A Guide To Patapsco Valley Mill Sites: Our Valley’s Contribution To Maryland’s Industrial Revolution
 James Walter Peirce
 Our Price: $15.50
|
 |
Hawaii’s Russian Adventure: A New Look at Old History
 Peter R. Mills
 From the Publisher:
Hawai’i’s Russian Adventure is a look at a significant chapter in the history of Hawai’i. It overturns many popular myths and perceptions about the fort at Waimea and about European and Hawaiian interaction in the first half of the nineteenth century while delving into some of the central issues in historical anthropology, colonialism, and the development of global networks.
From The Critics:
BooknewsRussian Fort Elisabeth State Historical Park in Waimea, Kauai has been neglected as a site representing Russian influence in Hawaii’s 19th century colonial history and Hawaiians’ role in its construction and culturally appropriated later use. From a Hawaiian perspective based on archeological fieldwork, Mills (anthropology, U. of Hawaii, Hilo) critically evaluates historical narratives about the fort and islanders’ interactions with "the world system". Include bandw views of the site and its artifacts. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Our Price: $39.00
|
|
Hope Mills
 Constance Pierce
 From the Publisher:
It is 1959 in Hope Mills. Cotton is giving way to synthetic fiber; mill work is declining; race relations are volatile; the nearby military base is expanding; girls and women too often are trapped economically and socially; men are losing the assurance of secure work and dominion over their families. Through the eyes of Tollie and Lily, two school chums who are each other’s salvation, Constance Pierce chronicles a time of enormous change and difficulty and ends on a note of endurance and triumph.
From The Critics:
Publishers WeeklyIt’s easy to see why this first novel by Pierce, a poet (Phillippe at His Bath) and short-story writer (When Things Get Back to Normal), won Pushcart’s 15th Editor’s Book Award, given to "overlooked manuscripts of enduring worth." Although it suffers from poor pacing, it is suffused with a rare sweetness, offering a level-headed, compassionate optimism about human nature that is a fine counterpoint to both cynicism and sap. The story opens in August 1959, as a heat wave is prostrating the small town of Hope Mills, N.C. For 14-year-old Tollie, it is proving to be a miserable summer. Her family is disintegrating, her best friend is sleeping with a married man, her boyfriend is increasingly distant and her period is six weeks late. Small wonder that Tollie wants to escape-not just from her unhappy parents but also from her narrow-minded, impoverished hometown. However, as she well knows, without money even for bus fare, she won’t get far; besides, she muses, "the place she wanted to go probably wasn’t even on the map." Rather than turn the story into a pity party for Tollie, Pierce shows us how this vulnerable yet resourceful young woman gradually comes to grips with her lot, capturing both her wistfulness and her courage in deceptively simple prose and addressing complex racial and social issues with a light, sure touch. Pierce’s decision to rotate the viewpoint among multiple characters at times slows the plot to a crawl, but her heroine’s tartly funny voice is one that lingers with the reader. (Apr.) Library JournalPierce’s first novel, a lyrically woven tapestry of teenage life in the rural South during World War II, has been chosen by Pushcart Press as their 15th Editors’ Book Award winner. The reader is drawn into a complex story involving Tollie Ramsey and her tragic family in the small town of Hope Mills (Hopeless Mills to its inhabitants). Her best friend, Lilly, is a dreamer; her mother, Janice, is adrift in another world after losing a child; and Les, Tollie’s stepfather, is facing the closing of the cotton mills. Finally, misfortune chooses Tollie herself, and the challenges of adulthood are forced on the meek 15-year-old. Throughout, Tollie manages to retain a hopeful outlook and to recognize the true goodness in others. Highly recommended for general fiction collections.Shannon Haddock, Bellsouth Corporate Lib. and Business Research Ctr., Birmingham, Ala.
List Price: $$24.95 Our Price: $9.98
|
|
