L Books

I have had this book for two years. Reading it completely 9 times and countless partial times. Gallagher in her effort "to become a blank slate upon which the stories could be written" has embodied the voice of a people not just a position of personal opinion. Hearing that voice cause's the reader to open there eye's to the stark reality of what "we the people" have allowed to happen. Revealing just how fast the holocost of the WWII was pushed out of the conscientious of the people. Allowing the same mentality that drove the Nazi's, to develope in the country "were that could not happen". Without a doubt this "work" is not for the light hearted. Reality with weight, forces the reader to think. Cause's the reader to question not only the government structure and poilcy's we have let be set but the moral code by which we justify a means to a end. How do you determine who live's and who dies? What and Who determines the worth of a human being? You will be challanged, morally, and emotionally. Carole Gallagher has painted people, words, and pictures together in a way that you will not shake off anytime soon. Personal stories will bury themselve's deep into your heart and mind. You will hear the echoed cry's of a people for which there was no justice, no hope. The bottom line reality is we let it happen. This is "the wake up call" Gallagher presents the reader with. It is very disturbing wake up call.

I've read and reread this book so many times I've lost count. In addition I've loaned it out to multiple friends just to get them to open their eyes. Each time I read it I'm still amazed at the liberties taken by the military during this period of time. There is so much important information here I could never even scratch the surface in a short review. The poignant stories told by the victims of these nuclear tests (mostly patriotic mormons who felt the govt. could do no wrong) will move you emotionally, besides backing up Gallaghers claims. If you consider yourself a patriot, prepare to have your world shaken. Just buy it, you wont be sorry.

I've read and reread this book so many times I've lost count. In addition I've loaned it out to multiple friends just to get them to open their eyes. Each time I read it I'm still amazed at the liberties taken by the military during this period of time. There is so much important information here I could never even scratch the surface in a short review. The poignant stories told by the victims of these nuclear tests (mostly patriotic mormons who felt the govt. could do no wrong) will move you emotionally, besides backing up Gallaghers claims. If you consider yourself a patriot, prepare to have your world shaken. Just buy it, you wont be sorry.

I'm a science writer, and I was conducting some research at the M.I.T. library regarding the 1962 series of nuclear tests at Johnston Island in the Pacific. Mostly I was seeking highly technical information -- but I saw this volume sitting on the shelf next to the monographs I was reviewing, so I took what I originally intended to be a quick glance.

After several hours' reading of "American Ground Zero", I found myself quite upset, for this collection of highly credible, first-person accounts clearly demonstrates ongoing efforts of the federal government to ignore, downplay -- even falsify -- data regarding the atomic testing of the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and '80s, particularly the atmospheric tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas up through 1962.

In today's debate regarding DOE's Yucca Mountain Project, the credibility of the federal government and its experts is a big issue in Nevada. This volume shows why -- through first-hand accounts and compelling photography, presented with the perspective of subsequent time. (Yucca mountain is an underground facility located on a corner of the old Nevada Test Site, and it is to become the nation's primary repository for high-level nuclear waste.)

For at least fifteen years, I have been following in the scientific literature the research & development of Yucca mountain. My own feelings on the matter had been ambivalent for high-level waste must be stored somewhere. Recently, I had become concerned with revelations regarding falsification of data by DOE employees and its contractors.

However, in one fell swoop -- this book completely persuaded me to the righteousness of the cause of those many Nevadans who oppose Yucca mountain. It clearly shows that Nevadans (along with residents of Utah and other downwind states) have already suffered far beyond their fair share of the nation's nuclear burden.

Sadly, the sacrifice of these citizens is not only largely unacknowledged today -- this work clearly shows that their earlier "cooperation" was concurrent with misrepresentations by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the predecessor to today's Department of Energy (DOE), as well as by various military authorities.

Many of the individuals profiled in this volume are (were) former employees of the AEC and its contractors, or are (were) military veterans who participated in these atomic tests. Their accounts all seem to have one common thread -- that there were repeated efforts by authorities to downplay, or ignore, radioactive releases and associated health effects from both above- and below-ground nuclear tests.

The author, Carole Gallagher, deserves our nation's appreciation for documenting so eloquently the experiences of these otherwise ordinary citizens and bringing them to our collective attention. Unfortunately, their living testimonies and images are quickly passing...

I grew up in Northern Arizona on the Utah border. Living close to St George and Cedar City, Utah, we heard rumors of families with unusually high incidents of leukemia and other cancers and the ensuing speculation about the cause. Gallagher's compilation of stories supplies the most human view of the downwinders. She documents a dark and frightening chapter in our goverment's history. Most compelling were the stories of the workers at the test site who were not even afforded the pretense of protection from exposure. I would have appreciated additional focus on the effects of the testing on the Native American tribes in Utah and Northern Arizona.

Gallagher has given us a treasure by documenting the stories of radiation exposure victims who deserve to have their stories told. Once started, I could not stop reading this book and found myself studying each photograph for several minutes before reading the accompanying story.

Thank you Ms. Gallagher for leaving your New York roots, succuming to the fashion dictates of southern Utah and permitting yourself to become the blank slate upon which these stories were etched.

In Anne of the Islnad, the character that I have grown to love and become familiar with, grows up and moves on to college. With college, comes new friends and new romances too. The only part that continued to annoy me was how Anne was rejecting everybody who asked her to marry. However, Anne learns through her failures and to my contentment, ended up with the one person whose heart truly belongs to her.

The sequel to Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea is just as good as the first. Anne is older now, and she becomes a teacher at the town school, Marilla and Matthew adopt little boys, and Anne's relationship with Gilbert ripens. If you have not read Anne of Green Gables, I recommend reading that first, so you can understand this book better.

This version of the book is hardback and VERY colorful, which I really enjoyed, and it is a book from the Illustrated Junior Library Editions. It comes with a plastic covering to protect the book. This book along with Anne of Green Gables would be a great book for any young girl, and can be passed down to the next generation.

Maud's "Anne" series has captured my heart since I was a young girl. I can relate to Anne because we share a lot of the same characteristics. We are both hopeless dramatists and romantics. Anne is as hilarious as she is touching. I know I will share this beautiful story with my own daughter some day. A MUST READ!!

Anne of Green Gables is one of the best books I have ever read. It starts off very realistically and I especially like the way the author describes Anne when she is talking to Matthew is the beginning of the book.

THE MAIN OUTLINE

Anne is a poor orphan girl who has been treated badly by all the people who she has stayed with. However, she has an unquenchable imagination, which keeps working wherever she is. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert(brother and sister) adopt Anne and the adventures start from there.............

MY FAVOURITE PARTS

One of my favourite parts in the book is when Anne tentatively shows her hair, which she attempted to dye black but ended up green, to Marilla.

If you loved the first novel in the series, Anne of Green Gables, you won't be disappointed with it's sequel, Anne of Avonlea. Continuing where Anne of Green Gables left off, we meet up again with our kindred, bosom friend Anne, as she has graduated from Queens, and begins her teaching position in Avonlea. Living at home with Marilla at beautiful Green Gables, Anne & Marilla find themselves the caretakers of six year old twins, Davey & Dora. As Anne embarks on a classroom full of new students, and life at home helping to care for the twins, L.M. Montgomery provides us with more delightful stories and hijinks with our favorite characters of Avonlea. Mrs. Rachel Lynde is still up to her old ways, Diana remains Anne's dearest bosom friend, and we meet some new characters too. What does the future have in store for Anne & Gilbert Blythe? Anne of Avonlea is full of the magic and charm that one can expect from L.M. Montgomery. The ending will leave you yearning for the next in the series~

Susan has drawn her spirit. Drawings with feelings always touch the soul.

I just finished reading your book last night - I loved it. It was beautiful. I don't think I've ever read anything so open and honest before. It was very inspiring and encouraging to experience your pain and struggles with you and to be brought into healing. Your story brings hope to us all. Your side columns are incredible. Even though most were written in prose, it's some of the best poetry I've ever read. Very haunting! I love your art work. With one glance, one can grasp the emotions in your pictures. Pete Richardson, artist and author of "Dance on Fire."

This book offers a chance for you, the reader, to become empowered to take control of your life. Sue eloquently and vividly points out that if only one side of a person is treated, then the treatment is not complete. Sue shares how she learned each person is a triad - body, soul, and spirit. To treat one and not the other two is like having only one leg on a three-legged stool; it will soon tip over. Mark Lanyon, MHS, CAAC, Brandywine Counseling Service

I have just finished your book and wanted to let you know how I felt about it. The thing that most struck me about the book was your ability to articulate the feeling and depth of your own suffering in such a readable style. The experiences you write about are more universal than people realize. It's amazing to me that you could continue to search in the midst of so many negative influences. It makes me realize how very important a supportive partner is in the mental health of the other partner. Although I didn't know you during most of this time, I feel that now, having read your words, I can recognize the new person I do know as one who is stronger and more complete for the work she has done. Donald M. Pruden, Executive Director, Center for the Creative Arts

Sue Heisler has emerged from a very deep darkness. She never gave up on herself. She searched everywhere for answers; searched with all her heart, and has proved to all of us that there is hope. She tried all the methods, and then went beyond it all into a new place of healing for her soul and spirit. Well done!

This workbook, which our AP Spanish teacher provided us, was extremely helpful in preparing for the 2008 AP Spanish exam. All the activities, including the narratives, dialogues, reading passages, speaking conversations, and speaking presentations, were very similar to those on the actual AP test. This workbook also has extensive reference material, such as commonly used verbs, idiomatic phrases, conversational phrases, grammar rules, that also help in preparing for the Spanish exam. If your teacher does not use this book as a supplement to the class like my teacher did, I would buy the answer key and the audio CDS seperately to obtain the maximum benefit from this book. If you do the majority of the activities in this book well, you will most likely earn a 4 or 5 on the actual exam!

Great supplement to your textbook. It has material relevant to the examination. It includes a list of vocabulary the teacher can give to students and exercises to prepare them for the AP Spanish 4 examination.

The newly updated (written in 2006 or 2007) version of this workbook, which our AP Spanish teacher provided us, was extremely helpful in preparing for the 2008 AP Spanish exam. All the activities, including the narratives, dialogues, reading passages, speaking conversations, and speaking presentations, were very similar to those on the actual AP test. This workbook also has extensive reference material, such as commonly used verbs, idiomatic phrases, conversational phrases, grammar rules, that also help in preparing for the Spanish exam. If your teacher does not use this book as a supplement to the class like mine did, I would buy the answer key and the audio CDS to get the maximum benefit from this book. If you do the majority of the activities in this book well, you will most likely earn a 4 or 5 on the actual exam!

This book has been fully updated and reflects the changes made to the 2007 AP Spanish Language exam. In this book, Jose Diaz gives you ample practice for each section of the new exam.
For the multiple choice section: The listening practice is comprehensive with numerous long and short audio selections. There are more than 40 reading sections to practice and perfect your reading comprehension skills. The questions reflect the new item types that will be part of the new exam.
For the free response section: There are several pages of fill-in practice for both fill-in sections: with root words and without. Several prompts are given for the email/letter test section (32 to be exact). There is also ample practice (17 total) for the new integrated skills essay, where students read 2 articles and listen to an audio source. For the speaking sections, there are 20 practice sections for the new directed dialogue/phone conversation test items and 20 for the new simulated in-class presentation--here students must read an article and listen to an audio source combining the two in their 'in-class presentation' of 2 minutes.
This book is really all you need to be well-prepared for the AP Spanish exam starting in May 2007.

What are the drawbacks to this book? Unless you buy the Audio CD's, sold separately and from the publisher, you can't really practice the audio sections. Without the teacher's guide, also sold separately and from the publisher, you won't know if your answers are correct for the multiple choice and fill-in sections. If you're not in a classroom setting, you won't know if the essay or short letter you have written or if your dialogue and in-class presentation are on track for the score you want. The latter is true of any other test prep book on the market.

All in all, I would say that buying this program is well worth the money; especially since this is one of the few test prep books that has actually been changed to reflect the new 2007 AP Spanish exam.

This book is one of the best preparation materials and definitely worth the price, but there are no answers- anywhere. Also, the audio CDs do not come with it.

Sayers is one of my heroes. She is able to integrate a Biblical world view with the dilemmas of life, and bring a sense of humor to it all.

This little essay (two really) was worth reading. I especially like the fact that the author absolutely refused to blame any failure on gender. Sayers seemed to have believed that women had the grit and good sense to do what they were good at.

Even though written in 1938 her thoughts remain pertinent.

She concerned her remarks, especially to those women who are schlorly, which of course, since the address was to a graduating class in a woman's college makes sense. She made it clear that those who are good at homemaking, beer brewing or aging cheese make equally valuable contributions.

To make such simple statements and be so profound. This is Dorothy Sayer. She speaks to the equality of all people and the dignity they deserve. An original feminist, not a liberal. Read it!

Containing Two Essays excerpted from Unpopular Opinions, Dorothy L. Sayers

Introduction by Mary McDermott Shideler
"Are Women Human?"
"The Human-Not-Quite-Human"

Dorothy Sayers, perhaps most famous for her detective novels, possessed a delightful wit and piercing discernment. This booklet contains a mere 47 pages, but the content inspires many moments of introspection afterwards.

I have seen her points from these essays excerpted most often in a feminist context, and this is unfortunate. As her reflections are primarily on the essence of humanity, and a defense of woman as belonging to that unique group, men would benefit as well as women in digesting her insights.

Sayers speaks to the dangers of "classing" women, whether in the historical repressive context, or the aggressive feminist movements. She talks about the importance and necessity of work, as it pertains to both the male and female. She gives lucid background on the myth of "women's work," while chastising the modern church for propagating an unfounded role distinction, and much more.

Despite the original copyright on the work being 1947, Sayers' essays are extremely relevant today, and more needed than ever. It is my desire to see a reprint that makes this work more accessible, but in the meantime, it is well worth the market price.

--The Medieval Chick

Are women human? That's the stark question the British writer Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) posed in two short essays written in 1938, and originally published in 1947 in a collection of her essays called Unpopular Opinions. She had more than an academic interest in the question. When she finished Somerville College, Oxford, with first class honors in modern languages in 1915, they didn't yet grant degrees to women.

The gist of Sayers' argument is captured in a quote she takes from DH Lawrence: "Man is willing to accept woman as an equal, as a man in skirts, as an angel, a devil, a baby-face, an instrument, a bosom, a womb, a pair of legs, a servant, an encyclopedia, an ideal or an obscenity; the one thing he won't accept her as is a human being, a real human being of the feminine sex." Such was her radically simple argument, that women be acknowledged as human beings, and only subsequently labeled as a subset of human beings qualified by biology, culture, ethnicity, age, economics, nationality, and so on.

Sayers also made an observation about the Gospels. Women, she noted, were "the first at the Cradle and the last at the Cross." The many women who appear in the gospels, says Sayers, "had never known a man like Jesus--there never has been such another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them either as 'The women, God help us!' or 'The ladies, God bless them!'; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unselfconscious. There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could possibly guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything 'funny' about women's nature."

You can read this tiny volume in one sitting, and if you do you will be greatly rewarded. My Eerdmans edition has a short introduction by Mary McDermott Shideler.

I always have trouble thinking of what to talk about on dates. This book gave me great ideas for conversation and great insights into the dating scene.

This is definitely a five star book- a laugh a minute, plus great info. I can keep reading it over and over again.

I couldn't stop laughing. The jokes are fabulous. It was also very informative. I really learned alot about dating and marriage. It's a must read for everyone.

Wow, , I'm giving this book to every "single" person I know. I think I'll give it to marrieds also. Even if their having a rough time socially, they can have a good laugh.

I loved it! Dating is pressure but at least this book helps you laugh while you are going through it. It's a great book to take on a date. It gives you what to talk about and what to laugh about.

Gary Thomas is a gifted writer and communicator who presents classic foundational truths in a fresh and understandable way. This book represents another work that will cause the reader to think past a stereotypical walk with Christ.

If I could give this book more then five stars I would. "Authentic Faith" was very convicting, and really made me think about some things in my life. I am a fast reader, but there were days that I could only read a couple of pages because I had to take time to think about what Gary Thomas said.

Thomas starts off his book by talking about laying new groundwork for what defines authentic faith, which is a life centered around God and not ourselves. Authentic faith developed by "authentic disciplines" such as contentment, suffering, persecution, waiting, mourning, humility and forgiveness. These disciplines are different than traditional disciplines such as fasting, praying, studying the Bible etc., because they are not initiated by us but rather by God. Whereas on the other hand, traditional disciplines are initiated by us to help build our faith. Although, they are worthy of our initiation they can sometimes foster religiosity, pride and self sufficiency.

One of my favorite chapter was about the discipline of suffering. To think about suffering as being a good thing seems ironic, but Thomas quotes another writer named Thomas Watson who says it so well, "Sometimes a sick bed can teach us more than a sermon". This made me think of sufferings I have gone through, that haven't been on a sick bed, and yes they did teach me more than a sermon could. Thomas also shares in this chapter about how our refusal to suffer can lead to addictions and physical breakdowns, which I have never thought about before. I would recommend that anyone suffering from an addiction should get this book, because how he explained the process of addiction and physical breakdowns made so much sense.

The other chapter that I found helpful was about the discipline of mourning. Thomas talks about the importance of letting ourselves mourn, and not necessarily in the sense of mourning someone's death, but in repenting over sins in our life. To allow ourselves, to look at the sins in our life, and start associating them with pain and not pleasure.

There are so many other great things about this book that it would take several other paragraphs to explain. So, all that I can say is this is a must read book.

I absolutely enjoyed this book...but what I enjoyed even more than the book itself was the amazing resource of classic authors and texts through Gary Thomas' extensive footnotes...it is always a joy to find a book that sends you on a long and wonderful trail through the greatest thinkers/theologians of all time...a must read!

This is one of the best books I've ever read! Thomas address areas of faith that most people never talk about (the difficulties that we can't control). I recommended it to all my friends. We even used it for our women's study bible stuy. Every one of my friends who've read this book has also loved it. It's challenging, and it makes you uncomfortable with the comforts of your own faith. This book is convicting, but it also helps to transform your thinking and test your faith.

This book is a blessing. I recommend any of Gary Thomas's books. His writings are well focused but dynamic enough to keep your attention. This book covers a wide range of issues facing contemporary christians. I particularly like how easy it is to identify with his examples. Definately highlighter worthy!

Rita D. French, Perrin L. French and Irvin F. Lin Baltimore's Own Little Italy Artist: The artwork of Tony De Sales (Genovefa Press P.O. Box 50954, Palo Alto, CA 94303 www.genovefapress.com), 2003, 224 pp. $29.95

This volume spotlights the artwork of Tony De Sales. His pen and ink drawings, some colored with crayon or simple paint, documented the architectural details and settings of his origins in working class Baltimore. Tony's sister, Rita De Sales French, and brother-in-law, Perrin L. French, unite Tony's life story with his artwork.
For thirty five years Tony maintained his "outdoor" studio and sales room at the corner of Fawn and High streets in Little Italy, an intersection frequented by locals, tourists and celebrities en route to see the sights of this historic and culinary-rich area of Baltimore. Tony's grandparents, his paternal side from Palermo, his maternal side from Warsaw, arrived in Baltimore in the early part of the 20th century. At an early age Tony became the family mainstay-his parents separated and his mother, Genevieve, suffered from mental illness. He never married and helped to raise his younger siblings and later cared for his mother until her death in 1998. On good summer days Genevieve would sit with him as he worked and greeted passersby.
The people he met on his corner of Little Italy often became friends. He gave them postcards of his prints to mail back to him when they returned to their homes across the U.S. and the world.
The book is filled with reproductions of Tony's artwork and some photos of the actual scenes he drew accompanied with descriptive text. The book covers the span of his artwork: Little Italy, Baltimore Harbor at Fells Point and seaway, Annapolis and places outside Maryland that Tony visited.
This volume makes a perfect gift for collectors of Italian American art, devotees of maritime and urban landscape art. It would serve well as a souvenir for tourists to Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington D.C. and a rewarding way for residents of the Baltimore-Washington D.C. corridor to learn and appreciate the place they call home.

This book is a unique combination of biography, city-history, and insight into the feelings and production of a gifted, self-taught artist. Tony DeSales overcame limitations of means and circumstance to bear witness to the city and neighborhood he loved.

The authors of this book, in turn, do justice to the artist's life and deep-felt monochrome and color sketches. Writing, production, and reproduction of the artwork are all first-rate.

This book is a bargain at its price, and is priceless for those who share Tony DeSales' love for Baltimore.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in street art and the Baltimore area. It is packed with Tony's beautiful artwork and the authors' detailed stories of the area. Every Baltimorean should own a copy. Rita and her co-authors have done a superb job.

This book is like a trip down "memory lane" for those of us who grew up in Baltimore. It is apparent that a great deal of thought went into the prepartion of this book. The full page prints are nicely presented on glossy paper. This is also an inspiring story of a man's generosity to his family and his community via his artwork.

This lovingly crafted book Rita and Perrin French
traces the work of Rita's brother Tony DeSales.
The prints are warm,evocative and touch the spirit of
place, They show artist and scene as one; his trying to
make you observe the vision of Baltimore that he had embraced.
Many are hauntingly beautiful renderings and show a warm remembrance of his vision. You will see many nuances
of place and look again at places found in this wonderfully
crafted editon.

Most of us grew up believing that the Civil War ended the moment Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant at Appomatox Court House in Virginia. One can only assume that this came about as a part of the deification of Lee and the promotion of the 'Lost Cause' doctrine that was so popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Historically, most things regarding the Confederacy have always begun and ended with Lee. Thanks to the scholarship and hard work of Mark Bradley, we now have a much more accurate picture of how the war ended and the major roles played by Joseph Johnston and W. T. Sherman well after Lee's surrender.

'Last Stand in the Carolinas' along with Bradley's later work 'This Astounding Close' combine to create an extremely satisfying description of the last days of Southern resistance. While complimentary to each other, either volume succeeds very well as a stand alone work and each book is a tremendous asset in its own right.

If you want a comprehensive blow-by-blow description of the battles of Averasboro and Bentonville, read 'Last Stand in the Carolinas'. For a valuable capsule summary of the battles, combined with a complete history of the negotiations leading up to the surrender, 'This Astounding Close' fills the bill wonderfully!

Maybe I've read too many of these histories now but it just seems that these guys are using the same book of phrases to get to the required number of pages. It's boring. So many sound the same that if you took the author's name off the cover of a dozen books I bet most of us couldn't match them up with their works. Mr Bearss may find it a "barnburner" but I had trouble finishing it.

Of several accounts I have read about this March 1865 battle, this is definitely the most complete study of the battle to date. Finally a battle narrative with enough detailed maps to follow the action. Unlike many battle studies that toss in a map every hundred pages, Mark L. Bradley includes military movement or troop disposition maps anytime there is a significant movement of troops. At times there are maps every other page.

Bentonville was, in many ways, the Confederacy's "Battle of the Bulge." Southern General Joseph E. Johnston was reinstated to command of scattered Confederate forces in the Carolinas during the last months of the Civil War. That he was able to weld together an army at this late stage is a miracle in itself. Fully realizing that there was no way to stop the inevitable, Johnston and his generals snapped back at Sherman's advancing columns to buy time for the Confederacy.

The Bentonville Battle is not one of the more familiar accounts from the War Between the States. Indeed, many sources summarize or bypass the battle as if it were a mere skirmish. In my case, I knew little more about the battle other than there were one or two highway signs on Interstate 95 for the exit to reach this battlefield. In 1986, while spending several weeks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I used one of my free weekends to visit the site. At the time, a majority of the battlefield was located on various private properties. After a trip to the visitor center and some blatant historical trespass through a cornfield or two, I realized that this battle was much bigger than I realized. At the time, the only book available on the subject from Fayetteville's Cross Creek Mall bookstore was a volume titled SHERMAN'S MARCH THROUGH THE CAROLINAS. Fortunately a good portion of SHERMAN'S MARCH was devoted to Bentonville.

At the time, my only regret (one that has been repeated at other historic sites) was that I read the book after I visited the battlefield and then moved on to another military assignment in a different state.

As fate would have it, fifteen years later I found that I would be back in the neighborhood of Bentonville and began ordering additional books on the subject. Mark L. Bradley's book was one of them. I only wish that his book had been available way back in 1986. The book has a lot of detail, yet it is enjoyable to read. The volume is so meticulously researched that a full 150 pages are devoted to tables of organization, endnotes and indexing.

On the other hand, this is not a book to attempt to read the night before you plan to visit Bentonville. The four hundred plus pages and maps will keep you busy a couple days before you reach the last page. If you are looking for an overview of the battle, this is not the book for you.

However, if you thirst for the detailed events leading up to and including the Bentonville Battle, I recommend you add this book to your collection.

I must admit, before I read this book, all I knew about the Battle of Bentonville was that it was fought in North Carolina by Joseph E. Johnston and William T. Sherman. But this great book has opened my eyes on a little-known campaign and filled an empty hole on my book shelf.

Bradley's accounts of the battles at Monroe's Crossroads, Averasboro, and Bentonville are priceless. His writing is quick-paced, yet easy to follow. Another great part of this book are the maps, which are some of the best I have ever had the pleasure to see. Lastly, Appendix A of the book, which contains pictures of the battlefields (Averasboro and Bentonville) today, with captions. I recommend purchasing this book with Mark Moore's guide to the battlefield, which I did.

It is my opinion that no Civil War buff's library is cpmplete without this book. Get it!

Bradley's book on the last major (and often overlooked) battle in the Civil War is a gem. Although, I am somewhat biased since I am a North Carolinian, the book has an engaging writing style and is full of superb maps.

Some Civil War books I have read were difficult to follow due to either/or the lack of maps or quality of maps depicting troop movements and the theater of operations. Not so with this title! The maps are numerous and easily clarify troop movements and the flow of battle.

Bradley also does an excellent job of describing the little known battles of Averasboro (General Hardee did a commendable job of delaying Sherman's advance) and Monroe's Crossroads (Kilpatrick was almost captured and his force ambushed).

The next time I visit the battlefields I will certainly have Bradley's book with me to serve as the ultimate guide. Bradley's writing style is technical in describing troop movements and engaging in supplying ample anecdotes on the campaign's participants. Overall, a nice balance of not being too technical (and dry) and not too basic.

The book will always be special to me since I spent my early years in Eastern North Carolina close to the battlefields. Visiting these battlefields as a little boy sparked a life-long interest in the Civil War.

Bravo, excellent job! May more such studies be written on other battles!

I liked the book, but most of all I liked Ryan, the co-author of The Beanie Encyclopedia. I got a chance to meet him at a book signing while I was on vacation in Florida. He looks so cute in person. I LOVE YOU RYAN

This book was great. No other Book has taught me so much. Thanks Dr. Carey and Ryan

It even has Attic Theasures

I was impressed with the accuracy and the way that it gave such great information, this is a must for all Beanie enthusiasts like myself, and I must agree Ryan is soooo cute.....xoxox

Absolutely wonderful. The authors really know their stuff. There isn't a more complete Beanie Anthology available anywhere! A perfect companion to my book.