Kentucky Books

Daniel Boone lived from 1734 to 1820.

I knew almost nothing about Boone before reading this biography, and so cannot critique the book on its historical or biographical accuracy. My only complaint is that it is not longer. This seems an excellent book to begin a study of Daniel Boone. It has gotten me curious to read more.

And yes, I am one of those who grew up watching Fess Parker's TV show Daniel Boone.

The style of this work reminded somewhat of McCullough's (writer of a biography of John Adams)in that the writer seeks to understand Boone's motivations within the context of the times he lived in. Unlike Adams however much less in definitely known about Boone and the writer is forced to include many stories and legends that are needed to embelish the biography but also pose the risk of pulling Boone's image and reputation in undesirable or unfair directions. The problem of course is that there are hundreds of legends and hundreds of variations on those legends and the writer must pick and chose how much weight to give the views of his different sources. Overall he has done a good job and the reader is treated to a realistic view of life in Kentucky when buffaloes roamed, the plight of the Indians etc... Recommended

Daniel Boone was a long hunter and it brought him to the hunting ground of Kentucky. He hunted the land several times before he brought his family to Boonesborough a fort on the Kentucky River. Faragher shows that Boone was a man of character. He loved the frontier and wanted to be a part of it. Boone wanted to live in peace with the Indians but at times he found them to be his enemy. The people he encouraged to come west began to crowd him and he began to look for a new frontier farther west. The Author was very factual about the man, Daniel Boone. By Ruth Thompson author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"

This book provided very detailed information regarding Daniel Boone and his relatives. He's a legend worth learning about. You'll be able to separate the myths about him from the truth, according to the best available data.
Be ready for a long read.

Well written and detailed book on America's back woodsman who seemed a precursor to the Mountain Man. Hailing from Pennsylvania, the author tracks Boone's introduction and love of hunting from his early years through his family's move to North carolina to Kentucky finishing his mature years in Missouri due to his constant thirst for better hunting and less people. Fascinating account of Boone's unique relationship with the Indians and cool head. His ability to sustain himself like a native and stay in the wilds alone or with small bands. The author not only does well detailing how Boone led parties into Kentucky and creating settlements but also verifies several exploits such as his saving the lives of his daughter and her friend who were kidnapped by Indians by using his knowledge of the geography of the land and the trails that the Indians used.

The author also details well Boone's controversial surrendering of his men to the Indians in exchange for sparing families at Boonesboro that is still somewhat puzzling as many thought him a traitor. Also a bit of a paradox is Boone's love of the hunt, staying away from home sometimes for a year or more while fathering 8 to 10 kids with Rebecca. Also interesting is his relationship with Rebecca who endured his long hunts and disappearances and may have had a child not Boone's that he accepted as the the consequences of his absence. Well worth reading, even covers Boone's warts particularly as a land surveyor, that obviously was not his skill. And unlike Fess Parker and the legend, he never wore a cookskin cap. But the author makes the facts as fascinating as the legend as Boone was in fact a fearless and independent man of the wilderness.

I don't have much to add to the foregoing reviews except to toss my own opinion in the ring. This book was well-written and great fun to read. I found it hard to put the book down at times. I can't say this is the definitive biography of Mary Pickford -- that's beyond my realm of expertise -- but it sure as heck was an enjoyable one. I popped back in on Amazon to see if the author has published any other biographies. She hasn't. Drats.

Whitfield's book on Pickford is the definitive biography of this Hollywood legend. Her research is extensive and storytelling touching. It's fascinating to read about the rise and fall of such an intelligent and artistic actress who was one of the first to create the art of film acting. I've also read Scott Eyman's book ("Mary Pickford"), which is also good, but doesn't offer the same depth of research that Whitfield does. A must have for any film buff's library.

I think I can say that this book changed my life. I love movies and the people who make them, and for some reason I was not at all familar with the great Mary Pickford. Reading Ms. Whitfield's PICKFORD: THE WOMAN WHO MADE HOLLYWOOD, I laughed, I cried and I was amazed with what this actress accomplished in her life. This is the sort of book for me that as I approached its last pages, I had to put it down because I did not want it to end. Maybe I didn't want Pickford's life to end. Her life, and particulary her relationship with her mother, has all the workings of a great motion picture. I am now searching for all films that feature Mary Pickford. I have seen many recently and through her and her movies the world of Silent Film has come alive for me. This book fills in the blanks I had about the earliest days of U. S. films and has given me a glimpse into the working life of Pickford. For any students of film, this is a book that must be read. I will never forget the beautiful moment in this book when Mary Pickford is sitting next to Douglas Fairbanks, some time after they had divorced. Their brief converstion, as told by Whitfield, still gets me all misty eyed when I think about it. For me, without a doubt, this is the best book I have read all year!

I'm not rating the book, but rather some misinformation: in the book's description it says that she did not make the transition to talking pictures. I watched a talking picture this morning on Turner Classic Movies, Coquette(spelling?), released in 1929, which she was nominated for Best Actress. So yes, she DID make the transition to talking pictures; it just may not have been for long.

I am looking for a Mary Pickford bio that has lots of information on her personal life. This book is not the one. I found it dull, boring and uninformative in regards to Mary's personal life. I stopped reading it!! I want to know more about Lottie and Jack and their deaths, and this book tells very little, and one paragraph when each of them die. No details, no places, addresses-all the things that make for really interesting and well researched books. Anyone can get information on their movies, filmographies and details of the studios. You could almost just repeat many books like this and just change the person who you're writing about. Everytime I found a tidbit of interest, it referred to Mary's own book "Sunshine and Sadness". Maybe I should read THAT book instead!

I enjoyed this little brisk bit of reading. It gets in and gets out. You'll have to suspend some disbelief to swallow the premise, but I think it's worth it for the sharp and biting dialog. This may be attributable to the author's youth. He's alot more in touch with alternative culture (these people hate Raymond) than most of his writing contemporaries.

Joey Goebel's first novel, "The Anomalies", has an energy and intelligence that is rarely seen in debut fiction. Each unique character created by Goebel has their own interesting traits and are just plain fun to read about, while a social critique also winds its way through the pages. It is no easy task to create memorable and fun characters while tackling social issues, but Goebel pulls it off almost seamlessly.
I am looking forward to his next novel, "Torture the Artist", where I am certain he has honed his craft even more.

The Anomalies, Goebel's debut novel, is one of the most creative, constantly inventive novels to grace the bookshelves in years. As a debut novel, it is equivalent only to Jonathan Lethem's Gun, With Occasional Music. Though there are no surrealistic boundaries broken in Goebel's work, the high level of inventiveness is comparable.

The characters are vivid and uniquely oddball. And they are drawn so beautifully and convincingly that they read less like fiction characters and more like people plucked from the pages of a memoir by a computer-nerd-cum-sideshow-geek.

The story, about a ragtag group of outcasts looking to make sweet music, borders on the absurd without feeling contrived or unrealistic. The true absurdity is the world's response to these characters, who, it seems, cherish Cocteau's observation, "That with which the public reproaches you, cultivate it, it is you."

The Anomalies is so well paced, so beautifully well written, that it flies by in one sitting. But, and not to give away the ending here, the characters' fates will haunt you and sit with you and, eventually, inspire you to re-read this book. If not for the characters, then the circumstances, if not the circumstances, then the wonderful, wonderful prose and dialogue.

This is not only one of the best debut novels I've ever read, but one of the best, funniest, cleverest novels I've had the pleasure of reading. If your perception of reality tends to be skewed, I highly recommend The Anomalies. And if your perception tends to lean to the mainstream, I recommend it even more. Heck, you might even learn something about the way you perceive people.

i couldn't even get 1/2 through this novel. documenting the rock 'n roll industry and band dynamics is undoubtedly a difficult task. some have done it successfully, others have not. unfortunately, 'the anomalies' falls in the latter category.

goebel's novel, told from multiple point-of-view's (a al faulkner's 'as i lay dying,' could have been intersting, but let's be honest here and cut right to the novel's central problem: how many bands have an 80 year-old, sex-starved granny, an 8-year old girl, an effeminate iraqi soldier, and a satan-worshipping teenager? the novel loses any credibility because its initial premise completely unbelievable and head-scratching. there's simply no way these people would ever get together, much less form a band. i'm growing tired of writers who assume they have to have 'quirky' and 'off-beat' characters to make novels interesting. 'quirky' characters more often than not make for obnoxious and annoying characters--and does little more than display an author's inability at novelizing complex human emotions and relaitionships. unfortunately, the united nations-esque, freak-show band is little more than a gimmick, and a tired one at that.

the writing itself is mediocre at best. goebel's still a young man and it shows. most of the prose comes across as juvenile and simplistic, probably because it is. it never really sparkles, never really reveals anything substantial about the plot or characters. the dialogue is ordinary and by-the-book. the 'quirky' characters are, by and large, one-dimensional stereotypes, and the shifting p.o.v could have been interesting had the band member's observations about each other amounted to anything insightful or interesting.

it takes a lot for me to give up on a book 1/2 way through it, but 1/2 of 'the anomolies' was an uninspired, tedious exercise in band dynamics. a major disappointment.

This novel is an interesting exercise on two levels: first, because the author, himself quite a young man, has tackled a topic that requires extraordinary skill, observing the antics of a multi-generational group of characters; the second, the very diverse personalities themselves, who make up the meat of the novel.

Goebel introduces an unusual gathering of friends who have come together as a rock band, determined that their music be heard and appreciated. They figure such a strange configuration of band mates should at least get them in the door. The group consists of an eight-year old girl and her babysitter, who happens to be a sprightly octogenarian, a young black musician with an explosive imagination and a vocabulary to match, a beautiful, wheel chair-bound Satanist and an Iraqi immigrant recently arrived in this country to enjoy the wonders of American life and to find an American soldier he wounded in the Gulf War. The burgeoning rock band is their blunt statement to the world.

The world may not be ready for their message, but the musicians do have a small following as their sound improves with practice. Most important is their message: diversity is the future of America. Certainly the very identity of the group is an advertisement that cultural and racial differences can successfully coexist, even flourish. Like most ideas before their time, this band becomes a target for some misanthropic diversions, reminding us that the fickle finger of fate scribbles randomly, and then moves on, indifferent to the chaos left in its wake. Whether Goebel's characters can recover from their debut is the question. Luan Gaines/2004.

In a southern rural region,a town of culture and money finds corruption in its midst. The police,the politicians and local bluebloods are involved in drugs and murder. A true story that is still talkled about in Lexington, KY. Interesting reading.

A wonderful story. Sometimes the writing is not great, with run-on sentances and gramitical errors; however, the story is compelling enough to bypass the small mishaps. At times a little confusing because numerous characters are introduced in short periods of time. Overall a pretty good book, one I will read again.

I absoultely loved this book...This book will keep you awake for sure wondering what will happen next...I highly recommend and don't want to give you too many details to spoil it...Excellent author!

For those who are intriqued by this tangled tale and wish to keep up with the central characters, here is an update on John Bizzack, former Lexington Police Officer.

In 1996, Dr. Bizzack was appointed Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice in the Department of Political Science at the Citadel, in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to graduate course instruction, he served as consultant on the development of criminal justice programs and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Command College.

On a more personal note, recently Bizzack's wife, Carol Bizzack, was one of the victims of the Comair Crash of flight #5191 in Lexington.

About the book itself; it is an interesting tale of cover-up, murder, and dedicated police work that could have been stronger if written by an author with a less muddled writing style; it remains interesting none the less because of the scope of the story and the level of deception. A former next-door neighbor of Ralph Ross' a sister of a Lexington Police officer during the time of these events, and a former employee of the Lexington-Fayette Urban Country Government, this book was of great interest to me. It should be interesting as well to any fan of the true-crime genre.

Though some people might find this book to be exciting and sexy and intriguing, please don't consider it as truth. This book should have been labelled as Fictional, which is what it is. Sally should have interviewed people who really knew the details- maybe spoken to members of the families involved, instead of spouting lies and touting them as truths. As a member of one of the families in the book, I know what I am talking about, and it hurts me deeply the lies that were told, which I can verify, matter of factly, were false.

A thoroughly enjoyable and motivating read. This is a remarkable collection of exclusive interviews with the best American sports coaches of the last 40 years. The author has packed a voluminous amount of wisdom, inspiration and facts into what amounts to a road map to a good life. "How to Succeed in the Game of Life" is a brilliant compilation of advice that offers inspiration at every turn.

Game of Life is an insightful book on the thoughts of many of the world's best known coaches. It provides a biography on each of the 34 coaches (which I recommend reading first to gain a better appreciation of the field and achievements of each coach) and asks them a number of questions that can relate to both on the field and life in general. I have gathered a number of relavant quotes that I will use both personally and professionally. A highly recommended read for sporting buffs and managers.

After buying a copy of this book for both myself and my father I was thoroughly impressed. The book was both an easy read yet very informative. I gave a copy of the book to my father, who is not one to read a book, and he was so taken back by how interesting he felt the content was. He picked up the book in the morning and had it finished by mid afternoon. He must have called me 15 times to tell me how inspiring he felt it was and how he was amazed at "all the tricks it taught an old dog"...He thought he had heard all there was to hear about inspirational quotes. We were both pleasantly surprised with how well written the book was. Both my dad and I would highly recommend this book with two thumbs up.

Having read only excerpts, I was shocked to read that Tony Dungy was hired as head coach by the Indianapolis Colts in 2002 by owner Robert Irsay. Irsay had been dead for five years (longer than that mentally). Hopefully the rest of the book does not contain such shoddy information.

This book went through various questions about succeeding in life and listed all the responses from each coach. It was interesting but somewhat repetitive in that many said basically the same thing. I enjoyed reading this book because it had a lot of good advice from a lot of successful coaches. The advice I remember most is to work harder than anyone else, never quit, always be honest, do your best, failure is opportunity for a comeback, and be passionate about what you do. All of them agreed that making a lot of money does not mean you are successful, but money can be a by-product of being successful. The last chapter included short summaries about each coach. My favorite chapter was the one of their favorite quotes.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in philosophy, or who is looking for some advice or inspiration about success.

Karen Arelttaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

I loved this book, I've been writing a historical based fictional noval about people in the Civil War, who fight against Morgan's raid, although the noval's foccus isn't primarily on General Morgan, nonetheless I bought this book a few months back to learn more of him and his famous army. I have to say it fasinated me, all these amazing and sad stories that most of us will never know unless you're writing a noval about it. I thank God that I'm a book worm. ^_^ And hey, it have cost me a little but it was sure worth it.

Horwitz brings the civil war to life in this book. The Author captivates the reader by putting this "insignificant raid",(when compared to major battles at Gettysburg and Vicksburg) on the front porch and in the kitchens of those hoosiers and buckeyes who had thought the war was very far away. Excellently covers the civilians through letters and diarys, as well as the military actions of the two sides. A must read for any student of csa cavalry, or anyone with a taste for an exciting account of a part of our history.

I love this book because it is so easy to read and one of those books you can't put down until completed because it captivates your interest. I was doing my family history concerning the TAYLOR family and was so intriqued by the book that I bought it and invited the author to our family reunion to share Morgan and his adventures. This is a must have book that inspires the basic Civil War buff and the knowledgeable historian also. The style of the writer makes it enjoyable for the reader. It is like reading a great novel, but accurately depicting the events.

During the early months of 1861, southern states seceded from the union. After Fort Sumter surrendered to Confederate General Beauregard on April 14, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas joined in secession from the northern states. The resulting fighting between the states became known as the Civil War. Kentucky, a slave state, did not secede. Many were pro-Confederate however. Jefferson Davis was from Kentucky, but Lincoln too was born there.

The battles between the North and South for the hearts of Ken-tuck-ee (Dark and Dangerous Ground) heated up in 1862. Initially, Confederate General Johnston controlled Kentucky with forces at Bowling Green and at Columbus. But Union General Thomas took eastern Kentucky in January 1862 where the south had less sympathy among the locals. Then by February 1862, Johnston had lost most of Kentucky and western Tennessee to Buell's Army of the Ohio. Johnston countered at Shiloh and died fighting Grant, who was reinforced by Buell. So many men died on both sides (25,000) that Grant and Buell were in shock. Grant got drunk and Buell withdrew to Nashville to ready an attack on Chattanooga. With Johnston dead, the Confederates were led by Braxton Bragg.

Bragg laid a campaign to take back Kentucky and made his way toward Louisville, but Buell stopped him at Perryville on October 8th. Buell was replaced with General Rosecrans and took the Union troops out of Nashville to fight Bragg at Stone's River (or Murfreesboro) from Dec 31 of 1982 until Jan 3, 1983. Bragg retreated to Chattanooga.

On January 1st, 1863 Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that said all slave owners could keep their slaves if they stayed with the union. Hardly emancipating! But most people never read past the title and most people thought that Lincoln had freed the slaves, so slaves took off and non-slaves helped them to freedom. Then draft slavery was implemented by the south - all white males aged 18 to 35 were declared temporary slaves of the Confederate army for three years. A curse if there ever was one!

Taking Kentucky was still the aim of Chattanooga-based Bragg, but first he needed to get out of Chattanooga and move to a more easily defended position with room to maneuver. To this end he appointed Alabama-born and Kentucky-raised General John Hunt Morgan to head a 2,000-man raid into Ohio to disrupt supply lines and communications to Union soldiers, while leading them to believe that they were under attack so that Rosecran's forces would be distracted down in Chattanooga. Morgan and his men managed to do over $500,000 worth of damage before getting captured and sent to prison. Morgan escaped from prison and was killed a year later.

Bragg fell back from Chattanooga and Rosecrans moved in. Now it was Rosecrans rather than Bragg who was bogged down in Chattanooga with no room to maneuver. Bragg held Chattanooga under seige until Grant replaced Rosecrans in October with Thomas. The result was the Battle of Chattanooga, after which Jefferson Davis retired Bragg and replaced him with Johnston.

But Morgan's raid was successful in its aim to allow Bragg to move out of Chattanooga and later pin down Rosecrans there. [...]

Quibbles about English usage aside, Mr. Horwitz has done a wonderful job in gathering obscurities concerning Morgan's Raid and organizing them into an entertaining account of the Civil War military action. I found it particularly interesting because it happened in many areas that I'm personally familiar with, living in the Cincinnati area and being familiar with the southeastern Ohio area. This is the kind of book that makes learning your history, (local or national,) a painless process.

This is a modern day David and Goliath story, only with horses. A bunch of high school buddies pool their money and open a stable, competing with ultra rich Sheiks and bluebloods. And who wins the KY Derby--the little guys with their great horse Funny Cide. The best thing about this story is that it's true. A wonderful read.

Partnerships for owning Thoroughbred racers can cost as little as a few hundred dollars to (fill in your own number, and it isn't small). There are roughly 35,000 Thoroughbreds foaled each year and by their three-year-old season, only a maximum of 20 can reach the starting gate in the Kentucky Derby. At the end of that race, only one runner will emerge as a possible Triple Crown winner.

There is a saying in the sport that how a person becomes a millionaire in Thoroughbred racing is to initially be a multi-millionaire. But for a group of friends who pooled their money together to purchase what was then considered a modestly-bred runner with the goal of trying to find success on the solid New York racing scene, well, let's just say they didn't just catch lightning in a jar; they caught the entire storm front and slammed it into the container.

Funny Cide, the members of the partnership group, trainer Barclay Tagg and assistant trainer Robin Smullen captivated sports fans worldwide in 2003 when the gelded colt captured the first two legs of the Triple Crown, only to fall short of immortality on a muddy track at Belmont Park.

Author Sally Jenkins has penned a highly readable and enjoyable account of everyone involved. And through it all, it is Funny Cide who did the most talking, with a solid two-year-old season - though it is fashionable to say he "emerged" literally out of nowhere to win the Kentucky Derby - and several gutsy performances at three that put him solidly into the mix of possible contenders on the Triple Crown trail.

Funny Cide was marketed like a rock star in the few weeks leading up to the Belmont Stakes - after winning the Preakness Stakes in convincing fashion - with hats, shirts and buttons being quickly produced and bought up by fans, along with the future plans for a Funny Cide beer. Even in 2006, the New York Racing Association handed out Funny Cide pictures to race fans on a special day honoring his achievements.

Though Funny Cide has had a very rocky racing career since the Triple Crown chase, the highlight being a commanding stretch drive performance to win the 2004 Jockey Club Gold Cup, Jenkins writes about that moment in time when a special runner took fans for a great ride in a sport which is not built on, but can sometimes produce, the best memories from modest beginnings.

This book was made for me, and people like me. As a kid I read every horse book I could find, and as an adult, I own a Thoroughbred in New York. I loved this story about honest and hardworking people and their nondescript horse who surprised everyone. The twists of fate are delightful: how the stable got the cash to buy Funny Cide; how Jose Santos came to be the jockey; how they came to ride a yellow school bus to Churchill Downs. I couldn't put it down.

Okay, parts of the book about the owners may be a bit boring, but the storyline about this horse and his trainer make your heart sing. It is so refreshing to hear/read a story about folks putting the animal's welfare above profit in current times. I hope a movie is made of this wonderful tale that will rival the story of Seabiscuit. Invest the few bucks and a couple hours of your time-you will be rewarded!

FUNNCY CIDE, the book, is not literature like perhaps SEABISCUIT is, but in its own way, it is easier to read and more satisfying. FUNNY CIDE is the once-in-a-generation, heart-warming story of a long-shot horse who broke though and made it big. FUNNY CIDE is not only the story of the horse but also of his Ordinary Joe owners, his has-been jockey, and his cranky trainer. Several times I had to put the book aside and wipe my eyes, blow my nose and otherwise compose myself after reading FUNNY CIDE. And you will, too. It just that kind of book, that kind of story of how hard work and persistance truly can pay off. FUNNY CIDE's success was not a freak but the result of dedicated trainers and vets, risk-taking owners and a talented jockey and, above all, a talented horse. If you like horse racing, you will love this book. If you just like stories of success against overwhelming odds, then FUNNY CIDE is also for you. For horse players, a useful tip from the book: the Belmont Stakes does not favor favorites supposedly because winners coming off the Preakness a couple weeks earlier may be too tired to go the extra distance Belmont demands. Thus Belmont Stakes long shots may be better choices. This book is a winner and would make the perfect gift for that horse player in your life.

The family of Ann Branson, a wealthy widow and businesswoman, is shocked when she is brutally murdered in January, 2003. They can't imagine how anyone could do this (she was stabbed over 90 times) to an elderly woman. When it begins to look like the murderer may be a family member the family is torn even further apart. Some members want justice, other members don't believe the police have the right killer and help the accused hide. Justice in this case will have a high price.

"Murder in Mayberry" is a fascinating true crime book. It is written by Marie Kinney Branson and Jack Branson, which is a unique viewpoint. Jack Branson was not only Ann Branson's nephew, but also a (now retired) U.S. Treasury Agent, who was able to look into the case differently than most people. In fact, the investigative parts of the book are the strongest and most fascinating elements. All of it is interesting reading - from the way the local police bungled the initial investigation to the hiring of private investigators to the efforts to get the case featured on "America's Most Wanted" to tracking the suspect who had fled to Costa Rica. At times the case was handled so badly it's a miracle the murder was ever solved.

Another strong part of the book is the family dynamics. Money was very important to the Branson family. Ann made her money through Dairy Queen franchises and was quite wealthy. She would lend money to family members, but being a shrewd businesswoman, she kept track of all the money she lent, a fact that led to her untimely death. Money lingers in the background throughout the book. The authors claim not to be rich but things like fast cars and frequent vacations are a regular part of their lives. This isn't a criticism - it helps describe the family dynamics even more. And, of course, the book is a story of how murder can tear a family apart, especially when the killer is a member of the family. Reading about the different reactions of family members when they realize who the killer is (or in some cases falling into denial) is heartbreaking, as is the motive for the murder. Since the authors are related to the killer, they give a rare insight into a killer's life not always found in true crime books.

"Murder in Mayberry" is a fascinating look at murder in a small town.

Murder in Mayberry is the newest title from New Horizion Press's Real People / Incredible Stories series. Concerned family discovered the body of Ann Branson on January 12, 2003. The wealthy widow had last been seen at church the night before. The crime scene was surprisingly clean, despite the extreme violence evidenced on the corpse. Nothing seemed to be missing from the house, despite jewelry, furs and rumors of hidden money. There had not been a homicide in a decade in the small town of Madisonville, Ky and family members had doubts about the small town's police department's ability to process and solve the crime. Ann's nephew Jack Branson was especially troubled. His background as a federal agent gave him knowledge of what should be happening to the investigation...and also made him more concerned that Madisonville police might not be preserving evidence or following leads. No one in the small town was prepared for what the evidence revealed. Ann's killer was a family member. Police methodically compiled evidence, Jack hired a private investigator, and the killer manipulates family and friends to stay free. In the four years it took to bring this person to trial, Jack and his wife Mary, struggle with family suspicion, betrayal by family aiding the killer, the emotional and financial strain of the investigation and the loss of a beloved woman. Before the killer finally faces justice they have fled the country, been profiled several times on America's Most wanted and been added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list.

What makes Murder in Mayberry especially compelling is Jack and Mary tell the story. Ann never had children of her own and had treated Jack as if he was her own son. After her murder, he felt an obligation to use his skills and connections as an agent to help bring her killer to justice. The story is a testament to the doggedness of a small town police force, the determination of family and exposes the cost to the forgotten victims of a violent crime, the family left behind.

Jack and Mary Branson have done a masterful job. They wrote about a crime that was shaking them and their family to the core without sacrificing the edge of objectivity. I was impressed with their ability to maintain a caring attitude toward Earl, despite his part in jeopardizing justice for so long.

If a murder occurs in New York, Detroit, or Baltimore...it's a sad but true fact that most of the citizens are not going to be affected. But when Murder occurs in a small town...it is another story entirely. "Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death, and Mayhem in a Small Town" is the tale of Madisonville, Kentucky and the brutal slaying of Ann Branson - and how the murderer was a quiet townie just like the rest of them - church going, helpful, just like them. The FBI has to dig through these charades and go through the deep, dark secrets of a small town to find who was responsible for Mrs. Branson's death. "Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death, and Mayhem in a Small Town" sounds like fiction, but is in fact a true story, and is highly recommended for community library collections with a nod to True Crime.

This book is a strong argument for the premise that relatives of murder victims are too involved to write effective descriptions of the crime and the actions against the perpetrator. Ann Branson is a wealthy widow in the small town of Madisonville, Kentucky, a generally peaceful town and most of her relatives live nearby. Murders are a rare occasion in that area and the police are inexperienced in investigating them.
When Ann is brutally murdered by having her head caved in and then being repeatedly stabbed after her death, it shakes up the town. The authors are two of her relatives and they describe the crime, the aftermath, their feelings, and their desire to find and apprehend the culprit and how her violent death altered their lives.
The situation is further complicated when it becomes clear that the murderer is one of the family, a man with enormous charm and a serious gambling addiction. Once it becomes clear that he is probably guilty, it creates problems because the man's father still defends his son, even after the murderer flees the country.
While it was no doubt cathartic for the authors to write the book, their intimate involvement leads to the inclusion of detail that makes the book dull and boring. This can be summed up in the description of the testimony of the murderer's father. "The defense attorneys scurried to get Earl a bottle of water, and I saw him take only one tiny sip." A large number of pages of minute detail like this could have been removed without any alteration of the story. In my opinion, it would have improved it dramatically as I struggled at the end to maintain my interest.

As author Adams states in his preface, when he took a sabbatical from co-hosting "All Things Considered" on NPR in 1997 to spend time exploring the New River that cuts from its source in North Carolina to where it empties with the Gauley River into the Kanawha in West Virginia, he wasn't on a quest. He was satisfying curiosity, a more modest goal, which does not make this a major book. That's okay. Its quiet power grows quickly into a terrific read. I could not put it down and I have a much better understanding and appreciation of a part of America I haven't seen.

It is natural to think of a river's downstream orientation in the northern hemisphere as being southward. The New begins at the two top points of a Y at the tops of tall mountains and courses downward and north-northwestward along the more western slope of the Appalachian chain into Virginia and into West Virginia. In a progressive series of sketches, Adams weaves the contemporary experience of walking, driving, biking, canoeing and rafting the river with the history that hangs over the valleys and gorges and the contemporary culture of the region. It is a river where old-time religion baptisms still take place and high tech outfitters lead white-rafting expeditions. The railroads, mills and mines that once usurped the river and the land are mostly gone after filling the cemeteries on the edge.

To say more would spoil it. Go for it.

I thought this book was a great adventure down the New River. I enjoyed the descriptions of appalachia people he encountered along the way, and had a great time as he meandered through the valleys of the New.

But I did. It is not at all the typical stuff I usually read. It was such an entertaining and gentle read. Adams is such a wonderful story teller. I felt as if I took that journey right beside him. As far as I am concerned, I have floated down "The New" myself now. I borrowed the book I read from my library but I am purchasing two for my Mom and my sister.

This book wonderfully caputres what the New River is today. Part rural, part tourist, and part developers dream. The book lacks some historical perspective on the river, but still offers a great journy in the tradition of "On the Road" and "Blue Highways".

The review on the back of this book describes it as powerful and passionate. Hardly. It is a pleasant, easy book. If you've got a weekend coming up with not much to do, get yourself a copy of this book to read. The book is not very in-depth or thought-provoking but is an enjoyable way to pass the time. Adams has taken a series of snapshots of life along the New River, featuring historical characters, old-time musicians and young kayakers. What he has achieved is a portrayal of a region that has suffered much from the negative stigma of poverty and backwards hillbillies and made it seem like a very appealing place to live. For that I applaud Mr. Adams. But he does not get into the history, culture and society of a place that many other travel writers are so good at. For that I'm a little disappointed. It is a very nice read though.

Begins to fill an acute lack of such neglected history of that period.One more mention,in the mainstream there is a notable absence of mention of the organization "ZEGOTA", which despite potential lethal consequences made best efforts to save non-Christian Poles,of which at least this book addresses......DR R.

Interesting book. I learned a lot. Still, I thought the author was a bit apologist for the Poles' role in the Holocaust.

While most people are familiar with the Nazi Holocaust perpetrated against the Jews in Europe in the Second World War, fewer people are aware that Hitler's homicidal policies extended to the Polish people, as well. Author Richard C. Lukas does an excellent job depicting the nature of the German occupation of Poland in 1939-1944, which resulted in the death of over 3 million Polish citizens who were not Jews. For example, many readers will be surprised to find that the first mass executions committed by the Nazis during the war were against Polish intellectuals and clergy in late 1939 and that the first victims gassed at Auschwitz were Polish civilians. The author also puts a great deal of effort into examining the state of Polish-Jewish relations under the German occupation, as well as the development of the Polish resistance. Overall, this book should help to ameliorate some of the erroneous historiography that has evolved over the years about the Holocaust and lead to a more nuanced view of that catastrophic event.

Forgotten Holocaust consists of seven chapters, beginning with a discussion of the German occupation of Poland. This section details German atrocities against the Poles from A to Z, including street-executions, round-ups, kidnappings, etc. The author also makes the point about how troubling it was for this deeply Catholic country to have their pleas ignored by the pro-German pope in Rome (although the author goes easy on Pope Pius XII - easier than he deserves). In the end, 22 percent of Poland's population died during the German occupation - the greatest percentage loss of any nation in the Second World War. The second chapter covers the Polish Government in Exile and the origins of the underground resistance. Although this chapter is short, it tells a great deal about the internal politics that affected the evolution of the Polish resistance - insights which are usually lacking from other histories that prevent a more homogenized appearance. Chapter three deals with military operations conducted by the underground. One number that I hadn't seen elsewhere was the large number of resistance fighters eliminated in 1942-44 by the Gestapo - upwards of 60,000. Chapter four covers civilian resistance and collaboration (or lack of). The author notes that unlike the German occupation in Western countries, the Germans made no effort to create a collaborationist government in Poland.

Chapters five and six cover the relationship of Poles and Jews during the German occupation. The author strives to fight against the common mis-conception (aided by Steve Spielberg in Schindler's List) that the Polish Government was anti-Semitic and that Poles routinely collaborated with the Germans to annihilate the Jews. In this regard, the author is fairly successful in disputing these slanderous characterizations of Polish collaboration with the Holocaust, but he tends to go off the deep end in trying to refute every charge of anti-Semitism leveled against Poles in the Second World War. Clearly, there were cases where individuals Poles made statements or conducted acts that were inimical to Jewish interests (the author also notes the reverse as well, such as Polish Jews who joined the Anders Army to escape the Soviet Union and then deserted as soon as they reached Palestine). Furthermore, there is also little doubt that Polish Catholicism was reluctant to cooperate with Polish Jews who were openly sympathetic with Communism, viewing them as the vanguard of Soviet imperialism. The charges and counter-charges get a bit tedious in these sections and at best, the issue is left unresolved.

The final chapter covers the Warsaw Uprising. Although not a blow-by-blow account, there was some interesting material herein about weapons stockpiles held by the Home Army, as well as some insight into the German leadership. Overall, this book adds to our understanding of the Second World War in Eastern Europe and should contribute to correcting some of the broad generalizations which have obscured the truth about Nazi extermination policies.

Recent scholarship on Poland's suffering during the war has opened eyes on the Warsaw Uprising of 1944(not the earlier Ghetto uprising of 1943) and has illuminated the destruction of Poland brought on by the Nazis. The Nazi racial theory applied to Slavs led them to be used as slaves and treated as meat by the German conquerors. Poland was treated a cow for milking, as hundreds of thousands of Germans entered Poland to administer and colonize it, it being the first nation to be 'liberated' for German 'labenstraum'. Here we get a story of the 'holocaust' of the non-Jewish Poles and perhaps this is where the helpful aspect of this book collides with the its other bizarre appeal. Many Holocaust deniers cite this book in order to prove that The Holocaust is being used to only show Jewish suffering while the 'real' holocaust of other non-Jews is covered up in histiography. Hence the name 'Forgotten Holocaust". However logically if the suffering of the Poles needs to be brough out of the dustbin of history and brought out alongside the Holocaust then why compare it to the Holocaust. The suffering of the Poles is not a 'fogotten Holocaust' rather it is another massive war crime that should be addressed in history and presented alongside the holocaust to show that the Nazis target other groups for destruction, if not extermination.

The Polish experience was different then the Jewish one. Polich Jews were destroyed, Poles were slaughtered in large numbers. However we have in the case of Poland a double tragedy when one realizes that hundreds of thousands of Poles were deported by the Communist Soviets between 1939 and 1941. In the end POlish borders were moved westward while Soviet Ukraine and Beylorussia and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad took over swaths of eastern Poland. Polish minorities such as the Germans were removed from Poland in 1945. Much of the 1939-1945 Polish history remains to be uncovered, such as resistance units, and the uprising of the Home Army and the suppression by the Soviets. This book begins down that path, however as a use to Holocaust deniers or those who want to see Jewish suffering relegated to the side it also presents a helpful tool, and that is tragic.

Seth J. Frantzman

A very factual book about the Holocaust in Poland and the atrocities that both the Polish Jews and Gentiles suffered. This book is very well laid out and all comments are linked to sources of information.
This would be an ideal book for anyone studying the history of WW2 in Europe.
Some of the content is very distressing to read but in my opinion it's a topic that should never be forgotten.