarkable Nonhelema
in battle and hear her voice. That's exactly what happened to me! What a brilliant and courageous and tragic figure she is. Betrayed by the Long Knives. Betrayed by her own. The real gift of this book is the forgotten education we have all missed, no, an IGNORED history that the Thoms now bring to us. Women warriors? Were you ever introduced to a native woman warrior in your history classes? And she lived; she is not invented. She is our provocative American heroine. And she was born right here in Oldtown, Maryland. So beautifully rendered and historically accurate. If the film industry doesn't grab this one, they're crazy!

Warrior Woman.......2004-02-06

I just finished reading "Warrior Woman". I could not put it down, finally a book about true native life told from a native point of view and about the normally forgotten native woman!! Exceptionable, husband/wife team writting!Reading this book makes me want to revisit these places again and say a prayer of thanks, that there lives & efforts were not in vain. Thank you Jim Thom & Dark Rain for making this book come alive with our heritage, the good and the bad.

Into the Prairie: The Pioneers (Westerward America!)

Average customer rating:

fabulous historical romance

Into the Prairie: The Pioneers (Westerward America!)
Rosanne Bittner
Manufacturer: Forge Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0765309807

Book Description

nto the Prairie continues Rosanne Bittner's retelling of the growth of America through the descendants of Noah and Jess Wilde, featured in the first book of this series, Into the Wilderness. Grandson Jonah Wilde, his wife Sadie, and their three-year-old son, Paul, head into the prairies of Indiana to build on Jonah's dream of a farming empire. But an encounter with the Shawnee Indians, who believe the land still belongs to them, changes that dream forever. Paul and his mother are led to Tippecanoe, where they are placed at the mercy of a Potawatomi leader, Windigo, and of the famous Shawnee leader, Tecumseh. Will they have the strength-and the luck-to survive when their dreams are destroyed?

Customer Reviews:

fabulous historical romance.......2004-06-30

In 1810 Ohio, middle brother Jonah Wilde decides that the family farm is not big enough for his growing family, his older brother, spouse and children, and their teenage younger sibling. He, his wife Sadie, and their three-year-old son Paul move to the Fort Wayne, Indiana Territory area planning to start their own spread in spite of increased unrest from the Indian tribes united under brilliant tactician Tecumseh.

During a skirmish, the Indians abduct Sadie and Paul. One warrior, Wingo believes Sadie is the woman he has envisioned as his squaw for years. Thinking that Jonah is dead, Sadie will do anything to keep Paul alive so she agrees to marry the Indian. To her surprise, she finds her husband is kind to her and her son and begins to fall in love with him. However, Jonah lives and searches for his wife and son. If he finds them, Sadie has a difficult dilemma to deal with as she loves both men and has Wingo's baby growing inside her.

The third America West tale, INTO THE PRAIRIE is a fabulous historical romance that does more than just bring to life an era although the story line clearly does do that. Sadie's dilemma is the key extra element that makes for a fantastic tale. The support cast consists of warm fully developed protagonists regardless of natural origin, but Rosanne Bittner's deep novel belongs to the stupendous Sadie. Readers will want to obtain the previous "Into" novels starring relatives of Jonah (see INTO THE VALLEY: THE SETTLERS and INTO THE WILDERNESS: THE LONG HUNTERS)

Book Description

Scientists who specialize in the study of Mississippi Valley earthquakes say that the region is overdue for a powerful tremor that will cause major damage and undoubtedly some casualties.

The inevitability of a future quake and the lack of preparation by both individuals and communities provided the impetus for this book. Atkinson brings together applicable information from many disciplines: history, geology and seismology, engineering, zoology, politics and community planning, economics, environmental science, sociology, and psychology and mental health to provide the most comprehensive perspective to date of the myriad impacts of a major earthquake on the Mississippi Valley.

Atkinson addresses such basic questions as "What, actually, are earthquakes? How do they occur? Where are they likely to occur? Can they be predicted, perhaps even prevented?" He also addresses those steps that individuals can take to improve their chances for survival both during and after an earthquake.

Customer Reviews:

Required reading for anyone in the Mississippi Valley.......2004-01-24

The dangerous propensities of the midcontinental earthquake zone known by the name of the New Madrid fault system are part and parcel of life in the area where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi river system. In 1811 and 1812, a bone-shattering series of earthquakes took place here, three of which are estimated at over 8.3 on the Richter scale, devastating this region, creating new lakes, making the Mississippi run backwards for a time, raising hills, and changing river courses. If such a series of events took place today, the consequences would be almost unimaginable.

Atkinson's book explores these matters with a studied eye, an easily understoood writing style, and contains many excellent diagrams forecasting where future quake damage will occur, and in what amount. It also contains a shocking series of narratives about how little has been done to prepare for the next emergency. Make no mistake, the New Madrid earthquakes of the early nineteenth century are not the last seismic events in this region.

This book should be required reading for every local and state government official in this region and, especially for every civil defense person. While no one knows when the next giant eathquake will occur, and it may be some hundreds of years away, the magnitude of the potential disaster dictates readiness now. Examples would include strict rules regarding construction of building highways, bridges, pipelines, levees, sewage and water systems and the like. This book points out clearly what should be done.

I recommend the book highly.

The Need for Earthquake Preparedness.......2000-08-03

This book does an excellent job of describing the recent history of the New Madrid fault, and the impact of recorded earthquakes in that area.

Book Description

Using narrative, monologues, and seventy black-and-white photographs, photojournalist Richard Younker examines the life and culture of what is perhaps the last generation of people to make their living as commercial fishermen on the Mississippi River, Junnie Putman and his family and friends.

Younker delves into and illustrates every aspect of Putman's life: how he works, what he does to relax, how he interacts with family and friends. He shows how Putman fished, divulging some of the secrets of the professional fisherman. Examining this fisherman's life—as well as the lives of his relatives and friends—Younker demonstrates Putman's skill as colorful storyteller with a rich vocabulary. Putman proved forthright when expressing his views about life, river lore, and the changing ecology.

These fishermen (who supplement their incomes by hunting and trapping) have various and vigorous encounters with the law, some confrontational, some clever. They also live dangerous lives, working hard, playing hard. And they are quick to fight. Younker photographs and writes about this side of their lives, too.

In each chapter, Younker narrates an aspect of the life and work of Junnie Putman and his family and friends followed byYounker's own black-and-white photographs that help tell the story. Introducing each photograph is a monologue in which Putman or one of his relatives either recounts the history of the family that settled in Bellevue, Iowa, in 1862 or explains the methods and dangers of a specific job.

Although he spent parts of nine years documenting Junnie Putman and his family, Younker condenses his observations into a single year. He shows, for example, how fishing techniques change with the seasons. Putman uses hoop nets in the spring, trotlines in the summer, trammel nets in the fall, seines in the open water in late fall, and seines under the water in winter.

In Yankin' and Liftin' Their Whole Lives, Younker presents the richness of a vanishing way of life and the intricacies of its labors. He gives Junnie Putman and his friends the opportunity to speak for themselves. And he shows a culture in decline, demonstrating that descent through Putman's failing health, his death, and the townspeople's reminiscences of his life following the funeral.

Customer Reviews:

A good book about an interesting family........2004-04-01

Younker did a wonderful job with this book. It's so interesting reading it, and knowing that I am a part of that family. (My husband is Jon Putman, son of Richard Putman, Bellevue. I think it's a good and interesting read for anyone whether interested in commercial fishing or not.

Commercial Fishing On The Mississippi is a Lifestyle.......2000-12-01

A native of Bellevue Iowa I realized how great this book was at captivating the real truth about what commercial fishing is about. I think this is a great book for anyone who is wanting to know more about the lives of people who Commercial fish. It isn't just a hobby, It affects the whole family. The book doesn't just talk about commercial fishing though. There is something in this book for everyone wanting to know more about growing up in a small town in Iowa. It talks about the commercial fishermans family and how they grew up. I recommend this book to anyone interested in small towns and fishing. I give this book Five stars!

Average customer rating:

O.K. condition
Modern Myth
Three and a half - not as good as Skeleton Man but still worthwhile
It's not Skeleton Man, but it's OK.

The Dark Pond
Joseph Bruchac
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Skeleton Man
The Return of Skeleton Man
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Abduction!
Operation Clean Sweep

ASIN: 0060529989
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Book Description

The author of Skeleton Man returns with another chilling tale.

What kind of sinister creature lurks in the dark pond in the forest? Armie can feel it calling to him...and he suspects the answer may lie in the legends of his Shawnee ancestors.

Joseph Bruchac, the award–winning author of Skeleton Man, puts a contemporary spin on Native American lore to create a terrifying tale of monsters and darkness.

Customer Reviews:

O.K. condition.......2007-05-15
Book arived in a timely manner, but back cover had a rip in it. It can be repaired by covering the book.
Modern Myth.......2007-02-05
Joseph Bruchac delivers an interesting adventure tale in THE DARK POND. His main character is Armie, a half-Shawnee Indian/half-Armenian teen who's been kicked out of several schools. His wealthy, busy parents keep finding new schools to put him into. But the one he's currently in, high in the mountain country, has more danger in it than anyone could imagine.

Armie is a good character, solid and sympathetic, and he also has unusual powers that kids will enjoy. Even though he doesn't understand it, animals love Armie. He fills his pockets with raisins and nuts so the birds and squirrels will have something to eat when they come to visit.

But Armie also demonstrates a lot of the same weaknesses that plague most kids: not fitting in, missing parents, and a lack of friends. All of those things make him interesting. But when he finds the dark pond high up in the mountains and discovers the evil lurking inside it, readers will be compelled to find out what's going to happen.

Bruchac blends a lot of world myth in his novel, primarily borrowing from the Abenaki tribe tales and the stories concerning Beowulf. The evil is so familiar and alien that it seems entirely too real.

The book can be a little difficult to get through because there isn't much dialogue. The first-person narrative helps quite a bit, but the story often has Armie off on his own. That makes the danger more real, but I like dialogue in stories. I read this book to my nine-year-old and he had the same opinion. Just not enough talking.

But by the time we reached the thrilling climax, we were both solidly hooked. I'd reach SKELETON MAN and enjoyed it. THE DARK POND has convinced me that I need to read more of this author's books, and my son agrees.
Three and a half - not as good as Skeleton Man but still worthwhile .......2006-07-25
Joseph Bruchac, author of Skeleton Man, includes Shawnee traditions and tales in this suspenseful story. The main character is Armie Katchatorian, a Shawnee-Armenian-American who is a student in the North Mountains School. He is sent there because his humanitarian lawyer parents don't seem to have time for him with all their work and travel. He always has seemed to be especially in tuned to nature and animals have always been drawn to him. It is this sensitivity that strongly draws him to a dark pond in the woods. But there seems to be a deadly force that is under the water. Fellow Native American, Mitch Sabattis, helps Armie to learn about the pond and its dark force, and ultimately stopping it.

The story is good and a little creepy, certainly not too much for a younger audience. And I enjoyed the character of Armie who was interesting and unique. While the story wasn't as measurable as Skeleton Man, I wasn't disappointed in it. Anyone one who takes pleasure in mysteries or other works by Joseph Bruchac will also like The Dark Pond.
It's not Skeleton Man, but it's OK........2005-11-11
This book, based on tales told by Native Americans in the Northeast, is a story by Joseph Bruchac, a member of the Abenaki tribe. I couldn't help but compare it to Skeleton Man by the same author and the same premise of taking a traditional story and putting it in contemporary society. The characters never became alive in this story. It's an excellent story of itself, but the story is the thing here, not the characters.

If you read Skeleton Man and loved it, you'll like The Dark Pond. If you liked The Dark Pond, read Skeleton Man, you'll love it.

Average customer rating:

Read This Book!!

Danger Along the Ohio

A good pionear book.

3 children, separated from their dad, travel the OH river.

Danger Along the Ohio (An Avon Camelot Book)
Patricia Willis
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Colonial | Fiction | United States | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0380731517
Release Date: 1999-03-09

Book Description
Traveling down the Ohio River in 1793, Amos, Clara, and Jonathan are separated from their father during a brutal Indian attack. The three children are swept down the river, and must make their way back through the wilderness in the direction of the Marietta settlement, hoping to find their father there. Their plight becomes still more dramatic -- and dangerous -- when Amos rescues a wounded Indian boy from the river. Though the boy mistrusts them and his condition slows them down, Amos refuses to leave him behind to die. Now more than ever, it seems they'll never make it back to their father and to safety.
Customer Reviews:

Read This Book!!.......2005-02-10
Danger Along The Ohio by Patricia Wills'. This book takes place on the Ohio River in 1793. The main characters are Amos Clara and Jonathan. Their mother died after giving birth to Jonathan. Now all they have is a father. Amos, Clara, and Jonathan have a very playful pet cow.

In Danger Along The Ohio Amos Clara and Jonathan get separated from their dad during a heart stopping Indian attack! The problem is they can't find him. My favorite part is when they escape the Indian attack.

I recommend this book to a friend because it is packed with excitement and interest. I give it 5 stars because it is really exciting but it is a little slow at the beginning of the book. Patricia Wills' books are very interesting.

Danger Along the Ohio.......2004-11-03
My book was about three kids, Clara, Jonathan, and Amos trying to survive in the wilderness. They have been separated from their father and their home. The Indians set fire to their flatboat on the Ohio River. All three kids run for their lives while their father is fighting. The only food they have is nuts, and milk from their cow. After a week of walking they are captured by Indians. The Indians didn't kill them because Amos saved an Indian that was drowning in the Ohio River because he was shot and he was too weak to save himself. They named him Red Moccasin because when they found him he was wearing a Red Moccasin on his head.
The Shawnee Indians wanted Clara, Jonathan, and Amos to part of their tribe. So they stayed with the Indians for two days. They thought they were doomed, they thought their lives were over! Then that night white men attacked the campus. While the war was in session the three of them escaped very quietly, then about a mile away a white man found them. The next thing you know Red Moccasin has a gun at Amos's forehead. Then he remembered how Amos saved his his life, he changed his mind. They asked the white man if he knew their father, he said their father was still living. i think this book is a fifth grade book. This book was very fun to read! It was a great adventure!
A good pionear book........1999-10-26
This book contains a great mix of charaters and plots. Even though they could of jazzed it up a little it was stil a ture and great story for education, intrest, and fun. The book was a travel along the ohio most of the time.
3 children, separated from their dad, travel the OH river........1999-01-10
Danger Along The Ohio by Patricia Willis is an excellent story about pioneer life in Ohio during the mid to late 1700's. This book is full of adventure that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat! It is a book you will not want to put down once you begin reading it. The language in this book is wonderful. It is full of similes, metaphors, imagery, onomatopoeia, and more. This book also provides the opportunity to discuss how the white pioneers viewed the Native Americans, and vice verse. For anyone who wants to know more about Ohio life during this time, this is a perfect book. Kids love it!
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