Most Popular Books by James Howard

The Choctaws are among the largest and best-known Indian tribes originally of the Southeastern United States, but over the centuries they have become one of the most acculturated to white ways, known more for what they absorbed of white culture than for their own distinctive traditions. Since the removal of the greatest part of the tribe to Oklahoma in the 1830s, Euro-American acculturation has become especially dominant. Nevertheless, among the isolated group of Choctaws that remained in Mississippi after Removal and a few individuals in Oklahoma, the old tribal dances and songs have been preserved. This book discusses all aspects of the Choctaw dances and songs performed today by dance troupes in Mississippi and Oklahoma. It describes the social organization of the troupes, the construction and use of their musical instruments, and their costumes. Extensive historical information surveys the early literature on Choctaw music and dance, the divergent experiences of the Mississippi and Oklahoma Groups, and the recent movement toward cultural revival among traditionalists in both states. The choreography for each dance that survives in the Choctaw repertory is described in detail and illustrated by photographs. The book also contains an overview of Choctaw dance music, with a classification of the song and in-depth analyses of musical elements, form, and design. The structure of dance events is reconstructed here for the first time. Musical transcriptions of thirty songs are included. The authors, using a comparative approach, have focused on the relationship between contemporary performances in Oklahoma and Mississippi. Despite regional variations in performance practice, the Choctaws have sustained considerable continuity in their dance and music in this century, successfully resisting fierce pressure to assimilate and thereby lose all remaining vestiges of their culture. This is the first book-length study of Choctaw music and dance since 1943, with much new information on the dances. It will be welcomed by ethnomusicologists, dance ethnologists, students of Native American culture, anthropologists, folklorists, and anyone interested in American Indian dance.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881. The Antigonos publishing house specialises in the publication of reprints of historical books. We make sure that these works are made available to the public in good condition in order to preserve their cultural heritage.

Humanity hangs on after the fall of civilization in this “wily, funny, rip-roaring, and profoundly provocative page-turner” (Booklist, starred review). After the collapse of the old world—the pandemics, the environmental disasters, the end of oil, the ensuing chaos—people are pursuing a simpler and sometimes happier existence. In Union Grove, New York, the townspeople are preparing for Christmas . . . the perfect time for a long-lost member of the community to return. Robert Earle’s son, Daniel, has come home after two years exploring what is left of the United States. He brings news of three new nations arisen from what was once America—and the dangers and possibilities they may hold. Meanwhile, a horrific murder threatens to turn the community of Union Grove against itself—and what is supposed to be a time of peace and togetherness is overtaken by suspicion and fear. In this vividly depicted look at a world that may be on our own horizon, “Kunstler skewers everything from kitsch to greed, prejudice, bloodshed, and brainwashing” in a gripping story of hope, hate, and humanity’s last chance at survival (Booklist).

A picaresque novel of the American West in 1803. An historical comedy about two bumbling botanists sent into the southern wilderness by Thomas Jefferson to look for something that isn''t there. A novel in the spirit of Lewis and Clark (who make cameo appearences). Replete with wild Indians, river pirates, the kidnapped son of King Louis XVI, the lost colony of Roanoke, and much more. A non-stop romp full of life and humor and the sensibility of early America.

The forty years of American Indian literature taken up by James H. Cox--the decades between 1920 and 1960--have been called politically and intellectually moribund. On the contrary, Cox identifies a group of American Indian writers who share an interest in the revolutionary potential of the indigenous peoples of Mexico--and whose work demonstrates a surprisingly assertive literary politics in the era. By contextualizing this group of American Indian authors in the work of their contemporaries, Cox reveals how the literary history of this period is far more rich and nuanced than is generally acknowledged. The writers he focuses on--Todd Downing (Choctaw), Lynn Riggs (Cherokee), and D''Arcy McNickle (Confederated Salish and Kootenai)--are shown to be on par with writers of the preceding Progressive and the succeeding Red Power and Native American literary renaissance eras. Arguing that American Indian literary history of this period actually coheres in exciting ways with the literature of the Native American literary renaissance, Cox repudiates the intellectual and political border that has emerged between the two eras.

The depletion of nonrenewable fossil fuels is about to radically change life much sooner than anticipated. This title describes what to expect after the honeymoon of affordable energy is over, preparing readers for economic, political, and social changes of an unimaginable scale.

Reflections on a Father and a Son is a journey that at times is gut wrenching while at other moments pause worthy. As a five year old enduring painful spinal taps in a Polio Ward to an adolescent experimenting with epic classroom disruptions, this collection of deeds maligned by misdeeds appears to have only one possible outcome: reform school. Readers witness how growing up in the 1950s and 60s was negotiated in small towns with even smaller margins of supervision. Travel along route 9 from Stottville to Rouses Point, a micro village tucked away innocently in the northeast corner of the Lake Champlain Valley basin of New York State. The early years in the Hudson Valley involve tales of exploration, cruelty, and friendship. After moving just south of the Canadian border, the adventures take on a downward spiral. Crawl through collapsed tunnels in a 19th century deserted fort, rummage the contents of railroad cars for cigarettes or discover how to survive multiple school suspensions. The odyssey intensifies as consistent threads weave through a contentious relationship between father and son. Their bond is buttressed by an ever increasing repertoire of senseless acts bent on destroying all possibilities of post-high school success. Save for one prescient and observant English teacher, a fruitful future would have been squandered. Participate in the transformation of a non-compliant teenager to a tremulous college applicant; the result of one teacher believing in one outlier.

The dystopian epic of World Made by Hand continues in a novel hailed as "Larry McMurty''s Lonesome Dove, set in the dystopian world of The Road" ( New York Journal of Books). A new age has begun on Earth. Oil is no longer a resource. Some parts of America are nuclear wastelands. Civilization has devolved into a constant struggle for food, water, and shelter. In the tiny hamlet of Union Grove, New York, the US government is little more than a rumor. Wars are being fought over dwindling resources and illness has a constant presence. Bandits roam the countryside, preying on the weak and a sinister cult threatens the town''s fragile stability. It is up to every citizen of Union Grove to decide what they are willing to fight for, kill for, and die for . . . This is a tale of humanity at its shining best and brutal worst woven together in a "suspenseful, darkly amusing story with touches of the fantastic in the mode of Washington Irving" ( Booklist). "Kunstler''s postapocalyptic world is neither a merciless nightmare nor a starry-eyed return to some pastoral faux utopia; it''s a hard existence dotted with adventure, revenge, mysticism, and those same human emotions that existed before the power went out." — Publishers Weekly

Your full-color go-to guide—covering the final version of Windows 8! Get started enjoying the innovative features of Microsoft’s latest operating system release on any device quickly and easily with Windows 8 Kickstart. Loaded with crisp, full-color screenshots, this practical, visual guide focuses on the best ways to maximize the operating system’s capabilities. Customize and secure your system, manage files, browse the Web, download apps, enjoy multimedia, manage photos, connect to social media networks, and much more. Tips, Notes, Warnings, and Now You Know sidebars offer solutions to potential pitfalls and veteran insight helps you get the most out of Windows 8. Configure and customize Windows 8 Manage your desktop Organize files with Windows Explorer Keep Windows 8 up to date and secure Get started with Windows 8-style apps Surf the web Connect with social media and instant messaging View and manage photos Play music, video, and games Print files and manage devices

The World Made by Hand postapocalyptic saga concludes with this “suspenseful tale spiked with suffering and violence, rough justice and love” (Booklist). The small town of Union Grove has adapted, struggled, and thrived in the new age of civilization. But early spring is full of hardships: Fresh food is scarce and the winter stores are almost gone. Despite the time of privation, young explorer Daniel Earle resurrects the town newspaper, and the town trustees ask him to help revive the Hudson River trade route. But even as the townsfolk strive forward, a group of visitors remind them that nothing is easy in the new world. They proclaim themselves as representatives of the Berkshire People’s Republic, spouting high-minded, near-fanatical rhetoric of social justice and absolute equality—all while demanding tribute from the citizens under slyly veiled threats. Now, the townspeople of Union Grove will have to decide just how far they are willing to go to keep the freedom and peace for which they have fought so hard . . . With this glimpse into a future that could become reality all too soon, James Howard Kunstler delivers “a slyly folksy, caustically hilarious, unabashedly proselytizing, and affecting finale in a keenly provocative saga.” (Booklist).