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Cloud Swallower

This well-written cross-cultural mystery is part of a three-book series following private detective Jack White Deer. “Cloud Swallower” is a proposed gold mining operation that uses a toxic cyanide extraction process that could destroy a mountain sacred to Yuqui Pueblo plus the nearby watershed of the Rio Grande. “It is all threatened… all these communities and their right to drink clean water,” says a pueblo environmentalist. Jack agrees, “…but, we also need jobs… the per capita income is six thousand dollars a year.” Then he remembers his heritage, the mountain as a sanctuary, the sacred lake that is regarded as the entrance to the underworld of human origin. To destroy the mountain would break the continuity between the past and present. Five violent deaths later, Jack contemplates his place in the Native community. Jack and his friend Elizabeth both have good jobs and college degrees. Though they feel vulnerable, on the fringe of two cultures, they have each other. By David Fowler • Xlibris www.xlibris.com • 888-795-4274

Navajo Scouts

In January of 1873, when Secretary of War William W. Belknap authorized the Military District of New Mexico to enlist 50 Indian scouts for campaigns against the Apaches and other tribes, many Navajos rode into Fort Wingate in New Mexico to enlist. This well-document and illustrated book

The Kid Whisperer

Ruth Bradford and her husband Larry, both retired teachers, visited Faith, Hope & Love Kid’s Ranch in the Philippines over a period of four years where they met Lorraine DeGesu Lamar. As a teenager, Lamar felt a call to go out into the world and try to make a difference. Right out of high school, she traveled to the Philippines. “She knew she wanted to serve the Lord and “fell head-over-heels in love” with children who had been rejected by society.” Her unique insights and “creative godly ways to solve problems” inspired the title for this book. Lorraine and her Filipino husband, Celing, founded an orphanage and became “mommy and daddy” to hundreds of children. “Discipline, hugs and lots of love make once sad, rejected children into joyful kiddos,” Bradford writes. Lorraine’s heroic efforts are dramatized by authentic scenes, dialogue, and photos for a strong upbeat read. “This book is intended to share the blessing and bring glory to our Lord Jesus,” Bradford writes. Well done. By Ruth Bradford • Xlibris www.xlibris.com • 888-795-4274

explore the burning question of why the Navajos, who had suffered the Long Walk and imprisonment at Fort Sumner, would join the U.S. Military. Taylor does not shy away from a detailed history of how, beginning in 1775, colonial powers utilized the skills of Native Americans as scouts and soldiers in many campaigns against hostile groups, not just Apaches.

The Last Lecture

In the midst of a successful career as a professor at Carnegie Mellon, Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The doctors told him he only had a few months to live. He had been invited to give a last lecture, a tradition at Carnegie Mellon. Inspired by Pausch’s presentation, Zaslow, a renowned journalist, collaborated with Pausch to create this national bestseller (also an audiobook). His chin-up advice to the rest of us is graced with humor and common sense. He describes himself as “a wimpy kid” dragged to football practice. The coach is hard on him, but an assistant says, “When you’re screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you.” He learns to keep trying and manages to achieve most of his childhood dreams including working as an Imagineer for Walt Disney. He doesn’t waste any precious time feeling sorry for himself, though he is leaving behind his beloved wife and three small children. Five stars. By Jeffery Zaslow • Hyperion Press www.amazon.com

Military wages and pensions boosted the Navajo economy. Some Navajo soldiers rose to prominence; Ely Parker was the first Native American to serve as commissioner of Indian Affairs; he became President Ulysses S. Grant's personal military secretary. A valuable piece of history. By John Lewis Taylor • Arcadia Publishing www.arcadiapublishing.com • 843-853-2070