Books with author Mary Jo Nickum

In this historical fiction story, the author weaves the modern Darwinian theory into the fabric of the biblical Genesis story of the (Garden) Valley of Eden which has its origins in the ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh epic and the Mesopotamian epic, Atrahasis. The story takes the reader through an imaginative path from Adam and Eve’s life before the Valley of Eden, the mythical encounter in the Garden, the expelling from the Valley, their life outside the Valley raising their family and finally, the consummation of their lives. Through the author’s proficient style of building depth in each character through their deeds, conversation and thought processes, the reader is skillfully drawn into the story; a modern day take on an old story of good and evil. (Rita Westphal)

The primitive-looking coelacanth (pronounced SEEL-uh-kanth) was thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But its discovery in 1938 by a South African museum curator on a local fishing trawler fascinated the world and ignited a debate about how this bizarre lobe-finned fish fits into the evolution of land animals.There are only two known species of coelacanths: one that lives near the Comoros Islands off the east coast of Africa, and one found in the waters of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many scientists believe that the unique characteristics of the coelacanth represent an early step in the evolution of fish to terrestrial four-legged animals like amphibians.

A Girl Named Mary tells the story of Mary, the Mother of Jesus as a young girl. Though she has a much older sister, she’s raised as an only child. Her cousin, Rebekka, is her closet friend and confidant. Together they grow and learn how to maneuver in a culture that is steeped in tradition. One that looks backward instead of forward for solutions to problems. Mary cares about others, helps the sick and disadvantaged and is a voice, albeit a young voice, for women.At twelve, Mary was betrothed to an older man who had sons her age. She resisted this arrangement strongly. She argued with her parents against the betrothal with every bit of logic and strength she had but found this tradition beyond her ability to fight. The marriage took place and she was rewarded by the birth of a beautiful baby boy, Jesus.

The primitive-looking coelacanth (pronounced SEEL-uh-kanth) was thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But its discovery in 1938 by a South African museum curator on a local fishing trawler fascinated the world and ignited a debate about how this bizarre lobe-finned fish fits into the evolution of land animals. There are only two known species of coelacanths: one that lives near the Comoros Islands off the east coast of Africa, and one found in the waters of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Many scientists believe that the unique characteristics of the coelacanth represent an early step in the evolution of fish to terrestrial four-legged animals like amphibians.

In this historical fiction story, the author weaves the modern Darwinian theory into the fabric of the biblical Genesis story of the (Garden) Valley of Eden which has its origins in the ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh epic and the Mesopotamian epic, Atrahasis. The story takes the reader through an imaginative path from Adam and Eve’s life before the Valley of Eden, the mythical encounter in the Garden, the expelling from the Valley, their life outside the Valley raising their family and finally, the consummation of their lives. Through the author’s proficient style of building depth in each character through their deeds, conversation and thought processes, the reader is skillfully drawn into the story; a modern day take on an old story of good and evil. (Rita Westphal)

“The history of the domestic cat may stretch back even further, as 8,000-year-old bones of humans and cats were found buried together on the island of Cyprus.”The history of the cat goes back much further than the Egyptians, as the reader will find out when reading “Looking at the Cat, An Eye on Evolution”. This book is an overview of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution as it relates to the cat. The student not only is exposed to the concepts of evolution but, at the same time, is shown examples of how evolution has progressed and the timeframe during which these changes have taken place. The book contains 44 pictures, photos and graphs along with 10 sidebars to further supplement the text.

A Girl Named Mary tells the story of Mary, the Mother of Jesus as a young girl. Though she has a much older sister, she’s raised as an only child. Her cousin, Rebekka, is her closet friend and confidant. Together they grow and learn how to maneuver in a culture that is steeped in tradition. One that looks backward instead of forward for solutions to problems. Mary cares about others, helps the sick and disadvantaged and is a voice, albeit a young voice, for women.At twelve, Mary was betrothed to an older man who had sons her age. She resisted this arrangement strongly. She argued with her parents against the betrothal with every bit of logic and strength she had but found this tradition beyond her ability to fight. The marriage took place and she was rewarded by the birth of a beautiful baby boy, Jesus.

Although jaguars are native to Arizona, little is known about the population segment that resides in Mexico and uses southern Arizona and New Mexico as the northern extent of its range. It was thought the species had been extirpated from the state until 1996 when the first jaguar documented since 1986 was photographed by a southern Arizona rancher/mountain lion hunter.After capture, collar and release, a web of intrigue surrounded death of the only jaguar in Arizona, Macho B.

“The history of the domestic cat may stretch back even further, as 8,000-year-old bones of humans and cats were found buried together on the island of Cyprus.” The history of the cat goes back much further than the Egyptians, as the reader will find out when reading “Looking at the Cat, An Eye on Evolution”. This book is an overview of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution as it relates to the cat. The student not only is exposed to the concepts of evolution but, at the same time, is shown examples of how evolution has progressed and the timeframe during which these changes have taken place. The book contains 44 pictures, photos and graphs along with 10 sidebars to further supplement the text.

Although jaguars are native to Arizona, little is known about the population segment that resides in Mexico and uses southern Arizona and New Mexico as the northern extent of its range. It was thought the species had been extirpated from the state until 1996 when the first jaguar documented since 1986 was photographed by a southern Arizona rancher/mountain lion hunter. After capture, collar and release, a web of intrigue surrounded death of the only jaguar in Arizona, Macho B.