4 comments about In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life.

1. 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



2. 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...




3. 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.



4. 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.

5 comments about Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape:Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks (Crown Journeys).

1. This book is thin. I mean literally. It is really just a somewhat longish essay. I was disappointed that there was not more depth, more history, more "more."
   
   This is the story of McKibben's amble from Vermont to the central Adirondacks, with a crossing by row boat of Lake Champlain. McKibben is a good writer and he loves this landscape and is very concerned about it and its place in the global environment, but I could not help comparing him and this book to another Bill-namely Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Bryson is a much more energetic writer. In my opinion, he is funnier and deeper than McKibben. A Walk in the Woods is a great book, Wandering Home is light weight by comparison.
   
   McKibben has some very good thoughts on environmental issues and expresses an admirable moderation in this book. He is especially sensitive to the complexity of many environmental issues and actively criticizes the "knee-jerk" environmentalists for over-simplifying the issues in many cases. On the other hand, McKibben is something of a romantic airhead. Often his ruminations are fatuous and patronizing; for example, his dogma that those simple Vermont farmers and old Adirondack loggers that he's met are more "authentic" than you or I (McKibben makes this claim more than once in Wandering Home).
   
   Nevertheless, I liked this book and enjoyed reading it. McKibben loves the Adirondacks and so do I. In this short book he's managed to capture something of the flavor of the hidden Adirondacks, that fortunately so few people know. The Adirondack Park of New York is the most beautiful sylvan landscape in the world. McKibben's book raises, but barely starts to answer, such questions as why and how to protect and preserve the Adirondacks and other similarly blessed places.



2. Bill McKibben walks for sixteen days through the Adirondack Mountains to share his love of the land with his readers but what makes the book so special are the people Bill introduces, walks with, and talks with (and about...) along his journey. I was a Travel Agent for five years and was lucky enough to be sent to some of the best, first class places in America and this journey that Bill McKibben takes us on with his words is more meaningful than many of those places I went to which include the Grand Canyon & Scottsdale, AZ; the San Francisco Bay Area; Paradise Island & Nassau, Bahamas; Manhattan; the Sierra-Nevada Mountains (by train); and New Orleans & Mississippi River Cruise!
   
   Each authentic and real person that McKibben joins on his trek lends a hand in telling the story. The book is as much about the beauty of the people as it is of the land. I grew up twenty miles away from the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, and presently I am a steward and guardian of 400 acres of land in central PA with my husband, his uncle, and my husband's brother and I share and appreciate Bill McKibben's deep love for the power of nature, the wild, and the people. I found John Davis (owns a bicycle, no car) as one of the most interesting characters in the book. I also like the stories of Chris Shaw, who has the good sense of memorializing the people who have passed on but that once lived in the Adirondacks and give the book historical authenticity. My favorite stories in the book are from Donald Armstrong and especially Armstrong's memory he shares with McKibben (and us) about Don's wife, Velda and a fly-fishing event. I laughed so hard I cried! It is a funny moment, but this husband-wife story is so cute and sweet, and gives one a feeling of nostalgia. (The church steeple is a cool part, too.) This is a gem of a story and Wandering Home is a gem of a book.
   
   I am a people person and for the first few chapters of Wandering Home I'm thinking that it is too bad Bill McKibben spends all this passion on the Adirondacks. I imagine what his passion could do to improve the lives of the infirm or impoverished people. Much to my chagrin, in the last few chapters McKibben admits this deficit with charm and honesty. He admits he should spend more time helping the less fortunate, and then justifies his love and preservation of the Adirondacks as his way of giving something back to people. And, I agree that he has. Furthermore, he explains that he tries not to be a drain on the planet. If only we could all think this way, maybe our global warming and environmental problems would vanish. For the first time in my life, I realize the full extent of the impact that people have had and still have on our surroundings and I am saddened and sickened by it. (I imagine a sunrise or a sunset over a mountain, or an ocean breeze I thank God there are still a few areas left in this world that man / woman hasn't been able to get his / her hands on.)
   
   I do have one eco-criticism of Wandering Home. Bill writes that he and John Davis climb to the top of Owl's Head on page 93 of his book. Owl's Head is a considerable distance away from Bristol, and is not included in the path outlined on the inside covers of his book. But, every author has to create mystery in some way, right? Judging by the description of Owl's Head I can see why McKibben would include it in his "walk" since Owl's Head sounds like a stunning place with it's 390 degree view of the Adirondack mountains. On my map, Owl's Head is about sixty miles north of Lake Placid one way, as the crow flies.
   
   Dr. Robert Bernard Hass (English Professor, poet, writer, and Robert Frost expert at Edinboro University) and I got into a discussion about hyper-individualism in class one day. Dr. Hass told me about his friend named Bill McKibben and how McKibben writes about hyper-individualism and that a good place to start on the subject would be Wandering Home. I am grateful that Hass recommended the book to me. It was a book that I was sad to see end, but a journey I will always remember in more ways than one. I was so inspired that I am planning on a short family vacation to the Adirondacks for this summer. I will do my best to demonstrate a sense of forest preservation and protection while I'm there, visiting the wild of the Adirondacks.



3. Bill McKibben describes a walk through place and community. The community is bound by a geographic region but the displaced reader is imperceptibly drawn into the mind-set of McKibben and his guests. You are introduced to a group who love the land on the Vermont/New York border and recognise it as one of the few "wild" places left in America. It is their passion to preserve and conserve that comes through and it is infectious. The book inspires the reader to analyse their relationship to place and modes of behaviour driven by place. The antithesis of economic consumption exists in all of us, however repressed. Bill brings it to the fore. The effect on the distant reader is such that you will join the community despite being so far way. Bravo Bill !!!!!!!!!!!!!!



4. I have spent much of my recreational time in the two places Bill McKibben writes about in this book -- The Adirondacks of New York and the Champlain Valley of Vermont. They both offer some of the most beautiful, pastoral scenery in the US. From Lake Champlain itself you can see the Green Mountains of Vermont on one side and the Adirondack Mountains of New York on the other. As Mr. KcKibben points out, while they may look similar and proximate from afar, each is quite different from the other. The Champlain Valley is more pastoral, bucolic and New England-like. The Adirondacks are much more rugged, wilderness-like and rough around the edges. Both can call to you in a way that becomes a lifetime's pursuit.
   
   This book is an easy and short read. It is engaging, paints wonderful pictures with words and gets you to think about the tension between a simpler life closer to the natural world and modern society and progress/development. He is fair in his assessment of the joys and the struggles associated with a simpler life closer to nature. I don't know who would enjoy this book more - the person who has enjoyed this simpler life or one who can only imagine it through books like this one. I highly recommend this book for people who love this part of the world or who have thought about getting closer to the land and living a simpler life.



5. Bill McKibben comes through again. This time it's "a walk in his woods," a three week hike connecting upstate Vermont with the Adirondacks.
   
   When you travel with Bill, it's a journey of body, a journey of mind and a journey of spirit, all rolled into one. You'll meet other folks along the way, people who have something to say to Bill and to you. You travel easy with Bill. This Bill is not as funny as Bill Bryson but he's more thoughtful. And he'll get you thinking.
   
   This book is a book about a place and about the history of that place. Having hiked in both areas, I especially enjoyed the subtle distinctions Bill is able to discern in landscape, flora and in the character of people between what he sees in the gentle hills of Vermont and the rougher landscape and terrain of the Adirondacks.
   
   Take this trip with Bill McKibben. You'll be glad you did.

No comments about Zagat Connecticut Restaurants 2008/09 (Zagatsurvey: Connecticut Restaurants).

3 comments about Jack and the Beanstalk (We Both Read).

1. Beautifully illustrated and written - the story is true to the fairy tales original plot. I especially like the fact that children can enjoy and participate in this book at their own level. My almost 4 year old boy is an early reader -- he can phonetically pronounce more than half the words on the children's pages, and adds new words each time we read it. His twin sister is just starting to sound out words, but watches with interest as I read the children's pages to her and point to each word as I say it. We're planning to give a copy of this book in the "goody bag" to each child at their 4 year old birthday party next month!



2. A really great idea in children's books! The adult reads the paragraphs on the left side of the book. The parent's sides are full of descriptive words that add to the story. The child reads the right side of the book. The words continue to tell the story, but in more simple words. My son (age five) loves to read these books. The when I read my section, it gives him a much needed break, and he can just imagine what is going on in the story. When it is his turn to read, he is ready to participate!



3. This book was very good and had a lot of humor. The author

   really gets into telling us how Jack got the magic beans by

   trading his cow for them. His mother thought he was dumb for

   buying the beans. So he throws them out the window then grow

   and Jack climbs the stalk to the top. While looking around sees

   the giant then steals his harp. When Jack gets to the bottom

   and while the giant was climbing Jack choped the giants stalk.

   So the giant is destroyed and everybody lives happily ever

   after. This would be a good book for a fairy tale loving person.

5 comments about Dog-Friendly New England: A Traveler's Companion, Second Edition (Dog Friendly).

1. This is a great book, we have dogs and love to travel. This book gives us a wonderful list of places to stay and other information.
   Thank you,
   Jane



2. We took our two dogs to Canada and used this to navigate the northeast. Highly highly recommended.



3. Dog-Friendly New England is a well-organized travel guide for those of us who can't think of travelling without our dog. The book is organized by region,
   and each region is rated for its "dog-friendliness."
   This book is fun to read when you're just trying to plan a New England trip.
   It offers just the right amount of information, with capsule reviews of lodging establishments, restaurants, and attractions. You can probably plan your whole trip to New England based on the recommendations in this book.



4. My wife and I wanted to travel with our Newfoundland dog. No small feat! I read the reviews of this book and decided to try it for myself. I have just returned from 8 days in Kennebunk, Kittery, Bar Harbr ME and Newport RI. The suggested places to stay were teriffic. Clean, roomy enough and very very hospitable. The places to eat and go were also uniformly great! While these were not 5 star resorts, the owners get 5 stars for opening their places to a gateful family! GET THIS BOOK!



5. I purchased this volume, unread, as a gift. Therefore, I cannot offer first-hand testimony (hence, my four stars). The recipient, however, vouches for its accuracy and usefulness.

5 comments about Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work: Stories.

1. It would be tough to write a better collection of short stories than Brown's first, Driving The Heart, but, damn, he did it. I swear on my best dog's grave that Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work is one of the best books of fiction I've read in a couple of years. If you love short stories as much as I do, you'd be nuts not to buy this book. Forget that bestseller trash, and buy something worth the money.



2. Full Disclosure: I attended Bowdoin College with Jason Brown, and we had an acquaintance or two in common. I read a profile in the Bowdoin Magazine and then bought his first book, which I loved.
   
   This collection of short stories was dynamite. Dark and powerful, all its stories revolve around the fictional town of Vaughn on the Kennebec River. I would almost call it a novel about Vaughn told from all sorts of angles, from the aging widow to the neglected children. I was particularly impressed with a story about a logger on the last pulp run down the Kennebec.
   
   These are stories that stay with you. I read the entire collection on the train between Boston and Lawrence -- after each story, I would stare out the window looking at the double-deckers in Malden or the stark outlines of abandoned mills.
   
   I look forward to his novel.
   
   Just for kicks, compare the map of Vaugn in the collection to Jason Brown's hometown of Hallowell, Maine.



3. Jason Brown writes wonderful short stories. In this collection, he is able to capture perfectly and insightfully the nuances of adolescent experience. BUY THIS BOOK!



4. Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work: Stories
   
   Although all of the stories in Jason Brown's second collection are set in and around the fictional town of Vaughn, Maine, the emotional territory of the stories is far-reaching. Many of his characters are moving through life in quiet turmoil--enduring, defiant, proud, foolish. Brown's deep compassion for these flawed characters makes each of their struggles palpable and affecting. We feel the stories viscerally, which is how Brown seems to write them. This is writing from the gut. The best book of stories I've read in years.



5. Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work: Stories
   
   This is a fantastic collection. Read Brown's "Trees," in which the woods stand as a watchful, powerful central character. All of Brown's stories are like those woods: deep, dark, and full of secrets, a place you're drawn to again and again.

No comments about Belchamber (New York Review Books Classics).

3 comments about Vermont Covered Bridges Map & Guide.

1. On medium-weight, stain-resistant paper, this beautiful and durable map folds out to approximately 2 feet by 3 feet. On one side is a three-color map of Vermont placing all 107 of the state's covered bridges, interesting facts about bridges and their designers, separate indices for bridges and places, and labelled watercolors of 23 of the bridges. The reverse side shows a county map, line drawings of various types of bridge trusses and a list of all the state's covered bridges by town. Each entry gives the date the bridge was built, information about its design and construction, and directions to the bridge.

   This is a beautiful and informative map, and what a bargain!




2. Just returned from a week in Vermont and this map/guide saved me a lot of time and effort in tracking down the covered bridges I wanted to see in Northern Vermont.



3. I found this map of Vermont covered bridges only moderately helpful. The map has a symbol for covered bridges on it and directions to each bridge are located on the back of the map by region, along with a very brief history. I found having to flip the map over for directions very user unfriendly while trying to navigate.

5 comments about Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound.

1. Well researched and written. This book should be read by everyone who is really concerned about the reduction in use of fossil fuels. The outrageous hypocrisy of politicians of both parties as well as some of the beautiful people who claim to support the development of alternative energy sources is laid out for all to see.



2. Ironic is the only way I can describe the situation regarding the Cape Wind project. You'd think that politicians who have been at the forefront of environmental issues would jump to the head of the bandwagon to approve this project, yet instead they are doing everything they can to oppose it. I'm talking about powerful people like Ted Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Mitt Romney.
   
   In the case of the Kennedys, I can understand that they are trying to protect their view of Nantucket Sound for themselves and for their wealthy neighbors, but in Romney's case, his decision to subvert democracy to appease a powerful elite could cost him a run at the White House. I can't put a URL in a review but you can find more in my blog about this book by searching for my name and 'Cape Wind' on Google.
   
   This book is entertaining, full of interesting facts, and is fun to read. I highly recommend it.



3. As the former Director of the first off-Cape Chapter of CLEAN POWER NOW representing the South Coast which I founded in New Bedford, while living in Fairhaven, and following the Bouchard oil-spill disaster, I used to be a staunch supporter of the project. About a year and a half later, having been involved and being privileged to a lot of information others were not, I one day received an e-mail from a "science writer Wendy Williams" asking me to share my information and experience with her for the purpose to be used in a book she was allegedly writing entitled "The Demise of the American Democracy."
   I consented and invited her for lunch, spent an entire Sunday afternoon with her walking the beaches, sharing information and showing her the documentary I took part in that was made after the oil-spill. This film went as far as being shown to the Head of the Coast Guard in Washington D.C. I had testified in front of the DEP, EPA and in favor of the project in front of the Corps of Engineers (check my name Inge Perreault on google.com or yahoo.com)
   
   While the information Ms. Williams reports makes for an interesting reading experience giving an insight look into the politics and influence of money and power - the way the information was obtained baffled me. When I contacted Ms. Williams a few days later she could not be reached and I was informed the following day by the then Director of CLEAN POWER NOW on the Cape to never contact Ms. Williams again. You can imagine my astonishment! My following e-mails as well as telephone calls to her were never returned or answered.
   
   Why then was I misled as to the purpose of her visit, my sharing privileged information with her for a book under the title "The Demise of the American Democracy" when I was in favor of the project, knew the person trying to build it and had worked hard pro-bono, obtained grants and spent countless hours such as arranging for events by Ross Gelbspan speaking about his books "THE HEAT IS ON" and "BOILING POINT" for over a couple of years by then, intent on improving our environment?
   
   The answer to that question is still an enigma to me and makes me question the true motive behind the book that was published under the title "CAPE WIND...." as well as who paid for the book to BE published. Wendy Williams blatantly lied to me, used me and then did not even have the courage to confront me personally - while I was voted that spring "Earthmother 2005" in New Bedford.
   
   Being an author myself such behavior truly makes me wonder why this book was written in the first place and tells me a lot about the tremendous influence of money and power on both sides of the fence.



4. Before I begin this review, I want to share my involvement with/knowledge of the Cape Wind project. I have no relationship with either side of the Cape Wind debate, and don't foresee having one either. My current knowledge about the project is limited to the Wall Street Journal review of this book, and the book itself. Thus, I approached the book with no preconceptions beyond my general opinion that we, as a society, need to take some action to diversify our energy generation capabilities.
   
   With that as background, I found Cape Wind to have a very powerful thesis: namely, U.S. government policy and law is shaped by moneyed interests more than by democratic principals. While this argument isn't new, Williams and Whitcomb breathe new life into the debate by depicting the unnecessarily torturous drama that is the Cape Wind project's saga. The fact that politicians from both political parties (Senators Edward Kennedy, John Warner, Ted Stevens; Representative Don Young; Governor Mitt Romney) are shown engaging in obstructionist behavior strengthens their case.
   
   While the facts of the case are compelling, it's sad to say that Williams' and Whitcomb's editorial decisions frequently weaken the effectiveness of their argument. While it's okay to have an opinion on the project, Williams and Whitcomb let their strong biases in favor of the venture color their writing. This bias is especially apparent in their fawning portrayal of the project's leader, Jim Gordon. For writers that are reporters, this lack of balance is surprising. Also surprising are the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that populate the book's first edition (my favorite is on page 36, where Marie Antoinette is described as the "....wife of Louise XVI...."). Finally, the book is hampered by the project's status, which the authors imply is ongoing as of the book's publication. Thus, the reader is given no end to the story. By printing this book before the issues surrounding the project had been resolved (along with the other flaws mentioned earlier), the reader is left with the impression that the book is a propaganda piece designed to attract new supporters and excite the existing supporters before the next round of hearings begin.
   
   Cape Wind has a great premise, and plenty of evidence to support that premise. The fact that the evidence is so overwhelming makes the book as effective as it is. However, if the authors had taken a little more care and balance in presenting that material, they would have been more effective in both proving their thesis and raising sympathies for the Cape Wind project.



5. Cape Wind delves deep into the politics surrounding Jim Gordon and his proposal to build 130 offshore wind turbines in Nantucket Sound. From the town meetings in Barnstable to the halls of the Capiton in Washington DC, Whitcomb and Williams chronicle the effort to build the wind farm project and the surprising opposition it faced, often from politicians who were strongly on record of being in favor of alternative energy.
   
   Cape Wind is not an unbiased book. The authors clearly are in favor of the wind farm, and they make no effort to hide their perspective. It is, however, an exceptionally well-researched book, and an insightful look into the politics of some of the wealthiest communities in Massachusetts.
   
   The Cape Cod communities centered around Oyster Harbors (home of the DuPont and Mellon families) and Hyannisport (of the Kennedys) are profiled with extensive background information that shows the origins of their opposition to the wind energy project in the waters that were considered their back yard.
   
   Jeff Gordon, the energy entrepreneur behind Cape Wind is profiled, and the authors follow his victories and frustrations in the still-unresolved battle over the wind farm.
   
   With energy policy becoming a more serious priority every day, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the challenges and hurdles facing the clean energy movement.
   
   It's also a great book on local politics, dirty and otherwise.

No comments about New England Trees & Wildflowers (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press).