A young man takes a summer job with a horse packer in the Sierra Nevada mountains--and receives a valuable education in the art of living--in a modern-day parable filled with love for horses, nature, and the majesty of the Sierras, based on the author's real-life experience of 40 years horse packing in the John Muir Wilderness. Pablo is 18, a young man bound for college and a promising future, but also directionless and drifting toward the gang life. Pablo's mother, remembering his childhood love of horses back home in Mexico, arranges a summer job for him with podiatrist and commercial horse packer Dr. Clyde. Pablo finds himself far from the distractions of the city, leading pack horse trains through the stunning natural beauty of the John Muir Wilderness. Along the way, Pablo receives a remarkable series of life lessons based on Dr. Clyde's 40 years' experience leading riders and hikers through the mountains. The guests that Clyde and Pablo encounter present many different models of how to live, both positive and negative, from arrogant know-it-all tourists to experienced and respectful outdoorsmen. As Dr. Clyde says, "You'll find in this world, Pablo, that some people make very poor decisions. Sometimes it adversely affects others and sometimes it negatively affects themselves big-time." Pablo and the reader learn that self-reliance, preparedness, and taking responsibility for one's own safety help develop a confident and responsible adult. With lyrical descriptions of the natural splendor of the mountains and charming line drawings of horses and scenery, Life Lessons on the Sierra Trail is a celebration of the outdoor life and how it builds character.

Life Lessons on the Sierra Trail: 40 Years’ Experiences in the John Muir Wilderness

Self-Help

Clyde, Allen

Personal Transformation

Craven Street Books

Review\n"Author and historian Russell Low has done more than write a moving, personally-connected book about the unsung 'All-American Crew' of World War II bomber pilots. He has rediscovered and reinvigorated our great national narrative that all Americans are truly American. Lost to most histories, these Chinese American heroes are given full breadth and credit in this seminal book. Read Russell Low's marvelous The All-American Crew for the history, but stay for the lesson and the reaffirmation of our national ideals." ― David Eugene Perry, author of the award-winning historical novel Upon This Rock\n"A straight-ahead story of young men coming together from all walks of life and bonding into a band of brothers. Whether they are learning how to fire a .50 caliber machine gun on a Texas air force base or sweltering between missions while sipping warm Aussie beer in a New Guinea jungle, these guys grow vivid and alive in a reader's imagination. You will not be able to put it down." ― Glenn Vanstrum, author of The Saltwater Wilderness and Northern Liberties\n"Russell N. Low captures the essence of diversity that defines what it means to be an American. He skillfully brings the crew together and brings to life the effects of the war on their families before, during, and after the war." ― Bob Tupa, 90th Bomb Group Association\n"The All-American Crew is a remarkable, well-researched invitation into fascinating lives of WWII heroes. Russell Low blends historical events with intriguing family history to spin a fresh story that will appeal to history buffs as well as readers who simply enjoy good literature." ― Zohreh Ghahremani, author of Sky of Red Poppies\n"The All-American Crew is not just a great read. It is an experience. Russell Low's talent as a writer and storyteller, his description of aerial gunners allows the reader to feel the hard G pull-outs, the recoil of the machine guns, smell the burned powder, and feel the hot cartridge cases falling on his feet. It brought back memories and the feelings and smells of catapulting off the ship heading for Saipan, the distinctive odor when we were over land, and the powerful nostalgia." ― Andy Winnegar, former ARM2/C Composite Squadron VC-4 USS White Plains CVE 66 and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and seven Air Medals for his service over Saipan in World War II\n"So awesomely real, from conveying family conversations and interactions to describing flying and gunnery training situations to aerial combat engagements. This is a book for young and old and a book for families. The incidents and stories within the book are well documented and substantiated with real postcards, letters, and photos of the time. What stands out for us today is the full blending, integration, assimilation of the crew, whether on the town, in training, or in combat―truly an all-American crew. And it's heartwarming to learn in the epilogue about the postwar life of these all-American heroes." ― William S. Chen, Major General, US Army, retired\n"Russell Low's The All-American Crew is remarkable from many perspectives. Low is a talented storyteller who has woven engaging family tales into a greater American story of ten men from different lives and backgrounds who went to war and bonded into a tight crew, symbolic of an America that is uniquely able to forge strength from diversity." ― Ted Gong, Executive Director and Founder, 1882 Foundation\n"The story of The All-American Crew reminds us of the best that America can be—diverse yet united, sharing in sacrifice, and striving together for a greater good in a very bad time." -- Jim Noles, author of Mighty by Sacrifice\n"Like a sculpture, Russ Low in his book, The All-American Crew, brilliantly connects the reader to a past that is raw, powerfully impressive and unforgettable. No doubt Russ Low is an exceptional storyteller, in this well researched book, some of the characters who served the nation in WWII story will remain etched in memory and heart. Th

The All-American Crew: A True Story of a World War II Bomber and the Men Who Flew It

Biographies & Memoirs

Low, Russell

Historical

This firsthand account of a 1948 journey to a treacherous valley in northern India in search of a mysterious creature is both a classic travel adventure and a graphic record of an amazing expedition. The book chronicles the group's movement into a remote valley in Assam, where the inhabitants had only recently given up headhunting, on a quest for the Buru--an elusive, monstrous reptile well documented by those native to the area. The Buru, like the Yeti, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness monster, has captured the imagination of adventurers around the world, and remains a popular subject of cryptozoology--the study of animals yet to be discovered by science. Recalled in vivid detail are treks through hazardous swamplands filled with cobras and leeches, and campaigns through perilous jungles where thumbnail-sized ticks and wild boar are indigenous, all in the hunt for the legendary saurian.

The Hunt for the Buru

History

Izzard, Ralph

World

Much more than a record of an extraordinary military career, the life story of Colonel Sir Hugh Boustead details how he spent the greater part of his life in service to undeveloped countries. In addition to serving in wars in Sudan and Ethiopia, Colonel Boustead worked for many years to establish tribal peace, build schools and medical facilities, and train future leaders in the Western Sudan, Southern Arabia, and Abu Dhabi. All of these adventures are delightfully recounted in this memoir of a military man, a deserter, a boxing champion, and an explorer.

The Wind of Morning: An Autobiography

BOUSTEAD, HUGH

Boustead, Colonel Sir Hugh

This true story of Texas millionaire Tom Slick's quest for the Abominable Snowman and other cryptids--creatures unknown to science--reveals a life made for the movies. Fascinating stories of Slick's early brushes with adventure such as his stepfather's abduction by George ""Machine Gun"" Kelly in 1933 and his creation of a research facility near Loch Ness are followed by his later expeditions into Nepal and the Pacific Northwest in search of the yeti and its counterpart, the Sasquatch. The story of Slick's amazing, fanatic, and driven search for the stuff of legends takes readers on a whirlwind journey from the dense temperate rainforests of Washington State to the icy peaks of the Himalayas--and shows that sometimes cryptids leave the halls of the imagination and are found and captured, as proved by the giant panda and the Komodo dragon, leaving readers to wonder what more there is to be discovered.

Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology

Loren Coleman

Reference

Charles de Foucauld, who was murdered in 1916, never gained a single convert. His lifelong ambition of establishing a new religious order did not come to fruition until well after his death, yet his life and writings are now more respected and studied than ever before. This is the story of Foucauld's life, a moving testimonial to how the willpower and religious fervor of one man can affect those around him and his own individual sense of being. It details how Foucauld gave up his place in the French aristocracy, dispersed his fortune and resigned his commission in the French army, and became such an ascetic that he was unable to found a new order based upon his religious principles because no one would adhere to the kind of life he chose for himself. It is a story that lends itself to not only the obvious religious aspects of the life of a desert priest but to a much broader interpretation of will, courage, and discipline.

The Sands of Tamanrasset: The Story of Charles de Foucauld

Preminger, Marion Mill

Leaders & Notable People

This comprehensive history of the San Joaquin Valley begins with a study of the indigenous Native American tribes of the area and their interactions with one another. It then explores the occupation by the Spanish, the trapping industry, the arrival of settlers from the eastern United States, and the formation of expansive cattle ranches. The development of agriculture and irrigation and the subsequent battles over land and water rights are addressed. Also discussed is the grand era of the railroad, which would forever change the valley, bringing light industry and modern agricultural practices.

Garden of the Sun: A History of the San Joaquin Valley, 1772-1939

Smith, Wallace

Americas

This true adventure begins in the late 1800s in the rough-and-tumble towns of northern California and ends on the Lower East Side of New York City in the 1920s. After running away from home, Douglas McHardie found himself in Arizona, where things took a horrible turn for the worse as he found himself wanted for murder, thus beginning his life on the run as an outlaw. From Arizona he escaped to the Canadian gold mines of the Yukon where he found gold. With his newfound riches he moved to San Francisco and opened a saloon, only to have it destroyed by the great earthquake of 1906. McHardie's sense of adventure, however, was not destroyed, and his journey continued to Australia, Bombay, and Afghanistan, where he ran guns between the Gulf States and Kabul and was later tortured. This is a compelling memoir of a survivor, a man whose wits, instincts, and good luck kept him one step in front of the law and alive to tell his story.

On the Run: The Life and Adventures of a Fugitive (Life on the Edge)

McHardie, Douglas

Originally published in England in 1910, this story of a shepherd, Caleb Bawcombe, describes life in the south-central English county of Wiltshire before the turn of the 20th century. It is a charming picture of pastoral life that often seems idyllic and simple when viewed from the present. Caleb Bawcombe is a fictitious name thought to represent one James Lawes, and the town in the tale, Winterbourne Bishop, has been identified as the town of Martin. Friends, family, and acquaintances are interwoven in Caleb's story, and the interaction between humanity and nature is highlighted, capturing life at that specific time and place.

A Shepherd's Life

Hudson,W.H.

This factual story about how Christopher Evans and John Sontag came to be the most wanted men in California in 1893 is also the story of life in the San Joaquin Valley at the turn of the century, where harsh realities forced rash acts that had far-reaching repercussions. Wanted for murder and train robbery, Evans and Sontag were the focus of a statewide manhunt that reads like a Hollywood western: A U.S. marshal, Apache trackers, the California judicial system, and the one supreme power in California in the late 19th century--the Southern Pacific Railroad--all took a hand in creating their amazing story. The incredible history of this area of central California, now the richest agricultural area in the world, is recounted, from 25,000-acre wheat farms and the birth of the Caterpillar tractor to the development of its huge gold and silver deposits and natural gas and oil resources.

Prodigal Sons: The Violent History of Christopher Evans and John Sontag

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