Go North, Young Man, first published in 1957, is Gordon Stoddard's account of his first four years as a homesteader on Alaska's Kenai peninsula in the 1950s. From building his first cabin (with only the aid of a basic do-it-yourself pamphlet), to growing an abundance of over-sized vegetables, to hunting and foraging and surviving the long winters, Stoddard portrays a down-to-earth look at the simple life he desired and created for himself. Includes 19 pages of photographs and maps.
A compelling story, full of adventure, set against the move to freedom in Africa. In the face of opposition, hatred, violence and death, humanity and love are nonetheless maintained. Joseph Mahoney, the Colonial Commissioner in the Kariba Gorge, must deal with an undercurrent of violence and revenge, despite having significant personal problems.
Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain Life in 1920s South Texas Jose Antonio Lopez Summary Life in 1920s South Texas was mercilessly miserable for U.S. citizens of Spanish Mexican (Tejano) ancestry. The courageous descendants of Native Americans and the first Europeans to set foot in Texas had been reduced by this time to the status of foreigners in their own homeland. It had been over eighty years since the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, but the suffering of the native inhabitants continued unrestrained into the twentieth century. In short, Tejanos looked like the enemy, spoke Spanish like the enemy, worshipped as Catholics like the enemy, and thus were treated like the enemy. Akin to a never-ending nightmarish inferno stoked by constant Battle of the Alamo reminders, the damage to the tormented Tejano psyche persists to this day. Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain involves the day-to-day life of a Tejano family, whose members are living in two parallel worlds. One is the world of their Spanish Mexican ancestors, inventors of the ranch and cowboy phenomena, and the other is the world of Anglo Saxon Texas that treats them as strangers in the only homeland they have ever known. The first world is a sanctuary providing comfort, but it is slowly disappearing. The second world is fraught with overwhelming anxiety and continues unabated to the present time. The book typifies the saga of countless Tejano families struggling to make a living in the harsh brush country of South Texas while at the same time fighting off those who wanted their land at all costs. The story begins with a scene worthy of a Russian czar. A ranch foreman, bloodied by a brutal beating, hangs feet first from the arm of a large oak tree. Although not charged with any crime, he had been left there by the Texas Rangers. It was a most undignified sight! How could this be? After all, this was the 1920s. Wasn’t the United States of America the land of the free, where a person was innocent until proven guilty? Wasn’t South Texas part of the United States of America? Had not the country recently fought a world war, the Great War to guarantee freedom for others in Europe? What about basic freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution for citizens in this country, regardless of their race, creed, or color? The man hanging from the tree was a U.S. citizen. So how could this be happening? Why was he being treated in such a cruel manner? The first chapters introduce the several main characters of the storyline. Chapa, the Rancho La Paz foreman, is a strong and capable young man who valiantly absorbs the rangers’ brutal punishment without betraying his boss. The beautiful Dona Carmelita “Meli” is the ranch owner’s wife. She is the social conscience of the community. Don Roberto Gutierrez, her husband, is the former county sheriff who traces his lineage to the first Spanish Mexican Texas settlers. He is suddenly accused of smuggling contraband horses and mules from Mexico. Justa is the ranch matron. She is a wise curandera (folk healer) whose counsel is sought by all. Sabi is Justa’s daughter and helps her mother with her duties at La Paz. Both of them are part of Don Roberto’s extended family. Epifania “Epi” Martinez is a Gutierrez relative who works at the courthouse. Amble Macray is a rich Anglo-Saxon cattleman from Fort Worth. He grew up with the Gutierrez family. He and his family are very supportive of Tejano culture and respectful of the Spanish Mexican roots of Texas. Amble has two brothers. One of them (Deck) is now the sheriff. Deck reluctantly participates in Don Roberto’s persecution and prosecution. They have one sister, Libby. They also have a half-sibling, Raymundo, a U.S. marshal. Scott Johnson is Don Roberto’s defense attorney. Scott is an idealistic young lawyer who is defending his first case. George R. Reed is a former county judge who controls most significant activities in the community. As the area political boss, he wants Rancho La
A powerful tale of grief, love’s enduring bonds, and secrets of the past from #1 New York Times bestselling author and master storyteller Stephen King. Four years after the sudden death of his wife, bestselling novelist Mike Noonan is still grieving. Unable to write and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summerhouse he calls “Sara Laughs,” Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway. There, he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, whose vindictive purpose is to take his three-year-old granddaughter, Kyra, away from her widowed young mother, Mattie. As Mike is drawn into Mattie’s and Kyra’s struggle—and as he falls in love with both of them—he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs…now the site of ghostly visitations and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here—and just what do they want of Mike Noonan?
From the concert stage to the dressing room, from the recording studio to the digital realm, SPIN surveys the modern musical landscape and the culture around it with authoritative reporting, provocative interviews, and a discerning critical ear. With dynamic photography, bold graphic design, and informed irreverence, the pages of SPIN pulsate with the energy of today's most innovative sounds. Whether covering what's new or what's next, SPIN is your monthly VIP pass to all that rocks.
The border between the United States and Mexico, despite attempts at containment, remains a vast and uniquely malleable yet indefinable region. With Border Culture, Ilan Stavans has collected essays representative of the tangled experiences and issues central to life between cultures. Divided into two sections, Border Culture covers topics essential to better understanding this often misunderstood region and state-of-mind. The first section, "Considerations," culls essays covering socio-economic and political topics illustrating the hyper reality of life and living on La Frontera. Section two, "Testimonios," takes careful consideration of lives affected by the border, either as a finite place, alternate universe, or the framework of the border as a state-of-mind, through various historic and literary accounts of La Frontera. This enlightening and comprehensive collection will no doubt help readers better understand border culture.
