Reviews (2)

A Great Study of a Southern Political Machine
Dr. Ronald L. Heinemann's extensive volume of Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virignia is a must have for anybody trying to understand southern politics. On his own, Harry Byrd is a rather tacid, boring politician who built a political machine by keeping as many people ineligible to vote as possible through poll taxing and through the support of the "courthouse ring." Byrd is more a representative of a bygone era trying hard to keep pace with a newer and more complex world. In fact, Heinemann's approach to Byrd shows us a political animal who lived, slept, and breathed for a campaign and for power. He was a gentle southern apple farmer and newspaper editor who could hold the federal government in his hand from his chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee. Through Byrd, Heinemann shows the South's last, desperate grasp at retaining the society that they knew was wrong. This is an important read for anyone who wants to understand what southern's were thinking, not simply write them off in a few curt sentences.

A CRITICAL EVALUATION
Professor Heinemann has brought to the table a tremendous amount of research--a vast array of day to day details. But the work is seriously marred by a lack of understanding for what the great debates of the Senator's lifetime were really all about. He shows who loved Byrd and hated him; some of the words that they used; and what the immediate effect may have been. He paints a very detailed picture of an able, largely self-made and self-educated man, who had an unusually skilled grasp of the nuances of partisan politics from the Court Houses of Virginia to the Halls of Congress; a man who was very widely respected by his contemporaries for his rock ribbed integrity, as well as his ability. But then he trivializes his subject with his own ex cathedra pronouncements, which show more of the author's limitations than they do of Senator Byrd's. The tragedy is that, while this book still has great value to those who want to learn more about the greatest Virginian since Robert E. Lee, it misses its full potential, because its author does not have a clue as to what the real issues involved;no perspective on the Constitutional questions, only a very limited perspective on the economic; and practically none as to why certain values, which made very great sense two thousand years before Jefferson, will still make sense a thousand years after Harry Byrd and Ronald Heinemann. It is a pity, because he obviously would not have gone to so great an effort, had he not realized a little of Byrd's significance. What a shame that he failed to see the forest for the trees. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Some of the best Panhandle History available
This book is not only about Charles Goodnight, but it is an excellent source on the history of the Panhandle, especially the settlement of the Palo Duro Canyon. You'll learn about the land, the wildlife, and the menwho came to tame them both. It's an excellent biography, and should berequired reading for anyone who lives within a hundred mile radius of thePalo Duro canyon.

Very interesting.Haven't finished it yet., butwill soon.
Being a shirtail relative of Charles Goodnight, Ihave been anxious to learn more of him.My mother was a Goodnight, but not a direct descendant.More like a great-great niece. Would like to here from anyone who may berelated.The book is very informative. I have an early copy from about the1940's. ... Read more

Book Description

The saga of the Ledfords of Lancaster, Kentucky, Generations transcends family biography to become a social history of our national experience, a metaphor of America. This twentieth anniversary edition brings the Ledfords’ remarkable story up to date. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

THANKS TO THE AUTHOR!
I am the Great-Grandson of Burnham & Addie, Grandson of Carl & Gerry, Son of Sue & Joe.

To John Edgerton - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for preserving the history of our family.I can remember you from Lancaster at Grandaddy's birthday years ago.

To Readers - An incredible story that you'll like to read - and one that I'm proud to be a part of.

If you love a good story, read Generations
I discovered "Generations" a few weeks ago at a used book sale, read it immediately, and passed it on to my octogenarian grandparents.The book is an amazing tale of how one need not be old and feel old at the same time.The central characters, Burnam and Addie Ledford, are great examples of Appalachian people who have wonderful stores of generations of family fact and legend, proven and unproven.

As a native of WV, I have known many people whose age, alertness, and knowledge rivaled that of Burnam and Addie, but few had all three, and seldom did such couples survive to the ages achieved by Burnam and Addie without the death of one or the other.

I'm extremely glad that Egerton took the time to get to know Burnam and Addie.(Read the book and you'll see that it's based on hours and hours of interviews with the couple.)Because we usually take such resources for granted (or just ignore them) we don't appreciate what the likes of Burnam and Addie have until they're gone.And, obviously--but painfully--it's too late then.

It's clear from the other reviews on this site that the Ledford family appreciates Egerton's work.I'm writing this to show that others can appreciate the book as well.Anyone interested in re-hearing the tales he or she heard at grandparents' knees will love Burnam and Addie's stories, which take us back to their great-grandparents and the late eighteenth century--no mean feat when one considers that they lived into the 1980s!

Egerton's coverage of the topic is thorough and entertaining.I was enthralled except when he went into detail about the Ledfords' descendants in order to give a rare view of seven generations of such a family.I was not as interested in the descendants, but for those who are, that part is well done, too.

If you love a good story, read this book.I grew up listening to and appreciating old story tellers like Burnam and Addie.Here in my present urban setting, I know of no one who matches the story-telling skills of the old people I knew in West Virginia.I'm afraid the art is being lost, along with front porches, and shooting the breeze while watching fireflies and listening to crickets.I'm no Luddite, but I do hate to see the loss of resources like Burnam and Addie.Old storytellers will die, but someone can pick up the standard and carry on in their stead.My thanks to Egerton for recording all that they had to say.

Love it
I am a densent of Aly Ledford he was my g.g.g.grandfother.I love my book,the Generations. would like for everyone to read it.

It is just like being there with the elderly Ledfords.
I am the youngest granddaughter of the Ledfords and have real memories of when the book was being researched by John.We thought he was nuts!It is so very well written that it envokes sensory memories for me.I feel that I am with my beloved grandparents.I invite you to meet my family asthey walk down time starting with covered wagons entering the CumberlandGap and the dangers they met and ending in the 70's at the last familygathering before Grandpa's death. Each person can find something ofinterest. There is humor, adventures, romance, and tales of deep saddness. The reader is pulled into the story and seems to be part of the Ledfordfamily.Come join the Ledford family as we live thru the times as yourfamily also did.See you there.

We soon came to accept the authorJohn as family.He also has written other books.

You have to read thebook to figure out my idenity.

A wonderful oral history of an American family.
Having read this book numerous times I can honestly tell you that is really is a wonderful oral history of an American family, which just happens to be MY family.Egerton did a great job of capturing their oral reports of the history of the Ledford family. Oddly enough, my name, (orshould I say my father's name, who I am named after) is the last words ofthe book. It dates back well into the 1800's to what would be mygreat-great-great grandparents.I would recomend this book to anyone whowants a good look into the history of an American family. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Home Spun Real Life
This is an excellent book about a young man's journey from a child to an adult. Mr. Hale does a great job of letting you see the world through his eyes. Everything from the mystery of girls to the deep felt pride of his hard working father. Growing up during the depression, he makes you feel like you are part of his family. Great Read! ... Read more

Book Description

In MOONSHINE, Alec Wilkinson gives us a vivid portrait of an American original -- a modern day "revenuer," Garland Bunting.

Bunting works the rural back-country of North Carolina, in an area that has always been enormously productive of moonshine, notoriously hard on revenue agents.

"Articulate, canny, imaginative, Bunting clearly enjoys his life, and in this book he and it are vividly portrayed. Wilkinson has celebrated a contemporary who is at the same time a figure out of history...a book with humor, energy, compassion." (Publisher's Source) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

moonshine the life in pursuit of white liquer
this was a preety good book. It is about this guy named Garland Bunting, who has been engaged in caturing and prosacuting men and weomen. To do so he has droven taxi cabs and whatever else you can think of, to get these people to stop selling elligal liquer.he has learned several tips from huntes, they told him that coons can find a illigal monnshine bussnues any day of the week, so from that day on he decided to start raising coon dog's, so that he could catch the scum of the earth (as so he says) who are selling this illigal liquer. This man is 57 years of age and he is of a medium hieght, he has been doing this type of stuff for over 30 years. In north corolina it is illigal to sell liquer on sunday's so the people who are acaholics are always out looking for liquer on sunday's, and that is whern garland is out busting peoepl most of the time. I would recomend this book to any body that is all I have for know thank you for reading my review.

Really excellent reportage.
I grew up in Tidewater, VA, and I've travelled many of the roads and known the sorts of boys Wilkinson writes about. He really nailed that regional culture, and his ear for dialogue and dialect is finely tuned.

An honest look at a vanishing way of life
I grew up not far from Ahoskie, NC, one of the towns author Alec Wilkinson visits in his book. I was astonished at the accuracy of his portrayal of the people and way of life in rural eastern North Carolina. Wilkinson makes no judgments and draws no conclusions. He simply writes a wonderfully detailed and honest portrait of these people and the politics & life of the moonshiners and revenuers of the swamplands. In the past few years this rural way of life has quickly vanished - pressed from the east by the growth of the tourist industry and overdevelopment of the Outer Banks, and from the west by the rapid growth of the Research Triangle. Moonshine has been replaced by homegrown marijuana. Most small farmers have been bought out by corporate farms and the small towns have become bedroom communities for larger metro areas, with people in Gates and Northampton counties working as far away as Quantico and Williamsburg, VA. I've loaned out my copy of "Moonshine" so many times it is falling apart, but I've never found another book that so accurately describes the world I grew up in. For my transplanted Yankee friends here in the Triangle it has been a great introduction to the rural South. The first Wilkinson book I read was "Midnights", his description of a summer spent as the night patrolman in a small coastal town in Massachusetts. I was struck by his powers of description, and the honest effort of researching his subject by spending many long hours on the job. It is also a fine book. For anyone interested in a slice of life, or just great writing, I'd recommend this book without hesitation. Ken Strayhorn Chapel Hill NC ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (10)

The intellectual's Blues
The blues is primal as this biography reminds us more than once. Scholar's have used more words than a presidential candidate in trying to explain the blues. This book succeeds when it directly discusses John Lee Hooker, his life and thus the blues. When it repeats Blues 101 information found in other books it fails. Many other works by Sam Charters, Pete Welding, Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka) and others do it much better. Read works by these authors if the history and etiology of the blues is what you need. But if you want to know more about Hooker... this is the place! The author admits when the information he has conflicts with the various sources, yet lets you know where the truth may be found. An Hooker's words are worth the price alone! Read and then listen to the Man to find a answer to the question "What is the Blues?"

Facinating, But Flawed
"Boogie Man" is a fascinating portrait of a fascinating man. John Lee Hooker is arguably the greatest living blues man, a man whose life virtually spanned the entire 20th century, and this is the book he deserves. Based on extensive interviews with Hooker and many of his contemporaries, the reader experiences Hooker's life, his influences, his motivations, and, most important, his music as if one were sitting at his knee listening to him playing his guitar and telling stories. In addition, Charles Shaar Murray does a magnificent job of placing Hooker and his inimitable style within its historical, sociological, cultural, and musical context, including several interesting "sidebars" on the history of the blues, the nature of blues music, and that intangible something that makes Hooker so unique and so influential.

However, the book has one major flaw that will keep many readers, especially those who are not blues aficionados, from completely enjoying it. It is written in the hep-cat, daddy-o style that music critics and biographers seem to be compelled to employ and that readers of music criticism and biography have come to know and hate. Because of this, the author himself is so prominently present on virtually every page of the book. "Boogie Man" ends up being not a biography of John Lee Hooker, but rather a book about Hooker as seen through the eyes of Charles Shaar Murray. Good biographers know how to make themselves disappear from the text, to the benefit of their subjects. Murray is so present here that after a while it proves very annoying. Worst of all, many times he writes in a faux ebonics style that he thinks mimics the way black people speak. It's annoying, embarrassing, and even disturbing.

Murray also shares the bias that many Brits share of being convinced that America is a land seething with racism and racial prejudice, from the day the first Europeans landed here up to the present day. Granted, America is not a land of racial harmony, slavery was legal for he first 250 years of the country's existence, and it wasn't until a mere generation ago that blacks received the same treatment under law as whites. Still, Murray's prejudices against white Americans mars his point of view and clouds his perception of the facts surrounding Hooker and his life.

Further (and, strictly speaking, this isn't really the author's fault), the book is very poorly edited. It was written over a period of many years, and reading the finished product makes it clear that no one went through the book from start to finish to check for consistency and flow. There are several points repeated many times, and even some of Hooker's quotes are repeated verbatim in different places. One small example: Every blues fan knows that there were two blues men named "Sonny Boy Williamson," and perhaps for the sake of non-fans this curiosity needs to be pointed out and the difference between the two explained, but not five or six times.

In the end, despite its flaws, "Boogie Man" is a fascinating, informative, and insightful book, one that fans of John Lee Hooker, or blues in general will want to read -- provided they can overcome the author's style and point of view.

Better than nothing but...
When someone does that other book, I trust their research will be more thorough. Murray goes on for a long paragraph about Hooker's birth year. A quick simple search of the 1920 Census, available years before this book was published, showed John Lee was seven then. Murray doesn't even give 1913 among the 4 years he listed. For our few pages about Hooker in Dedicated Dads: Stepfathers of Famous People (available amazon.com), our author found some interesting anecdotes on a CD liner--Murray missed them, too. And I agree that Murray went on and on and injected himself too much.

A disappointment
The author seems to have been under the mistaken impression that those of us reading a biography about John Lee Hooker actually wanted to read a book about Charles Shaar Murray. This could have been so much better.

Disappointing
As a long time fan of John Lee I really looked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately the writer spent more time editoralizing about the sins of America in general and the south in particular and very little time on the actual subject of the book. The writers bias against the U.S. came across very clearly.

There are sections in the book that go on for pages without even discussing John Lee or his music. If the author had stayed off his soapbox he could have covered the same material in 100 pages instead of the 480+ pages he required. All in all I found the book very boring and a chore to read. I was glad when it was over. I love John Lee but hated the book. ... Read more

Book Description

On November 18, 1999, a tragic accident at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, claimed the lives of twelve young people and seriously injured twenty-seven others when the annual bonfire to celebrate the University of Texas versus Texas A&M Thanksgiving football game collapsed during the final stages of construction.

Eleven young people died at the scene, but the twelfth victim, Timothy Doran Kerlee, Jr., lived almost forty-two hours before succumbing to his injuries. Seven months after his death, his parents left their secular life in Memphis, Tennessee, and moved to College Station to work as volunteers in campus ministry at the very school where their son had died. What happened to cause this couple to make such a life-changing decision?

The Chance to Say Goodbye answers that question, while telling the tale of a young hero, who, on that fateful night, refused aid for himself until his friends had been helped. Author Janice Cross Kerlee offers help to parents who have lost children. She assists them in dealing with their grief and teaching their friends how to help in a time of need. Finally, The Chance to Say Goodbye testifies to the mighty works of God and His ever-present love. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Biography
I had hoped for a story that might help me in dealing with those I counsel. While it is a well-told story of one young man's life and influence, it is of no help at all in assisting other grieving parents who might not appreciate the extravagant emphasis on the Texas A&M spirit and on their son, rather than on their personal struggles with grief. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fortune and Misery wins LEH award.
Nancy Dixon's Fortune and Misery has won the Lousiana Endowment for the Humanities Book of the Year Award for 2000. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Willie Well Remembered
In this little book 27 writers honor the memory of Mississippian, Willie Morris, who died in August of 1999.In literary circles in Mississippi and elsewhere one need not add a sir name to Willie. Just like Elvis, everybody knows who you are talking about. In addition to being a wunderkind young writer and editor, Morris was widely recognized as an ambassador of sorts for Mississippi.

David Halberstam said in his piece, " I think we understood in some intuitive way that he was an ambassador for a new Mississippi, one that did not yet exist, but one day surely would-and that in the meantime he was a representative of a pained, troubled society which sent it most talented sons and daughters into momentary exile"


His book, North Toward Home, is a classic for those Southerners wholeft the South, but who havecontinuing love/hate feelings about their native region.I have been a fan of Willie's ever since I first read North Toward Home 30 years ago as an expat Mississippian in Ohio. I enjoyed the book immensely


The essays written byprominent and almost prominent contemporary writers and politicians are wonderfully well written and enjoyablereads.The reader is left with an appreciation of in what high esteem Willie was held by his friends and colleagues.

... Read more

Book Description

Stories of some of the Bluegrass state's known and lesser-known eccentrics give the phrase "favorite sons and daughers" a new twist. McQueen engagingly spins tales of the likes of career criminal George Barrett, psychic Edgar Cayce, duelist Alexander McClung and more than 20 other Kentuckians who he says are "peculiar footnotes to history." Keven's twin brother, Kyle. pens cartoon illustrations to contribute to this "fun read." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

What Kentucky Newspapers say about Offbeat Kentuckians
The Richmond Register...."Teachers and librarians are buying the books for their students and using it to make history interesting again."

The Paducah Sun...."The book tells the story of 23 people, ranging from internationally known militant prohibitionist Carry Nation and Hopkinsville psychic Edgar Cayce to folksy legends such as Anderson County's Wandering Ben Wilson."

McQueen has done it again
If you are a Kentuckian, this should be required reading. If you are not a Kentuckian, read it anyway; it is one of the most interesting collection of people you'll ever read about. If nonfiction is your cup of tea, take a long swallow of this fascinating tome. ... Read more

Book Description

This collection of individual memories of children growing up is filled with the hilarity of youthful ignorance played out in a time over fifty years ago, in a place that had its own unique differences, its own way of doing things.We can bring back the past and we can even profit from it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Time Has Made a Change in All of Us
A look at both growing up and getting old. Growing up inAlabama with a message for everyone. Humor, tragedy, the dramatic andthe mundane. In short, the shape of life.

A book for everyone --fantastic reading.
This book takes you back in time when it was the type of world we love to remember. It's a sentamental journey in time to a place that was special to all those who grew up there. It warms the heart with each page. I enjoyed the nostalgic stroll down the byways of a wonderful small Alabama town.

History at its best by those who lived it
Robert David Ward brought together a diverse mix of people whose lives were linked by time and place, revealing both the uniqueness of this small southern college town and a common culture familiar to those who remember World War II, danced to the music of a young Frank Sinatra and big bands, and listened to The Lone Ranger on the radio. It was a time when children created their own entertainment and adventure, limited only by imagination and invention. Although the setting was unique to those who lived it, many of the experiences brought me back to my own childhood in a small southern town. Their stories pulled me right into their lives as they shared the experiences that shaped their futures. I felt as if Montevallo was my town and its young people were my best friends. Not since I read the stories of Rebeccah Wells and Pat Conroy have I felt such a kindred spirit with the lives of those portrayed in TIME HAS MADE A CHANGE IN ME.

The broad mix of voices who shared their recollections and images convey a history more authentic than any history book of deadly dull facts and dates. This book will make a perfect gift for my children and grandchildren!

The Past is Always With Us
This book is a bittersweet collection of memories --- some hilarious, some heartbreaking --- of the coming of age in a small southern town. The group of friends who penned these stories share a heritage and a culture found in other locations. Anyone born from 1927 to 1935 can easily relate to the scenes depicted by the men and women of that era. Other readers can benefit from insight gained from those who are peers of their parents and grandparents. If you want to spend a weekend reliving your OWN youth, this book is for you. If you want the younger members of your family to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of you as an individual, this is for them! ... Read more

Book Description

Henry M. Flagler (1830-1913), the ambitious Gilded Age tycoon who designed and built much of Florida's fashionable east coast, rode to success on the rails.

As John D. Rockefeller's closest adviser in the 1870s, Flagler helped assemble the Standard Oil empire. In this thoroughly researched biography, Akin shows that Flagler understood early in his career that cheap freight rates determined industrial profits. Portraying Flagler as an aggressive entrepreneur, Akin documents his shrewd negotiations to obtain reduced rates, rebates, and drawbacks from the railroads, thus assuring Standard Oil's national domination over oil transportation costs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Informative but unrewarding
Akin's offering on Flagler is chock full of factual information. However, it is written in such a scholarly manner (practically every paragraph has a corresponding footnote) that it is difficult to get through. It's well researched, but not well written.

I was particularly interested in Flagler's Key West Extension to his Florida East Coast Railway. Akin gave "the eighth wonder of the world" just one chapter. Pat Parks' "The Railroad That Died at Sea" was more informative regarding the extension--and a far better read.

I was glad that I finished "Flagler...", though I considered it something of a chore. ... Read more

Book Description

James Williams was the highest-ranking officer to die from wounds suffered at the Battle of King's Mountain, fought October 7, 1780, on the border between North and South Carolina. Although little known, the patriots¡¯ victory at this battle played a significant role in America's ultimately gaining its independence from England. The story of Williams' life provides fascinating insights into the vicious civil war fought between Carolina backcountry neighbors evenly split by loyalist and patriotic sympathies. Equally fascinating is the story of Williams' struggle for command of the South Carolina militia with rival, Thomas Sumter, the famous "Fighting Gamecock," for whom residents of that state derive their nickname. Evidence strongly suggests that unquestioning acceptance of slanderous comments directed at Williams by one of Sumter¡¯s subordinates in memoirs written long after the Battle of King¡¯s Mountain has resulted in the memory of Williams¡¯ sacrifices made in name of Liberty being almost totally forgotten. Williams deserves a better place in American history than that to which he has been unjustly consigned by Sumter and his subordinates. In this account, the author seeks to restore Williams to his rightful place. ... Read more

Book Description

Robert Rice Reynolds (1884-1963), U.S. senator from North Carolina from 1933 to 1945, was one of the most eccentric politicians in American history. His travels, his five marriages, his public faux pas, and his flamboyant campaigns provided years of amusement for his constituents. This political biography rescues Reynolds from his cartoon-character reputation, however, by explaining his political appeal and highlighting his genuine contributions without overlooking his flaws.

Julian Pleasants argues that Reynolds must be understood in the context of Depression-era North Carolina. He capitalized on the discontent of the poverty-stricken lower class by campaigning in tattered clothes while driving a ramshackle Model T--a sharp contrast to his wealthy, chauffeur-driven opponent, incumbent senator Cam Morrison. In office, Reynolds supported Roosevelt's New Deal. Although he was not pro-Nazi, his isolationist stance and his association with virulent right-wingers enraged his constituents and ultimately led to his withdrawal from politics.

Pleasants reveals Reynolds to be a showman of the first order, a skilled practitioner of class politics, and a unique southern politician--the only one who favored the New Deal while advocating isolationist views. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1700 Maryland's new capital at Annapolis was a hamlet in a wilderness whose shoreline looked, according to one new arrival, "like a forest standing in water."By the middle of the eighteenth century a remarkable collection of men and women had made it into "one of the most sparkling communities in British America." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Builders of Annapolis
This book was extremely disappointing to me.I found so many incorrectstatements that I wonder about the parts with which I am not familiar. Maryland history is of great interest to me, therefore I was anxious toread Builders of Annapolis. In the very beginning of the book it is writtenthat settlers of Maryland were mostly Catholic.It takes very littleresearch to determine that is an incorrect statement.The errors went onfrom there -- too numerous to enumerate.The author had such aninteresting idea for writing about some of the early Annapolitians.Whydidn't he do a better job with his research?I am sorry I bought thisbook. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Fascinating Look At War Time Atlanta
I found this work fascinating! Sallie Clayton's account was so descriptive as to make day by day life in war time Atlanta come alive. Her account of Sherman's seige was particularly engrossing. A must read along with other such biographical accounts of the period.

Another document to the Horrors of the Lost Cause
An interesting and provocitive account of the attacks on the civilian population of Ante-bellum Georgia by Federal forces under command of William (kerosene) Sherman. This book substanciates that the "Lincoln-Sherman Plan" to make Georgia "howl" was an unpresedented reaction to propaganda and political gain. The sacking and burning of Atlanta and its long term effect on the state are sobering. Another book related to this topic that fully illustrates this unlawful and evil destruction is "The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl," by Eliza Francis Andrews.

The "Hounds of War" destroyed Georgia's economy well into the 20th Century.

Caught in Atlanta
This is a wonderful story based on the true life of a young girl. The author has taken Sallie Clayton's diary and turned it into an account of life before, during, and after the Civil War.

The only problem is the long footnotes. Some of these notes take up most of the page and tell boring historical information. Sometimes, it helps set up the plot. At other times, it's annoying and makes me want to throw the book against the wall...

I say you should read this book if you want to look inside the life of a Civil War woman, or if you just want to learn more about life during the Civil War...either way, it's a wonderful book. ... Read more