Florida Books

I bought this book after reading about it on a law enforcement bulletin board. It is one of the most eye opening books you will ever read concerning law enforcement and the brotherhood or the lack of brotherhood associated with it. If you thought that police were always the good guys then you are in for a rude awakening. The stories of corrupt management and politicians is very believable and true, as I can personally attest to. It is amazing that no matter where you work whether it be the Public Safety Department in Kent County, Delaware or South Florida, corruption is rampant among the management of those departments and the majority of the time it is overlooked due to kickbacks and other political favors. Good Book, Great Read, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the public safety arena or just wants to be more knowedgeable about it and its ugly and sometimes humorous ways.

Want to read a book that describes what really goes on in our police system. Try this one. Written by a dedicated retired police officer.

A terrific tribute to some 30 years in law enforcement. Dennis wise, has created an enjoyable, funny, informative, revealing and painfully realistic picture of the intricate and complictated traits within the law enforcement family.
From idiots to egotists, he makes every attempt to hit the nail on the head and call a spade a spade,while entertainng one. This is a book some will praise and others will scorn, but as the author has said, "Let the chips fall where the may!" DON'T BE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO TO PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITIES THIS AUTHOR GIVES YOU TO JUST PLAIN LAUGH!!!

I've lived in Florida, and studied archeology, all my life. Mac Perry reported on many sites that I had never known about, plus added information on those that I'd already visited. An excellent book, with a clear, interesting style.

Indian Mounds You Can Visit is informative and very interesting. A must read for anyone interested in Florida's history.

The Author has a style of writing that bring the reader into the world of Florida's first people. He very eloquently puts forth his message of conservation and protection. This book is packed with information on the various cultural periods of Florida pre-history like the Weeden Island and Safety Harbor people.

This was a cool book just like "June Dreams" & "August Magic" but I like the other two just a little more,because there was more stuff on the other two books but it still was cool.

The book is really a god onetha tlets you know whatis going on........

I read the first one and then I read this one, now I have to read the third one because I want to find out what happens

This photo collection of the life in and sights of Key West, Florida is a tempting enticement to visit the city. With the exception of the occasional hurricane, the climate is roughly the same throughout the year. The record low and high are 41 and 97 degrees respectively and the average daily temperature is 77 with a daily variance of 10 degrees. The island has been the home of several literary giants, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams lived there for a time.
Although tourism is the only real industry, the island maintains a distinct local flavor, including color. The permanent residents are fiercely proud of their tradition and express themselves in many imaginative ways, some of which are captured in this book. However, the best images are of the sunrises and sunsets over the ocean as well as the natural beauty of the wildlife. One can hope that the beauty will remain for many generations to come.

Alan Maltz's photography is truly breathtaking. If you visit Key West, stop in at the Alan S. Maltz Gallery. The photos hung there represent the most remarkable images of Key West people, weather, water, sunsets, architecture, birds, the plants and animals. No other photographer captures Key West, in all its heartbreaking beauty and strangeness, like Maltz. This book won a "Best Coffee Table Book of the Year Award." It's been on my coffee table for ten years, and when I'm not visiting Key West, it's the next best thing to being there.

Marsh Muirhead, author of "Key Wesat Explained - a guide for the traveler"

My husband and I lived in Key West for four and a half years being stationed there with the U.S. Coast Guard. There were some points about Key West itself we didn't like but that comes with any town, but this book will bring back some fond and beautiful memories we will share long after our military days are over and a couple of wonderful friends -Tracie and Pete. You can't describe Key West in so many words, a book like this would be the only explaination of the eccentric lifestyle in this paradise haven. It will be something we can show our two little girls when they get older and tell them that this is where they were born. Thanks for a majestic memory.

I think Key West had an appeal that you don't find in other parts of the country. It's the southern most point in America and there is the same feeling that you get in other special towns in the US, such as New Orleans, and SanFrancisco. Each has something unique about it.

This was a great book for capturing that feeling. It's also nice to see beyond the street view. I found the text interesting and very readable.

I hope if you decided to buy this book you will enjoy it as well.

This book gives the true eclectic style of Key West. The photos are wonderful and give an accurate insight into the private homes and life style of this laid back, creative, elegant, charming community.....It gives one a look at the gracious stately old homes as well as the most impressive renovations of cottages in "old town". Book is filled with gorgeous full page photographs, beautifully, uniquely, Key West!

It's hard to imagine how the natives, or the locals, live in places like Key West or New Orleans. These tropical outposts seem less mainstream than other parts of the USA; unique people put down roots in both of these sister cities. This lovely book gives a glimpse into homes of the poeple who live and work in Key West. It is just beautiful to see gracious living that is for real and not manufactured, but imagined and realized. Starting with the cover photo of the home of Michael Pelkey (and the ten pages of his home, and the ending photo of his kitchen countertop), you will be transported. The author writes with knowingness and sensitivity and respect for the inhabitants of, the history, and of present time Key West. This is a great inspiration book for your own lifestyle and decor, and a lovely arm chair vacation too. I would love the author Leslie Linsley, and the photographer Terry Pommett to come to New Orleans and do a sister book for us here (and bring Michael Pelkey along to lend his expert eye to the whole project).

Kidnapped in Key West, by Edwina Raffa and Annelle Rigsby, is a wonderful and exciting story. As a teacher and grandmother of 8, I have already purchased this book for them. This book is obviously very well researched and it keeps you at the edge of your chair. I found myself thinking of all the different lessons this book provides for teachers. I also look forward to getting my grandchildren's review of this story. A must read for children and adults!

I was prompted to purchase this book,for my grandchildren,based on the author's previous publications...Race to Kitty Hawk and Escape to the Everglades. Both are very interesting and loaded with historical facts, this new effort continues the theme. I am well beyond the targeted age group of these works, I did enjoy them all and look forward to the authors next contributation to this body of work.If your child or grandchild likes an adventure story that they can relate to...give it a read.

Kidnapped in Key West is an exciting adventure story of a young boy who rises to the challenge of proving his fathers innocence when he has been wrongly accused of theft. With his dog Rex, his adventures take him through the Florida Keys to entertain readers while educating them on Henry Flagers story of building the Key West Extension.

After I read the story myself, I couldn't wait to share it with my children. When it came time to close the book each night, my kids begged for, "just a few more pages." They loved this story as it was such an adventure story. They were amazed that the story was based on a true event and had lots of questions. I even found one of my children looking at the map of Florida in the book and reading the historical notes at the end. All in all, this is a great read!

When Hurricane Wilma barrelled through South Florida in late 2005, and my dog and I were hunkered down in the bathroom with pillows over our heads, watching Bryan Norcross on a 5-inch battery-operated TV, I had no idea at the time that it would spawn a love story. With memories of those terror filled hours carved into my memory, it all came together one day and I wrote Kiss Me Darlin' - A Fine Romance. I was also researching Feng Shui during that period of my life, and I wove those elements into the novel, as well. It is a love story, yes, but there is a mystery to be solved, as well. I hope you enjoy the read. Joyce Marie Taylor, Author

This is the third book that I have had the pleasure of reading that Joyce Marie Taylor has written. True to form as usual I was completely absorbed in the story. I found it very difficult to put this book down & was on the edge of my seat from the start. I was completely caught off guard with how this story ended (excellent writing & very mysterious). Joyce Marie Taylor is an extremely talented writer & I look forward to reading another one of her novels "Aniratak". I am sure that I will be impressed with that novel as well.

Review of Kiss Me Darlin'
By Jeanette Cooper

Joyce Marie Taylor's book, Kiss Me Darlin' is a great read. Joyce is a wonderful writer whose writing style keeps the reader turning pages and lends to a reader's perception of experiencing exactly what the characters are experiencing. I didn't want to put the book down because it had an element of suspense that kept me wanting to find out what would happen.

Jasmine, a young teenager who suffers abuse by an alcoholic mother, runs away with her boyfriend, Billy, spending the next several years with him. She is not a polished young debutante, but instead uses the language of someone who is used to hard knocks in a not too easy life. When Billy leaves her for someone else at the same time she loses her job, worry and financial concerns trouble her. Needing solace, she takes a trip to see her best friend Lisa.

Kiss Me Darlin' follows a plot similar to the cliché "from rags to riches" as Jasmine's friend, Lisa, interests Jasmine in Feng Shui (The Chinese art or practice of positioning objects..., based on a belief in patterns of yin and yang and the flow of chi that have positive and negative effects.) Lisa gives her a Scarlett Milkweed meant to draw good luck according to Feng Shui beliefs, and ironically, her luck does change considerably.

Jasmine meets CJ who embellishes her world with a shiny new car and later other things that enrich her life. CJ is at the root of some extraordinary suspense that will unfurl right on up to the very end of the book, which will offer a great surprise ending.

If you'd like a good, fast-paced read that will keep you glued to the pages, then I highly recommend Kiss Me Darlin'.

Reviewed by Jeanette Cooper, author of:
Wall of Color,
Conquered Heart
When Justice is Served

Gary Mormino's ambitious book Land of Sunshine... is an artful contribution to the thin historiography of modern Florida. Picking up after the end of World War II, Mormino shows how new technology and cultural trends shaped the history, population, and land of Florida.

Unlike most academic writers, he employs an eloquent but casual style free of jargon and mind-numbing analysis. Thankfully, this important book is written for laymen, but provides just as many insights for academics and officials. Equally welcome is a focus upon the "people" over the "politicians." It could easily be argued, even today, that developers, businessmen, visitors, and citizens play a more important role in the life and mythmaking of the Sunshine State than political operatives, especially when one takes into account the Florida Legislature. The research itself is superb, and I am in a position to know-I sometimes helped him in his sustained effort.

If the U.S. is relatively uninterested in scrutinizing its own history, Florida hardly seems to have a history at all. In a state full of unconcerned Snow Birds, oblivious tourists, and new immigrants, Florida's history seems to have started when Disney World opened in 1971. Thanks to Mormino's work, the last sixty years of Florida's amazing history are illuminated.

And what a last sixty years! Although a comprehensive review would take too much space here, the subjects of the book's chapters tell a story in themselves. The first, "Look away Dixieland," provides a fine introduction to the places that make Florida unique.

The next tackles the "new land boom" of the 1950s and beyond (did it ever really end?), when common folks from the northeast and Midwest could afford to move to and/or retire in Florida. Of course, there are also the developers, whose sometimes-good intentions were often outweighed by their desire for quick profit. Logically, a chapter about tourism follows, documenting Florida's funky roadside showcases as well as the more elaborate and contrived tourist empires such as Disney World.

Another chapter covers retirement in Florida, from Miami Jews to the active residents of Sun City Center, who were "too busy to retire." Of course, St. Petersburg's green benches make an appearance as well. In "Sunbelt Hues," Mormino makes sense of the impact of international politics (Cold War, Space Race, etc.) and Florida's overheated financial marketplace, all the time acknowledging the unforeseen consequences of government spending, corporate developments, and low-paying service jobs.

Agriculture in the state has had similarly mixed results, bringing nationally known agricultural products to market while saturating the land and water with pollutants and poisons. His chapter on technological change, highlighting such misguided projects such as the barge canal, further demonstrates that there is no free lunch: every development, from A/C to DDT, can cast an ugly shadow. The rising tide of immigration presents other complications, from Mariel to the wet foot/dry foot policies for Cuban escapees.

The final chapter on the beach is a brilliant example of what makes Mormino's work so compelling. He evokes the wonders and horrors of nature and man's insistent attempts to ignore or control it. Throughout the book, he showcases the things that make Florida great and dangerous. Think of the Sunshine State as the U.S. on steroids: it is an invitation to and a warning against the enthusiasm and short-sightedness of modern humanity.

This book does not just educate and entertain, but challenges the reader to consider more carefully the costs and benefits of the Floridian-and therefore the American-dream. Like most dreams, the story Mormino tells here can be frustrating, shocking, confusing, fantastic, and delightful. But it is all written beautifully, carefully documented, and presented with vivid illustrations and helpful maps. For those living in Florida and far beyond, this book offers valuable insights into our enigmatic modern world.

As a new resident of Florida, I wanted to "get up to speed" on the history of Florida, specifically since 1950. This book covers modern Florida's history very well. I liked the book so much, I am half-way through my second read of it. Very highly recommended.

"...a fascinating, original, and lucid history of the nation's fourth largest state...essential reading for anyone interested in past and present Florida." - Merle Black, co-author of The Rise of Southern Republicans
"...the first comprehensive social history of Florida in any of its epochs...the standard against which all future such efforts in Florida will be measured." - Michael Gannon, professor emeritus, University of Florida

Thoughtful and funny, without the cheap shots that too often drive sports journalism columns, this book reads like a series of wry letters from a friend. Based in Orlando, Guest writes extensively but not exclusively about Florida-related sports, especially the Sunshine State's obsession with football, but not to the exclusion of the Winter Olympics, the Ryder Cup, and the Masters. You can practically see him on the golf course or the racetrack, looking past the stats for the human stories underneath. Highly recommended.

Larry's takes on a business which takes itself much too seriously are just hillarious! The book is well written and well worth the time and money. It's like having Dave Barry as a sports writer. You'll be glad you got this book!

I recently read this book cover-to-cover on an airplane and laughed my way through it. The book hits most of the major sports and contains many insider anecdotes about major sports figures. Guest keeps the fun in sports and reminds us all that it is just a game.

Mansour El-Kikhia provides a critical and entertaining account of the 'unique' and flawed political system that Ghadafi has instituted in Libya. I found it balanced and very relevant. This system has produced some interesting, if puzzling, results in the course of its implementation that clearly demonstrate its shortcomings and its proclivity to suffer from excessive zeal .
El-Kihia shows how Qadhafi has concentrated power to the provinces where the Colonel's extended family members wield important posts in the army and provincial government. The concept of a formal head of state has also been revised in favor of designating an official leader. El-Kikhia also suggests that there has been a concerted effort to diminish the influence of technocrats and educated personnel, who have been instrumental in ceating the institutions to manage the oil economy and important political negotiations with the outside world, in favor of the ideologues of the revolutionary cadres . Certainly this is in accordance with the pattern of power distribution that has prevailed in Libya since the al-Fatah revolution.
There are also accounts of the decline of culture and eductaion as a result of Qadhafi's policies and the profusion of ideology in all aspects of daily life.

As a student of Professor El-kikhia's Foreign Policy courses, I can address his almost uncanny knowledge and understanding of foreign policy and the Middle East in specific. I would wholeheartedly recommend this and any other of Professor El-Kikhia's books to those who wish to educate themselves in foreign policy in this unique sector of the globe.

Ben Herd

As a political science major at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and also a frequent student of Dr. El-Kikhia, having read this book I can say that it is absolutely essential to an understanding of Libya's past and present political course and journey. Dr. El-Kikhia's unique perspective and special knowledge presents both the average reader and political science student with a powerful insight into the core of Quaddafi's world.