Walden and Civil Disobedience or Touching History

Walden and Civil Disobedience

Author: Henry David Thoreau

A discourse on appreciating nature and discovering personal identity, Henry David Thoreau wrote WALDEN, after retreating to a small cabin the woods near Walden Pond. Promoting individual thought, CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE reveals what is still considered essential American political thought.

Publishers Weekly

Shrinking Walden into picture book size is somewhat like trying to fit Moby Dick into an aquarium. Still, Lowe's selections from Thoreau's iconoclastic work will give children a brief taste of this classic. Using only quotations from the original work, Lowe tells the story of Thoreau's year in the woods, emphasizing his descriptions of nature,stet comma and action rather than his philosophical musings. Readers see the young Thoreau putting shingles on his roof, hoeing beans, welcoming a stranger; they can revel in the natural wonders he describes--the ``whip-poor-wills,'' in summer, the drifting snow in winter, the ice breaking in the pond in spring. Sabuda's superb linoleum-cut prints lend a hard-edged brilliance to the dark woods--where sunlight is filtered through etched leaves, and moonlight shimmers on the waters of the pond made famous by a young man's experiment with life. All ages. (Nov.)

Library Journal

Walden's original publisher releases an annotated edition to celebrate the book's 150th anniversary.

School Library Journal

YA-An unintended effect of the cultural diversity curriculum is that we lose touch with seminal works such as Walden. Written for an audience thoroughly versed in Western tradition, many of Thoreau's metaphors and references are unrecognizable to today's students. Though some references were intended to prove his erudition, one is chagrined at the number of necessary explications of standard classical concepts. Though some annotations are noisy comments upon Thoreau's life, most are informative and enhance the work. Many YAs will view Thoreau's natural essays as he intended, thanks to Harding's efforts. A must for libraries.-Hugh McAloon, Prince William County Public Library, VA

Table of Contents:

	Introduction	vii
	Chronology of Henry David Thoreau's Life and Work	xvii
	Historical Context of Walden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience	xix
	Walden or, Life in the Woods
1.	Economy	3
2.	Where I Lived, and What I Lived For	86
3.	Reading	106
4.	Sounds	119
5.	Solitude	138
6.	Visitors	150
7.	The Bean-Field	166
8.	The Village	180
9.	The Ponds	187
10.	Baker Farm	216
11.	Higher Laws	226
12.	Brute Neighbors	240
13.	House-Warming	256
14.	Former Inhabitants; and Winter Visitors	275
15.	Winter Animals	291
16.	The Pond in Winter	303
17.	Spring	320
18.	Conclusion	342
	On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
	Poems	359
	Sic Vita	391
	Winter Memories	393
	To the Maiden in the East	394
	Smoke	396
	Mist	397
	Inspiration	398
	Notes	402
	Interpretive Notes	431
	Critical Excerpts	440
	Questions for Discussion	452
	Suggestions for the Interested Reader	454

See also: Lion in the White House or The Boys from Dolores

Touching History: The Untold Story of the Drama That Unfolded in the Skies Over America on 9/11

Author: Lynn Spencer

A nonfiction thriller chronicling moment to moment the riveting untold story of the drama that unfolded in the skies over America on 9/11 as the FAA, the military, and thousands of commercial pilots called on all of their rigorous training and their reserves of patriotism and courage to improvise a heroic response to the first attacks on American soil since Pearl Harbor and contend with a whole new kind of war in the skies.

Publishers Weekly

Through meticulous research and a talent for scene-setting, Spencer delivers a minute-by-minute account of the events of September 11, 2001, through the eyes of people in the flight industry and the military. Spencer's detailed account jumps from commercial airports to military bases to executive board rooms around the country as she depicts the events and actions of all those involved in responding to the terrorist attacks. The audio acknowledges the problems with the security system, but also the resourcefulness and determination of the many people who tried to prevent the catastrophe. At first, Joyce Bean doesn't seem the right voice in a book dominated by male voices. In some of the narrative and exhaustive parts of the text, her voice doesn't provide the energy and emphasis that is needed. However, her many masculine vocal projections are distinct and match the emotional projection of each character, making her performance a very strong one. A Free Press hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 14). (July)

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John Carver Edwards - Library Journal

Commercial airline pilot Spencer shows how, with an American public stupefied by the unimaginable airline attacks on its homeland on 9/11, civil aviation and military circles joined forces quickly to fathom, manage, and defend against a then-unknown enemy. She further conveys the sense of frustration, confusion, and terror felt by flight crews already airborne as the disasters at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon unfolded. Spencer scarcely disguises her profound admiration for these individuals who, armed with the barest intelligence, managed to bring their planes and passengers safely through the ordeal. She exhibits great sympathy for the Air National Guard fighter pilots, who managed to defend their country without sufficient authority and effective rules of engagement. And she insists that, despite the clear findings of the 9/11 Commission Report, these fighter pilots and their commanders did fashion an adequate aerial defense-even though no word had been forthcoming from their civilian higher-ups in Washington. An impressively researched and compellingly written narrative of one of America's worst catastrophes; recommended for collections on terrorism and aviation and all libraries.