Product Description
This introduction to the geology of California covers all major geomorphic provinces and is organized from north to south. Each province is described with the geomorphic features, history, rocks, structure and special interest items specific to that province. ... Read more

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David Thompson is a former Vietnam War conscientious objector in Paris on a quest to find himself in the early days of 1977. When he befriends an Iranian and an Afghan and is invited to return with them to their countries, his quest slowly becomes a descent into his own private hell. On the road from Europe to the East he encounters Kurdish bandits in the eastern mountains of Turkey, becomes involved with an underground group opposed to the Shah in Iran, escapes to Afghanistan, passes through Pakistan during the uprising against the Bhutto regime, and suffers extreme sickness on the streets of Delhi and Calcutta. Although continually searching for the happiness and identity he could not find in the U.S., he cannot easily shed his American past. Throughout the journey he is hounded by the demons of memory, particularly that of his father, a World War II hero who disowned David and died while David was still in prison. The journey itself becomes a physical manifestation of his struggle to achieve reconciliation with his own conscience.

This picaresque novel is interspersed with a multitude of characters whose philosophical, political, and religious opinions influence David greatly in his search. It is rich with the fascination of adventure in countries not easily accessible anymore to Westerners, vibrant with its diversity of characters, and graphic in its descriptions of poverty, death, and disease. "Looking for the Summer" is a remarkable adventure story of a man about to lose his youth and find his true self in ancient lands. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Dull as ditchwater
The only reason I finished this book was because someone had recommended it to me and I didn't want to disappoint them. The protagonist is a cardboard cutout, the lone Good American among hordes of Nasty Americans who have not achieved his level of enlightenment. The Afghans, Iranians, et al whom he meets on his travels could all be interchangeable, and everyone spends far too much time yammering self-rightous screeds and not actually doing anything.

The sad thing is that with the settings and time period, this novel could have been fascinating. But the author has taken golden material and turned it into junk - reverse alchemy, if you will. I'm sure that this book was fascinating to live, but unfortunatelythat fascination was not translated onto the printed page. Don't waste your time.

One star.

Good travelogue and personal philosophy story
American David Thompson is a Vietnam War conscientious objector. After spending a year in military prison, during which time he became estranged from his family, he travels around Europe, not really sure where he's going or what he's doing. In Paris, he meets a man named Hasan, who encourages David to accompany him back to Iran, his homeland. David is assured that plenty of jobs for foreigners are available. Their paths diverge for a while, and they meet up again a few weeks later, and undertake a harrowing journey to Iran by way of southeast Europe and Turkey.

The mountains of southeast Turkey are full of the sort of people who shoot first and don't bother with asking questions later. The two pass many disabled vehicles along the way, but don't even think of stopping; the philosophy is "every man for himself." They eventually reach Teheran, the Iranian capital. It's a dirty, noisy, congested place, like a city that's grown up too quickly. They continue to Mashad, Hasan's hometown, a much cleaner and nicer place.

David is invited to a meeting of an informal group of young people to discuss political philosophy; they have heard about his political rebellion. It's during the reign of the Shah, whose secret police, the SAVAK, are everywhere, so many precautions are needed. A few days later, the leaders of the group are arrested, and David is told to leave Iran immediately. He continues on to Afghanistan.

While there, he meets some Westerners who are more interested in drugs than in getting a different perspective of the world around them. He is told that he must continue on to India, to experience it first hand. Emotionally, it will hit him harder than anything in his life, but it's something he must do. Throughout his whole trip, and expecially in India, he experiences great kindness from total strangers. He also witnesses poverty and misery on a scale inconceivable to the average American.

This book is short, but it works on several levels. It's a good travel story, it's a good political and personal philosophy story, and it's a fine tale of an average person looking for his place in the world. It's well worth reading. ... Read more

Product Description
The Kobe-Osaka area in 1983. A 33-year-old American drifter and Vietnam War veteran has just arrived in Japan seeking one more adventure and an escape from his past. A promiscuous, rebellious, 23-year-old Japanese woman has just returned from a two-year homestay in a Canadian mission, where she was sent by her parents to cure her suicidal behavior. A snobbish, upper-class, 22-year-old Japanese woman who cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality is about to graduate from university and enter the frightening world of adulthood. Three people searching for a place to belong. Three people dancing on a psychological highwire. Three people about to become enmeshed in a relationship that will change each of their lives forever.

"Goes beyond the gaijin experience...evokes the rootlessness felt by young Japanese uncertain about their future."--The Japan Times "Crafted in excellent style and patiently honed...the Japanese characters are wholly convincing."--Kansai Time Out Magazine ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful Examination of Self Discovery
Human emotions, dark pasts, trials & tribulation, and complicated relationships are nothing new in literature. These are all common themes in countless novels and we've seen the same scenario play out time and time again. Every now and then, an author comes along and makes these themes special though and strikes the right notes with his or her readers. Robert W. Norris has done this with his novel Toraware.

Toraware is the story of three people living in Japan trying to find their place in the world. Harlan is a writer and a Vietnam War veteran in his early thirties who is unsure what he wants exactly out of life. He has come to Japan to teach English and to experience a new culture. While there he's met two women who are also trying to find themselves and each has become connected to Harlan. Sachiko has fallen for Harlan and his writing but her feelings are not reciprocated. Sachiko has her own dark past and her own issues to work through and has a hard time dealing with rejection. Yoshiko and Harlan have a much closer relationship, but Harlan will not open up to her. Yoshiko is also fairly promiscuous, has an alcohol problem and also has a dark past stemming from psychological issues.

Toraware is the tale of a universal need for acceptance. As I mentioned before, we've seen these themes in other works, but they are presented beautifully here. Norris' words match the beauty of the Japanese landscapes that he describes. You can tell that Norris has spent quite a bit of time in Japan as reading the novel is somewhat of a study in the culture of Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of the novel as Japan has always had a fascinating culture to me. Norris relates to his audience that through language barriers, culture barriers, and gender barriers, we can all relate at the core of what it is to be human.

This book was a great surprise and I look forward to getting to know Norris' work a little bit better. He's published a few other books, one of which is actually used to teach English to Japanese students. It's title is The Many Roads to Japan. Toraware was a book that could be extremely tedious if written by the wrong person seeing as there's not much action in the book. The book's main aesthetic is very voyeuristic. The reader is simply a fly on the wall as we experience the characters sorting out their lives. In Norris' hands, the book is a huge success and a pleasure to read. 4.5/5

Splendid
One of the most amazing books I have ever read. The story is set in Osaka Japan. I picked up this book and was hooked after the first chapter. I ended up finishing it the same day. Too bad it is not available anymore. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally developed as a textbook for Japanese EFL university students, "The Many Roads to Japan" tells the story of the adventures of a Vietnam War conscientious objector who had to follow many twists and turns in his life journey before finding his niche in Japan. The exercises at the end of each chapter are designed both to provide a review of the most important information contained in the chapter and to give practice in skimming for main ideas and scanning for specific kinds of information. The discussion/essay questions are meant to involve the students personally by asking them to respond to events in the main character's life and relate them to their own experiences.

Suitable for low intermediate ESL level and above students, "The Many Roads to Japan" is also a good story for native speakers of English. An excellent resource for peace studies, too. ... Read more

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Modeled roughly on Malcolm Lowry's "Dark as the Grave Wherein My Friend is Laid," Robert W. Norris's "Autumn Shadows in August" is part homage to Lowry and Hermann Hesse, part mushroom retrospective, and part middle-aged love story. David Thompson is an expatriate American teaching at a Japanese university and suffering from hepatitis C. His wife Kaori is recovering from cancer surgery. Feeling a strong sense of their own mortality, confusion about the significance of what they have done with their lives, and a need to escape the constrictions of their life in Japan, the two set out on a journey to Europe to retrace a path from David's adventurous youth and locate a German benefactor from the past. What lies ahead--a trip through the Magic Theater, a sudden death, an encounter with Lowry's ghost, and a descent into the Capuchin Crypt in Rome--will change their lives irrevocably. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Making peace with the past
David Thompson made an irrevocable decision when he declared himself a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war. Spending time in prison did not rehabilitate him as the authorities expected, but instead made him realize he would never fit into American society. So he made his home in Japan, married Kaori, and settled into his new life as an expatriate.

But now, many years later and after both he and Kaori fight life-threatening illnesses, David wonders about his time on earth. Has he really made the right choices? He and Kaori decide to take a journey through Europe, reliving David's past, hoping to lay old ghosts to rest.

Autumn Shadows in August was modeled roughly on Malcolm Lowry's Dark as the Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid, and is richly peppered with Norris's own life experiences as an expatriate. In this story, David takes a magic mushroom trip back in time, visits with Lowry's ghost, and shares his heart and soul with Kaori. And when the trip comes to an end, both Kaori and David have a new understanding of themselves and their relationship.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

More revealing than expected!
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (7/06)

"Autumn Shadows in August" is truly a novel that brings one through the course of a life, with an ending that may be much more revealing than expected.This is the story of a man who spent the early years of his life constantly searching for a place to fit in, yet never truly finds it, and takes you along the deep and uprooted path of his previous years.

His early life is filled with drugs and hallucinogenics that may have upset the world as we know it, but may have led the main character, David Thompson, to the path he was destined.As he and his beloved wife travel through Europe, they seem to find the meaning of their own life within the experiences of many countries.Kaori, Thompson's wife, is a Japanese woman who was always lost too, until later in life she seemed to blossom into a comfort zone which included her husband.Thompson, referred to by his wife Kaori as "honey-chan", was never sure where he was destined to end up in life.Being hit with the normal trials of mid-life, he and his wife have other issues they have faced that perhaps help to give them a better perspective on life.She is a cancer survivor and he is bearing the medical problems of hepatitis. They come to grips with the realization that they not only are older, but have found a way to realize the comforts they have always searched for in life.

A combination love story and mid-life coming of age fiction, Robert Norris seems to be able to share the outside influences of this exceptional couple and the inner most, deepest feelings that are sometimes enhanced by hallucinogens.They not only find their own, individualized purpose in life through a travel of the past, but they find the soul touching need and care for each other as a couple.Meeting many people from David's past, Kaori and the reader gain a sense of self worth from the intense friendships David has formed with people throughout Europe.

This absolutely breath taking novel brings the reader to a whole new level of understanding life.It will not only stir your own realizations of where your life has taken you, but perhaps open your mind and heart to new adventures.

A timeless tale from the depths of an unhappy life in Japan to the hot pursuit of an aging ghost and an overall remarkable story
Autumn Shadows In August by Robert W. Norris is an engaging and entertaining novel about David Thompson, an American teaching at a Japanese University and his dealing with hepatitis C. As Thompson an his wife realize the significance of their lives and what they've entirely done, Autumn Shadows In August begins its story through the retracing of a once young man's journey through Europe from Germany to Rome, replete with intriguing twists and adventurous intricacies. Autumn Shadows In August is very strongly recommended for all general fiction readers for its evocative telling and unique style and presentation of a timeless tale from the depths of an unhappy life in Japan to the hot pursuit of an aging ghost and an overall remarkable story.

A Thought Provoking Masterpiece!
This is one of the best novels I've ever read!
It's an inspiring, meaningful story of a journey through the mind of an enlightened and experienced soul; at the same time it's an exhilarating and humorous adventure, an exploration of great art, literature, and architecture, and a beautiful, emotionally enthralling romance.
But this book is far more than the sum of its parts, and my feeble literary reviewing skills can do no justice to this eloquent and multifaceted tale.
This book is highly recommended. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Mexican fishes
This book is for aquarist or professional ichthyologist. If you are just a beginner in aquarium fish, this book is not for you. If you are a serious aquarist and you are interested by fish from Mexico, buy the book. It's a well of information.

Fishes of Mexico
Excellent book for the experenced and the novice.Great information on Goodeids that is hard to find in the regular aquarium books. ... Read more

Product Description
Containing a wealth of information gleaned from archival material and documents obtained through the US Freedom of Information Act, this is a guide to the nuclear forces and capabilities of United Kingdom, France and China. The authors discuss the history, composition, production and growth of these countries' stockpiles, and offer estimates of their capabilities. They also analyze each country's nuclear-testing history. Photographs are included of all the weapons discussed. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2005. The length of the article is 8536 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: An innovative methodology for analyzing digital visibility images in an urban environment.(Clean Air Act)
Author: Dhruv S. Raina
Publication: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 55Issue: 11Page: 1733(10)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
KEYWORDS: apple cultivar; virus-free; virus-infected; pawpaws; tetraploids; polypoid genetics; fogging; retard blooming; opalescent apple; gooseberry; grafting-northern style; fall-bearing raspberries; figs; LSU purple; kiwis; scab resistance; chestnut; mayhaw; etc., etc. 76pp. ... Read more

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KEYWORDS: apple cultivar; virus-free; virus-infected; pawpaws; tetraploids; polypoid genetics; fogging; retard blooming; opalescent apple; gooseberry; grafting-northern style; fall-bearing raspberries; figs; LSU purple; kiwis; scab resistance; chestnut; mayhaw; etc., etc. 76pp. ... Read more

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an identification guide for the native aquatic and wetland species of plants of Florida, illustrated with the mature plant and significant distinguishing physical feature ... Read more

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Wilderness Medical Society Anthology tries "to encourage, foster, support, and conduct activities or programs concerned with life sciences which may improve the scientific knowledge of the membership and the general public in matters related to wilderness environments and human activities in these environments." ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Literature and insurgency; ten studies in racial evolution: Mark Twain, Henry James, William Dean Howells, Frank Norris, David Graham Phillips, Stewart Edward White. Winston Churchill, Edith Wharton, Gertrude Atherton and Robert W. Chambers (1914)


552 pgs ... Read more