Dave Norman

As the author, I spent six years as a professional paintball writer (and at that point, ten years as an avid paintball player) researching "501 Paintball Tips." My research took me across the country, from Virginia to San Diego, with stops at most of the country's biggest-name paintball events. I spoke with professionals in speedball and the highest-level players in woodsball, reviewed dozens of markers for my magazine articles, and spent months researching tactics in the field. The result was a huge body of published work in Action Pursuit Games, Facefull, Paintball Sports, Paintball News, ultimately Jungle, and other top publications...and this book, which presents the very best strategies for both speedball and woodsball along with chapters on health and peak athletic performance, do-it-yourself projects related to paintball, and other exclusive content. There are even photos, by popular demand.

Please pass on your copy when you're done, giving it to a friend or family member or colleague, so that my readership may grow; it's my readers who justify the years I spend on each of my books, and expanding my readership is more important than sales. So pass on the second-hand copies, and check it out at your library, whatever it takes to see if you like my work! And if you do, please--read more, and help others discover it, too. Thanks, and good reading!… (mehr)

As the author of this book I have a certain intimacy with it, and knowledge of all the stories that didn't go into the text. What made it in: the stories of the people, businesses, and phenomenons that built a small New England village into one of northeast's defining railroad boom towns; an inside look into how boom towns formed, and what became of so many of them as they struggled to forge new identities in the twentieth century; the human-interest angle of life stories of men and women from around the Upper Connecticut River Valley, told to give a sense of the place and the character of its people. What didn't go into it: essentially, details that put me to sleep when I read traditional history books, and some quotes that were a bit too sensational for polite printing--some Vermonters can get all fired up over the most astonishing range of topics!

Please pass on your copy when you're done, giving it to a friend or family member or colleague, so that my readership may grow; it's my readers who justify the years I spend on each of my books, and expanding my readership is more important than sales. So pass on the second-hand copies, and check it out at your library, whatever it takes to see if you like my work! And if you do, please--read more, and help others discover it, too. Thanks, and good reading!… (mehr)

Writing this book was one of those defining experiences in my career thus-far as a writer, and living the research was a defining experience as a traveler. When I set out for China to take the Trans Mongolian and Trans Siberian Railroads from Beijing to Warsaw, I didn't anticipate writing a book about it. I thought the trip would be fun (and often it was), and that I would get some good travel articles from the experience (which I did), but looking back on it after returning, the adventure had the elements of a defining story...namely, moral challenges and fundamental shifts in perspective and character. So I set out to write about what my friend Josh and I saw as we traveled together, and all the challenges that made the trip such a vivid, sometimes harrowing experience. I wrote it in hopes that other travelers (armchair and backpack travelers alike) can appreciate the humor, relate to the challenges, and maybe see their own defining experiences in better light for having shared in mine. I hope you enjoy reading it, and that it really reaches you. Either way, though, please pass on your copy when you're done, giving it to a friend or family member or colleague, so that my readership may grow; it's my readers who justify the years I spend on each of my books, and expanding my readership is more important than sales. So bring on the second-hand copies, and check it out at your library, whatever it takes to see if you like my work! And if you do, please--read more. Thanks, and good reading!… (mehr)

I received a copy of White River Junctions by Dave Norman as an Early Reviewers book. I love railroads and I love in Vermont, so I thought it would be a really interesting read. It has its moments. The book is divided into two sections: one discusses the historical buildings of White River Junction; the second is collection of interviews with local residents. If you want to learn more about this historic Vermont town and the struggles it and its people have a gone through, this is a decent overview of the subject, but the lack of fact-checking is a major problem. As mentioned in other reviewers, Norman takes all the information he's collected from various sources and throws it in the mix without any corroboration. I was especially annoyed by the unchallenged statement that unions ruined the railroads. I was especially amused by his taking at face value a 19th century town history's statements concerning family origins and battles with Native Americans. Norman even has the nerve to claim that, even though there is some discrepancy with listed birthyears and events, the story must be true! As a genealogist who knows from experience that those old town histories can't be trusted, I had to laugh. These are just two examples.

I think there is the potential of a good book here. White River Junction's history is interesting and multifaceted. I wish Norman had taken more time to develop a cohesive theme and had done his homework. Sadly, though, it reads more like one of those old town histories than it should to be taken seriously.… (mehr)