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Favorite Garden Flowers Postcards: 24 Full-Color Cards (Card Books)
Mrs. J. W. Loudon
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
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ASIN: 0486274918 |
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Spectacular collection of floral illustrations selected from famous and extremely rare mid-19th-century botanical work. Includes lovely, accurate renderings of peonies, hibiscus, primrose, phlox, snapdragon, anemones, lupines, cyclamen, other garden favorites. Perfect for conveying brief messages, framing as mini prints, or for use as a botanical guide.
Book Description
This lively guide to Brussels covers 30 main tourist attractions, including its excellent museums and galleries, gorgeous Gothic architecture, and the romantic canals and opulent town square of Bruges. Informed reviews profile dozens of shops, including top designer boutiques and exquisite chocolatiers; venues for evening entertainment including nightclubs and jazz haunts; restaurants and bars from award winners to hidden gems; along with tips on the practical aspects of making the most of this historic city.
Book Description
Lady Ilena still can’t believe she is hereditary chief of Dun Alyn, her new home in the North. She eagerly awaits the return of her betrothed, Durant of Arthur’s table, and the time when Durant will rule beside her. But Britain is in a state of unrest. Despite Durant’s and Arthur’s efforts at unification, several neighboring fortresses have allied with Saxon invaders in the South. These tribes want Dun Alyn, and one tribal leader called Faolan will stop at nothing to get it. When Ilena refuses to accept Faolan’s marriage proposal in her loved one’s absence, she sets off a bloody battle–with grave results.
A warrior can commit no greater crime than to falter under attack, and now Ilena faces the ultimate punishment: she must leave Dun Alyn, alone, and may not return to her people until she has proved herself worthy to be their leader. The journey will take Ilena to old friends–and new ones–as she searches for Durant and for Britain’s protector, the legendary Arthur.
Customer Reviews:
WAY TO THE WARRIOR.......2006-08-11
Lady Ilena Way To The Warrior follows the adventures of Ilena, the beatuiful cheif of Dun Alyn in Britain (now England) during the Middle Ages. After disgracing herself in battle, she loses her claim as cheif of Dun Alyn, and is sent into exile. The only way she can win back her claim is to leave Dun Alyn-alone-and not return til she has accomplished tasks great enough to prove herself worthy to be cheif again.
The book was OK. This sequel is not as engaging as the first book The Legend Of Lady Ilena. But all together I'll give Lady Ilena Way To The Warrior 4 stars out of a possible 5.
A Well-Researched Novel; Leaves room for another sequel.......2006-03-28
Set in 6th century Britain, WAY OF THE WARRIOR follows the continued adventures of Ilena, the warrior chieftess of Dun Alyn. When her fiancee, Durant of Hadel, goes off to war with his liege lord, she is left with an undesired suiter. She refuses to marry him and war follows. During battle, Ilena makes a grave error and is exiled from her home because of it. To prove her worthiness and win back her title, Ilena joins forces with new friends and works to defeat the Saxons and other enemies of Arthur.
Malone is definitely an entertaining author. Evidence of strenuous research is apparent throughout the novel. However, Malone's use of the present first person is awkward at times; it slows the pace of the story. The plot is no masterpiece. Everything is a bit predictable. But overall, a good novel destined to make Arthurian fans happy.
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Plant Succession: Theory and prediction (Population and Community Biology Series)
Manufacturer: Springer
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0412269007 |
Book Description
'Succession' is the term used to describe the phenomenon of changes in vegetational types in both time and space. The subject of the colonization and exploitation of 'new' areas by plants is a key one in ecology and this book summarizes the theoretical arguments currently raging about the topic.
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Introduction to Quantum Groups and Crystal Bases (Graduate Studies in Mathematics)
Jin Hong , and
Seok-Jin Kang
Manufacturer: American Mathematical Society
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0821828746 |
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The notion of a "quantum group" was introduced by V.G. Dinfeld and M. Jimbo, independently, in their study of the quantum Yang-Baxter equation arising from 2-dimensional solvable lattice models. Quantum groups are certain families of Hopf algebras that are deformations of universal enveloping algebras of Kac-Moody algebras. And over the past 20 years, they have turned out to be the fundamental algebraic structure behind many branches of mathematics and mathematical physics, such as solvable lattice models in statistical mechanics, topological invariant theory of links and knots, representation theory of Kac-Moody algebras, representation theory of algebraic structures, topological quantum field theory, geometric representation theory, and $C^*$-algebras.
In particular, the theory of "crystal bases" or "canonical bases" developed independently by M. Kashiwara and G. Lusztig provides a powerful combinatorial and geometric tool to study the representations of quantum groups. The purpose of this book is to provide an elementary introduction to the theory of quantum groups and crystal bases, focusing on the combinatorial aspects of the theory.
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Nonlinear Evolution Equations and Their Applications: Proceedings of the Luso-Chinese Symposium Macau 7-9 October 1998
Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
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ASIN: 9810240481 |
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The Valley of the Fallen: And Other Places
Donald Katz
Manufacturer: AtRandom
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ASIN: 0812991826
Release Date: 2001-09-04 |
Book Description
Few writers can match journalist Donald Katz’s ability to make an exotic locale familiar or transform an ordinary place into something peculiar if not completely weird.
The Valley of the Fallen and Other Places gathers a pastiche of stories from around the world, each of which subtly underlines the relationship between geography and politics. Locations, counties, regions of the world emerge as characters in Katz’s panoramic cast–as fully drawn as the unusual people that occupy them–so that one realizes of each particular account, that this could only happen in a place like this.
The setting for each of these pieces–whether home or abroad–provides a resonant backdrop for Katz’s startling perceptions and cultural acumen. He paints a portrait of Spain in which people are dying of political repression and vividly depicts Italy in the throes of a postwar capitalist hangover. Katz describes Arkansas, its history of racial strife notwithstanding, as an “American cultural ark” where respect for old-fashioned gumption and the tolerance for human eccentricity have fostered a renaissance of spirit. He captures the poignant ruin of political ideals gone amuck in the image of columns of Ethiopian children being herded through the night at gunpoint, undergoing political re-education. Katz’s observations of the Sinai, where “beliefs, convictions, even hunches become howling zeal,” contrast with Santa Fe’s “philosophical cogitating and quality-of-life improvement projects” in a New Age mecca that breeds tamer but equally fervent faiths.
The cumulative effect of reading this eclectic collection is one of wonder about the mysterious and dazzling world in which we live, and the way our lives are shaped by our place in it.
Book Description
In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than thirty years, John Guy creates an intimate, gripping portrait of one of history's greatest women and depicts her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Queen of Scots as a romantic leading ladyachieving her ends through feminine wiles and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I. Through Guy's pioneering research and "fabulously readable" prose, we come to see Mary as a skillful diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions that sought to control or dethrone her. An enthralling, myth-shattering look at a complex woman and ruler and her time, Queen of Scots "reads like Shakespearean drama, with all the delicious plotting and fresh writing to go with it" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Customer Reviews:
Lots of information; leaves you to make up your own mind........2007-06-25
Guy's life of Mary Queen of Scots is written in a "Just the facts, ma'am" spirit that, while not slaking my thirst for a more judgmental approach, did allow me to form my own.
The predominant tone is one of a knight gallant leaping to Mary's defense, such as in the lengths to which he goes to prove that the documents incriminating Mary in her 2nd husband Darnley's murder were forged, but to his credit he doesn't skirt over the unsavory details of her life, and in fact adds to them. But I must say, it is time for historians to discard the objective approach of the 20th century and let their belief in the supernatural once again reign, as we are once again entering supernatural times ( they all have been, really, but the devil's greatest trick -- you know the rest ).
The six-foot, redheaded Mary -- too bad Nicole Kidman didn't play this part -- was thought by almost everyone in her time to be a "witch." I'm tired of this kind of accusation being glossed over as a mere superstition of the past, that feminist theory has rendered forever outmoded. Is it perhaps the heathen present and not the religious past which is ignorant? Why did this charge follow her so doggedly?
It is clear to me, as a Christian who believes in such things, and has some experience with witches myself, that the relationship between Mary and Bothwell was indeed one that can only be described as a Satanic seduction, something that the Scottish nobles and even the populace immediately apprehended when they posted the famous drawing of the mermaid and the hare ( with, as Guy points out, phallic swords surrounding it ) all around Edinburgh. Bothwell was the Colin Farrell of his day, except murderous and unstoppably ambitious for political power, and there is no doubt that the relationship between him and Mary was based entirely on his sexual hold over her. He barely tried to conceal that he didn't even love her.
It is fascinating to think that one of Catholicism's last, best hopes before the Protestant takeover was defeated by a mesmerizing appendage, but those who can read between the lines will clearly see the evidence of its truth. And what is a witch if not a woman who lets lust drag her and her countrymen into the abyss? Bothwell, who should be remembered as one of the great hommes fatales of history, had absolute power over Mary and within months destroyed her life and her hopes. His involvement in the assassination of Darnley is much less disturbing than an anecdote Guy relates where he literally kills with a single blow one of Mary's loyal retainers -- the old man had dared to wish her good luck on a journey.
And yet even this didn't stop her from marrying him. Didn't even faze her. She persisted in her "love" for Bothwell even in the face of the unanimous disapproval of her court and of the people, until she was like a cornered rat, alone with her morbid obsession. The once-noble and cultured queen was reduced within months to a frumpy mess, her looks gone, being heckled by peasants and shouting crude obscenities at them from the roof of her castle ( Guy shows how Bothwell's vulgarity infected her ). The story ends with Bothwell and Mary being forcibly separated and pledging their eternal fidelity to each other -- which he instantly broke with a Danish woman, whose dowry he stole! This finally ended his rake's progress.
What this book made me realize is that the rivalry between Elizabeth and Mary has been entirely trumped-up. They were not rivals; Mary was nothing more than a cautionary tale for Elizabeth, who was much more evil than Mary but also much more shrewd. ( Elizabeth's real rival was the ghost of Isabella of Spain, as she, with the help of her cryptic spies, undid the effects of Isabella's glorious reign. ) The real story here, which hopefully future historians will take up, is the stunningly rapid descent of Mary into blind sexual insanity, and how it forced the last bastion of the Catholic faith in the British isles to deliver herself meekly into the hands of her enemy. Catholics treat Mary almost as a saint due to her supposed piousness in captivity; she should be considered the greatest of traitors. Would history have been entirely different if she never met Bothwell, or is a witch is a witch is a witch?
Another Marian Apologist.......2006-12-05
It is harder to imagine a woman history has been kinder to than Mary Queen of Scotts. She is always the tragic women, betrayed by those she loved, and executed by her cruel, vicious, and nefariosu Cousin Queen Elizabeth. Guy does little to change this classic tale, despite the fact that history doesn't match up with it. Mary Queen of Scotts knowingly married her second husband's murderer and assented to the murder of Elizabeth who kept Mary alive, albiet in a very comfortable captivity, at great risk to her own [Elizabeth's] life. I don't think Mary, Queen of Scotts is a totally unsympathetic figure; she loved bad men and was betrayed by them. She was betrayed by her half-brother the earl of Moray, and she died with great courage. That said, she is not a flawless saint, no matter how much Guy wishes to make her one. (Also he makes the errenous assumption that if the the casket letters are fake, which he convincingly shows to be forgeries, Mary is automatically vindicated from the murder of her husband. Something on which the evidence is quite inconclusive.) For a more balanced look at Both Queens, I would reccomend both Jane Dunn and Alison Plowden's duel biography. And please do not say history has not been kind to this woman.
Mary as never seen before - an excellent account!.......2006-07-26
I thoroughly enjoyed John Guy's biography of Mary Queen of Scots. The only flaws are that Guy insists that Mary's prayers before death were for a public show of her Catholicism. I don't think so - people about to die don't act that way. Also, he says that when Mary was kidnapped and raped by Bothwell, she must have enjoyed it because she did not cry for help. Sorry, but studies of rape victims have shown that even today women are afraid to go to the police. In those days, a woman was heavily stigmatized when violated against her will. But other than those flaws, this biography is a work of profound scholarship, depicting the details of Mary's daily life as I have never before read anywhere else. Guy also shows that Mary was a clever and even a savvy politician, as clever as Elizabeth her rival, although she fell through treachery and one lost battle. Very sad but very enlightening. Recommended.
Mary's Heart and Mary's Head.......2005-12-07
John Guy's biogaphy is one of the best works of scholarship I have read in a long time. His book gives us a non-romanticized vision of Mary Queen of Scots, a woman raised in France (and married, briefly -- before being widowed -- , to the dauphin and then king of France). After his death, she returned to Scotland and learned a fast lesson is Scottish Politics. More of a fragmented land of kin groups, revenge and blood feud than anything she encounted in France, Mary coped as best she could.
Guy does not gloss over her disastrous marriages, first to the dissolute Darnley and then to the man who probably assisted in the murder of Darnley, the brutal Bothwell. He does, however, provide a convincing portrait of her stamina, intellect, and will.
Mary has been constantly compared to Elizabeth, but here she comes across as an a woman who acts, whereas Elizabeth seems more of a ditherer, often overbourne by her adviser, Cecil. This may be giving Elizabeth less credit than she deservers, but the new perspective is refreshing.
I found this (long) biography hard to put down. While the opening seems almost formulaic, once Mary is in Scotland, the prose picks up and we are exposed to documents that have had little or no scrutiny in the past. If I have one objection, it is that the wild excitement of the events of Mary's life are sometimes rendered in too factual of a tone. Occasionally, the rainbow of her life is lost in the stones of fact.
The New Woman, indeed!.......2005-05-12
When I was a kid, my grandmother gave me the then-new biography of Mary by Lady Antionia Fraser. Growing up in a family of Scots descent, I remember my eagerness to read about the national heroine - and what a disappointment! I couldn't understand how such a flighty girl thought she could run a country between worrying about pretty frocks, decorating castles and torrid love affairs. Served her right, I thought, to come to such a tawdry end.
Now as an adult, I have an adult's view in 'Queen of Scots'. Discovering Mary's education began reforming her in my eyes. I gained a new understanding of Scottish politics and, not for the first time, deplored the way greed sold the land and people of Scotland to the English time and again. Although I've admired Elizabeth's resolve, Gee shows she behaved like a 'frail woman' more often than she and her modern spin doctors would like known. Mary is rehabilitated in my eyes, and I find it fitting the present British monarchy goes through her line and not Elizabeth's.
The book begins and ends with Mary's execution, but it's not that tragedy for which she should be best known. Mary is a heroine because she valiantly tried to put the principles of government she studied as a child in France to use in steering the nation of Scotland into the Renaissance and establishing it as an equal among the nations of Europe. That the greed of her advisors and political neighbors reduced her to a prisoner and Scotland to dependency is a history lesson that should not be forgotten.
Average customer rating:
- The perfect title
- Misdirected Focus
- More mystery than history
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History of Warships: From Ancient Times to the Twenty-First Century
James L. George
Manufacturer: Naval Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1557503125 |
Customer Reviews:
The perfect title.......2004-02-06
This book is a very good, general overview of the history of warships. A reader would be hard pressed to find a better, single source GENERAL overview of the history of warships. Granted, if a reader wants to compare and contrast types of guns, etc., this is not the book. If you need a single source book to quickly determine the histoy of a warship type, this is it. The author named his book well.
Misdirected Focus.......2002-07-01
Not being a naval expert, my review of this book might be taken with a grain of salt.
That being said, there are several things missing from this study that probably should have been included. The book lists an enormous amount of data, mostly ship weights and armaments. The tactical difference between a 9-inch gun over a 10-inch gun, however, is not discussed. It's obviously a central issue, yet the book just lists the guns of a given ship with no analysis of why one chosen weapon system matters more than another.
This goes for the weight, too. My eyes began to glaze over after the 100th tonnage listing because there was no context given as to why one number mattered more than another.
More illustrations would also have been helpful, as the differences between ship designs were emphasized. But, with the way the author wrote the book, it was often difficult to visualize the differences. A glossary would also have been a welcome addition.
The way a ship's design influenced tactics was pretty much breezed over as well.
So, for all the information packed into the book, I finished it with only a general understanding of the material.
More mystery than history.......1999-08-19
This book will be a disappointment to the serious student of naval history. The author has an annoying tendancy to make sweeping statements of major historical import, followed by little or no supportive evidence. Most of the assertions concerning major design developments of antiquity are nothing more than educated guesses, often accompanied by disclaimers to that effect! Nonetheless, the scope of the work is ambitious, and the volume is useful if only as a broad timeline of the most significant design developments. As to the statement by the author that the book also ties these developments into the political and sociological evolution of modern civilization, those chapters must be in another volume. I couldn't find them.
Amazon.com
In the small town of Jasper, in the piney woods of deep East Texas, old slave relations still live below the surface along with an unwritten code of segregation. It was there that James Byrd was savagely dragged to death by three white men in a pickup. His death threatened to blow the town open. Dina Temple-Raston poignantly captures Jasper's desperate attempt to save its image as Jesse Jackson, the New Black Panthers, the KKK, and the media descended. In the process, she delves into such questions as, What does racism look like and where does it come from; follows the murderers to their final destination at Huntsville prison (ground zero for 40 percent of American executions); and shows how death forces people to see things the way they really are--and just how quickly they forget. A Death in Texas is a stunning and painful book that exposes racism in all its subtle and violent forms, and portrays the small heroes who try to change history. --Lesley Reed
Book Description
On June 7, 1998, a trio of young white men chained a black man named James Byrd, Jr., to the bumper of a truck and dragged him three miles down a country road. From the initial investigation and through the trials and their aftermath, A Death in Texas follows the turns of events through the eyes of Sheriff Billy Rowles and other townspeople trying to come to grips with the killing. Drawing on extensive interviews with key players, Dina Temple-Raston brings to life a cast of remarkable characters: the unrepentant baby-faced killer, Bill King; Jasper's white patriarch and former Jack Ruby defense attorney, Joe Tonahill; the hard-drinking victim, James Byrd Jr.; the determined district attorney, Guy James Gray; and Sheriff Rowles, who held them together.
Customer Reviews:
Research And Copy Reading Aside...........2007-08-25
Having lived in the Jasper/Newton area during this time and knowing several of the "actors"(sheriff Rowles, Billy Ray Robinson, and Joe Sterling)I have long wanted to read this book and finally have taken the time to finish nearly 80% of it.
The book, to those outside the area, is an awesome read. For us "locals" it pretty well tells the tale but, as others have pointed out, there were so many geographical and historical errors that are evidence that the book was either rushed to print or no one bothered doing any fact checking.
As mentioned before the author has the 3 men headed on Highway 59 to Burkeville from Jasper when , in reality, it is state highway 63....also, when she states Bill King's girlfriend gave birth to his premature baby and it was in the intensive care unit at a Newton County Hospital....The only hospital in Newton County closed in the late 80s or early 90s and, even if it were open, they hadnt delivered babies for some years before that....as also mentioned Vidor was not named after King Vidor altho I guess that makes good copy to associate a KKK town with the director of the first all black movie production.
There were also obvious misprints such as Joe Sterling becoming Joe Sperling for a whole page of dialogue before reverting back to Sterling...as said it probably doesnt bother someone from other areas but to us, who live here and lived through this, it smacks of ineptitude from someone having the credentials of the author.
What the book did bring out was the awesome job Billy Rowles and others did keeping the peace. This was the summer the movie "A Time To Kill" came out on video and it mirrored a lot of what could have happened in Japser. I think it is to Sheriff Rowles credit that things never got out of hand and the people of Jasper and Jasper County should always remember his service.
Overall, other than the few obvious mistakes, the book is a good read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone
Not the real story.......2006-08-10
I was disgusted by how this writer tried to make what was already horrid into something even worse by interviewing a few people and making what they said sound like it represented the entire town, county, and state. I'm a former newspaper editor and I was appalled by this book (and the other one, also). My mother was on the jury.
"I'm sure it happens ,but you don't hear about it.".......2005-11-08
This is an excellent book and for a lot of reasons.I don't know if it won any awards or not ,but it is certainly good enough to become a lasting account of the racially inspired murder of James Byrd by dragging him on a chain behind a pick up truck.This happened in Jasper,Texas on June 7,1998.
Dina has done an marvelous job of explaining the deep seated prejudices and injustices that created an enviroment for this evil action to occur.She has researched and shown the inner feelings and culture of all the people in this small town .Yes, there are good people, evil people and everything in between.
She is a trained and experienced journalist and her skills are very evident throughout the book.She spent countless hours talking to many of the people of this town and she writes in a way that conveys their everyday and personal language.No doubt there are many other small towns in America as well as around the world where the hatred and injustice are just as bad.All one has to do is remember the three young men murdered and portrayed in "Mississippi Burning";and that is only one of many,many examples.Dina reminds me of those great authors that so well wrote about the South.Two that come to mind immediately are Erskine Caldwell and William Faulkner,and that is pretty fancy company to be in.Dina not only covers the characters involved but also describes what happened before and during the murder but also the charges,trials and convictions.On top of that she shows the effect these events had on the families involved,the legal and justice participants as well as the townspeople and others outside the community.
Just look at some of these greatlines,sayings,descriptions,and these are only a sample of the many found throughout the book
"If I owned Texas and hell,
I'd rent out Texas and live in hell"
-General P.H. Sherman
"Death has a way of making even slow people hurry."
"When the devil's loose,it doesn't matter who he catches."
"This country boy's in trouble."
"Hell yes,I shot him;I should have done it ten years ago."
"A place near nowhere."
"A town where people stopped just long enough to lick a postage
stamp."
"The closest jobs got further away."
"Ain't nothing we can do."
"If I'd have married one of their sisters,they would hang me
so high my feet wouldn't touch the ground."
"What's done in the dark comes to the light."
"No battles are ever won by spectators."
"Bill King was a series of sums that did not add up."
"He said mixed couples should hang from the same tree."
"Some people have crosses to bear,I have crosses to burn."
"In the South,the past isn't dead,it's not even past."
Man,talk about picturesque language.
I tried to see what has transpired with the three convicted murderers on the web sites mentioned in the book,but without much success.If anyone knows their status,it would be helpful to include in a review.
I can't imagine anyone doing a better book on this whole affair than what Dina Temple-Raston has given us. I'll be on the lookout for future books of hers.
Shawn Berry.......2004-10-19
I've known Shawn Berry all of my life as he is best friends with my cousin. We all grew up together going to the rodeos and watching Shawn bull-ride and seeing him at my cousins' daughters christening as he became her God-Father, I can't begin to explain how so many people look down on him for what happened. I have personally talked to Shawn and got his recollection of what happened that night and it seems as though no authors of books or producers/screen-writers of movies have. Shawn is a great guy and always will be. His fiance was one of his attorneys and she still stands by him that he will one day get to see their daughter grow up outside of the bars that he lives behind everyday. I just wanted everyone to know that Shawn did do wrong that night but not in the way everyone thinks. He literally DID have a gun to his head and was told he could die to. No one can say what they would have done in that situation. NO ONE. The Byrd family has visited Shawn in prison and he got down on his knees and begged forgiveness and they gave it to him. Shawn always gave James a ride home and was friends with him and his family. There are things about James Byrd that no one knows but I will not talk bad of the deceased. I just wanted people to know that things aren't always as they seem. Jasper is a small town and always will be in the backs of peoples minds in the US now but it's not as bad as Vidor.
Hate devours the Soul.......2004-02-17
This should be read by all Americans. Racial hatred needs to be erased from our minds so it doesn't do to us what it did to these men. The book is ok - it would have been better had it not repeated itself over and over. I felt like I read the same book five times. Could have been much shorter.
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The River Stops Here: Saving Round Valley, A Pivotal Chapter in California's Water Wars
Ted Simon
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition
ASIN: 0520230566 |
Book Description
A vivid chapter in the saga of the California water wars, The River Stops Here documents state and federal plans to flood the largest, most fertile valley in Mendocino County to send water south to Los Angeles. The eventual success of Richard Wilson, a rancher in Round Valley, to stop the project is the heart of this compelling story.
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