Books published by Irie Books

Growing up in New Mexico on her family's horse ranch, Judy Vaughan's life is inspirational and rhapsodic, but it is also tense and dramatic in many ways. Raising horses is not without worries and pressures. She rises to the occasion though and grows up strong.

As Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Yusef Komunyakaa states in his introduction, "The Fire Within goes directly back to a query of the soil, to nature, and to the people ... Blackburn underscores how imagination is the fuse and fuel of national (natural) dreaming." In Blackburn's own words, "If we didn't believe that imagination in general and the literary imagination in particular hold us together and are central to human survival, I would not hesitate to omit from these reflections most of the personal notes that resemble a memoir..." Thankfully, Mr Blackburn is a consummate professor whose skills were honed at Yale, polished at Cambridge, and deeply imbued by his own home grown love of literature and the South where he grew up. Few alive today possess as much knowledge as this amiable, humorous, wonderfully learned man.The beauty of this book is the warmth of the writer. The scholar is of course in every word, yet the way he present his facts is that of a detective. He pulls the curtain of the past and shows us the real rather than the merely stormy Heathcliff and the true love affair of Tristan and Isolde. Dr Blackburn's vast knowledge crosses the boundaries of international culture as he shows us "what it all means" and why the human imaginative process is vital to our survival. More particularly, it is in his most insightful coverage of Frank Waters, Joseph Campbell, and the myth of the Ancient Mariner that we become awakened to so many things we may have studied but didn't fully understand.Step along with the professor when he takes us to a New York deli where we meet The Tea Bag Man, a contemporary, ragged version of Coleridge's Ancient Mariner.In the end, when you have finished reading The Fire Within, you have not only widened your mind, but have been graced with a clearer grasp of the literature of the world.

This memoir is not always accurate, but it is truthful. Which is to say that names have been changed, details have been forgotten, real conversations have been recalled as accurately as possible, but events have been rearranged in time and space. Life does not proceed in an orderly way and can be confusing as it is experienced. In time, a deeper meaning emerges. If it were possible to present events 40 odd years ago exactly as they occurred, it would be a long and confusing account. So the memoirist uses some of the writing tools of fiction to make the experience more meaningful for the reader. I have checked what facts I could and have seen how memory can be at once unreliable, but honest. I had a memory of wearing a side arm when I escorted Miss Missouri in Viet Nam. Upon examining photographs of that occasion, I found no evidence of a pistol. This memory of taking a sidearm, I think, was a memory that drifted in from a later event. Nevertheless, this "false" memory carries the truth of how important the safety of Miss Missouri meant at the time. On the other hand, my memory, tested against other evidence, like photographs, or other accounts has often proven more accurate than some written records.The deepest wound I suffered from the war was that my country abandoned the Viet Namese I came to love. Much has been said about how awful and useless the Viet Nam War was. The recent documentary by Ken Burns wallowed in that idea. I did not find my 17 month tour in Viet Nam awful, or useless, and if I had the opportunity, I would do it all again. America has been on the "pity-pot" about that war for decades, but it was no worse than any other war. The distinction of the Viet Nam War has been how poorly it was managed, mainly by politicians, and the homecoming. In other wars, the veterans were welcomed home. They paraded on the 4th of July, proud of the missing limb they gave for the cause, but Viet Nam veterans slunk home under a cloud of lies. At best they were victims; at worst they were victimizers. In fact, most of the veterans, as in all our other wars, went home to jobs and raising families. Most did not suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or become alcoholics. Most of us have been discreet about our service. A few have loudly proclaimed disgust for their own wartime participation. Some of their complaints are entirely understandable, but others make me wonder-what did they do, and why, to be so ashamed? I say to my brothers and sisters who served-welcome home, you good and faithful servants. You did as well, and are as worthy as any generation. You did not fail. It was our country that failed. You won that war, but our congress would not live up to the peace accord we won, and would not even supply weapons or material to the Republic of Viet Nam in the event of an attack from the North. The Russians and Chinese were pleased to supply whatever was needed once America got tired and self-absorbed. If we had stood our ground, South Viet Nam would be today as different from the North as South Korea is from North Korea. Instead, one to three million people, depending on whom you consult, fled from the Communist takeover. Perhaps half a million of those people died or are unaccounted for. Many more suffered anddied, unable to flee. And then there were those interred for decades in reeducation camps, and like falling dominoes, another one to three million Cambodians died under the regime of Pol Pot.To all those Viet Nam friends my country abandoned, I beg forgiveness

Gravnick is several novels woven into one. It is a love story, first and foremost, but also a twisted family saga of murder, disguise, trickery and greed. Two families are involved - one mafioso, the other Jewish. Hard-edged and fast-paced, Gravnick takes us into the darkest realms of revenge and exploitation. But underlyng everything is the search for love and redemption; once found, the darkness vanishes and the light shines through. This is a story of how faith and beauty can overcome any amount of corruption and depravity.

John Nizalowski's essays weave a large tapestry of life events reminiscent of the Mexican Tree of Life. However, his personal odyssey takes a multi-dimensional view. . . . As an artist, his tool box is filled with astonishing talents. He absorbs the movement of his trajectory and incorporates meticulous detail and grace in the images and poetry in his writing . . . . We also get to know the writer's two daughters, Ursula and Isadora, mostly as young children, but also as young women. I'm fascinated by the pictures he draws of his children. They are tender and gentle. The children share their father's joy of hiking and exploring caves, but sometimes he has to explore their fears. They challenge him with questions and with doubts and he answers them truthfully with thoughtful answers. The girls look up to him for guidelines and he listens to their observations and attempts to help them navigate in a complicated world.

Fred Burstein is a poet of moments. He enjoys the woodlands around his home and celebrates them in short, lovely verses. From the poet's sharp eye we learn which way the frog faces …when the red eft comes out of hiding … how the wind, rain, sun and snow tickle the senses. We see through the eyes of a child, hear through the mind of a natural man who has spent his entire life amidst turning leaves, red berries, chickadees, bluejays, woodpeckers-and who else do you know who counts the Jack-in-the-Pulpit as a best friend?

John Joseph's life is explained in vibrant, simplistic and very touching ways by a man who has devoted himself to helping others. This is an outstanding memoir, somewhat in the style of The Education Of Little Tree. We not only learn about the ancient trade language of the Mohawk people but also how certain Plains Indian medicine ways were adopted by John later in life. We learn about the Sun Ceremony and burial rites where the spirits of ancestors return to bless and propitiate the grave site. As a medic in the Vietnam War, John Joseph served his country with distinction and then when he was discharged continued to serve others in the capacity of a nurse practitioner in private life. As a lover of animals he tells what it was like to have a porcupine in the family as well as a deer. The reader is permitted to have a window into the the life of a private man who is eloquent, wise and loving to his family and his friends. Most interestingly, in later life, John has spent years caring for vets with PTSD. His unusual insight into what happens to someone whose life has been turned upside by war becomes a paen to innocence, love and charity in the true sense of the word. Quite simply, this is the moving story of a true healer who blesses others as he heals them with the heart.

Author and archaeologist Sally Crum has written a wonderfully poetic account of an astonishing cosmic event. This historical treatment with clever visuals created by Eric Carlson will enrapture young people of all ages. The story, told in rhymed stanza form is both beautiful and historical. Irie Books has added images from the Smithsonian Collection that bring to life the long-ago meteor shower that scared many thousands of people all over the world. The author is careful to show how tribal people, worldwide, as well as explorers from the western world, reacted in much the same way to the phenomena. Also included in the back of the book is a series of "Fun Facts" explaining the illustrations as well as the event. Students, teachers, star watchers and those interested in history will find this book fascinating and charming.

Bill Worrell's personal journal begins with phrases that ring true--as he says, I came from the desert, from the dust of the desert ... I must return again and again to the desert that gave me life. The life he speaks of is a spiritual one and this book is a very spiritual introspection on such mysteries as the famous Lubbock Lights, the ghosts of the fabled Hill Country of Texas, the search for our earliest beginnings in caves, in the cliffs of the Southwest. Worrell is a large man and he works on a large canvas of words. In addition to being a renowned sculptor and visual artist, Worrell is also a philosopher and a mystic in the tradition of Loren Eisley and Edward Abbey. This book will both intrigue and entrance--not only with words but with intriguing color photographs.

Wondrous stories of Changing Woman, First Man and First Woman, Coyote, Great Snake, Gila Monster and others who infuse the rich and complex canvas of the Navajo world view. This book illuminates the traditional oral narratives of the tribe and shows how they work ceremonially as healing ways. Collectively, they also convey the origin story of The People and in addition they provide a moral code for harmonious existence with the natural world. The enlightened state of Navajo consciousness, which they call "walking in beauty" is presented in such a way that all of us can learn to use it and live by it.

Al Díaz and Jean-Michel Basquiat stoked public intrigue in 1978 as teenagers when they began tagging their SAMO©… writings throughout New York City.The statements spoke to people, spoke about people, and sometimes spoke of nothing at all. What began as a cynical, yet clever joke among friends-eventually became a creative cornerstone for both artists-and a hallmark of NYC art historical accounts.Everyone around town was asking,"Who is SAMO?" Basquiat's path was well laid when the pair gave up their anonymity to the Village Voice in December 1978, in exchange for $100. The ball was rolling. Within two years Basquiat would be a famous painter, abruptly leaving behind Díaz and street writings for the blue chip gallery circuit. Díaz became a regular player in the NYC music scene. SAMO©… was dead. Ten years after that, Basquiat was also dead. But today, Albert Díaz is very much alive.

Based on a true story, The Turquoise Horse has been a popular classroom text since the early 1990s.This endearing story explains the power of the horse in Navajo culture, while at the same time showing the importance of sharing.