Conquering Chronic Pain After Injury

Book Description

This is the first book to address post-traumatic pain syndrome-an elusive, frustrating, lingering pain that persists well after an injury has healed. Those with the disorder are frequently abandoned by traditional medical care, but this team of authorities on pain management, in conjunction with other experts on alternative healing therapies, present a book that is the best of complementary medicine. Using a variety of treatment options such as medication, psychotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage, the authors offer hope and healing for this disabling condition.

Customer Reviews:

A good introductory reference on pain management.......2005-01-07

Simon, Ehrlich and Sadwin have edited a good basic introductory reference for the public on pain management with a variety of complementary/alternative medicine approaches. Each of the editors has contributed sections of the book as well. Various tables summarize relevant material and nicely supplement the text, which is divided into easily digested portions.

The reviewer, who is familiar with a spectrum of approaches to relieve pain and emotional traumas, found items of particular interest:

> A discussion on 40 symptoms of hidden brain concussion (p. 51)
> A discussion on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), aka Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), its assessment and treatments
> A table differentiating between physical and psychological pain syndromes (p. 92-93)

The discussion on CAM approaches highlights a broad spectrum of modalities, with a few suggested readings for most. Surprising significant omissions: EMDR, Energy Psychology approaches e.g. (WHEE; Emotional Freedom Technique), both of which are the most potent of the available treatments for psychological trauma, and the latter of which is very helpful in treatment of physical pain as well.

Conquering Chronic Pain After Injury: An Integrative Approach to Treating Post-traumatic Pain

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Conquering Chronic Pain After Injury: An Integrative Approach to Treating Post-traumatic Pain
William H. Simon , George E. Ehrlich , and Arnold Sadwin
Manufacturer: Diane Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Pain Management | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0756784700

Product Description

For anyone who continues to feel pain long after an injury has had time to heal. Countless people suffer relentless pain for months or years after an injury, known as post-traumatic pain syndrome (PTPS). Here, a team of conventional- & alternative-healing authorities offer an integrative approach to treat. They delineate the elements of PTPS, incl. referred pain (pain felt in one area of the body though the injury is in another), numbness, weakness, & fatigue; & emotional symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder are described. In Part 2, each chapter is written by an expert, suggests a specific therapy, among them medication, massage therapy, psychotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, nutritional therapy, & biofeedback.

Book Description

In 1986, Charles Henderson first published Marine Sniper-the incredible story of Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, whose 93 confirmed kills in Vietnam have never been matched by any sniper before or since.

Now, the incredible story of a remarkable Marine continues-with harrowing, never-before-published accounts of courage and perseverance. These are the powerful stories of a man who rose to greatness not for personal gain or glory, but for duty and honor. A rare inside look at the U.S. Marine's most challenging missions-and the one man who made military history.

Download Description

In the United States Marine Corps, the most dangerous job in combat is that of the sniper. With no backup and little communication with the outside world, these men disappeared for weeks on end in the wilderness with nothing but intellect and iron will to protect them--as they would watch, wait, and finally strike. But of

Customer Reviews:

Something that must be said.......2007-09-26

This is a book that tells a story that is little known beyond the ranks of the military. It should be known by all as it is one of the things that has maintained our freedom thru the years. The book is well written and to the point.

Honor; Duty; Country ..........2007-08-05

I believe the following quote best speaks to Carlos Hathcock; the Marine; the man.
" The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through like without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our calculation; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honor".

I felt compelled to write the above after reading the dual 1-star posts from "a reader" who basically called Mr. Hathcock a liar, fraud and phony.
He starts out with one line of praise then basically says Mr. Hathcock was a phony and his story a con job.
Of course he offers no facts or evidence to support his claims.
Just another who disrespects and spits on those who have served; are serving and will serve.
He should be ashamed.
You sir/"a reader", will never walk among the ranks of honor.

Silent Warrior.......2007-01-09

Fills in lots of the details the Marine Sniper leaves out. Read Marine Sniper first then this and you will have to complete story. There is some repition but not enough to bore you.

Solid Writing, Exceptional Story, Enough Said.......2005-07-06

I purchased this book as I have always been interested in the stories behind war. I am not very interested in the war itself, but rather the stories of the people who fight the wars.

This book is a biography of Carlos Hathcock. Being born after the Vietnam War, the name typically would have meant nothing to me except I ran into the son of one of Hathcock's "trainees" and Hathcock's name always stuck with me.

Hathcock was just another Marine in Vietnam. He was an elite marksman with a rifle, yet this was ignored and upon arriving in Vietnam, Hathcock was assigned to a desk job in an MP battalion as a watch commander. After serving as an MP for a while, a "freak" occurrence required Hathcock to use his marksmanship skills to take out an enemy shooter who had attacked the base. The enemy solider was to be taken out at his village. From there, Hathcock's career rapidly progresses into becoming a sniper. The book covers Hathcock's legendary career as a sniper. During two tours of duty, Hathcock racked up almost 100 confirmed kills and numerous other unconfirmed kills. Hathcock became so good at what he did, the enemy offered a $20,000 bounty to the person who killed Hathcock or his partner. The enemy formulated several special groups and executed some brilliant strategies to try and take out the "white feather".

My meager words could never do justice to the author. Reading the book is like watching a poetic war drama. The eloquence the author uses in this book is mesmerizing. The scenes are described in such vivid detail, I felt like I was there, hearing bullets buzz above my head, listening to my heart pounding, watching the blood of an unfortunate soldier soak into the earth, as I see the person next to me squeeze the trigger to silence the enemy soldier's rifle. The stories in the book range from humorous, victorious, heroic, then to disheartening. To the people who are unfamiliar with Hathcock's story, the end of Hathcock's days in Vietnam is shocking, but not surprising. I was most impressed by the humanity Hathcock expressed. He never looked at it as killing an enemy solder, rather he saw his job as saving the lives of American soldiers. I also found some of the stories in the book familiar, as I recognized bits and pieces I've seen in movies over the years (probably the most well-known being the "scope" episode, which is in the movie "Saving Private Ryan". I'm guessing this is based on Hathcock's story).

This is by far one of the best books I have read that cover the life of a soldier. I would highly recommend this book to people interested in the life of a sniper or are interested in soldiers of the Vietnam War.

Henderson goes back to the well.......2004-08-07

And well done, Charles Henderson! They say that one's first book is always going to be a preparation for the second, and the book, Marine Sniper, that I read about Carlos Hathcock, just warmed me up for this second go-round of Hathcock adventures. In a way the two books were very similar, since it says in the introduction that they were carved out of the same UR-manuscript and written before Carlos' death five years ago.

SILENT WARRIOR gives a deeper perspective on some of the events and personalities depicted in MS93CK. The drawback for me is that I think to give the book more weight, Henderson resorts to some dubious devices to pump up the volume, including imagining what Carlos was thinking at such and such a time, and also frankly the worst offenders of the story, APACHE and PHILIP METZ, are turned into super-villainous caricatures that Ian Fleming might have dreamed up to torture James Bond. If they really existed, and Carlos killed them, good for him. But the writing is so over the top it's hard to be sure.

This would be a good introduction to the life and death of a great Marine, but we already had the other book which is also a good introduction, so it's a draw.

The Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Vietnam Story Continues

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The Silent Warrior: The Marine Sniper's Vietnam Story Continues
Charles Henderson
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NQM28O

Book Description

"Fabend relates developments in the Reformed Dutch Church during the Second Great Awakening to larger themes in American social history, such as the evolution of ethnic identity, the changing roles of women, and the history of reform movements. It is serious scholarship, yet it is written in a style that is accessible to the general reader." --David Stephen Cohen, New Jersey Historical Commission "Zion on the Hudson is required reading for anyone struggling with the questions of why 'Dutchness' persisted in New York and New Jersey, and what eventually caused it to disappear. Making use of a wide array of previously untapped sources, Fabend unfolds the story of Dutch persistence in a beautifully written style." --Charles T. Gehring, Director, New Netherland Project The Dutch came to the New World in the seventeenth century as explorers and traders, but religion soon followed, for it was accepted in the Netherlands that state and church were mutually benefited by advancing the "true Christian religion." The influence of "Dutchness"--defined as loyalty to what are presumed to be the distinctive qualities of Dutch national character and culture--persisted in New York and New Jersey for more than two hundred years after Dutch emigration ended. Why? Firth Haring Fabend finds the explanation in the devotion of the Reformed Dutch Church membership to the doctrines and traditions of their religion. She looks at both the larger themes in American history and at the beliefs and behaviors of individuals in this often-neglected ethnic group. Thus, Zion on the Hudson presents both a broad and an intimate look at the way one mainstream Protestant denomination dealt with the transformative events of the evangelical era. As Fabend describes the efforts of the descendents of the Dutch settlers to preserve the European standards and traditions of their church while developing a taste for a new kind of theology and a preference for an American identity, she documents how Dutchness finally became a historical memory. The Americanization of the Reformed Dutch Church, Fabend writes, is a microcosm of the story of the Americanization of the United States itself. Firth Haring Fabend is the author A Dutch Family in the Middle Colonies, 1660-1800 (Rutgers University Press), winner of the New York State Historical Association Annual Book Award and the Hendricks Prize of the New Netherland Project.

Customer Reviews:

Zion on the Hudson: Dutch NY and NJ in the Age of Revivals.......2003-07-02

The following are excerpts from reviews of Zion on the Hudson: "Simply fascinating local religious history and simply good regional history." Douglas Jacobsen, Messiah College, in Church History, September 2001.

"A good and well-written book that reflects prodigious research. Zion on the Hudson makes a strong case for the importance of religious institutions as mediators between individuals and the larger culture." Randall Balmer, New York History, October 2001.

"This study explores how the Dutch community of New York and New Jersey responded to the accelerating pace of social change in nineteenth-century America. . . . In reaching her conclusions, she makes good use of a rich array of previously untapped sources. . . .All told, this is a solid contribution to the study of ethnicity in nineteenth-century America." Keith Mason, University of Liverpool, in The Historical Association, October 2001.

Zion on the Hudson: Dutch NY and NJ in the Age of Revivals.......2003-07-02

Excerpts from Recent Reviews.......2001-09-09

"With the publication of this volume, Dr. Fabend has earned the distinction of being the most knowledgeable writer on the history of the Reformed Church in America during the nineteenth century." Elton J. Bruins, Hope College, Reformed Review
"This book, with her earlier A Dutch Family in the Middle Colonies, establishes Fabend as the premier historian of Dutch American culture. . . . Highly recommended for its lucid, engaging style, solid research, and content." C. H. Lippy, University of Tennessee, Choice
"Fabend grounds her conclusions on previously untapped archival sources that . . . support her main thesis that the Reformed Dutch Church nurtured Dutchness while also being a powerful de-ethnicizing modernizing force." Robert P. Swierenga, Hope College, "Powerful, persuasive, with shrewd insights and acute descriptions and analyses." Paul Mattingly, New York University, de Halve Maen
"A rich and comprehensively researched study -a very fine book." Donna Merwick, William and Mary Quarterly
"A very scholarly work, but one that is enjoyable to read. A pioneering study." The N.Y. G&B Record
"In perhaps her most fascinating chapter . . . Fabend does well at identifying the forces that pushed and pulled the Reformed Dutch in opposite directions in the nineteenth century and deepens and complicates current understandings of how ethnic groups became Americanized." Richard Pointer, American Historical Review

Zion on the Hudson: Dutch New York and New Jersey in the Age of Revivals.: An article from: Church History

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Zion on the Hudson: Dutch New York and New Jersey in the Age of Revivals.: An article from: Church History
Douglas Jacobsen
Manufacturer: American Society of Church History
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Netherlands | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Church History, published by American Society of Church History on September 1, 2001. The length of the article is 789 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Zion on the Hudson: Dutch New York and New Jersey in the Age of Revivals.
Author: Douglas Jacobsen
Publication: Church History (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2001
Publisher: American Society of Church History
Volume: 70 Issue: 3 Page: 585

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Jerome C. Hunsaker's cumulative effect on both American aeronautics and engineering is immense. Early in his career, he established the aeronautical engineering program at MIT and organized the U.S. Navy's aviation design and procurement program during World War I. This meticulous chronicle of Hunsaker's six decades in aeronautics traces both his incredible accomplishments and dispiriting setbacks. In presenting such a detailed account of Hunsaker's influential career, Trimble also traces major trends in engineering and technology in the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Biography of One of the Pioneers of Aeronautics.......2005-08-20

Jerome C. "Jerry" Hunsaker was an internationally known teacher and researcher in aerodynamics during the first half of the twentieth century. He made significant contributions to the development of flight systems, fired the enthusiasm of more than a generation of later engineers involved in aviation research, and virtually created the aeronautical engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His career spanned more than six decades of aircraft research and development, where his efforts helped to establish the scientific and mathematical basis for flight. This excellent biography of Hunsaker by William F. Trimble of Auburn University provides a compelling portrait of this pivotal figure in the history of aeronautics.

Born on August 26, 1886, in Creston, Iowa, Hunsaker gratuated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1908, and went on to graduate training at MIT. He earned a doctorate in 1916, and stayed at MIT to create the first American course on aeronautical engineering and to found the internationally famous Department of Aeronautical Engineering. Hunsaker remained at MIT most of the rest of his career, worked closely with the Navy, and trained more an a generation of engineers who carried on his legacy through their engineering accomplishments.

This book does a fine job of capturing the career of this important aeronautical engineer.

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David Neel, Mallart et al

another "thumbs-up" vote

Fascinating story of a complex historic figure

Passionate Nomad

A fascinating historical landmark

Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark (Modern Library Paperbacks)
Jane Geniesse
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Adventurers & Explorers | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Geography | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Valleys of the Assassins: and Other Persian Travels (Modern Library Paperbacks)

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

A Winter in Arabia: A Journey Through Yemen

Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman

Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman

ASIN: 0375757465
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Amazon.com

Never mind that upon her death in 1993, the then 100-year-old Dame Freya Stark rated a three-column obit in The New York Times. Mention her name to most Americans, and it will elicit a "Freya who?" The tales and travails of this romantic traveler, who marched alone into the Middle East from Persia to Yemen, discovering lost cities and creating an anti-Nazi intelligence system along the way, are captured in this compelling biography by former New York Times reporter Jane Fletcher Geniesse.

The author unveils not the fearless wanderer whose mappings and 30 books brought Stark awards from the likes of the Royal Geographical Society and made her a darling of British society. Instead Stark is seen as humble, insecure, and forever caught in the role of perpetual alien--be it when the English-born child grows up in Italy, where her mother lives in scandal, or when she plunges alone into the East, a feat never before accomplished by a Westerner.

An unwilling iconoclast whose love of travel, she would say, began as an infant when her father carried her in a basket over the Dolomites, Stark longed for the social security of the times: marriage and children. Proposals fell through, on occasion her beloved was married, or the romantic emotions she felt went unrequited--and besides, as a friend later pointed out, marriage would have spoiled her with its confinements. Rising above depression, self-imposed ostracism, and her numerous illnesses, Stark learned Arabic and how to climb mountains, map, partake in geographical digs, and find a niche in strange cultures.

Initially ridiculed for her passionate fondness of the Middle East, her writings ultimately generated vast interest for that mysterious part of the world, where she was surprisingly embraced, made privy to political movements closed to most foreigners, and even shown precious Islamic documents. At times a nurse, a war correspondent, a negotiator, Stark was a one-woman revolution of her time. Geniesse's intoxicating documentation of her life not only serves to stir up new interest in Stark's many books; it also ensures that the name Freya Stark will live on long after her obituary is but a scrap of yellowed, crackling newsprint. --Melissa Rossi

Book Description

Freya Stark—traveler, explorer, Arabist, and woman of letters—began the extraordinary adventures that would glamorize her—and would catapult her into public life for the next sixty years—in 1927. And with the publication of The Valley of the Assassins in 1934, her legend was launched.

Leaving behind a miserable family life, Freya set out, at the age of thirty-four, to explore remote and dangerous regions of the Middle East. She was captured in 1927 by the French military police after penetrating their cordon around the rebellious Druze. She explored the mountainous territory of the mysterious Assassins of Persia, became the first woman to explore Luristan in western Iran, and followed ancient frankincense routes to locate a lost city. Admired by British officialdom, her knowledge of Middle Eastern languages and culture aided the military and diplomatic corps, for whom she conceived an effective propaganda network during WWII.

But Stark’s indomitable spirit was forged by contradictions, her high-profile wanderings often masking deep insecurities. A child of privilege, she grew up in near poverty; she longed for love, but consistently focused on the wrong men. This is a brilliant and balanced biography—filled with sheikhs, diplomats, nomad warriors and chieftains, generals, would be lovers, and luminaries. Author Jane Geniesse digs beneath the mythology to uncover a complex, quixotic, and controversial woman.

Customer Reviews:

David Neel, Mallart et al.......2007-06-11

My Journey to Lhasa: The Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden CityForbidden Journey (Marlboro Travel)I don't understand why other great women travellers are not mentioned in any of these reviews. If you like this author, don't forget about Alexandra David-Neel who paved the way and Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart who traced their own unique paths. All but Schwarzenbach have been translated into English and are available from amazon.

another "thumbs-up" vote.......2006-12-31

Having just scrolled through the other reviews, I don't have anything to add except the comment that I am another fan of this book. I think the author did a good job of bringing this complex, interesting woman to life.

Fascinating story of a complex historic figure.......2006-11-12

Freya Start was a pioneer in her day -- a remarkable and complex woman whose intellectual curiosity led her to explore a region --the Middle East-- where few Western women felt comfortable to go in company, let alone, as a solo traveler. THis book describes her character as it developed over time, headstrong, determined, and driven to compensate for her plain features and disfigured face with daring adventures. Her advise and counsel to the British foreign office proved to be amazingly prescient, though she was not always heeded. A very good book of historical and human significance.

Passionate Nomad.......2005-10-15

Another amazing book about another amazing British lady of the ealy 1900's. Gertrude Bell (Desert Queen ) and Freya Stark are two incredible women who broke all the barriers of their era. Another must read for those interested in the development of the Middle East in the early 1900's, the cultures of these people and the strength and determination of an incredible woman in a time when only men ruled the world.

A fascinating historical landmark.......2005-08-24

The book offers a well-researched and - presented insight into the life a remarkable woman who had a passion for the region we know as the Middle-East; who lived amongst the people in the region and observed their way of life and worldview with an open mind and with immense humanity, an attitude uncharacteristic of her compatriots.

Passionate Nomad : The Life of Freya Stark

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Passionate Nomad : The Life of Freya Stark
Jane Geniesse
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXOIFG

Book Description

The heart of this book is the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie's army at Culloden. It strips away the myth and exposes the realities of life in the Jacobite rebel army. It begins with the raising of the army which included volunteers, 'pressed men' and mercenaries, as well as French forces that were sent over to assist as part of the 'Auld Alliance'. Unit organization, weapons, and tactics are discussed and the book also details the vicious battles that were fought in this doomed attempt to secure the British crown.

After the Jacobite rebellion was finally crushed at Culloden, many of the survivors were surprisingly drafted into the British Army alongside their former enemies and saw service in North America during the French-Indian War. The wonderful color plates and rare images illustrate the variety of uniforms that were worn ranging from tartan to regular army dress. This is an essential introductory guide to the Jacobite Armies as well as a definitive reference to the uniforms and weaponry of the period.

Customer Reviews:

The Scottish Jacobite Army 1745-46.......2007-01-16

I have seveeral books on the Scottish Army of the '45, but this is the BEST one by far! It has alot of details about the individual regt's, their appreance and their flags.

Reveal the underlying truths about the event........2006-11-05

New additions to Osprey's military history titles are specific, detailed, and perfect additions for collections which go beyond the general interest level. Stuart Reid's THE SCOTTISH JACOBITE ARMY 1945-46 tells of an uprising which has been colored and embellished throughout history - but this treatment foregoes some of the color in favor of concrete facts, using the work of historians and modern source references to change the myths and reveal the underlying truths about the event.

Book Description

The recent American invasion of Iraq represents the "endgame" of America's decades-old effort to impose its vision of globalization-a system dominated by multinational firms and buttressed by the liberalism of John Locke and Adam Smith. Whereas the war surely ended Saddam Hussein's regime, the storm of countervailing forces it unleashed points to another end: that of America's latest global project.
This is not the first time that the US has tried to reshape the world in its own liberal image, but the third. The first effort stretched from the late nineteenth century to 1920, ending when America rejected entry into the League of Nations. The FDR administration engineered the second attempt in the 1940s, but it withered in the Cold War. The third moment-the era of globalization-began in the late 1960s, when the US transformed the Bretton Woods financial institutions and used its own economic power to enforce a worldwide neoliberal orthodoxy tied to an ideal of liberal democracy. But the effort is failing for the same reasons the preceding attempts failed.
As Neil Smith shows, the Lockean liberalism that animates American globalism has always been undercut by a crippling nationalism that exposes the contradictions built into the ideal. In each instance, a hard-edged nationalism-evident in the rejection of the League of Nations, in the policies of the Cold War, and in the current Iraq war-always surfaces and drives US actions despite America's self-perception as a champion of benign universal values. Moreover, it always generates opposition.
Attuned to history, political economy, and geography, The Endgame of Globalization is a sweeping and powerful account of America's century-long quest for global dominance and the nationalism within that invariably unravels the dream.

Customer Reviews:

Spreading Free Market to Iraq?.......2005-11-11

In the author's view, US is trying to spread capitalism and democracy to Iraq, and not for its oil. What a naive thought, why do US want to spread those to Iraq? Iraq is too small in term of market size and population.

US is build on individualism, and individualism is about consumer rights, not the suppliers'. US want to control the supply side of the oil to benefit its consumers back home (in a way by strengthening the dollar, so that dollar would remain a major reserve currency for the Asian Central Banks, and to be able to buy cheap imports from developing world, and also to be able to continue print the dollar). If US were really sincerely wanted to spread capitalism and democracy, it would choose a country with potential of a sizable market, i.e. China or India. Which would be easier to have bigger part of global population on its side of the American's ways.

The author does not understand the bigger picture of current global politic and economy

The Endgame of Globalization [A book review from: Journal of Historical Geography]

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The Endgame of Globalization [A book review from: Journal of Historical Geography]
G.M. Winder
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR7T50

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Historical Geography, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:

The endgame of globalization [An article from: Political Geography]

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The endgame of globalization [An article from: Political Geography]
N. Smith
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR5UJW

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Political Geography, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Book Description

A passionate tale of Alaskan exploration and discovery in North America's most controversial wildlife refuge.

The nineteen-million-acre Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) contains three to eight billion barrels of crude oil. Conservationists and developers have fought bitterly over the land for the last half-century, an era in which petroleum has virtually come to define Alaska. Struggling to combat the big-money politics that threaten ANWR, the conservation efforts of one couple, Olaus and Mardy Murie, have made them legendary.

Jonathan Waterman blends historical narrative with vivid tales of his journeys into the Arctic, creating tension between past and present, science and politics, reflection and investigation. Since 1983, he has taken eighteen trips into the far North, trekking and paddling thousands of miles and encountering howling wolves, Inupiat hunters, and the oil-ravaged Prince William Sound. Where Mountains Are Nameless explores how oil exploration has choked Alaska's pristine wilderness and also traces the lives of the celebrated Muries. This memorable portrait makes the stakes over ANWR vividly clear. 3 maps, 23 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

The Majesty of the far North Vastlands..........2005-08-12

Long ago, I heard about the Alaska Pipeline, but I had no idea that it involved a Wildlife Refuge which contains sixteen billion barrels of crude oil. That is a sin if they go in and disturb the penguins, eskimoes and caribou. Across the Brooks Range from the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska into Canada, these wilderness areas need to be left alone for the good of the country. They can use corn to make alcohol additive and leave the crude oil alone.

The photo sections show the glorious mountains (unnamed) but I would have enjoyed them more in color. I watched the majesty of the penguins in the movie 'The March of the Penguins.' I know it was supposedly located in Antarctica, but most movies these days are filmed in Canada. We saw those determined fowl make their seventy-mile march to an area to propagate their species. If this wildlife area is disturbed, the majestic penguins will be lost, no place to go to find a mate, and the species of large birds will be lost. Why, they need that yearly ritual to go back to the place they were born.

Prince William Sound is full of oil in abundance; this book shows how the hunt for that valuable source of fuel for the many cars Americans own is destroying Alaska's wilderness and people. I know two people who lived in Alaska, one worked in the fish industry and has moved from Knoxville on to Texas. The other is still here but has made a trip back to Alaska in the past two months. If these folks from other places who lived and worked there have that dedication, then the natives should be considered and left to their own wishes (remain at home). Home is where you were born, and being displaced is, or should be, un-American. The Eskimoes love their land even in the long, dark winters and the savage windstorms with resulting ice/snow everywhere.

It will not benefit the world to have this area destroyed to satisfy the rich who can afford many autos and vans. Let them ride the buses like I do. We should not encourage the use of gas and oil at the expense of destruction of our lovely Penguins and Caribou. Remember what happened to the buffalo here in the Western part of America!

Robert Service wrote in "The Spell of the Yukon,' there's a land where the mountains are nameless...there are hardships that nobody reckons...and I want to go back -- and I will." I applaud this spirit of the American west. Jonathan Waterman is such a devoted advocate for the far North taking eighteen trips and trekking cross-country in that vast wilderness.

He has written A MOST HOSTILE MOUNTAIN, HIGH ALASKA, ARCTIC CROSSING and KAYAKING THE VERMILION SEA. He is a Paul Theroux of Alaska and should be heeded in this endeavor to save a Wildlife Refuge from the greedy hands of politicians.

If you have to read one book this year, this is the one........2005-06-26

I happened to hear a John Batchelor ABC radio interview of the author after I finished reading this book and Jonathan came across just as eloquently in person as he does in the book. The narrative is not bound by traditional time constraints (on August 2, I went here, and the next day...) and this technique seems to allow a greater sensory awareness versus a more journalistic approach. In fact, I wasn't even aware of it until another reviewer here carped that he didn't know the date! I mean c'mon, are we as reviewers allowed to take potshots at a book that will is destined to be remembered as great literature?

The reason the book is great is that Waterman concurrently, in between his own fascinating encounters in the Arctic, tells the story of the Muries, who created the Refuge. Their sense of romance allowed the author to open up a saga that was about something bigger than himself and ultimately, to show the tastes and textures and true meanings of the Arctic Refuge. A beautiful and stunning book.

Far From a Wasteland.......2005-06-17

Of course the prospect of drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be fought over forever by know-it-alls from far away who have never been there. The main point of this book by Jonathan Waterman is that the ANWR is far from the barren and lifeless wasteland described by oil proponents, while environmentalists should also learn more about the true nature of the landscape before making big statements. In the end, Waterman certainly comes down on the side of conservation, but he mostly keeps the oil politics and environmentalism to a minimum as he describes his own adventurous journeys to the Arctic North. Threaded into Waterman's travelogues is the story of the longtime champions of the wildlife refuge, Olaus and Mardy Murie. Olaus was a groundbreaking field biologist and explorer throughout the first half of the 20th century, while his wife Mardy was a hugely influential conservationist and lecturer who died at age 101 while this book was being written.

Unfortunately the book has some problems with readability. Waterman's main point, about how you really have to experience the refuge firsthand to understand it, is spread out very thinly across at least a dozen concurrent narratives and storylines. Segments covering various portions of the Muries' lives, several of Waterman's different trips, a history of Alaska, oil business economics, the biology of the caribou herds and other animals, environmental politics, and naturalist philosophy are all mixed together haphazardly and in no particular chronological order. Waterman also gets a bit maudlin in his attempts to conjure up the appropriate language to describe the wonders of the refuge, with occasional croakers like "letting my body become the universe in which it walked." The nonlinear construction of the book really saps the energy out of Waterman's potentially powerful insights about communing with nature overall, and the fate of the ANWR specifically. But he still manages to convey the feeling of the potential loss of a tremendous national treasure in favor of miniscule economic and political gains. [~doomsdayer520~]

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