Elizabeth I: Always Her Own Free Woman

Customer Reviews:

Publisher's Notes:.......2007-09-18

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Limited

From the Publisher
This interdisciplinary collection by historians, cultural critics and literary scholars examines a variety of the political, social, and cultural forces at work during the English Renaissance and beyond, forces that contributed to creating a wealth of artistic, literary and historical impressions of Elizabeth, her court, and the time period named after her, the Elizabethan age.

Articles in the collection discuss Elizabeths' relationships, investigate the advice given her, explore connections between her court and the arts, and consider the role of Elizabeth's court in the political life of the nation. Some of the ways Elizabeth was understood and represented demonstrate society's fears and ambivalence about early modern women in power, while others celebrate her successes as England's first and only unmarried queen regnant.

This volume will be of interest to scholars and students in a wide range of disciplines, including literary, cultural, historical and women's studies, as well as those interested in the life and times of Elizabeth I.

About the Author:
About the Editors: Carole Levin, Professor of History, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, UK, Jo Eldridge Carney, Assistant Professor of English, The College of New Jersey, USA and Debra Barrett-Graves, Assistant Professor, Department of English, California State Univrsity - Hayward, USA

Synopsis
A dozen essays from the 2000 meeting of the Shakespeare Association of American in Montreal explore the queen's relationships, the advice she was given, connections between her court and the arts, and the role of her court in the country's political life. Some consider how the ways in which she was understood and represented demonstrate the fear and ambivalence in which women in power were held during early modern England, while others celebrate her success as England's first and only unmarried queen regnant. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Elizabeth I: Always Her Own Free Woman.(Book review): An article from: The Historian

Average customer rating:

Elizabeth I: Always Her Own Free Woman.(Book review): An article from: The Historian
Anne McLaren
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000MX6X5G
Release Date: 2007-01-24

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 962 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: Elizabeth I: Always Her Own Free Woman.(Book review)
Author: Anne McLaren
Publication: The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 67 Issue: 3 Page: 572(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

A great read!.......2007-08-04

Anyone who loves football, the University of Georgia, the SEC, or simply a good story should read this book.

Book Description

Hollywood has long been associated with scandal--with covering it up, with managing its effects, and, in some cases, with creating and directing it. In putting together Headline Hollywood, Adrienne McLean and David Cook approach the relationship between Hollywood and scandal from a fresh perspective. The contributors consider some of the famous transgressions that shocked Hollywood and its audiences during the last century, and explore the changing meaning of scandal over time by zeroing in on issues of power: Who decides what crimes and misdemeanors should be circulated for public consumption and titillation? What makes a Hollywood scandal scandalous? What are the uses of scandal? The essays are arranged chronologically to show how Hollywood scandals have evolved relative to changing moral and social orders. This collection will prove essential to the field of film studies as well as to anyone interested in the character and future direction of American culture. Contributors are Mark Lynn Anderson, Cynthia Baron, James Castonguay, Nancy Cook, Mary Desjardins, Lucy Fischer, Lee Grieveson, Erik Hedling, Peter Lehman, William Luhr, Adrienne L. McLean, Susan McLeland, and Sam Stoloff. Adrienne L. McLean is an assistant professor of film studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. David A. Cook is a professor of film and media studies at Emory University. He is the author of A History of Film Narrative.

Book Description

Franz Xaver Hauser (1794–1870), born near Prague in Czechoslovakia, combined his career of singing and teaching with a consuming interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Hauser was a colleague of Felix Mendelssohn, Moritz Hauptmann, Robert Schumann, Jenny Lind, and Otto Jahn; author of a text on vocal pedagogy that stayed in print for more than a century; founder of the Munich Tonal Academy, which is still in existence; and the primary private contributor to the complete edition of Bach’s works.

In this remarkable biography, Dale A. Jorgenson discloses the existence of the great legacy left by Hauser. Although his achievements were many, Hauser’s greatest contribution was his determined effort to catalogue all the known works of J. S. Bach, collect and share all the original manuscripts and authentic copies of Bach’s work, and make his unpublished catalogue, the manuscripts, and his professional guidance available to the Bach Society, which was founded in Leipzig in 1850.

This activity provided a meaningful dimension to Hauser’s life apart from his stage career. He made a wide circle of significant friends who loved Bach’s music or who were themselves leaders in literature and the arts—Ludwig Tieck, Schumann, the Grimm Brothers, and many others.

This remarkable man had slipped into obscurity. Jorgenson’s biography will enhance Hauser’s reputation and remind the world of his achievements. Jorgenson’s book also is an invaluable asset to scholars of nineteenth-century music, culture, and the arts, particularly to those who share Hauser’s enduring interest in Bach.

Average customer rating:

Impressions from a contributor

Get this book!

Relics & Rituals II: Lost Lore
Sword and Sorcery Studio
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Relics & Rituals (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying, Scarred Lands)

Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie Core Rulebook (Sword and Sorcery)

The Divine and the Defeated (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)

Creature Collection: Savage Bestiary (Sword & Sorcery)

Creature Collection Revised (Scarred Lands D20)

ASIN: 1588461823

Customer Reviews:

Impressions from a contributor.......2002-10-08

I maybe a bit prejudiced since one of spells in here is one I sent to White Wolf as part of their Open Call for writers. My first impression is that they took the format they used in the first Relics and Rituals(which I loved, especially the Vigilant prestige class) and repeated much of it with new material. Among the great new features includes Astrology as part of the game mechanics for play and a Prestige Class that is basically an old kit from the Shair's Handbook of the old Al-Qadim campaign setting for 2nd Edition(based primarily on 1001 Arabian Nights, good campaign setting to run that kind of campaign) revamped and made a little more divorced from that setting. Spells are nice, I like a few of the enchanted stuff and the rituals are always nice. Tattoo magic was interesting concept and they expanded it in this edition slightly but not at the expense of other sections. All in all, it's a great rescource for the Scarred Lands in particular and D&D/D20 in general.

Get this book!.......2002-10-07

Now don't get me wrong, i'm a huge fan of forgotten realms and dragonlance settings, but, Scarred lands has won my heart with this book. Imagine, adding the zodiac into your campaign, mixing arcane and divine with cabals, new prestige classes like the Sage and the High Astologer, of course great new spells weapons and all in all cool stuff, but also...(are you sitting down?) yes psionics! finally we learn about the Slarcians and how they... well, read the book. also, some great tomes. all in all the book is great. wonderful stories, great gameplay material. as always a little ~enh on the artwork, but definately not too bad. and of course, find it hard to keep track of what spell is where? yes the spell list tells you where to find all the coolness!... enjoy.

Book Description

Originally developed at Toyota, the approach to manufacturing known as Kanban has helped revolutionize how corporations and suppliers achieve maximum efficiency in getting products to and from the assembly line. When implemented properly, the Kanban technique minimizes waste, avoids overproduction, and ensures quick response to changes and problems.

Kanban Made Simple is the first simple 'how-to' guide for incorporating the just-in-time ingenuity of the Kanban system into any manufacturing environment. From the Japanese word for "visual record," the technique dictates that suppliers deliver parts to the warehouse only as they are needed, reducing storage in the production area. Using before-and-after case studies, this easy-to-follow guide contains information on establishing project goals, forming a Kanban team, and designing the process. Kanban Made Simple helps readers decide if Kanban is right for their organization, then teaches them how to train personnel and administer the program. A ready-to-use CD-ROM, included with the book, guides the Kanban team through the entire implementation process.

Customer Reviews:

Good book - mainly about data collection and kanban sizing.......2007-04-11

A few years ago I was looking for a book about how to size a kanban system. This book is exactly about this topic and follows a step by step approach. Many people believe, that implementing a Pull-system is possible by following cooking-receipts, it is not. Anyone thinking about implementation of a Pull-system, should first understand when it makes sense and when there are better alternatives for your business. Pull-systems can be used as long as your product variaty is not to broad and when demand varies within +/- 20%.

The book starts with what data has to be collected and even gives some hints about consistent data (even wrong data examples are given). What I missed a little bit, are more information about the real meaning of the replenishment interval and sometimes the numbers calculated in the example seem to be rounded in a fancy manner.

Furthermore when sizing the kanbans it would be usefull to have a better description (example/ sketch) what the replenishment quantity and buffer quantity means. Without this information the reader beeing new in this area has to make a guess on his own. The different visual signs and cards (+equivalents) to control your kanban system are well explained.

What is missing in this book? The book is weak when it comes to other very important issues as line lay-out, the importance of cell implementation, load leveling (heijunka), line-balancing (vs. takt-time) etc. The book "Pull Production for the Shopfloor" from the Productivity Press Development Team is very easy to read and provides many information and simple drawings about the missing knowledge. Furthermore the book presents calculations about the influence of reducing lot size (set-up time), reducing unplanned machine downtime and the influence of scrap/rework. If you are really interested in understanding the bad influence of large lot size, machine unavailability and scrap/rework you need to take a deeper look into Operations Management, as provided by Quick-Response-Manufacturing, Factory Physics or other usefull books..

This book will do an excellent job combined with other books that cover the missing points. Adopting this production system requires more than sizing a system, you need to change the mindset of your workforce for relentless persuit of continuous improvement (Kaizen) and some understanding about the tools used together with this system: 5S, TPM, SMED, ZQC etc. Furthermore for complex manufacturing systems the question where to start with Pull-implementation of a single line becomes crucial. Sometimes you do not need even to turn your whole processes to pull and a mix of push-pull lines and pull lines might be a better approach for your needs. For people interested in making a splash and where Pull-systems do not seem to be the right approach, I strongly recommend to read Quick-Response-Manufacturing. This approach has many insights in common with JIT/Lean but is much easier to apply. The knowledge from operations management itself will even help to understand pull-systems and what they are based uppon.

Enjoy reading,
Oliver

Good.......2007-03-17

It covers all the important points of a Kanban System, yet you can read it in no time. I like it.

Great Implementation Book.......2005-01-17

Kanban Made Simple is a great book to help in teaching people how to implement Kanbans. While many people conceptually understand Kanban, they do not understand all the elements that go into sizing the kanban and into the design of the kanban. This book addresses all these elements (sizing, type, visual management, rollout, and batch size reduction)in a step by step method. I recommend it to all my clients.

Good BUT.......2005-01-14

Book is well organized. Chapters 3 (Data Collection) and 4 (Sizing the Kanban)need more detail. Overall, the book does take you through the process. CD is a waste of time. All the files are in PDF format. If these were in Word or Excel, it would be much easier to use.

Highly Recommended!.......2004-03-02

Visit any healthy manufacturing operation and you'll see a buzz of bewildering activity - parts being moved on overhead cranes, raw materials being wheeled in, line operators checking their production schedules before they change the line over to their next product. Those production schedules, as this book suggests, can really be a hindrance. Operators become dependent on them, although the schedules may not accurately reflect customer demand. The solution? Kanban, which is based on having a communication system right on the factory floor that communicates key indications of customer behavior - buying, ordering, canceling - directly to the workers themselves. Production activity, therefore, is actually scheduled based on customer demand rather than on past expectations, with the advantage that you hold less inventory and operate more effectively. This book (which comes with a compact disc of implementation directions) gives clear insight into this powerful scheduling system employed efficiently by Toyota and other world-class companies. We highly recommend it to executives, managers and supervisors of companies that earn their living by making widgets more successfully.

Average customer rating:

More a love story than a survival story

Amazing Story of Survival!

Alone with The Voice

Important Life (and Sailing) Lessons Revealed

An intense story

Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea
Tami Oldham Ashcraft , and Susea Mcgearhart
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Travel | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Oceans & Seas | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Rescue in the Pacific: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in a Force 12 Storm

Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea

66 Days Adrift

Survive the Savage Sea (Sailing Classics)

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

ASIN: 0786867914
Release Date: 2002-06-12

Book Description

Picture yourself in a tropical climate, sailing out to sea with your fianc. Life is perfect; youre young and in love. Then picture everything going horribly wrong. You inadvertently sail into a hurricane, youre injured, and you wake up to find that your loved one is gone. Your boats motor is shot and your masts have disappeared. Utterly alone, youre weeks from dry land. Red Sky in Mourning is the story of Tami Oldham Ashcrafts 41-day journey to safety, which she survived through fortitude and sheer strength of character. Interspersed with flashbacks to her romance with her doomed fianc Richard, this survival story offers an inspiring reminder that even in our darkest moments we are never truly alone.

Customer Reviews:

More a love story than a survival story.......2007-06-26

It's really more a love story than a survival story. I have read good 'lost at sea' non-fiction such as 'The Raft' and excerpts from the Adrenaline series by Listen and Live audio. However this book really does not come close to the near death experiences by crew who are lost at sea without food and water. But it is a good love story, so for that reason I give it 4 stars.

Amazing Story of Survival!.......2005-08-14

You will not be able to put this book down! I learned so much about sailing from reading this book and the other reviews make it clear that even experienced sailors have as well.
One reviewer who really enjoyed the book criticized the fact Tami and Richard were so much in love they were not afraid to show it in the way they spoke with each other. I find nothing at all odd about calling each other "Love". It is similar to using the nickname "Sweetheart". Absolutely and totally believable in my opinion.

As I read this book the descriptions of the places and the story was such that I found myself back in time, caught up in their beautiful world 22 years ago. Tami if you ever come to New England to speak I would love to attend! Now more than ever I would love to sail. Tami and Richard shared moments which many people will never experience in an entire lifetime.

I recommend this book to people of all ages and backgrounds. This is a story which even those who live far from the sea can relate to. The freedom and exuberance of youth and love, the excitement of an adventure, the loss of one we haved love with all our heart, tragedy, despair, hope, courage, survival....and once again living and loving.

This book held me spellbound. I was surprised when I found myself reaching for the kleenex as I finished the book. Perhaps I had finished the journey with Tami as I read the book. The fate of the Mayaluga was probably the final incident which started the tears for me. I will not ruin the ending for all of you. We all know what Richard would have chosen for the Mayaluga and it would be great to have an update on this.
The photographs were so nice to have included in the book and I only wish there had been more photographs of the places they had visited! Purchase this book and you will treasure it!

Alone with The Voice.......2005-02-26

Tami lost her boyfriend and the rigging of the boat they were delivering from the South Pacific to San Diego, during a hurricane they tried to avoid.

Her story is of profound love, desperation, madness and survival, told like only that lived through it can.

Beautifully written, entertaining and a few lessons for the rest of us sailors.

On top of the entertaining and poetical value (has both) it has important information on what to do (and avoid) on a similar situation. More importantly, how to avoid being in one on the first place!

Capt. Pablo Vitaver

Important Life (and Sailing) Lessons Revealed.......2003-10-04

What a wonderful book, by a courageous woman. As I read the book, I felt that I was there with her during her struggles and triumphs. And the ending is very positive and doesn't leave the reader hanging. She's overcome a great deal in life at a young age, and has gone on to become a very solid and interesting wife and mother, I suspect. Yes, the book describes a real tragedy, the kind of thing that a sailor prays to avoid. However, there are real lessons to be found, such as equipment and design flaws aboard her boat, as well as the 'human factors' which she discusses openly. I've made purchases and upgrades to my boat (I liveaboard and cruise fulltime) based on her book and her lecture at the Annapolis sailboat show. Just buy the book, and you won't be sorry!

An intense story.......2003-08-15

This is an intense and riveting story of talent, guts and luck. I would have left out some of the slightly gooey romanticism, but it's her story, not mine.
She does a great job narrating on the audio cassette.

Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea

Average customer rating:

Strong women survive
Required Reading
Gripping Story
Touching and full of suspense
always near by

Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea
Tami Oldham Ashcraft , and Susea Mcgearhart
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0786886765
Release Date: 2003-07-16

Book Description

ed Sky in Mourning is the story of Tami Oldham Ashcraft's 41-day journey to safety, which she survived through fortitude and sheer strength of character. Interspersed with flashbacks to her romance with her doomed fianc Richard, this survival story offers an inspiring reminder that even in our darkest moments we are never truly alone.

Customer Reviews:

Strong women survive.......2007-10-01

The title is a paraphrase of the old saying, "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning," but the sky was gray and stormy when the Hazana capsized, throwing Tami Oldham¹s fiance overboard. Losing Richard Sharp was just the beginning of Tami¹s forty-one-day struggle to survive. This is the story of how she overcame her intense grief and loneliness, found the will to go on alone and, despite her physical and emotional wounds, sailed the crippled Hazana over 1500 miles to safety.

The story begins on September 23, 1983, as Tami and Richard leave Tahiti for what they believe will be a side trip on their cruise around the South Pacific and New Zealand. A British couple has hired them to deliver their boat to San Diego while the couple flies home on a family emergency. What happens after Tami and Richard leave Papeete Harbor will have you absorbed until the last page.

Tami¹s descriptions of her fear and despair are so real that you can almost feel these emotions yourself. Though you know that she will make it through, you keep reading to see how she does it and to be reassured that she finds happiness again.

The story moves back and forth between her early sailing days, her romance with Richard, and the journey that she ultimately survives alone. The idyllic scenes of their lovemaking on the boat and islands in the South Pacific make the final outcome especially poignant.

As they fight to sail through a hurricane, Richard sends her below deck, saving her life. The last thing she hears is Richard¹s scream before she is knocked unconscious. When the storm has passed, Tami awakens to find that Richard is gone, the Hazana¹s motor and radio are useless, and all the masts are broken. She manages to figure out her position at sea using the stars, a map and some plotting instruments. Then she rigs a makeshift sail and heads for Hawaii.

Alone and questioning her fate, she is answered by what she calls The Voice--leaving the reader to decide if The Voice is God, Tami's inner self, Richard, or the universe. The Voice ultimately talks her out of suicide and keeps her going on to find land or a rescue vessel. When she finds a box of cigars and a case of Hinano beer--Richard¹s and her favorite--and goes up on deck to smoke a cigar and drink the warm beer, you know she has turned the corner. Somehow, this woman will survive.

It is not a direct path, however, from grief to hope. Tami slid into suicidal despair several times during her journey--even within sight of land at her journey's end. When she realizes the island within her view is not her imagination, her relief and joy break through on the page.

As a Japanese research vessel spots her approaching and tows her into the harbor at Hilo, Tami wonders who will meet her. The days that follow are full of interviews, Coast Guard investigations, and reunions with family and friends. In her attempt to regain a normal life, she looks for someone to untangle her matted hair without cutting it off--a job which took three beauticians two days.

For readers unfamiliar with sailing, there is a glossary in the back of the book. I must admit that I got tired of flipping to it for definitions of boat parts and sailing techniques, but providing definitions within the text probably would have taken away from the narrative tension. For instance, brightwork is the term for the unpainted, wooden boat parts that must be cleaned and varnished. I learned that people like Tami make a living doing this.

The writing overall is smooth and engrossing. The story provides a fascinating look at the world of people who live on boats and sail around the world for weeks or even months in search of adventure.

Perhaps most important, Red Sky In Mourning is a strong testament to the human spirit, the will to live, the voice within, and what one strong woman can do.

From a review previously posted at www.storycircle.org/BookReviews.

Required Reading.......2007-09-15

This book was way overdue, it should have been on the market in the 80's, but I am not surprised this author needed years to digest the experience. I read the book in one sitting at first, but have been going back and back through it for the details. We live near the Atlantic shore and thought about buying a boat this summer. As each new "pre-boat" research book arrives through Amazon, that day we sail on anything we call our own is justifiably getting bumped another season, and then perhaps even another. There is just so much to learn.

The part that stands out for me most is Tami's emphasis on the traditional science of celestial navigation - she and Tania Aebi together bring home that it wasn't so long ago (the 80's) that not everyone had a GPS, and that in the case of some catastrophic satellite failure in the future, basic survival skills (how to make fire) should never be taken for granted. A book for anyone contemplating or owning a sailboat, for certain ... for anyone owning a power boat, a smart buy ... for anyone who loves a great read .. that it is, too.

Gripping Story.......2006-09-13

Tami Oldham Ashcraft's "Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea" is her autobiographical account of struggle at sea after being dismasted in a hurricane. Not only is it the story of her surviving the storm, it's her story about surviving the loss of her fiancé during the storm.

Tami tells much of the story of her free-spirited life after high school through flashbacks: moving to Mexico to surf, sailing away to Tahiti, and finally meeting and falling in love with Richard. She paints a wonderful picture of Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. She and Richard agreed to deliver a boat back to San Diego. Hurricane Raymond hit them on their passage to San Diego. Tami woke up to a dismasted, wrecked boat and no sign of Richard. She was then able to sail the wrecked boat to Hawaii.

This is a great sailing story, and Tami's strength and knowledge of sailing helped her survive 42 days at sea. In part, she attributed her survival to a "voice" that talked her through the rough times; it's not clear whether this was God, Richard, a guardian angel, or something else. Although her story of survival and seamanship wasn't as great as Bligh's or Shackleton's ocean journeys, it's much more real and hard-hitting because it happened to a young woman all by herself in the Pacific. At the end of the book, Tami does a good job tying up the loose ends, describing her short- and long-term struggles to overcome her loss, and moving on with her life.

This is a great book for both the sailor and the general reader. Although it focused too much on the "love story" for my taste, this aspect will appeal to many who wouldn't otherwise be interested in a sailing story.

Touching and full of suspense.......2006-02-24

I know zip about sailing, but this story is about so much more...the ability to survive what seemed impossible, the guidance of loved ones in our lives--even beyond the grave, and true, young, real love. This is a quick read and written from the heart.

always near by.......2005-03-29

This young (23) women was tough, no question about it. As traumatic
as her experience was, she kept going. What a struggle is must have been. She tells (book on tape) us she now has a good life with her husband and two kids, I am sure she made this happpen.
After all this time though(1983), the experience is still with her.
Isn't it ironic that those of the immovable ilk like to make the statement 'that is in the past, let it go'.
Tragedies of this degree at such a young age are always near by.

Average customer rating:

Red Sky In Mourning, a true Story of love, Loss, and Survival at Sea
Tami Oldham with Susea McGearhart Ashcraft
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NDCXUY

Average customer rating:

Well, if you like "survival at sea" stories anyway . . .
Inspiring Story of Single-Handed Survival at Sea
great story, monotone audio
Written by a nonsailer - but good
A Woman's Adventure

Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea
Tami Oldham Ashcraft , and Susea McGearhart
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Biographies & Memoirs | Large Print | Formats | Books
ASIN: 0786247134

Book Description

Tami Oldham and her fiance, Richard Sharp, are caught in a violent hurricane in the crystal waters of the Pacific Ocean. Richard is swept overboard and Tami is left grief-stricken and alone on a revaged yacht.

Red Sky in Mourning is her amazing story of 41 days of survival recounted amoung poignant flashbacks of the adventure and romance she and Richard experienced while cruising French Polynesia.

Customer Reviews:

Well, if you like "survival at sea" stories anyway . . ........2006-07-05

First of all, Tami's story is astounding. As for what she went through, and for her demonstrated abilities to survive at sea (bearing in mind that this was a woman in her early-twenties who successfully sailed a demasted vessel and found Hawaii right where she calculated it would be), she deserves every accolade. Also, we should remember that she accomplished this in the wake of the terrible reality of losing her beloved fiance. But let's review the book. The story is a compelling one, and here's a chance for fans of the genre to (i) avoid a choking saga of the open lifeboat, and (ii) experience a firsthand account of what was, all in all, a happy and successful ending. The presentation is split between a narrative of the capsize and the ensuing survival tale, and a full biographical account of the author's life with a heavy focus on the relationship between the author and her fiance. At times, this presentation was confusing as events in one part (the real-time capsize account) did not click with events not yet revealed in the other part (the unnecessarily comprehensive biographical account). Like country music, the writing is cliche-ridden (beginning with the title of the book), but that seems to occur mostly in the biographical portions of the book. The accounts of the some-40 days at sea are awesome, and Tami does a pretty good job of putting us there. Big clumps of time seemed to be passed over quickly, but we do get the sense that there were many days and nights that came and went with seeming endlessless and little action.

It's interesting that God gets a lot of mention in this book, although most of it is in the "in vain" nature (here's a game - I dare you to take a drink of beer everytime you read "Oh my ---!"). And God is both prayed to and His presence acknowledged many times, but we also see the author and her lover proudly getting it on in full (and explicitly acknowledged) view of the deity. Weird perspective for the author to share . . . .

Note that I listend to the audio version of this book, read by the author. The author's reading was a little flat, and this could have used a professional actress, but it was neat to hear the author tell her own story. All in all, this is not among the best in its genre. But it's a heck of a story, and this is the only place to hear it.

Inspiring Story of Single-Handed Survival at Sea.......2004-11-09

What an inspirational story! When she was only twenty-two years old, Tami Oldham Ashcraft and her fiancee Richard Sharp took on a job to deliver a yacht from Tahiti to San Diego. Both Tami and Richard were experienced sailors, with over 50,000 miles of blue water sailing between them. What should have been a pleasant adventure turned into disaster though, on Day 19 of the trip, when the two were unable to outrun Hurricane Raymond. The two sailors fought bravely to escape the storm, but to Tami's horror, she woke up after what she thought was a brief sleep below decks, only to discover that the ship was filling up with water, and Richard apparently was washed overboard, his D-ring having broken open. What follows is a remarkable story of determination, faith, and dealing with a lost love, as Tami survives forty-one days on her own and manages to navigate the demasted ship to Hilo, Hawaii.

In addition to telling the story of her survival , Tami includes reflections on the trip she and Richard had taken to Tahiti just before they started their fateful trip back to California. This book did such a great job of conveying the romance of the sea and long ocean voyages. Unlike some other tales of surviving disasters, Tami is completely humble in her telling of the story. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and a wonderful tribute to the human spirit. I highly recommend this book to all!

great story, monotone audio.......2004-02-14

This is an amazing tale, fascinating to sailors or non-sailors. The author's honesty is compelling, but the audio version might have been better off in the hands of a professional reader or actress who could bring it to life. My husband and I really love the story, but we had to turn off tape 3 today because the monotone in the reader's voice was lulling us to sleep as we drove along the highway, leading to our own potential disaster. Great story, though. She is one tough cookie and a testimony to perserverence and faith in God.

Written by a nonsailer - but good.......2000-12-19

Tami tells of a sailboat delivery job with her boyfriend which turns tragic. The reader can see the tranformation of a neive young women / novice sailer to a person who can survive on her own. The transformation is a little exaggerated but moving ending.

A Woman's Adventure.......2000-02-25

Red Sky in Mourning was a refreshing adventure story told by a strong, smart woman. Tami Oldham-Ashcraft wasn't just a passive follower in her voyage, she was an active participant. Tami had the knowledge and strength to save herself, when many others would have perished. While she is very strong and independent, the book is also very romantic. This book is an excellent read for women of all ages and walks of life.

Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival At Sea, Unabridged (Complete 2 Audio Cassette Tape Set)

Average customer rating:

Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival At Sea, Unabridged (Complete 2 Audio Cassette Tape Set)
Tami Oldham Ashcraft
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio Division
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: B000UZF6YK

Book Description

The Hundred Years War, between the Plantagenet Kings of England and the Valois Kings of France, was a dramatic, decisive and colorful conflict. From 1337 until 1453, the Kingdoms of England and France sent their armored men and archers into battle where they fought each other to a standstill. This highly accessible history of the Hundred Years War provides its readers with a full account of events and encourages students to look further into this fascinating era in European history.

Customer Reviews:

nice introductory work.......2005-06-30

A very vivid, well written account of the Hundred Years' War. The writer is a reporter, so the "lively" style in descriptions of facts and situations is not new to him. You will probably read the book only in a few hours (I did it in just three-four hours, to my own amazement), and can consider yourself rather well-informed about the general subject of the Hundred Years' War after that. It is an very handy introductory work, covering all the period of the war without omitting any details. By the way, much better than the writer's "The Wars of the Roses".

I gave it four stars and not five only because I do not consider it a must for experts on the 100 Years' War history.

Book Description

Only a fraction of students actually know how to use college as a stepping-stone for educational exploration and social connection. Most students are keenly disappointed when the expected transformation from college to career does not automatically happen. They do not know that they have to make it happen through their own engagement. Packed with practical and accessible advice, Scheele's approach provides critical strategies to the burgeoning number of students--whether they are children of advantaged parents or children of immigrants, high school students anticipating their college career, or adult women re-entering college after years of working or childrearing. All students are seeking the American Dream, hoping that the secret to success will be included with their diplomas. Launch Your Career in College provides a guide to maximizing the return on their educational investment. Offering practical and accessible advice for college students, Launch Your Career in College offers a guide to maximizing the return on students' and their parents' financial and educational investments. College is an experiment in hope. It is an expensive investment of time--often more than four years--and of money--anywhere from $4000 to $40,000 per year. Yet the biggest investment, by far, is that of hope--hope that by simply attending college students will be able to turn their majors into successful careers and rewarding lives. Students and their parents expect that college will be the single transforming agent to make them acceptable, valuable, knowledgeable, professional, and employable. Seldom is this expectation voiced, but it is there, deeply embedded in our views about higher education. It is not just hoped for. It is believed to be true. This books can help students, educators, and parents make that hope a reality.

Customer Reviews:

Great Ideas.......2006-01-03

This is a great book for anyone in college, getting ready for college, (or getting ready to send kids to college). Outlines how to be proactive and make the experience work to the max. Sensible and inspiring. I got copies for two young friends that I care about because I want them to think outside the box and make the college expereince all that it can be.

Amazon.com

Daniel Botkin sets out to cover the same ground Meriwether Lewis and William Clark did in their 1804-1806 survey of the Missouri River. He maintains that their careful observations on the native species, landscapes, and human residents of that great stretch of country should serve as models for avoiding "a glamorized utopian vision of nature" and seeing the landscape for what it really is. "One of the ways our knowledge of nature has changed since the time of Lewis and Clark," he writes, "is that the field of statistics has developed, and we can state our errors quantitatively." Not so much exploring as following old paths, we can also gather data more thoroughly than did our ecologist predecessors, knowing a little better what it is we are looking for. Botkin does just that in long discussions of salmon ecology and the mismanagement of natural resources.

Book Description

Often referred to as America's national epic of exploration, the 28-month Lewis and Clark expedition was certainly America's greatest odyssey. Commissioned in 1804 by Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off on the greatest wilderness trip ever recorded. Beginning in St. Louis, they navigated up the Missouri River and through the prairies, enduring a winter with the Mandan Indians in North Dakota, reaching the summit of the Rocky Mountains and then following the Columbia River to their final destination, the Pacific Ocean. Trained in natural history and in the methods of collecting plant and animal samples, Lewis and Clark carefully and meticulously recorded the conditions of the rivers, prairies, forests, mountains, and wildlife of pre-industrial America. Now, in this new edition of Our Natural History, Daniel B. Botkin, a distinguished botanist and naturalist, re-creates the grand journey--taking us on an exciting ecological adventure back to the landscape of the great American West. In retracing their steps, Botkin reveals what this western landscape actually looked like and how much it's been changed by modern civilization and technology. With fresh insight, Botkin shows us that from the explorers' observations, we can learn much about the environment of our past, our environment today, and what our environment might be in the future. Now with a new Afterword marking the 200th anniversary of the expedition, this timely and thought-provoking book captures our imagination and stimulates our sentiment with lessons about our environment and our place within it. Our Natural History offers a stunning and rare portrait of the rugged, beautiful, disappearing wilderness of the American West.

Customer Reviews:

The Lewis and Clark Journals: A Light On Today's Problems.......2004-05-25

Using the journals reporting the manifold findings of the Lewis And Clark Expedition, Dr. Botkin has contrasted the explorer's findings with today's conditions along the L&C Trail. He has a superb ability to ascertain the the broad parameters of a topic and then clearly and concisely delineate the details. He has the all-too-rare ability to cut through the complexities of a problem so as to reduce them to clear, comprehensible terms.This skill is of inestimable value in identifying ways to cope with, if not solve, seemingly insoluble problems.

Our Natural History.......2004-05-25

Dr. Botkin has a superb ability to ascertain the broad parameters of a topic and then clearly and concisely delineate the details. He has the all-too-rare ability to cut through the complexities of a problem, reducing them to clear,understandable terms. This skill is of inestimable value in identifying ways to cope with, if not solve, seemingly insoluble problems.

His use of baseline information provided by the journals of Lewis and Clark enables a reader to appreciate just how dramatically conditions have changed in the two centuries since the expedition penetrated and then methodically reported on what lay along and beyond the "wide Missouri."

The book is interesting, well written and a valuable resource for those interested in the changes wrought by the the settlement of the Louisiana Purchase.

An innovative look at Lewis and Clark.......2004-05-09

Unlike the previous reviewer, I find a book to be a fantastic success if it raises new questions and new perspectives for me. In this case, Dr. Botkin provides a very accessible natural history perpective on the Lewis and Clark Trail...greatly needed as popular interest ramps up with the bicentennial upon us. Whether your interest is in the rivers, plants, or animals of the trail, you will find thought-provoking reading here. It might even raise some questions for you!

:->

Not a good read.......2004-03-14

As an ecologist reading this book, I found that, for the most part, the writing was very superficial. Perhaps my science background makes me a overly critical reader, but the author seemed more interested in talking about his own accomplishments rather than the natural history. A disappointment - which I stopped reading in the middle.

Our Natural History: The Lessons of Lewis and Clark

Average customer rating:

Our Natural History: The Lessons of Lewis and Clark
Daniel B. Botkin
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKSIPU

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books