Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America

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Popular demand for this clear-sighted compendium of information about the rebirth of Pagan religions hasn't waned since its initial publication in 1979. Distinguished by the journalism of National Public Radio columnist Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon explains this diverse and burgeoning religion's philosophies and activities while dispelling stereotypes that have long been associated with it. Most people don't realize that pagan simply refers to pre-Christian polytheistic nature religions, such as the various Native American creeds, Japanese Shinto, Celtic Druid, and Western European Wicca. Originally, the word pagan meant "country dweller" and was a derogatory term in Rome in the third century A.D., not unlike calling someone a hick today. If you find yourself feeling queasy when you hear the words witch or pagan, a healthy dose of reeducation via Drawing Down the Moon could be the cure. --P. Randall Cohan

Book Description

Now fully revised—the classic study of Neo-Paganism

Almost thirty years since its original publication, Drawing Down the Moon continues to be the only detailed history of the burgeoning but still widely misunderstood Neo-Pagan subculture. Margot Adler attended ritual gatherings and interviewed a diverse, colorful gallery of people across the United States, people who find inspiration in ancient deities, nature, myth, even science fiction. In this new edition featuring an updated resource guide of newsletters, journals, books, groups, and festivals, Margot Adler takes a fascinating and honest look at the religious experiences, beliefs, and lifestyles of modern America's Pagan groups.

Customer Reviews:

Still the best.......2007-08-13

Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon is still the best coverage of the contemporary Western pagan community in America. With substantial revisions and additions, Adler has surveyed the changes that have occurred since the original publication and its subsequent revision. Always written in a clear, lucid and easily digestible style, this work remains a pleasure to read.

A Must read..........2007-07-13

I felt a sense of accomplishment when I finished this book. Yes, some of the material was dated or rather dry, but it is so full of important information that it's one book that every Wiccan should read. These book really explains the diffrent traditions and sects, and gives an honest look at our history. I loved the updated section at the end that listed pagan publications and organizations. This isn't a book for the total newbie, but it can definilty be appreciated from the novice to the high priestess.

A must-read for anyone new to Paganism!.......2007-05-23

Adler has updated this book throughout the years to keep up with developments in the American Pagan community. Her latest update was in 2006, so be sure to read the most current as much has changed since it was first published.

Drawing Down the Moon is objective and informative. Adler gives us "the big picture" in this book. She does a great job explaining the differences between the traditions and introduces us to the most influential people involved in this movement. I recommend anyone considering a Pagan path read this book...and the sooner the better since doing so will help one decide which direction to go in.

An Important Examination of a Worldview.......2007-02-12

First let me explain something that might be, or maybe not be, depending on various factors I guess, a surprise. I am a Christian who has had a background in paganism. I was a practitioner of paganism (solitary paganism) for several years before coming to Christ. I come to this book and I recommend this book not because I agree with the theology that is expressed by the Pagan/Wiccan/etc movement, but because I believe that being informed is better than being ignorant. Let me explain. When trying to tell people of my background, I usually find that people tend to jump into Hollywood/Stephen Kingesque views toward witchcraft/paganism/etc. They think of the woman with a wart on her nose living off in the woods. That, or they think of some chap wearing a hockey mask running around chasing teens. When actually Wiccans and Pagans et cetera are lawyers, nurses, teachers, police officers, soldiers, to name a few. These are people with families, with jobs, who pay taxes, who deal with mortgage payments, who have good days and who inevitably have bad days. Thus the reason why I like this book so much, it offers a realistic (at least in my humble opinion) view of who pagans/etc are and what the pagan movement is about. It isn't the best book, simply because when dealing with such an eclectic movement as paganism is, one source is not always "the" source. Still, this book helps people to understand what background I have and, as I express my coming to Christ, what I may agree (still) and what I may disagree with the pagan movement of my background adult years (from around 89-2002 give or take ). Of course I disagree with the main (generalized, again because there's so many various views and expressions of pagan faith) theological output of paganism, nor am I one of those chaps who says "it's all the same," still I have respect for those though I differ in belief with them. For me, when I explain my life, I believe in having a clear and presenting a clear and in-depth understanding of worldviews, in this case paganism. If you wish to have a generalized introduction to the movements within paganism (from Solitary Wicca to Feminist Goddess Worship Paganism) this is the book. Adler has an intrinsic explanation of the movements, of the reasons behind said movements, of what is done, of what ISN'T done (by pagans). Her views are her own views, of course, we all have views, but still Adler goes deep into explaining and examining. Thus when an open-minded Christian who wishes to know the realistic worldview that I had before becoming to Christ, this is the book I strive to point to.

Not a light read but informative.......2007-01-19

It's considered part of the standard literature in the study of Wicca.

Steinbeck Novels 1942-1952: The Moon Is Down / Cannery Row / The Pearl / East of Eden (Library of America)

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Reading Steinbeck
A Nobel Laureate's Eden and Our Many Faults and Failures.
Thanks, Library of America!

Steinbeck Novels 1942-1952: The Moon Is Down / Cannery Row / The Pearl / East of Eden (Library of America)
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931082073
Release Date: 2002-02-14

Book Description

This third volume in The Library of America's authoritative edition of John Steinbeck's writings shows one of America's most enduring popular writers continuing restlessly to explore new subject matter and new approaches to storytelling.

The Moon Is Down (1942), set in an unnamed Scandinavian country under German occupation, dramatizes the transformation of ordinary life under totalitarian rule and the underground struggle against the Nazi invaders. In Cannery Row (1945) Steinbeck paid tribute to his closest friend, the marine biologist Ed Ricketts, in the central character of Doc, proprietor of the Western Biological Laboratory and spiritual and financial mainstay of a cast of philosophical drifters and hangers-on. The comic and bawdy evocation of the main street of Monterey's sardine-canning district has made this one of the most popular of all Steinbeck's novels. Steinbeck's long involvement with Mexican culture is distilled in The Pearl (1947). Expanding on an anecdote he had heard about a boy who found a pearl of unusual size, Steinbeck turned it into an allegory of the corrupting influence of sudden wealth. The Pearl appears here with the original illustrations by José Clemente Orozco.

Ambitious in scale and original in structure, East of Eden (1952) recounts the violent and emotionally turbulent history of a Salinas Valley family through several generations. Drawing on Biblical parallels, East of Eden is an epic that explores the writer's deepest and most anguished concerns within a landscape that for him had mythic resonance.

Customer Reviews:

Reading Steinbeck.......2005-01-07

I hadn't read John Steinbeck since high school, but I returned to him about a year ago after our book group read his late novel, "The Winter of our Discontent". I was pleased to read this collection of Steinbeck's novels, written from 1942 -- 1952,in the Library of America series. They are of varied lengths, varying settings, and varied themes. Yet they show a writer with a broad continuity of themes including people, the land, American values, human sexuality, the importance of culture and education, and much else. It may be useful to explore some of the threads among the novels collected in this volume.

Steinbeck wrote his short novel "The Moon is Down" in 1941 following a request by the Foreign Information Service to assist American propaganda efforts during WW II. The story is set in an unnamed Scandanavian country which, when the book opens, has been invaded by Germany. Although the book is short, the characterizations are diverse and effective as Steinbeck gives the reader portraits of the German office corps, and of the people of the town, including the mayor, a collaborator with the enemy, and a young woman, Molly, whose husband has been shot by the invaders. I particularly enjoyed the use Steinbeck made of the products of human creativity and thought in his story which emphasizes the priceless nature of human freedom. Thus, the climactic scene of the story includes a discussion of Plato's Apology among the mayor, his friend, and the German commander. Another critical scene in the book turns on the love poetry of the German poet Heinrich Heine. In this novel, Steinbeck met the aims of the Foreign Information Service, but more importantly he produced a defense of human liberty that far transcended these aims.

In the next book in this collection, Cannery Row,(1944) Steinbeck deliberately avoided the war. He claimed that he wrote the book as "a kind of nostalgic thing ... for a group of soldiers who had said to me: 'Write something funny that isn't about the war. Write something for us to read -- we're sick of war."

The book is set in Steinbeck's beloved Monterey, California during the depression. The main character in the book, Doc, is modeled on Steinbeck's friend Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist. Doc befriends a group of Cannery Row denizens of the local flophouse -- headed by a character named Mack -- and the relationship between Doc and the "Palace Flophouse" residents forms the basis for most of the scenes in this book. Other characters include Dora, the madam of the Bear Flag Restaurant who is sympathetically portrayed. As we will see, Steinbeck portrayed madams in other books with a much harsher view. I was surprised to find in this book a discussion of an ancient Sanskrit love poem, "Black Marigolds" together with discussions by Doc of Monteverdi, Bach, Beethoven and Debussy. The importance Steinbeck attached to high products of human thought and creativity is sometimes overlooked.

The third novel in this collection is the brief work, "The Pearl" (1947) which, unfortunately, has become the bane of many young readers who have the work forced upon them. Both the book and the readers deserve a better fate. The book takes place in Mexico and is a story that shows the effect upon a poor family of discovering a pearl of great wealth. It is simply and eloquently told. Steinbeck describes his book as "a parable" in which "perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it." The book makes great use of song imagery as we are told at the outset that the people of the Mexican village "had been great makers of songs so that everything they saw or thought or did or heard became a song." The main character, Kino, hears in his heart various songs throughout the book, the most important of which is the "Song of the Family" or the "Whole" which celebrates his life with his wife and new baby. This is a short, beautiful story which glows with the many colors and ambiguities as did the pearl which Kino discovers.

The final novel in this collection, and the longest by far is "East of Eden" which Steinbeck wrote in a burst of energy in 1951. This was Steinbeck's favorite among all his works and he literally put himself into it in the person of the narrator.

Steinbeck said that he wrote "East of Eden" to tell "the story of my country and the story of me" to his two young sons in order to demonstrate "the greatest story of all -- the story of good and evil, of strength and weakness, of love and hate, of beauty and ugliness, how these doubles are inseparable." For all its melodrama, length, sometimes black-and-white characterizations, and preachiness, the novel achieves its goals. I was transfixed by the book.

Most of the story takes place in the Salinas Valley of Northern California and involves the saga of two families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks. There are two Trask brothers, Adam and Charles, and twin sons of Adam, (presumably), and his wife Cathy -- Aron and Caleb. Both Adam and Charles and Aron and Caleb replicate in their own ways the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck gives this story a full biblical style exegisis as the reader sees the story of the conflict between good and evil play out in double over the course of the book.

This book features another madam, Kate -- or Cathy Trask whom Steinbeck describes as a "monster". This is a far different woman than the Dora of "Cannery Row".

This book portrays strikingly the good and evil of which people are capable and their capacity to make choices -- to understand the good and reject the evil. Steinbeck writes in a humanistic rather than in a theological way.

In summary, this volume includes four different yet related works by an outstanding American author. This book will reward reading by those who wish to explore some of the great literature that has been written in the United States. The Library of America deserves gratitude for making our country's literary and cultural achievements available to many readers.

A Nobel Laureate's Eden and Our Many Faults and Failures........2004-07-18

Whenever "the great American novel" comes up in conversation, the names most frequently bandied about are Fitzgerald ("The Great Gatsby"), Faulkner ("The Sound and the Fury"), Hemingway ("The Old Man and the Sea") - and John Steinbeck, chronicler of rural California and the ordinary man's plight, like Faulkner and Hemingway winner of both the Literature Nobel Prize (1962) and the Pulitzer (1940, for "The Grapes of Wrath"), in addition to multiple other distinctions.

Little in Steinbeck's upbringing hinted at his future rise to fame. Born 1902, a modest Salinas, California, flour-mill-manager-turned-county-treasurer's son, he worked as a farm-hand during high school and studied English and biology at Stanford, but left 1925 without graduating to pursue journalism and writing in New York; only to have to return home a year later. Surviving on a number of odd jobs, he continued to write. His first novel, 1929's "A Cup of Gold," however, failed to return his publisher's $250 advance, and his subsequent collection of interrelated stories ("The Pastures of Heaven," 1932) and novel ("To a God Unknown," 1933) likewise remained largely unknown. Steinbeck's fate changed with 1935's humorous "Tortilla Flat," chronicling life in a Chicano community (and an allegory on Steinbeck's own first literary influence, the Arthurian legend, to which he returned much later in an unfinished attempt to modernize Mallory's "Morte D'Arthur"). Both "Tortilla Flat" and the subsequent "In Dubious Battle" (1936) - Steinbeck's first exploration of the California's migratory workers' fate - won the California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal; and the sale of "Tortilla Flat"'s movie rights earned him his first truly big check. Steinbeck's reputation grew further with the interrelated coming-of-age stories of "The Red Pony" (1937), and his next two novels, 1937's poignant "Of Mice and Men" and, particularly, "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939), the story of angry "harvest gypsy" Tom Joad and his family. Both works are still among America's 35 books most frequently banned from school curricula: keen testimony to the nerves they continue to touch.

Steinbeck's major works are collected in (to date?!) three volumes of the Library of America series, the first covering his 1932 - 1937 writings, the second "The Grapes of Wrath," Steinbeck's extensive background research ("Harvest Gypsies," 1936), the short story collection "The Long Valley" (1938) and his contribution to "The Sea of Cortez," a 1941 publication about his 1940 marine exploration with close friend Ed Ricketts. The present - third - volume contains three works from the 1940s, in addition to the awe-inspiring "East of Eden;" thus omitting the 1942 and 1948 nonfiction accounts "Bombs Away" and "A Russian Journal," the 1947 character study "The Wayward Bus" and the 1950 play-novelette "Burning Bright".

"The Moon Is Down" (1942) reflects Steinbeck's impressions upon hearing the testimony of refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe. Originally conceived as a play set in the U.S. but revised as a novel set in an unnamed Scandinavian country, it describes the struggle of a group of underground fighters in an occupied society. Widely read in occupied Europe, in 1946 it won Norway's King Haakon Liberty Cross.

"Cannery Row" (written 1944, published a year later) was a response to a group of soldiers' request to Steinbeck to write "something funny that isn't about war." It revolves around Doc Burton, a literary incarnation of the author's friend Ed Ricketts, first introduced as a supporting character in "In Dubious Battle" and now taking center stage as a man whose mind has "no horizon," and his sympathy "no warp." (The novel's dedication reads: "For Ed Ricketts who knows why or should.") - Steinbeck returned to Doc and his Monterey community in 1954's "Sweet Thursday."

"The Pearl," the folklore-based story of a boy whose life is altered (not for the better) by the discovery of a precious pearl, began as a screenplay for a film directed by Mexican Emilio Fernandez. The novel's publication was postponed to coincide with the movie's early 1948 release; by this time the story had, however, already appeared in a magazine.

"East of Eden," by far the longest work contained herein, was, according to Steinbeck himself, *the* major novel of his life: "I think there is only one book to a man," he noted in a letter to his publisher. Of epic scope and breathtaking craftsmanship and complex characters, it is part chronicle of California's early settlement, part family saga and part tale of two unequal brothers' rivalry, modeled on the bible's Cain and Abel. Intending the book primarily for his sons, Steinbeck commented that it was like a box containing "[n]early everything I have ... [p]ain and excitement ... evil thoughts and good thoughts - the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation." The writing process was accompanied by a series of letters to Steinbeck's publisher, published 1969 as "Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters."

In his remaining 16 years, Steinbeck published only three more works of fiction - besides "Sweet Thursday," the satirical "Short Reign of Pippin IV" (1957) and 1961's swan-song on materialism, "The Winter of Our Discontent." (The uncompleted "Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights" was published posthumously.) His most popular later work is the journal of his trans-American road trip with his poodle Charley ("Travels With Charley," 1962). But he remained a critical voice, released several collections of journalism and when he died, left a legacy also including a treasury of letters and two highly-acclaimed screenplays, for an adaptation of his own "Red Pony" and for 1952's "Viva Zapata!" (starring Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn), in addition to screen versions of his novels involving Hollywood luminaries from John Ford and Elia Kazan to Henry Fonda, James Dean, Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum and, more recently, Gary Sinise and John Malkovich.

"The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement." - John Steinbeck, Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech (1962).

Thanks, Library of America!.......2002-03-10

It's great to see Steinbeck's works coming out in this nice edition. This volume is up to LOA's usual excellent standards, and like the first two volumes in the Steinbeck series, continues covering both famous pieces like Cannery Row and East of Eden, as well as some of his less known works. In any case it's a real treat for any Steinbeck fan. Can't wait for the fourth volume!

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Review of Sing Down
Native Americans Fell to European Invaders
My first book review and it's a good one!
The Navaho Trail of Tears
A review for Sing down the Moon

Sing Down the Moon
Scott O'Dell
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0440979757
Release Date: 1997-03-26

Book Description

The Spanish Slavers were an ever-present threat to the Navaho way of life. One lovely spring day, fourteen-year-old Bright Morning and her friend Running Bird took their sheep to pasture. The sky was clear blue against the red buttes of the Canyon de Chelly, and the fields and orchards of the Navahos promised a rich harvest. Bright Morning was happy as she gazed across the beautiful valley that was the home of her tribe. She turned when Black Dog barked, and it was then that she saw the Spanish slavers riding straight toward her.

Customer Reviews:

Review of Sing Down.......2007-04-15

Sing down the moon is a book for ages about 11-13.
The main character is a girl named Bright morning, and she's a Navajo Indian. She gets kid-napped by the Spaniards.
When she gets back, she has this ceremony of becoming a woman.
After her tribe has a march, in the march they walked a lot and a lot of people got sick and died. Some people had hope and some people thought it was going to be the end.
During the march Bright Morning and Tall Boy got married.
It's a historical fiction story, and if you like historical fiction... I suggest you read it.
There were parts in the book which I think were not so good and I didn't really like it, but there were parts that were fine and pretty interesting.

Native Americans Fell to European Invaders.......2007-03-04

Before Columbus, the only encounter Americans had with a European was in 888 A.D. when the Maya were visited by Kash-Kash of Qurtabah (Cordoba). The Iberian Muslim was well treated by his American hosts and returned to Iberia with a ship full of gold - a famous legend well familiar to Columbus 500 years later. Unfortunately, Kash-Kash had unwittingly left behind smallpox and the Mayans had to flee their infected city, which remained deserted for 200 years.

When Columbus arrived 500 years after Kash-Kash, he too brought smallpox along with steel bayonets and firearms. Small pox aside, even the most advanced American communities were no match for the technology of the boat people, who came from Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, and England. The boat people fought amongst themselves for the privilege of waging war on the indigenous communites of America. Into the peaceful world of America came the murderous Europeans - the worst being the genocidal Protestant Anglos who, unlike the Catholics, did not consider Americans to be people and therefore seldom took them for spouses.

This short story about the fictional character Bright Morning and her eventual husband Tall Boy covers two years in the actual history of the Navaho Americans from 1863 to 1865. This was also the time of War Between the Yankee States, when the Yanks of the North fought against the Yanks of the South (the Yanks of the South called themselves Confederates). While the Yankee boat people fought between themselves, the Northern Yanks sent some of their army to remove Americans from their land - something they have always done but began in earnest during the 1820s with their leader Andy Jackson who forced the Cherokee Americans to walk to Oklahoma. Now, in 1864, Kit Carson was forcing Americans to leave their property and walk to Fort Sumter. The Americans, who have been doing Homeland Security since 1492 with little success, were unable to resist the Yanks save Geronimo and his cadre of 100 Homeland Security officers for a period of ten years (during that time they killed 7,000 invaders, which is 70 each).

In this tale, the two major characters manage to escape and return to their property, hiding in a canyon with their sheep. A tragic and emotionally unsettling story based on true events, what happened to the Americans at the hands of the Yanks is no different than what happened to the Indians in the 1940s at the hands of the Brits during the partition of India, or to the Palestinians at the hands of the boat people from Europe - it continues to echo today in Iraq, where 3,000 civilians flee each day.

My first book review and it's a good one!.......2006-09-15

The character that I like the most was Bright Morning. She is the main character. Her job is to take the flock of sheep to the aspen grove so they can eat. I think she was really brave because she did something nobody else in her tribe ever did before.

I think this is an excellent book to read and I think my friends will enjoy reading it because there are lots of surprises and it is never boring! I don't have a favorite part because I enjoyed reading the whole entire book. My name is Tori and I am 9 years old.

The Navaho Trail of Tears.......2006-05-14

One morning, while Navaho fourteen year old Bright Morning and her friend Running Bird are out in the fields of their home, Canyon de Chelly, tending sheep, they see strange men approaching. Before they can stop it, Bright Morning is kidnapped by the men, who turn out to be Spanish Slave-holders, and take her to a South-Western town, dominantly Mexican. She is sold as a slave to a Spanish speaking family, where she meets another slave, who can speak her language. Bright Morning tries desperately to find a way to get back to her people. The other slave imprisoned with her tells her the way, and Bright Morning is able to make a narrow escape back to her people. But when she returns, she finds her village under occupation of the "Long Knives", or American soldiers. After she is forsed into an arranged marriage with another Indian, Tall Boy, the Long Knives push the Navaho out of their land- and onto one of the most memorable events in American history- the Trail of Tears. Many all around her suffer and eventually die as they continue to walk on.
A very well written story, and very informative.

A review for Sing down the Moon.......2006-01-18

Sing down the moon was not such a bad book.
I mean Sing down the Moon is like a rollercoaster
some times it's good and some times it's not.

but it does take a good Auther to write a rollercoaster
book. I admire Scott O'dell the person who wrote this. Ok back to the book.
The good parts are when theres alot of action. the bad parts are
when it's dull.

I would want to tell you the bad parts and the good parts
but i don't want to spoil a really good book. So you read it and tel me if I'm correct. So until i see you by by.

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Not The Best, But Good!
Occupied Countries
The Rules of Engagement
"People don't like to be conquered."
A timeless portrait of war and occupation

The Moon Is Down
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140187464

Book Description

Today, nearly forty years after his death, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck remains one of America's greatest writers and cultural figures. We have begun publishing his many works for the first time as blackspine Penguin Classics featuring eye-catching, newly commissioned art. This season we continue with the seven spectacular and influential books East of Eden, Cannery Row, In Dubious Battle, The Long Valley, The Moon Is Down, The Pastures of Heaven, and Tortilla Flat. Penguin Classics is proud to present these seminal works to a new generation of readers—and to the many who revisit them again and again.

Customer Reviews:

Not The Best, But Good!.......2007-07-12

The Moon Is Down is a history book. It wasn't written to be such but it is now. It's a history of everything right and most things wrong during World War II.

John Steinbeck takes us on a journey of a people conquered physically but not in their hearts and souls. It's a good read. . . a very good read, because it reminds us of what terrible things can happen, Man's Inhumanity to Man, to coin a phrase.

But it also reminds us of strength and honor. It shows us what can be, good and bad.

It is not Steinbeck's best but it is still good. It isn't Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men, but not every book is. It's good, very good.

Occupied Countries.......2007-04-25

Now it was that the conqueror was surrounded, the men of the battalion alone among silent enemies, and no man might relax his guard for even a moment. If he did, he disappeared, and some snowdrift reeived his body. If he went alone to a woman, he disappeared. The men of the battalion could sing only together, could dance only together, and dancing gradually stopped and the singing expressed a longing for home. THeir talk was of friends and relatives who loved them and their longings were for warmth and love, because a man can be a soldier for only so many hours a day and for only so man months in a year, and then he wants to be a man again, wants girls and drinks and music and laughter and ease, and when these are cut off, they become irrestibly desirable. "

~John Steinbeck, The Moon is Down

This book, written and released in the first year of of the Second World War, was extremely contraversial for Steinbeck. He had already established himself as a wonderful author whom was loved and respected for his clever word choice and characters, but the authoring of this book called him into question in some eyes.

He tells the story of an occupied country, more importantly, an occupied city, where the invading soldiers come into a peaceable-minded people's town and try to slowly take power; eventually seeing that no one takes well to enslavement, and winter begins. Steinbeck gives each character on each side equal time to tell their reasons for being there, for killing the soldier, for falling in love with the coal miner's wife and visiting her on rounds, for being a mayor who stands up to the colonel but does not consider himself to be very brave.

We find out the minds of all creatures of war, the occupied, the enslaving, the confused and angry.

"Good. Now I'll tell you, and I hope you'll understand it. You're not a man anymore. You are a soldier. Your comfort is of no importance and, Lieutenant, your life isn't of much importance. If you live, you will have memories. That's about all you have. Meanwhile you must take orders and carry them out. Most of the orders will be unpleasant, bu that's not your business. I will not lie to you, Lieutenant. They should have trainedyou for this, and not for flower-strewn streets. They should have build your soul with truth, not led along with lies... We can't take care of your soul."

When I read this, I wonder about our troops in Iraq. I wonder about the Iraqi refugees trying to flee from the destruction and pain we've caused, for whatever end. War is an ugly business, and this book shed light on it for me as just that: a snapshot into war and how it effects the creatures within it.

I recommend The Moon is Down and promise you will be moved by the simple story John Steinbeck tells about this unnamed town somewhere in the snow, fighting for their lives by turning cold, hanging solidly together, while soldiers attempt to hold the entire existence under control, even though they long for the familiarity of home.

"Do you remember in school, the Apology ? Do you remember Socrates says, 'Someone will say, "And you are not ashamed , Socrates of a course of life which is likely to bring you an untimely end?" To him I may fairly answer, "There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether he is doing right or wrong'."

The Rules of Engagement.......2006-08-19

John Steinbeck is best known for his depictions of American life, of the trials that ordinary men must face as they travel through life. "The Moon Is Down" is a departure in setting for Steinbeck, with the action placed in a small Norwegian town during WWII. Yet even with a change of scenery, the elements that make Steinbeck such a keen observer of human fate are present in this timeless, almost 'everyman' examination of how war affects the conquered and the conquerer.

One Sunday morning, German soldiers arrive in a peaceful Norwegian town, and make short work of their occupation. Boarding with the mayor, the commanding officer hopes that the two can retain order as the Germans go about their business of extracting coal from the local mine to further their war actions. Yet the mayor will not betray his people, even to save them. As the occupation continues, the townspeople, unused to war, begin to fight their captors, with devastating consequences on both sides. And as the resistance increases, the soldiers find themselves despairing of victory.

The story is short, with sparse amounts of description, which adds to the 'everyman' feel; readers are able to see themselves and their towns in the same situation. The conversations between characters are intense and focused; shifting between the brutal reality of war and the bittersweet memories men carry with them. "The Moon Is Down" is a poignant look at the effects war has on every side, and the debts that must be paid.

"People don't like to be conquered.".......2005-12-12

John Steinbeck wrote this propaganda novel shortly after the Nazis had occupied most of Europe. A belief became prevalent, in Steinbeck's eyes, that much of the world was beginning to think the Nazis invincible and undefeatable, and to Steinbeck this was ridiculous. He wanted to portray them as mere men, evil and cruel and certainly overpowering at the moment, but human beings and not infallible. This novel was the result.

The story centers around a town that has been occupied by an invading army (Steinbeck never identifies the soldiers as Nazis nor what country the town is in, but it's obvious that they are just that and the country is Norway). The invaders also plan on occupying the local coal mine; soon after coal miner Alexander Morden kills one of the soldiers with a pickax. Morden is sentenced to be shot, but his wife pleads with the mayor of the town, Orden, not to pass sentence. A battle of wills develops between Orden and Col. Lanser, the commander of the army. Lanser is a war-weary leader and Orden assures him he and his invaders will be "destroyed and driven out" by free men. In the meantime explosives have been acquired from England and are used to commit sabotage. Lanser wants Orden to put a stop to this, but Orden says it's beyond his control. The book ends with a large explosion in the distance.

Although the book had a propaganda intent, Steinbeck does not demonize the enemy. The invaders are shown becoming homesick and disillusioned; one character, Lt. Tonder, is a lonely poet who is quite tender in his dealings with Alexander Morden's wife Molly (she kills him with a pair of scissors). (Some people at the time thought Steinbeck was TOO kind to the invaders.)

Steinbeck's message is that free men working for a common cause will always be victorious. The book was, of course, banned by the Nazis, but was widely pirated and smuggled into all the occupied countries - and gave many in the resistance movements courage and hope. An important book then, and maybe worth looking at again as a reminder of the "durability of democracy."

A timeless portrait of war and occupation.......2005-04-09

This is one of the greatest war books ever written. It deals with the aspect of occupation, and therefore is very relevent today. This is one of my favorite books and in my opinion possibly Steinbeck's best with the exception of Cannery Row. It tells the story of the occupation of a small mountain town, and although no specifics are given in the book it is basically considered to be the Nazi occupation of a Norwegian town during World War 11. It could be the story of any occupation however, as the events it described could be the result of any war and happen anywhere. It shows that there can never be friendship and understanding between the occupying forces and the indigenous people of a land. It describes the overwhelming tension between the opposing sides, and how it is even more of a hell for the Germans, as they slowly go mad because of the hatred they feel all around them, and how each of them has to always be on gaurd against being murdered by the townspeople, and the horrible uncertainty of whether they will win the war, or lose and have to run from the people whose hatred they have aroused. It is an incredibly well written book, and has that feel of a fable that Steinbeck cultivated so well in his writing. It is a novel that is as poignant as ever today, with the American occupation of Iraq, and in the book when the young German soldiers complain in despair about how they were told in training that the people they are occupying would love them, but in reality hate them, it is a chilling reminder of the how many American G.I.'s must feel. This relates directly to another reason why this is such a great book, which is the way Steinbeck treats the German characters in the story. Instead of describing them as evil and essentially non-human, he describes them as what they really were, which was regular people who had been brainwashed into what they became. Steinbeck didn't take the easy way out by making them merely the face of absolute evil, he showed how down deep, beneath the hate and ignorance that had been pushed upon them, they were just like all of us. He told the truth, which is what could be said to be the greatest attribute of Steinbeck's writing. But there is also more to this book than the examination of war and occupation. The aspect of the story which I really love it because of is the focus on and discussion of death, which is what the latter part of the story is more about. **(If you haven't read The Moon Is Down then stop here, as I am going to discuss the ending of it)** When the German's declare that if the town's people use the explosives that have been parachuted down to them by the Allied planes, they will kill Mayor Orden, Steinbeck delves into what I consider his greatest single piece of writing. Mayor Orden's confronting of his own death is overwhelmingly moving, and an incredible climax to the novella. What is a more universally human theme than a man's meeting with his own death? Steinbeck delves into this idea, possibly the most important and timeless idea in the history of humanity, in extraordinary description and thought, helping make The Moon Is Down one of the most moving and important works of the twentieth century. It is a must for any Steinbeck fan, being both a solid example of his craft as well as skirting the far edges of his mind. It is a book that is completely draped in wintertime imagery, so much so that I always try to plan on reading it specifically in the winter, when there is snow out, so as to match the conditions in the story. It is very reminiscent of other works of art made during and set in World War II, such as the movie Casablanca. This story is as great an introduction to Steinbeck's work as any of his other books, and is one of the foremost examples of the wonderful literature he gave to the world.

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The Master Storyteller Does It Again!
A Writer With Undeniable accuracy
Doesn't get much better
True Johnston - Absoutely Fantastic
Well written, but overly lengthy and missleading story.

Ride The Moon Down: The Plainsmen
Terry C. Johnston
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0553090828
Release Date: 1998-11-03

Book Description

The time of the mountain man is coming to an end...but some--like Titus Bass will not exit gently. A brilliantly exciting and thoroughly researched novel of the end of the dream that was the unmapped and virgin wilderness in the American West starring the king of the mountain men, Titus Bass.

Customer Reviews:

The Master Storyteller Does It Again!.......2007-08-16

"Ride the Moon Down" is one of the sequels to Johnston's fantastic series about Rocky Mountain mountain man/free trapper Titus "Scratch" Bass and it is a rippling, action-packed book. I agree with another reviewer who feels that Johnston is the master of his craft and definitely outperforms Louis L'Amour and a cadre of other famed western authors.

This entry into the Titus Bass saga really shows Bass's dedication to his family and how love can cross many conventional barriers, race being one of them. I also found Johnston's written descriptions of the brutal and unforgiving Northern Plains and Rocky Mountain winter landscape and snows to be among the best, helping, as always, to establish a firm sense of place. This book is not to be missed.

A Writer With Undeniable accuracy.......2007-01-06

Terry C. Johnston is one of my favorite authors of historical fiction. His attention to detail in each of his novels is amazing and extremely factual. I recommend all of his books in each of his series without reservation. Once you start reading you can't put them down.

Doesn't get much better.......2000-11-20

I won't take up a whole lot of space except to say that Terry Johnston is just a treasure. He is always historically authentic, as good as the best of Elmer Kelton or Kirby Jonas, and in my opinion better than Louis L'Amour, with his bullet proof characters. You can believe the things Titus Bass did. There were, after all, some very tough people alive back then. But he wasn't superman, and he wasn't perfect. Anything by Johnston is a good bet! This is no exception.

True Johnston - Absoutely Fantastic.......1999-09-14

As rendevous re-enactors, we have found Johnston's works to be just truly amazing in their accuracy. We have purchased every book he has put out and we still keep looking for the next one! Had to have them shipped special while living overseas. A true master of the word and history of the West. Good on ya Terry - keep on writing! The Armstrong Clan

Well written, but overly lengthy and missleading story........1999-08-10

I found this story very well written and very interesting as an historical novel. I do feel however, that the author made it much longer than need be. The main and most maddening flaw I found in the book was probably not the authors fault, but was the fault of the publisher. The senopsis of the story on the back cover clearly lead one to believe that it was a story about a trapper (Titus Bass) searching for his family after they were kidnapped by Blackfoot Indians. It turns out however that out of 558 pages and 34 chapters, only one chapter (chapter 25) is devoted to the kidnapping and search of Titus's family. I feel that was very missleading and I now wonder what to expect from his other books. Chris Stone

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teamwork!
Who Will Help Make Things Right Again?

The Moon Came Down on Milk Street
Jean Gralley
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000KJTOG2
Release Date: 2004-09-09

Book Description

The Moon came down on Milk Street, came down with a very soft sound.Shh-shhh, shh-shhhhh, in pieces on the ground.A compelling story with a strong message of community and togetherness When the moon suddenly falls on Milk Street, a little boy wonders, "Who will make it right again and set it in the air?" His question is soon answered, as firefighters, rescue workers, and the entire neighborhood of Milk Street come together to restore the moon in the sky. Jean Gralley's dynamic images and spare text brilliantly illustrate the power of the human spirit during difficult times. This is a story of community, comfort, and brave men and women everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

teamwork!.......2004-12-08

Late one night on Milk Street the moon falls from the sky! What should the people do? They all come together and work as a team to set in right in the sky! Everyone helps! The fire chief, worker dogs, rescue workers and citizens of the community work until the job is done!

The book teaches the values of teamwork, cooperation and sense of community to young children.

I would recommend this book to kids who are just learning to read on their own. The will enjoy the simple text. Only a few words are on each page making the book very easy for them to read in one sitting.

Who Will Help Make Things Right Again?.......2004-11-20

It's a Lunar 9-1-1 on Milk Street when the moon comes down-and it's up to everyone to help put it back in the sky. I discovered this book purely by accident while I was browsing the picture book section, but I'm glad I did-it's a beautiful little treasure for any childhood library.

In the urban setting of Milk Street one night, the moon comes down. And all the children come to help dressed as firemen and policemen, all eager to fix things. The text is very simple, perfect to be read to a very young child or read by a child just learning to read. In some ways the restful and gentle nature of the lyrical words reminds me of GOODNIGHT MOON, but the similarities end there. The warmly colored gouache and mixed media pictures are simply drawn, depending on a soft cartoon style rather than detailed-realistic. They work perfectly with the words and subject, creating an almost dream-like feel to this story. All the characters are children in their pajamas and animals, all running to help. This is a proactive tale, a positive story of an emergency that is solved by cooperation. And, by the time the children wish each other goodnight and go off to bed, readers know they well deserve their peaceful sleep.

This book tackles some important issues. Anyone familiar with what happened on 9/11 in 2001 will be quick to see similarities here. The pictures of children clothed in police and firefighter gear gathered in the street and all pitching in to help is an echo of similar images people saw after the events of 9/11. The moon dust on their pajamas even echoes the soot. But the reflection isn't brutal or dark; the similarities are gentle reminders-not scary. And the message is positive, and essential for children to hear. When an emergency happens, people will band together to help "set things right again." It teaches children a powerful lesson within a fairly gently told tale that will inspire hope, not fear.

This isn't a book about 9/11, of course. It can be read to cover many different traumatic events and emergencies. On the first page of the book, the author makes mention of Fred Rogers "when he was a child, if he ever came across a car accident or some other terrifying scene his mother would tell him, `Look for the helpers.'" And that's what this book is about. Helpers. It is a tribute to them, and an inspiration to a new generation of them.

I'd recommend this book for children anywhere from age 1-4, and especially for children who might be coping with fears or worries that this addresses. This is a remarkable little book and deserves some recognition for the beautiful art, musical prose and important message.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

Moon Up - Moon Down: Story of the Solunar Theory

Average customer rating:

It Works--Unbelievable--at least for bass in Florida

Moon Up - Moon Down: Story of the Solunar Theory
John Alden Knight
Manufacturer: Solunar Sales Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 9995303973

Customer Reviews:

It Works--Unbelievable--at least for bass in Florida.......1999-02-21

Thirty years ago I asked a dedicated bass fisherman in Ocala,Floida, Dick Heath, a USGS employee,what was the best way to catch large mouth bass. He said "moon up moon down" so fast that I didn't understand what he was saying. After my third question of "what are you saying", he slowly said "moon up---------moon down" and then explained the concept of the "Solanar Tables" by Richard Alden Knight. He then gave me the address for direct mail order. I ordered the book-- for maybe $6.00--and it arrived in a few couple of weeks. A few weeks later(I had not yet read the book even though it was pocket sized and didn't have over twenty or so pages) I was putting away my fishing equipment in my new home on a lake north of Tampa, Florida. I decided to walk down to my lake shore (maybe a hundred feet)and cast a few times with a jitterbug lure on my new Zebco rod and 33 reel. Within 30 minutes I landed a five pound largemouth bass. Maybe two weeks later I read the book and saw that the time was exactly at the time the book showed as a "major feeding period". Just a cooincident I thought, but in the next few weeks I began noticing that I caught bass in the periods indicated in the book, and didn't catch fishin other times. Exactly one year later, in the time shown in the book, I caught a nine pound bass, and this experience continued for the next fourteen years I lived on the lake. When I moved in 1985, I stopped ordering the book. Seven years ago(1992) I moved to Daytona Beach, and tried to find out where I could buy the book. Calls to local bookstores were unsuccessful and none of the local fishing stores or fishing camps knew what I was talking about. They were as blank as I was in 1966 and had no suggestions. Tonight, after coming home from another unsuccessful fishing trip with my nine year old stepson, I logged on to my new computer, went to Alta Vista, searched for "Solanar Tables", and ended up at Amazon--"Moon Up-Moon Down". After more than 30 years of not hearing--or seeing the term-here it was on my screen. And while proceeding to order the book, I came to this opportunity to provide a review. I doubt that any book review has ever been written over thirty years after the book was read. Believe me---IT WORKS!!! And if you want a live testimonial-I will provide it!!! "Give a 'man' a fish, and he eats for a day! Teach him to fish--and he eats for a lifetime". My nine year old has a much longer lifetime ahead than his 61 year old stepfather!!

John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath, The Moon Is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, Of Mice And Men

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John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath, The Moon Is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, Of Mice And Men

Manufacturer: Amaranth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
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Charles Dickens Four Complete Novels (Great Expectations, Hard Times, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities)

ASIN: 0830002855

Product Description

Collection of John Steinbeck's works

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Worth Shouting About
Talented author
Excellent Talent
Shout Down the Moon is a great read!
Lacking.

Shout Down the Moon
Lisa Tucker
Manufacturer: Downtown Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 074346446X

Book Description

Her acclaimed debut, The Song Reader, won her praise as a "brilliant new literary talent" (The Albuquerque Tribune). Now, Lisa Tucker returns with a starkly lyrical novel of page-turning intensity and rare emotional power.

Patty Taylor can handle anything. So what if the guys in her band dismiss her as just a pretty face, hired by their manager to make them more popular? She's already survived a bad childhood, a destructive teenage relationship, homelessness, and working twelve-hour shifts washing dishes. Traveling with the band gives her a way to provide for Willie, the two-year-old son she adores.

But on a hot summer day in Kentucky, when Willie's father shows up outside her hotel room, newly paroled from prison and intent on having her and his son back, Patty begins a journey that will change her from a girl who can put up with anything to a woman with a voice that can bring the house down. Shout Down the Moon is about following dreams and overcoming obstacles, about finding your voice and becoming the hero of your own life. In Patty Taylor, Lisa Tucker has created an unlikely heroine, a gutsy girl with a wry sense of humor, whose life will depend on having the courage to trust in her big talent and even bigger heart.

Download Description

"Her acclaimed debut, The Song Reader, won her praise as a ""brilliant new literary talent"" (The Albuquerque Tribune). Now, Lisa Tucker returns with a starkly lyrical novel of page-turning intensity and rare emotional power. Patty Taylor can handle anything. So what if the guys in her band dismiss her as just a pretty face, hired by their manager to make them more popular? She's already survived a bad childhood, a destructive teenage relationship, homelessness, and working twelve-hour shifts washing dishes. Traveling with the band gives her a way to provide for Willie, the two-year-old son she adores. But on a hot summer day in Kentucky, when Willie's father shows up outside her hotel room, newly paroled from prison and intent on having her and his son back, Patty begins a journey that will change her from a girl who can put up with anything to a woman with a voice that can bring the house down. Shout Down the Moon is about following dreams and overcoming obstacles, about finding your voice and becoming the hero of your own life. In Patty Taylor, Lisa Tucker has created an unlikely heroine, a gutsy girl with a wry sense of humor, whose life will depend on having the courage to trust in her big talent and even bigger heart. "

Customer Reviews:

Worth Shouting About.......2007-01-23

Lisa Tucker is a new voice but one that I will read again and again. For, indeed, she has found her voice and its in writing novels with emotionally charged dysfunctional families who are so well drawn that you might even know them. There is great depth in all of the characters, even the minor ones. The plot is a new and refreshing twist and allows those who may have grown up in a "normal" family to feel what it's like not to have had the support of people who loved you unconditionally.

Yes, Patty Taylor, the protagonist, can handle anything and she handles quite a bit in this novel. The reader will root for her because she has overcome so much, and she doesn't even know her own strength until her small son, Willie, is threatened. That's what makes Patty so likable, she's genuine and she doesn't always believe in herself because in the past no one believed in her. She's had to make her own way in the world. Something most of us can't relate to but can feel it through the pages of this novel.

But watch Patty pull out all the stops to bring this well written novel to its climatic ending. Starting with a Mother who psychologically abused her she goes with a man who emotionally and eventually physically abused her. But, Patty doesn't need our sympathy, she can handle herself and having a child to look after really brings Patty to the point where she achieves her greatest goals--a stable loving life. Because she grew up in a dysfunctional environment, she mistook Rick's attention and control for love. Easy to see how this could happen. But as Patty matures, she continues to put up with band members who seem to hate her (because it supplies a means to feed and clothe her son). She also begins to blossom into a woman who speaks her mind and finds someone whom she can relate to and who treats her well. Although Patty started on the fringes of society as we normally define it, she ultimately redefines what "stable" is for her. Based on what she's had to put up with in life, I can only say, she's an exemplary human being--one who I would like to have as a friend. Can't wait to read another Lisa Tucker novel.

Talented author.......2006-02-16

"Talented author Lisa Tucker brings the story of Patty, a single mother raising a young child on the road. After her first love and father of her child was sent away to prison, Patty tries to rebuild her life working as a singer in a band, and raise her young son. Tucker's words are true, spot on and never patronizing as she takes us through Patty's struggles with her alcoholic mother, difficult band members, possessive ex-lover while trying to build a life for herself. Patty comes across as a true and honest heroine, who tries hard to be and do the best she can while struggling with doubts, feelings and responsibilities.
I highly recommend this book."

Excellent Talent.......2005-11-09

Shout down the Moon is a sad but poignant book.The writing is superb and it is empowering to watch the heroine evolve into her own woman.Explosive ending too...

Shout Down the Moon is a great read!.......2005-10-26

This is a great book and the characters are both real and believable. Lisa's ability to write and successly accomplish character development are amazing. You really feel like you are a part of the book and want to keep reading to see what happens next. Highly recommended!

Lacking........2005-10-17

This book is definitley a page turner, I finished it in a few hours, but didn't think it was all that great. Some/most of the other reviewers are completely overrating this book. I thought that characters had depth, and were somewhat intriguing, but the plot had holes, the climax was poorly described, so I felt like---is this it? The resultion was poorly done, I felt very unconntected with the character by the end of the book. I would not recommend this book to others.

Average customer rating:

This book is amazing.
A Good Steinbeck Collection

John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath, the Moon Is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Manufacturer: Heinemann Octopus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0905712064

Customer Reviews:

This book is amazing........2005-12-04

At 18, this is possibly my most favorite book to lug around. Granted it's hard to read laying on your back, but then again, I have smmall hands. Steinbeck is a fantastic author and this is a fantastic book. It's a good thing there are five books in the collection; after each one, you're dying for more.

A Good Steinbeck Collection.......2005-08-03

If you enjoy Steinbeck, then this is a nice book to have. It has copies of The Grapes of Wrath, the Moon Is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men. The quality of each book is up to the opinions and personality of the stories, but the collection is a nice. A lovely hard cover and golden sided pages. It's a huge book, but hey, it's got The Grapes of Wrath, the Moon Is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men in one huge collection. What do you expect!? All in all, a very nicely done book.

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