Writers Books

Valerie Yow has done it again. I was absorbed by her biography of North Carolina writer Bernice Kelly Harris; now, with Betty Smith: Life of the Author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, she has given us another fascinating, highly readable and meticulously researched and documented biography of a major woman author.
Since I first read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn--at about age thirteen--it has remained one of the books that have remained bright in my memory. Valerie Yow has brought me into the world and the writing life of the complex and determined woman who was its author, and the author of many other memorable works. Yow is herself an excellent writer. She gives us a story that is a true pleasure to read, and which also demonstrates her strength and professionalism as an historian. This biography deserves wide readership. I recommend it highly to anyone interested in Betty Smith's work, as well as in the writing process and the writing life during a period when the way was not often easy for a woman writer.
Joyce Allen

Fans of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) will find a rich treat in Valerie Yow's biography of its author, Betty Smith. Smith is best known today for the largely autobiographical Tree, but she was celebrated in her day as a prolific playwright (she wrote some 60 plays), and three other popular novels that, like Tree, drew from her own life: Tomorrow Will Be Better (1948), Maggie-Now (1958), and Joy in the Morning (1963).

Though Smith's dramatic work (King Cotton, 1937; So Gracious Is the Time, 1938; The Desert Shall Rejoice, 1941, with Robert Finch) is little-known, Yow examines it thoroughly, and shows that Smith first found her voice in theatre - a lifelong passion.

Yow portrays Smith as a complex individual, at home in the lively, combative streets of Brooklyn as well as its quiet library. She had a fine intellect, nurtured by study at Yale and a circle of literary friends; but as a writer, she did not seek the companionship of the intellectuals of her day. An introvert, she immersed herself in raising her family through three complicated marriages and years of poverty; and in writing polished, sometimes controversial, plays that explored the dark corners of contemporary life in the mid-twentieth century. With success came the stressful glare of public life; but with the accompanying money, she was able to afford weeks of solitude at Nags Head, on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the diminutive, city-bred author rose at dawn to revel in the sunrise and fish for hours in the Atlantic surf.

Much of the revelation of Smith's character and life in Yow's book comes through well-chosen excerpts from her correspondence and published personal interviews. Yow, an oral historian and psychologist,also conducted lengthy interviews of Smith's surviving family, friends and associates; spent years ransacking obscure archives for information on, and photos of, her subject; and thoroughly immersed herself in the places that Betty brought to life in her semi-autobiographical fiction: Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Nags Head.

Yow's excellent analysis suggests Smith's enduring appeal arises from her realism, for in her fiction she developed the full, flawed humanity of her characters - most famously, Francie Nolan's beloved, alcoholic father, Johnny Nolan in Tree. At a time when "literary" fiction was expected to have an overt social and political agenda, Betty Smith explored more personal terrain, though nonetheless gritty; for her characters pick their way through messy personal relationships that both nurture and thwart their hopes and dreams.

Yow points out that Smith's wise studies of individuals struggling in the barbed embrace of family and community remain compelling more than a half-century after she wrote them. Despite critics who dismissed her books as "sentimental" because they dealt with the personal, rather than the political, Smith's realistic approach has survived seismic cultural changes, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has become what few of her contemporaries can claim to have produced - a classic.

Having loved "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn", I picked up Ms. Yow's biography of Betty Smith with curiosity and a measure of trepidation. I expected an academic treatise but what I discovered, to my delight, was a rich, full-bodied, insightful account of Betty Smith's life.
Ms. Yow is a skilled story teller and this talent combined with her keen research skills and her expertise as a psychologist, yields a book that is not only informative and perceptive but a great read, as well. You won't be able to put this one down.
Anyone who has read and loved "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" will enjoy this biography. Ms. Yow helps the reader achieve a new understanding of the genesis of Francie Nolan and her family through her compelling analysis of Ms. Smith's own story.

In Betty Smith: Life of the Author of a Tree Grows in Brooklyn, author Valerie Yow has done a masterful work of making a non-fiction biography read as entertainingly and engrossingly as a well-written novel. Using a compelling narrative style, Yow tells the fascinating story of this little-known woman writer of mid 20th century. Amazingly well researched, this biography never feels moribund by facts. Instead they are used to paint a compelling picture of a writer's life and the times in which she lived. Yow provides a telling analysis - both literary and psychological - of Smith and her work. From her impoverished beginnings in Brooklyn to her turbulent life in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Smith's story is even more compelling than that of the character Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. After reading Yow's biography the relationship between author and characters, between author and the people in his/her life becomes even more understandable, as is the relationship between an author and the times in which he/she lives. This book is more than just a great read, it is an invaluable resource for writers and historians and anyone interested in literature.

I received an advance copy of this book and devoured it in one sitting. Now I've put the book on a syllabus for a course I teach in creative writing and am ordering it for all my writer friends. Bonni Goldberg's practical, inspirational and fundamental approach to writing will get you started and keep you going. Her take on such critical topics such as writer's block, revising and going public are so practical I wanted to cry. Before I read this book, I'd been in a writerly slump for several months. No more. If I get stuck, I pick it up and read it all over again. One of the best books on writing I've read ever (and I've read quite a few!)

This book is like an "I'm OK, you're OK" for writers--it discusses all sorts of topics, like getting input or not getting input, writing every day or not writing every day, going public or not going public--and makes you feel okay about whatever it is you're doing: for every thing there is a season. It's just what you need if you're having any doubts or experiencing rejection (or, for that matter, selling everything right and left!). It helps you get in touch with a lot of wisdom about why we write and how to nurture your writing self, whether you are having "success" getting published or not. I read it right after a big agent turned down my manuscript, and it really helped me put the whole thing in perspective. A wise, engrossing, touching book, like having a good friend at your side. Along with If You Want To Write and Bird By Bird, it offers inspiration about writing, creating and life. Go to books like Self Editing for Fiction Writers for the craft.

This book is like an "I'm OK, you're OK" for writers--it discusses all sorts of topics, like getting input or not getting input, writing every day or not writing every day, going public or not going public--and makes you feel okay about whatever it is you're doing: for every thing there is a season. It's just what you need if you're having any doubts or experiencing rejection (or, for that matter, selling everything right and left!. It helps you get in touch with a lot of wisdom about why we write and how to nurture your writing self, whether you are having "success" getting published or not. I read it right after a big agent turned down my manuscript after reading it twice, and it really helped me put the whole thing in perspective. A wise, engrossing, touching book, like having a good friend at your side. Along with If YOu Want To Write and Bird By Bird, it offers a lot of inspiration about writing, creating and life. Go to books like Self Editing for Fiction Writers for the craft.

I borrowed this book from a friend, and then bought a copy to send to another friend. It's one of the most helpful books I've read, suggesting that the key to successful writing is looking at how writing is incorporated into one's life. It's not just percolation, writing, revising, and publishing, but the balance between these elements. Buy this book and begin to enjoy your writing life in new and unexpected ways!

I tend to read non-fiction books. I don't know exactly why, maybe for the knowledge that can be found, but for any reason I rarely ever read fiction books. When a friend originally suggested that I read this book I thought if I got a chance, I would give it a shot. After nearly a year waiting to read it, I only wish I had done so sooner. I was enthralled by the realistic picture it painted of all that was going on throughout. This book was enough to bring me back into the realm of fiction and to keep me there for a while. This book is highly recommended!

I loved this book! It is dark, compelling and an all-night, leave the lights on read.

A wonderful blend of fear and mystery that will keep you turning pages, following the plot twists until you get to a shocking and wonderful climax.

If you are a fan of Dean Koontz, or Stephen King, this outstanding first novel is for you!

I read this book in one sitting. It's thrilling, intense and doesn't slow down. A great first effort for the team of co-authors. If you enjoy reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz, you will love this one.

The crime scene shocks even the most harden police officer. The killer crucified a John Doe child leaving the cross upside down at the misnamed Sunshine State Home. The Denver police assign their expert on cult-related homicides, Bobby Byccanon, to run the investigation. Claire Sharpe will head up the District Attorney's office side of the inquiries.

Bobby and Claire begin their search for the satanic killer. However, several other cult-like murders soon follow. Meanwhile, the media turns the killings and the investigation into a circus that leaves Denver residents in fear. For Claire, the nightmare turns darkest when the satanic serial killer abducts her beloved little girl, Megan. The race to stop a deadly cult has turned very personal.

THE BLACK WALTZ is an extremely gritty police procedural that focuses on a satanic cult turning homicidal. The story line is filled with non-stop action and increasing terror as the reader is fascinated and appalled by the plot, especially the cult members who seem like neighbors. Although the identity of the cult leader requires a psychological stretch, that does not stop Mari Hilburn and Michelle Poche from providing a triumphant debut that calls for sequels.

Harriet Klausner

I saw Mr Shrake on Evan Smith's Texas Monthly Talks, & learned that he'd written books where much of the action takes place near and around where I currently live: east of Austin in the fertile riverlands around Bastrop.
That made me want to order two books & see what could be learned about the lives people led in this area before the turn of the century. What I discovered was probably an accurate "novelized" glimpse into the rugged, rough, dangerous country that bears no resemblance to the present-day idyllic countryside peopled with artists and university types! The stories about McGill and Custer's brother's horse were mesmerizing & I could hardly put them down, no doubt partially because areas that I am familiar with kept cropping up. All in all, both tales provided valuable insights into exactly why and how this part of Texas was the wild, deadly, lawless frontier back in the days before and after the Civil War. Good stories about real people on their own, the stories take on special interest if the geography is personally pertinent.

McGill is an inspiring hero, immensely capable, with a huge zest for life. He packs incredible adventures into his short life, yet tells his story in a delightfully laid back style. He combines an interest and tolerance of all ideas, religions and philosophies, with a violent intolerance of certain purveyors of them. McGill is a warrior/philosopher, born, raised and ideally suited to this harsh land. His story is one of violence, love, sin and redemption, but it is often hard to distinguish which is which.

This book is a "must read" for all lovers of powerfully written adventure stories, but may make all other westerns dull and unimaginative in comparison.

This is an incredible tale from beginning to end. Shrake has developed a character that is the first person born on the American Continent to achieve sainthood, and until the last pages of the book the reader is kept guessing how he could deserve such an honor. The book reads as a memoir written by McGill as he tells the story of his life while awaiting his death. He lives the life of an indian scalper, buffalo hunter, and gold miner in 19th century Texas from the time of the Texas War of Independence until after the US Civil War. The more you read of this man's account of his life, the less you can believe he could ever desert to be Sainted.

This book has long been out of print, and its re-printing is an excellent opportunity for new readers to discover a classic western. Any fan of Larry McMurty's books in the "Lonesome Dove" will love "Blessed McGill" and recognize that McMurty has probably gotten some of his writting style from reading this book.

As a student of Texas history in general and a reader of fiction about Texas and the Southwest in particular, I found Blessed McGill by Edwin "Bud" Shrake to be rich with descriptive color and accurate detail about the rugged lives and times of both settlers and natives in the 19th century. The characters are developed in depth.

His repeated use of sensory descriptions such as the smells of things adds a dimensional aspect not usually found in this kind of fare. In my opinion, the only other Western fiction writer who stacks up with Shrake is Elmer Kelton.

Blind Singer Joe's Blues is a novel set in the birthplace and time of modern American music. The complex and all-too human characters whose live play out against this backdrop are the musicians who create what we now call blues, rag-time and country music.

The author's deep knowledge of the music of that era is obvious throughout. It complements his ability to draw strong portraits of the characters and an engrossing story line.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Highly recommended.

I couldn't put this beautifully-crafted book down once I started it. Robert Love Taylor's masterful handling of perspective and dialogue, his insightful and sympathetic development of characters, and the precise perfection of the language throughout make this a rare gem. You won't find its match in evoking the feel of music. I loved it.

More truth in reviewing: I know the author too, and I knew he could make a fiddle sing like God's choir of spring-morning birds -- but I had no idea he could do the same thing with mere words of clay. Blind Singer Joe's Blues sings through hard-bitten characters and hard times; through soul-searching, generosity, orneriness and forgiveness; and through the greenbrier thicket of family ties.

Taylor eases the reader through viewpoint, time and place, just as a tune effortlessly weaves from chorus to verse and back again. The plot unfolds so sparely that you wonder at how he creates such a complex tapestry in such a small space.

His characters -- Hannah Ruth, Pink Miracle, Dudley Crider and his mama Pearlie, Mama Bayless, Emmett and Amelia Holt -- reveal themselves, their stations, their hopes and beliefs through their language, all of it sounding as true as a tuning fork, as when Dudley gives a piece of his mind to the toddler, Singer Joe: "We are Criders and don't have no fear, he told the boy, and he imagined some of O.T., some of Uncle Crockett and Uncle U.S., some of Daddy, some of himself, yes, and then all the Criders before them, grandaddies and grandmamas by the score, crowded up in Singer Joe's veins."

Religious passion and personal passion meet sorrow and self-denial and all of it makes up the blues that are the fabric of Singer Joe's life.

Start this book on Friday night; you'll want the weekend to finish it.

Truth in reviewing: I am acquainted with the author, but haven't seen him in ages. Years ago he promised another novel with the old-time fiddler character Pink Miracle from his earlier book, THE LOST SISTER, and he has finally delivered. It is well worth the wait: it is highly readable and atmospheric, filled with memorable people. It's about souls who may seem kind of marginal in global and universal schemes but who find a way to be heard, to matter in the middle of it all.

Taylor has drawn on family history and legend out of his ancestral territory of Oklahoma and the mountains of eastern Tennessee for his past books. In this new work, in which he is at the top of his powers as a storyteller and fiction stylist, he looks at the early 20th century country folks who poured their lives into the songs that became the modern bluegrass, jazz and folk traditions. The jazz musician of the title and his blues are the legacy of the stories that flow together in this narrative, swirling around a restless songbird teenage mother who deserts him as well as everyone else in her life.

I confess to having been haphazardly acquainted with bluegrass music through occasional street festivals and local arts events. Coincidentally, as I was reading BLIND SINGER JOE'S BLUES, an Alison Krauss concert video was brought into the house. Listening and reading at the same time, I realized just how much Taylor's novel is alive with the music and explains how it got that way; and Krauss, well, she and bluegrass have a new fan.

I actually hate to read, and I am extremely picky about which books I like to reread, but after reading this for the first time I am sure that there will be a second, as well as a third and fourth. Ricardo is a masterful storyteller, and the world he creates is so vivid and well-conceived that it is easy to lose yourself in his stories. The only fault I can find is with me, for not reading it sooner. --

I'm not much of a fantasy book reader, but a friend of mine who is a fantasy book guru suggested I read "The Blood of Kings" by Ricardo Flores. So I ordered a copy, and when I received it started scanning through the first several pages, and immediately got hooked. "The Blood of Kings" is a very creative tale which captivates the reader from the first chapter. The urge to find out "what happens" compels one to read without pause; indeed, I completed my reading within just a few sittings, and am now wondering how soon to expect the next installment from Mr. Flores. I heartily recommend this book, both to fantasy connoiseurs, and to "first-timers", such as myself.

Ricardo Flores is truly a gifted story teller. I first heard of him when I read some of his short stories on the Internet. I enjoyed them so much I had to buy his novel. It is a wonderfully crafted fantasy story. I highly recommend it!

Ricardo - Keep up the good work!

A refreshingly imaginative fantasy work. The Blood of Kings gets back to basics in the high fantasy genre. I recommend it to anyone who craves fantasy with a literary twist.

Written in 1945, and set during the German occupation a few years earlier, the world was in a bleak predicament, and the French existentialist movement was in full force - with their general belief that it is us as individuals who have the power to bring essence and meaning to our own lives, not Gods or people in positions of authority. For those people interested in this area, but who prefer a good read to philosophical dogma, you should read De Beauvoir instead of Sartre. This book seeks out to touch upon some of the key ideas in existentialism - including the mundane (this isn't how it sounds!) alienation, freedom and commitment. It does this through the awakening of the French resistance movement seen through the eyes of two lovers (Helene and Jean). In some ways, I feel like it deals with some of the conflicts within existentialism and within Beauvoir herself. Unlike other existentialist novels, this book weaves dogma and story effectively, and is the closest any book in the genre gets to a love story.

Who are you truly responsible to in times of turmoil, when you have certain convictions, you want to agitate for your country's freedom, and yet you know your actions have--and will continue to have, dire consequences for your loved ones, friends, and fellow citizens?

These are questions Simone de Beauvoir explores through her characters in The Blood of Others. This is a novel that engaged me further with each succeeding chapter--it gets better and better. Descriptions of the French people escaping their German occupied towns, clogging up roads and stuck in their cars without gas or food, are especially vivid, not to mention the vacillating emotions of anguish, love, hatred, and everything in between among the characters.

Also, the dialogues of the main characters--Jean and Helene, with their respective parents, are particularly poignant as they deal with the skeptism and disapproval of their elders.

The back and forth transitions from third person to first person (Jean Blomart) throughout the novel are a bit jarring to the flow of reading and caused some confusion in the beginning for me. That is my only minor complaint!

The Blood of Others has forced me to think about the issues that are important to me, and made me wonder how far I would go to preserve what I believe in. It is a thought provoking, well-written novel.

This novel is far better than any of her other novels. It has a gripping plot (in spite of being a European novel and a "literary" novel). It dramatizes some of the essential themes of Sartrean existentialism and throws the reader into the world in a vivid way.

It has not received the promotion of her other novels, probably because it has a plot. Unless you share the prejudice against compelling fiction, do not let this preconception make you miss one of the best novels of the twentieth century.

Through the study of the social ethics of France under German occupation, Simone de Beauvoir describes the true question at the heart of existentialism - 'How much responsibility can one truly have for other peoples' lives?' - and the ethical and moral questions that are raised as a consequence. That said, the book is lively and weaves the philosophical theme into the story seamlessly. Profound and uplifting.

It is extremely difficult to write an historical fiction that is both entertaining and vivid and makes you care about the characters. Rod Rogers has succeeded on all counts. I have already cast who should play the leads in the movie version! Over the past 16 years,I have interviewed many authors on my television show. Rod Rogers was a hit with my viewers as I know his book will be a hit with anyone who reads it.
Boo Sheppard
Producer/Host
Time Warner's "Orangeburg Inside/Out"

This book is great! The story has so many powerful characters, all struggling to understand their place and purpose in a war that seemed to have none.

In this book you will find the best and the worst of human nature, sometimes embodied in the same person. It details the paradox in which good men find themselves, struggling with their own beliefs, as they are force to brutalize their enemy. Further, it reveals great insights into the class system that has been so much a part of western civilization, and is still a guiding force in our lives today.

Rod Rogers paints such a complete picture of the people and the time in history, one almost feels transported back to become part of the story. In many ways, I could relate to the characters, especially Nathan Evens. This book would make a great movie.

As much a sociological commentary as a historical novel, The Blue-Grey Mist and a Black Dawn puts us face to face with ourselves as we look back upon our relatively recent past. The opening chapter depicts a detailed battle scene that might leave the reader believing that the book will focus primarily on the military actions of the American Civil War. What this chapter does, however, is set the stage for a fascinating story about Americans - men and woman with vastly different ideologies, motivations, loyalties and backgrounds. This book serves to educate us of the particular horrors of this war and the seemingly endless complications involved, and it also offers deep insight into the complexity of the conflict. For example, while history books might discuss the generals, presidents and famous battles between two armies, this book describes the fighting within each army between military ideology and political and financial agendas, the precarious position that black people on both sides of the line found themselves in, and the role of Irish immigrants who found the only decent paying job in America they could find was joining the Union army. Because this story is based on our own history, it hits very close to home, and helps us realize the hopelessness and tragedy of humanity declaring war upon itself. By reading this account of the most fascinating and horrifying period our country has known, one begins to see the connections between all of the characters, and more significantly, between all of us. In this highly enjoyable work of fiction, we can vividly see our past, our present, and the challenges of our future.

Blue-Gray Mist has to be one of the bet books I have ever read involving the Civil War. Not only does Rod Rogers create realistic battle scenes, but he vividly portrays the life of the soldier, Union and Confederate, the daily hardships and best of all the eye opening conflicts from within.

I can only hope that others will read this book, not just for it's historical accuracies, but for it's objective arguments that put into perspective the heart and soul behind the war, tearing away the politically correct facade that has been constructed over the past century deceiving us by covering the truth of that era and the political motivations behind the war.

Rod Rogers style reaches out and grabs you, bringing you into the mind of the characters, both fictional and real, with great skill. This book is exciting, intriguing and yet tragic.

Chilling does not begin to describe this novel. Many scenes cause the spine to tingle, the tiny hairs on the back of the neck to stand alert. The story and the language take readers to the frontier of human imagination, the place where stories should take us. Kennedy's sentences not only tell the story by giving readers the information they need to understand the novel; the sentences, themselves, involve readers in the characters' thoughts, fears, hopes, moods. Kennedy possesses a natural storytelling gift; his ability to craft sentences and to stretch his imagination combine to make this book truly memorable. I loved it.

Kennedy's book is not for cheap thrills. It takes the reader by the throat, takes one deep into a world at once alien and chillingly familiar.

A writer--and Midwestern family man--loses his sister to a satanic cult which has taken over her financial assets and finally her life, and now has designs on his life. As the protagonist goes on a journey to get to the bottom of his sister's tragedy, members of the cult close in on his wife and children. In this novel, Evil lives next door. Yet this book does not exploit violence and gore. As the protagonist confronts the full face of evil, a mythic struggle of light against darkness ensues. Ultimately the tale is one of redemption.

If you want speculative fiction that addresses deep human archetypes and that is written in an intelligent, literary style, read this book.

This is a terrific read on so many different levels. A great thriller, filled with terror and the occult as well as some of the finest literary writing you'll ever come across. Perhaps its greatest strength is the mysterious world of magic it explores. If you're looking for an exciting read that will keep you guessing while you reading it and thinking about the characters long after you've finished, this would be a great choice. Kennedy really delivers.

I really enjoyed this book, found it very disturbing and uplifting all at the same time. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Read and reread some parts. Going back and forth from Lynch's Book to this book. I'm buying it for my daughter, she will LOVE it

i highly enjoyed reading this book! the characters were well thought out and you felt as if you knew each one like a neighbor. the book takes a different approach to history. all of the events have actually happened, but alfred himself is a creation. you felt sad when he hurt and happy when he rejoiced. there were a couple of slow points in the book, but if you push past them, you will find the overall finish totally rewarding!

As a student of Black History of the Post Civil War West I can reccommend Mr. Smith's book highly. Although he has taken some liberties chronologically(which, in his forward, he apologized for) the events are correct.

Hopefully Mr. Smith's book will inspire other such studies and accounts of a long forgotten and neglected part of our history.

A great book. The story is full of historical detail, but it reads completely like a novel. I thought the main character, Alfred, was very believable. There is quite a lot of variety in the many adventures he has in the story. I learned a lot about the time period. The book has not just one main character, but a number of interesting figures. I highly recommend it.

This book is well worth a readers time - it educates, informs and makes you think - leaving a lasting impact in your life. The central character (Alfred) illuminates what conditions must have been like as a slave, a civil war soldier, a free man, a buffalo soldier - all in a manner that is very believable. Well done! I look forward to reading more of this author in the future.