Frances O'Connor Books

Stephens uses his previous work on his Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Maryland in 1985 to provides O'Connor scholars with an indexed, annotated, chronological compilation of the correspondence between Flannery O'Connor and Brainard and Frances Neel Cheney. Using letters donated by Brainard Cheney to the Vanderbilt University Library, those included range from February 8, 1953 to July 16, 1964.

The volume includes a foreword by Brainard Cheney, a seventeen-page introduction by Stephens providing useful biograpical and other related details, and four appendices: Frances Neel Cheney's review of A Good Man is Hard to Find; Brainard's reviews of Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away; and, Brainard's response to an article by John Hawkes.

Stephens states that all of the 188 of the letters -- except five from O'Connor -- are presented "transcribed whole and uncut." They deal with a wide variety of topics, including: their writing projects; news of friends and family; invitations to visit and comments related to recent visits; farm news (including incidents at Andalusia); O'Connor's notes on her peacocks and other birds; and various theological discussions.

[Reviewer's note: the material deleted from three of the five letters (6, 84 and 87) relate to racial issues, while the other two (90 and 151) have a single name deleted from each. Originals are located in the "Brainard Bartwell Cheney Papers" in the Special Collections Department of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University, (Box 6, Folders 58-62). Reader's are also referred to Terrye Newkirk's M.A. thesis, also located in Vanderbilt's Special Collections: "Cheers: Letters of Flannery O'Connor to Brainard and Frances Neel Cheney, 1953-1958."]

R. Neil Scott / Middle Tennessee State University

I think it was cute for parents of the child, but not really worth purchasing, I expectsd a graft project book. Waste of money.

An amusing introduction to the artist Matisse that I highly recommend. Written as though it's an 8-yr-old's school report, it is accessible and very informative. It includes reproductions of Matisse art and biographical information. Loved it. And it was useful as a teaching tool.

Cute, but not as substantial as I would have liked.

Is it not ridiculous and ironical that a book about the great man who invented the braille system is not available as an audiobook that can be appreciated and can be inspiring by blind people all over the world?

In the year 1809, Louis Braille was born a seeing child to a loving family. However, by the time Louis was three-years old, all that had changed. For in a freak accident, he lost the sight in both of his eyes. But being the smart young man that he was, Louis struggled to educate himself just as well as the seeing children his own age, and by the time he was thirteen-years old had developed braille, an alphabet for blind people made up of raised dots that could be both written and read. This creation changed the lives of blind people the world over, and is still used in society today. Now you can read about the creation of braille, as well as the life story of Louis Braille.

I have always been fascinated with braille, so I was ecstatic when I saw Barbara O'Connor's short biography about Louis Braille, THE WORLD AT HIS FINGERTIPS. In 59 pages, I got a wonderful history lesson on the childhood of Louis Braille, his teens as he began working on a reading method for the blind, and his adulthood as he became a teacher at a school for blind students, and he was stricken with TB. Overall, this was a lovely biography for middle readers, I want you to read this book.

In the year 1809, Louis Braille was born a seeing child to a loving family. However, by the time Louis was three-years-old, all that had changed. For in a freak accident, he lost the sight in both of his eyes. But being the smart young man that he was, Louis struggled to educate himself just as well as the seeing children his own age, and by the time he was thirteen-years-old had developed braille, an alphabet for blind people made up of raised dots that could be both written and read. This creation changed the lives of blind people the world over, and is still used in society today. Now you can read about the creation of braille, as well as the life story of Louis Braille.

I have always been fascinated with braille, so I was ecstatic when I saw Barbara O'Connor's short biography about Louis Braille, THE WORLD AT HIS FINGERTIPS. In 59 pages, I got a wonderful history lesson on the childhood of Louis Braille, his teens as he began working on a reading method for the blind, and his adulthood as he became a teacher at a school for blind students, and was stricken with TB. Overall, this was a lovely biography for middle readers, that will come in handy when a written report is needed for school.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

The Female Face in Patiarchy: Oppression As Culture specifically explores the female participation in oppression by the Catholic Church and, thereby, slightly explores the oppression of women in American and Brazilian cultures generally. Without women's support the exploitation of women would cease in short order according to the authors of this scholarly work. Women not only support the supression of women in the Catholic Church, but actively supress women attempting to change the condition for themselves and others. The book is a radically feminist report that I would recommend to my Catholic friends and people in general. We all need to take a closer look at the condition we live in and take part in. There are times when a radical look will capture our attention more quickly than a subtle one. This is one. Can we afford to wait?