Alabama Books

You have to live it to understand the characters. You can tell the author is southern. His women show the true nature of most southern women in all there complexity. He writes the way you wish you could write to tell the true tales of strong southern women who face the past and the future with wide open eyes and strength of character. His Erma Lee and Miss Claudia come from two different generations and stations in life but they find that they have much in common and both are facing some hard times. They manage to convince you that they can do anything they set their minds to and do it well. You can feel the heat and smell the gardenias when they speak. He also makes us face the fact that some people attend church for other than Godly reasons. There is humor and sadness in this book and he does it all without making southerners dirt eating, snuff dipping idiots. He brings his characters to life with much love.

The book itself was good - no doubt about that. It was well written, the characters were almost realistic, the whole deal. The fact that it was a story written from the perspective of a woman yet actually written by a man just sorta weirded me out. I couldn't really relate to the book because basically in the book every man was a bad guy. Almost. Every man in the novel (with the exception of the ugly pastor at the reject church) let Erma Lee down somehow. Husband, father, son-in-law, pastor of rich church, even the guy she was dating let her down! Somehow I just didn't really didn't get into this novel. I dunno.

Wiregrass is a small Southern town like any other, with hypocrites, traditions, churches and trailerparks. Erma Lee is a kind of Everywoman character, though the author goes to great pains to remind us that she is pretty hot for a lunch lady, though as a reader I could only imagine her scowling all the time.

The POV of a suspicious, proud woman from a harsh background with wretchedly low expectations is mostly interesting. At times I wished for just a little more humor, though Richard and the way his mother treated him did make me laugh. Also amusing were Erma's "Love thy Neighbor" moments with her landlady.

The characters are nicely drawn. Cher is a refreshing change for a teenage character. She's respectful and hardworking, and though she wanders, she seems to appreciate what has been done for her sake. All the side characters are well-observed, and of course, the real star of the book, Miss Claudia, Erma's employer, is a gem.

I'm not sure, then, why the book didn't work for me. Maybe it is the flatness of the male characters. Some are just purely evil, which doesn't work well in a realistic novel. Our romantic hero reminds me of a very loyal, very large dog. He has all the spark of wet cardboard, and Erma Lee's quiet swoons seemed oddly unmotivated. The book goes to great lengths to maintain a grim level of realism, but then throws that all out the window in an unconvincing car chase and a melodramatic plot twist in which Cher is in danger. Also, the whole "hidden secret" resolution (no spoilers, but that was ridiculous) is right out of a Lifetime tv movie. I like the people. I just think what they do is alternately dull or over-the-top.

Erma Lee's journey to faith is an important part of her character, and a natural part of the plot. I enjoyed how it was presented in that it didn't even dent most of her problems, just gave her one small tool to deal with them. Finding God didn't make her into a perfect Christian, either. Her charity faltered and she was extremely judgmental.

I enjoy books that examine faith, but there was no mention of this aspect of the novel in any of the blurbs or write-ups. I wonder why.

I'm a native of Mississippi who now lives in the Northeast. I wish that I could claim that I selected this novel for our recent book group discussion but I cannot. Why do I wish that I would have selected it? As I told my club, this novel captures the heart of the rural south and the strength of 'real' southern women. It's the perfect picture of small town life with the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. That said...whether you are from the south or not, you can't put down this book about a good ole girl trying to start over again and the elderly, wonderful Miss Claudia who steps in to help her while also having to face up to a dark secret from her own past. I can't say enough good things about this one. Loved it!

SELDOM DO I FIND BOOKS THAT MAKE ME BELIEVE THAT THE CHARACTERS ARE PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWN THE STREET FROM ME, BUT THIS ONE DID IT! I DON'T REALLY KNOW A WOMAN LIKE ERMA OR MISS CLAUDIA BUT BY THE THIRD CHAPTER THIS WRITER HAD ME CONVINCED THAT I DID KNOW THEM. THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE OR A MYSTERY, ALTHOUGH ELEMENTS OF BOTH ARE IN THE STORY. THIS IS A STORY OF REDEMPTION, FRIENDSHIP, AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. IT WOULD MAKE A GOOD HALMARK MOVIE.

It has only been in the last six months that I have started reading this genre of women sleuths. This book does not disapoint. An easy read, the characters are charming and the mystery is not bad ( though if you're any good you have it figured out before the end). I plan to read the whole 8 book series because this one showed me it was worth it. Not as funny as Janet Evanovich's numbered series, but it has it's moments.

Anne George is wonderful. I have officially now read all of her books, and I'm just sorry that she passed away and took her talent with her. I love Patricia Anne and Mary Alice --- I love the humor -- I highly recommend all her books to anyone who likes mysteries, but likes to laugh, too. The reader on her audiobook versions is great --- conveys the Alabama atmosphere, accent, etc., and really enhances the story.

Anne George's characters are so real. These two sisters are so entertaining and have their own relationship norms. I cannot say that at any time am I bored while reading about their adventures or just their interactions. This series is one of my very favorite reads - I don't have to worry about blood, gore or profanity - these stories can stand on their own without resorting to the quick, gory, or bloody fill-ins.

I purchased this book because I had read the second in the series previously and was very entertained. "Girls Night Out" did not disappoint. The characters are vibrant and the story line is easy to follow but not as easy to predict. If you like a "funny" murder mystery this series is for you!

I was looking for a new "series" of books to be interested in when I ordered 2 of the Southern Sisters mysteries. I should have known better than to order just on reviews; I should have checked at the library first. I only read this one, and have donated both to the local seniors group. I am an insatiable reader, and devour a wide variety. My favorite authors of fiction are James Clavell, Tim Clancy, Nora Roberts, Laurell K Hamilton, Anne Rice, James Patterson and Janet Evanovich. If these are on your list of favorites, my advice is "try before you buy"; this series is a little simplistic for my taste.

I read many books for enjoyment and rarely do "enjoyment" authors have the writing skills of the technical authors or literary authors. When reading this book, I could feel the emotions of the characters and never once did I have trouble imagining the persona of any character in the book. This author is an excellent writer.

Pros: Good writing, intriguing storyline
Cons: John's past suffering at the hands of Agnes was not explained in enough detail. Connie's pain at the hands of her mother and Earl Graves also was not explained in enough detail.

Summary:

Connie and Reesy are left my their mother. Connie and Reesy's mother basically chose a man over her children. Reesy was immediately adopted, while an older Connie stayed in the system. The Graves took Connie into their home and Mr. Graves begins to molest Connie. Connie runs away and lives on the street, eating out of garbage cans and occasionally prostituting herself. Connie is eventually taken in by Edwina, the owner of a soul food restaurant.

John King (Tate) is the product of a mentally challenged man and a 13 year old mother. John's mother dies in child birth. John is raised by his mother's mother (Agnes). Agnes blames John for taking her daughter (Mattie) away from her. As a result of this resentment, Agnes loves John from a distance. One day, John catches Agnes with her sister's husband and Agnes puts John out. John is 17.

Many years later, John and Connie get together. Their story is one of the unloved learning how to love each other.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD AND I'M NOT SURE IF I SHOULD HAVE READ (DON'T WANT NO SUGAR) FIRST OR NOT BUT I AM SO GLAD I READ ONE DAY I SAW A BLACK KING FIRST BECAUSE I LOVE THE WAY DON'T WANT NO SUGAR GAVE ME ALL THE ANSWERS. BOTH THESE BOOK WAS THE BOMB. I TRULY LOVED DON'T WANT NO SUGAR AND I WOULD READ IT AGAIN. I READ DON'T WANT NO SUGAR ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO AND I SAID THEN I KNOW SHE HAVE TO COME OUT WITH A SEQUEAL ABOUT CONNIE & RESSY AND MY MY HERE SHE COMES WITH (YOU GOTTA SIN TO GET SAVED). IF THIS BOOK IS AS GOOD AS HER OTHER TWO IT IS GOING TO BE A PAGE TURNER. i WOULD RECOMMEND ALL THREE OF THESE BOOKS HIGHLY BUT READ ONE DAY I SAW A BLACK KING FIRST THEN DON'T WANT NO SUGAR AND THEN YOU GOTTA SIN TO GET SAVED. HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL. YOU WANT BE DISAPPOINTED

This book was so good, I had to order another one for my cousin. The shipper sent the book so quick, I didn't have enough time to alert my cousin to look for it. Keep up the good work!

The writing in this book is excellent. I felt like I knew the characters - their faults, their strengths, and I really started to want things to work out for them. I felt like I was rooting for the underdog! This wasn't a quick read because I felt myself wanting to slow down, take my time, and just really enjoy the experience. I withheld one star, because I felt that the ending left me hanging a bit. I could guess what happened, but I wasn't sure.

I know the title of this review is trite, but it's true. ONE DAY I SAW A BLACK KING is a beautiful story, which is hard to come by these days. The story isn't only about the relationship between John and Connie, it explores the hold that the past has over each of them and their respective journeys to lay ghosts at rest. A wonderful read!

There was quite a lapse between my reading of Silk, which I loved and Murder of Angels, but this story did a fairly good job of jogging my memory so it didn't matter, and I would reccomend it. That said, there were a few things nagging at me after I finished this book.

Was Spyder's world a real world at all? Due to the connections of characters that linger between worlds I would say yes, but the last scene with Daria and the little girl (the 'moment' from Spyder's past) and the revelation (drawing) in Spyder's ancient notebook that Daria finds, made me wonder.

I loved the idea that Spyder's own psychological disfunction/delusions?, stemming from the abuse from her father, colored her entry into the dream world and even infected a primal demon/force (the dragon) that exsisted in this dream world, But, due to the revelation of the drawing in Spyder's notebook it seems that this world would not have exsisted without Spyder to begin with or did she somehow have some precognitive knowledge of this world to begin with as a child?

The above is never explained.

I also wished there might have been more on Theda. Emotionally, she was an incredibly realistic character. Her anguished scream at the end at what she had become, at what had actually happened to her, or maybe just that she wasn't able to destroy the world that she hated, was extremely moving to me.

Another wonderful point was that Spyder's belief system regarding the angels wasn't simply pulled out of a hat, but based on an actual mythology that she simply tweaked for her own purposes or perhaps knew the truth of.

Her characters which are on the fringe of society, who *know* things and are in touch with things that the majority is not, very much reminds me of Peter Straub's Shadowland, but her world is much more realistic and sad.

With all that said, I loved the book. Kiernan's characters are usually unseen elswhere in literature and she paints them beautifully. Her dreamworlds with the ghosts and talking birds become real to me when I'm reading her words and in the end that's all that matters.

My first mistake was in deciding to tackle this book even after discovering it was a sequel, yet I did so after having been assured that reading the book's predecessor was not a prerequisite to enjoying the follow-up. The first 100 pages were wonderfully creepy and atmospheric, and I seemed to be piecing together the plot and filling in some of the blanks that came with not having ready "Silk". But the book shifts from horror to a rather lame SF/fantasy and the plot becomes increasingly intricate and confusing, and the characters' allegiances and motivations are all difficult to fathom. My second mistake was reading it to the end after suspecting that my time was being wasted, yet I persevered only to find the ending was hurried and slipshod. By the final page, I really didn't care about the characters and the fact that they all were dead (in this world anyway). The author is undeniably talented but this book just didn't do it for me...

If you enjoyed "Silk", you won't be disappointed with this work. It meets or exceeds the quality of it's predecessor. As always, Kiernan compellingly meanders through beautiful and creepy realities and experiences telling the tale of Niki, Dar, and Spyder. One has difficulty not taking pleasure from Kiernan's writing. Passages like the following one pepper the work in such a way that you cannot help but underline them: "Ahe she drew another deep breath, a sip of water from the bottle on the floor beside her feet, and started talking, letting the past drain like infection." As with all her work, I highly recommend it.

knowing miss kiernan's fondness for science fiction, i finally really saw the influence in this book. the red witches and (literal) journeys across created lands threw me off a bit, yet the story was every bit as dark, as liberating, and as heartbreaking as i've come to expect.

my favorite novels thus far are threshold and low red moon, yet i've always wondered what happened to the survivors from birmingham. niki and daria's relationship, i feel, reflects the relationship between spyder and niki herself, only this time she's not the one helplessly watching someone unraveling. daria is thrust into the role of caretaker and lover, which is (seems to me) formed more out of convenience and a sense of responsibility, not out of romantic, head-over-heels love.

i really did like this book, as the author does a fantastic job of creating these barren landscapes. the characters are likable, although i thought niki was so much stronger after crossing the dog's bridge (before, i almost wanted to shake her by the shoulders and tell her to snap out of it)...some of the characters, such as esme chattox or theda, i would have liked to see more of, and i don't know if they'll ever show up again. and i'll probably understand it much more when i read it a second time, but i almost had a difficult time identifying the purpose and the antigonist...but as i said, these things are much easier the second time around, when you're not reeling from the shock of an event.

one thing that i can always count on when reading a caitlin r. kiernan book is that by the time i turn the last page, i've cried (and in some cases, bawled) at least once. these resolutions do not come with happy endings.

Perhaps I needed to have read Silk, first. But I found that this book, while containing some excellent wordsmithing, made me unutterably depressed. Enough so that I gave up on the book before I finished it.

The author has an excellent control of setting, character, storytelling... and she communicated the depression and despair of the main characters with skill. But I don't necessarily *want* to be depressed.

I grabbed this book before a plane flight. By the time the peanuts and juice arrived, I had given up on the book, and I dragged out my laptop computer. ("Ah well, I probably should get some work done anyway" is not my response to a great book -- "just a few more pages..." is more common.) And then I bought another book in San Francisco to tide me over on the way home.

I'll make a point of looking for Kiernan's other novels. But this one didn't work for me.

The Bear was the last coach. Now it is a business. Anyone that loves college football, especially SEC football, should read this book. Barra has done a good job capturing the times of Paul "Bear" Bryant.

From the Junction boy days and even earlier. This book has it all. One of my favorites! Excellent reading!

"The Last Coach" is a newer and perhaps more comprehensive biography of the man simply known as "Bear". The book covers several aspects of Coach Bryant's life:

1. Early life in Moro Bottom and Fordyce, Arkansas.
2. Early interest in football as a way for him to escape the dirt-poor life he was raised in.
3. College years at the Univesity of Alabama.
4. Coaching jobs at Maryland, Kentucky, Alabama, and other places.
5. Relationship with several players (Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, Pat Trammel, and others).
6. Relationship with politicians, college presidents, Hollywood figures, and others.
7. Later family life.
8. Details of the long funeral procession and thousands of people who turned out to pay respect for Bryant.
9. Different versions of how Bryant got the nickname "Bear".

While Bryant's personal life did have some questions (drinking, supposed womanizing, etc.) there is no doubt that he was also one of college football's greatest coaches.

Whatever you think of Bryant or the University of Alabama football, "The Last Coach" is an informative read. Recommended.

I've read many of the Bryant books and simply put, this is the best.

If you are a fan of college football then you'd do well to read this book from a historical standpoint. For those who think they know college football, this book is illuminating with regards to the "national" game in the early days vs. now (2007) and how championships were determined largely by geographics and not by talent or strength of schedule.

Excellent.

I have read quite a few books on Paul "Bear" Bryant (including his audobiography) so I wasn't sure if the information in this book would be facts I already knew or information I was not aware of. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Yes, there was all the well-known facts about his life, but to my surprise there was quite a bit of information that I was reading for the first time.

The author has done an outstanding job of detailed research and brings a clear steady style to the book. It is without question the most comprehensive book on Coach Bryant's life that I have ever read.

If you're an Alabama football fan, this is a must read.

Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climatic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution is a definitive study of the Civil Rights Movement that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist Diane McWhorter brings this particular history alive for her, the people that lived during this era, and those who are now trying to understand this difficult period in American history that involved segregation and unconstitutional Jim Crow laws. Although McWhorter is not a historian, she divulges detailed facts within the book, which may be overwhelming to some readers. McWhorter writes as an investigative journalist, and at times sensationalizes particular situations in order to get her point across, which appear repetitious. On the other hand, it is effective in conjuring the emotions of the period as it occurred from both sides of the conflict. Her narrative attempts to lock each quote from each person within the context of the past, which may disturb and shock present day readers.

McWhorter argues that this particular conflict emerged from the effects that the New Deal had in Birmingham upon its arrival. She presents a complex history that involved the Southern elite, which included her father, Martin McWhorter. One of the interesting aspects of the book is McWhorter's emphasis of the New Deal's ties with the labor movement, and labor workers who resisted the transition belonged to the infamous Ku Klux Klan. When describing the events that led to the conflict in Birmingham, McWhorter shows readers how the Ku Klux Klan mentally and violently inflicted pain on Blacks, which she compares to that of the Nazis in Germany and what they did to the Jewish people during the late 1930s and 1940s. And ironically, this particular history is not at all too distant in the past because what happened in Birmingham in 1963, if comparing twentieth century history to nineteenth century history, did not occur hundreds of years in the past, and this "Revolution" still rears fresh in so many minds.

McWhorter attempts to achieve objectivity with this riveting event in history. She accomplishes in providing the reader with an eyeful of names and places that are chronologically placed. The most compelling aspect of the book is the acknowledgment of the numerous wrongdoers who attempted to roadblock integration, and the unsung heroes that helped to achieve civil rights in the South and the entire United States. Lastly, McWhorter shows much empathy and respect for the four young girls who lost their lives at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church who were coincidently about the same age as she was at the time.

Carry Me Home is yet another important account in understanding the Civil Rights Movement as well American history during the twentieth century. This is a definite must read.

This is simply a necessary book for anyone who wants to understand the Civil Rights Movement, the city of Birmingham, Alabama, the relations between big business and racism and fascism in this society, and Amercian politics , not only in the historical period covered by the book, but in general. The significant weakness of this book is that McWhorter's focus is chiefly on two groups of while people: Birmingham's industrial and commercial ruling class and the variety of fascists, racists, and terrorists that they employed to maintain the dominant order.

While she does document enough about the civil rights movement in Alabama to make the book understandable, she has little concern for how the lives of everyday Black people in Birmingham were changed by what she talks about. Moreover, McWhorter focuses not on the issue of real integration of the life of Birmingham, but on the formal agreements between white business leaders and the civil rights movement in 1963 and early 1964, which even at the time that her book closes were not being carried out by the white business leaders and the local governments. So we are left at the end of the book curious as to how de facto desegregation took place. Of course, no American city, including Birmingham, has been truly desegregated in regard to housing, employment, and schools.

McWhorter gives a good picture about how big Northern-owned industry that dominated Birmingham economically and politically was responsible for the severe racism of the city. She shows how big business nourished the Klan and other violent organizations against Black people, during its battles with workers trying to unionize steel, coal, and other industries starting at the turn of the century.

The lineage of the fascist and Klan groups fed by the big business leaders during those years continued in the series of murders and bombings that shook Birmingham in the 1950s, and led to down to the individuals who bombed the 16th St. Baptist Church in 1963. For example, Hitler-loving fascist and antiSemite, Ace Carter who began in the 1930s became one of George Wallace's main speech writers in the 1960s.

That is the important part of this book: Southern racism was at the service of big capitalism nationally, not a product of something Southern, but something capitalist.

McWhorter shows how the power structure in the 1950s and 1960s resisted the civil rights movement, came to support the renewed racism represented by George Wallace, and had long before put Bull Connor into a position where his job as police commission largely involved coordinating terorism against Black people along with the Klan and neo-nazis.

She also does picture the civil rights movement in Birmingham starting with the movements that began as part of the labor radicalism in the 1930s and 1940s. She is best when she is talking about the tension between Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, a militant Birmingham leader who eventually moved to Cincinatti but continued to function in Birmingham's movement, and more conservative leaders like Martin Luther King.

Toward the end, she notes that the rebellions that met Birmingham's police after the bombings in the 1960s, though condemned by the civil rights leaders, had a very strong impact on creating the fear that brought about concessions.

She does note that the Kennedy administration considered all direct action civil rights activities, like the marches that force Birmingham's rulers to make concessions, "poorly timed."


McWhorter overglorifies the white business leaders who made small concessions on integrating lunch counters and dressing rooms in stores, and hiring a few black clerks in the stores and other demands is a bit disconcerting. She tends to picture them as leaders in the effort to create integration, as opposed to the last guard of realistic resistance against real Black rights. Moreover, history, and even she shows that they backed off from their agreements for years. Again, it would have been more satisfying if she discussed how these and other concessions were won in the years after her book closes.

McWhorter has a fascination with historical and personal details of members of the white elite. We find out who was whose cousin, who was at whose wedding, who did what in 1920, 1930, 1940, 1957, and she presents hundreds of individuals and their details. Sometimes, she gets carried away and her details don't really contribute to understanding the central theme of the book, the civil rights battles in Birmingham.

Unfortunately, true after the 1963 Church bombing McWhorter concentrates almost totally on the details of the Klan and fascist terrorists suspected of the bombing, while leaving out what happened in Birmingham or the civil rights movement.

The civil rights movement in Birmingham did not end in 1963. Many of its battles remain to be fought there and throughout the country. With all of its weaknesses, Carry Me Home helps us understand the fight then and the fight now.

One of the best books I have ever read. I did not know the hatred of the white south against the balcks until I read this book. It was like reading Nazi Germany

Last fall, I had two hours to spare in the city of Birmingham. Someone suggested that I visit the Civil Rights Institute. It was on the corner across the street from the famous 16th Street Baptist Church. Walking through the various exhibits touched me deeply. I wanted to know more about a part of American history I knew so little about. So I turned to Diane McWhorter's book Carry Me Home. It is a gripping account of the civil rights movement. And it accurately reveals the struggles, the complexities, the personalities and internal conflicts of both sides of the movement. Some of it in unimaginable.

Although the book is comprehensive and detailed, it still flows. McWhorter is an excellent writter and she builds and maintains the tension right up to that explosive Sunday morning. I never got bogged down. The history is indeed complex. There is more to the struggle than meets the eye. And there are more heros than just Martin Luther King. Fred Shuttleworth is one of the many unsung heros who probably does not get the accolades he deserves. And the women played a vital role on the front lines. Great sacrifice and determination was spent, which increassed my admiration and respect toward the key players in the movement.

This book isn't for everyone but for me it was a tremendous learning experience.

The book "Carry Me Home," chock full of fascinating anecdotes and factual information, reveals the guilt of a Southern, white girl...who feels a deep force inside of her to expose her ancestors' shortcomings concerning their premise for white supremacy. Torn between her family and the truth, this book is a tell-all that reveals the McWhorters' role in the opposition to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s that altered Alabama's perception of the world drastically.

Eloquently written with careful word choice and countless metaphors. One cannot appreciate the civil rights movement and mourne its current state until they read this book.

King practiced what he preached. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Why We Can't Wait tells the story of King under a whole new light - one that I have never took the time to patiently immerse myself in. I have always taken King's life for granted. I mean, I knew he was a great revolutionary leader, who preached civil disobedience, much like Gandhi. However, I never truly appreciated what he did for his people. This book lays out every aspect of his thoughts. He cared and prayed for not only blacks, but white also. He followed his values and principles.
Throughout the book, He takes you through the workings of his mind. Everything he does is done is an organized fashion, because he truly believes that his way will work as long as everyone participates. He has faith in what he does. His great speaking ability lends him credibility as his charisma appeals to his audience. He understands what his people want. King wants equality as soon as possible, but rushing is never the key. His poised and composed nature gives him patience in everything he does. As obstacles are thrown at him, King takes one step at a time to take care of one problem at a time. He knows that his people are being thrown into jail cells for performing what King preached, but he believes that civil disobedience is the only way to approach this situation. His nonviolence approach does appeal nationwide, and most blacks do follow as they were deeply inspired and moved by his beliefs. As he preached civil disobedience at all costs, he does what he says. He is later thrown in jail in the novel for what he believed. Even though he is the leader of his organization, he was unafraid to face the white jail cells. However, he worried, not about his own health, but his people outside. He was unable to communicate and fully engage meetings to organize more important rallies. Money was an issue as he was faced with conflicts, which arose as a result of white oppression.
Overall, King's account of his civil disobedience approach is insightful and thought provoking. Despite the dangers of his job, he still continues to rally people to a nonviolent solution. The book is written finely as King writes of his personal experiences in a first person point of view. I would recommend this book if you want to find out more about the inner workings of King's mind and struggles.
However, the book gets a bit boring time to time. Though every situation is a process and progress towards equality, the writing does get a bit repetitive and can be easily stated in less information. But the book does give a good account of King's life long struggle towards African American equality.

While I revere Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the hero of the Civil Rights Movement, I admit I was disappointed in Why We Can't Wait. Dr. King describes his past experience in the Civil Rights Movement and reflects on the positives of what have been done, and the need for society to continue progress beyond the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. This is a key point I'm glad Dr. King focuses his book on. The main problem I had with this book was that King's argument focuses on the good actions of his own church and its constituents but never describes further from there. Even as Dr. King portrays this struggle vividly and argues the necessity to continue the fight, I felt as though the power, the importance, and the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement were reduced to the union of the different religious groups involved. Dr. King didn't, at least not in this book, expand on some secular perspectives of the Civil Rights Movement. The one reference made in this book to other perspectives of the movement, of course besides the vicious racism of that time period, was to Elijah Muhammad's Black Nationalist movement. While Dr. King could have gone in to objectively criticize the problems with this movement, he instead implied that they were sinners in their own right. Since Dr. King's main message was that everyone work together to end racism, he could have offered that both sides put aside their differences and work together to achieve their common goal. But instead, Dr. King used religion instead of objective criticism to argue against Elijah Muhammad's Black Nationalism. Of course, one could argue that it makes perfect sense for Dr. King to argue with religious fervor since he originated as a reverend. But coming from someone who constantly spoke of uniting all Americans and of attempts to reach out beyond the African-American community, that wasn't the kind of thought provoking analysis I expected. Still, I can't honestly undermine how Dr. King brilliantly argues to the unsure reader of the 1960s why the Civil Rights Movement is essential not just to African Americans, but to all Americans. And yes, I know the sacrifices Dr. King made for the people of United States as he patiently fought against those who weren't even willing to consider this genius as their equal. He only needed to include different perspectives of the same fight.

Martin Luther King's work is synonymous with the civil rights movement. His powerful words were the very driving force that helped African Americans change the mindset of America. Why We Can't Wait is thought provoking and extremely well written, making this an exceptional work of literary art.
Martin Luther King Jr. truly was a man of the written word. His ability to string words and create sentences that literally roll off the tongue is nothing short of a miracle. As soon as I picked up this book, I was intrigued by his style and voice. This novel seemed like a very long, well thought out speech. Diction is excellent and King is brilliant in conveying every thought, every feeling he experiences. This book includes his world-famous Birmingham jail notes, another work that is just exemplary. Martin Luther King demonstrated the extreme power of the written word. Martin Luther King had won his reputation with just his mind, voice, and a pencil. . I would advise this to any writer that wishes to improve on their voice, style, and tone.
I will have to admit though that his voice can get bland after too much exposure. Halfway reading through this book, I thought that he was making the same points over and over again in different sentence structures and so forth. His speech is prolonged and sometimes seems much to slow to endure. Martin Luther can spend a whole chapter talking about one incident by bombarding his writing with metaphors and stories that relate to the situation. After a while his voice is almost predictable. The whole book seemed to talk only about a few topics and it really did seem interminable.
Regardless, Martin Luther King was a man that knew full well how to mold people by using words and ideas. His perseverance and hard work should be a model to people of today. Why We Can't Wait is brilliant and should be read with deep respect.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his account of the Birmingham campaign, which sought to dissolve the Jim Crow status quo. From the outset of his campaign, however, tensions were present not only within the black communities, but also with whites who supported their cause. When he began to plan his strategy for nonviolent demonstrations he found that "there was tremendous resistance to [their] program from some of the Negro ministers, businessmen, and professionals in the city" (King 52). King concluded that there were several explanations for these "tensions," including that blacks "had been skillfully brainwashed to the point where he had accepted the white man's theory that he... was inferior" (King 52). Many also accused King's actions as being ill timed. The infamously racist "Bull" Conner had just lost the mayoral election and many felt that King should give the new administration a chance before demonstrating. King would pass this off as "false-optimism," and perhaps rightly so (King 53). Many also saw King as an outsider, but he combated that notion by arguing that because he was an American and there was injustice in Birmingham, there was no such thing as an outsider, and that he had descended on Birmingham with the request of an affiliated organization to help release the local black population from oppression.

King knew that if he was to succeed he would need a united community and at one point he shows true optimism at accomplishing this unity. "Somehow God gave me the power," he writes, "to transform the resentments, the suspicions, the fears and the misunderstandings I found... into faith and enthusiasm" (King 55). Nevertheless, in the midst of the movement King finds himself addressing more tensions in his response through a letter to an article printed by fellow clergymen critical of his tactics. While defending his actions, he also addresses his disappointment with many white religious organizations for not promoting desegregation on the basis of moral beliefs. More importantly, he describes "white moderates" as being more destructive than even the Ku Klux Klan. He believes that they are "more devoted to order than to justice" and though they vocally support his cause they condemn his method of direct action, and because they prefer a "negative peace" they have become a contributor to the problem (King 73).

Despite these tensions that hindered the cause, at the end of his book King seems to have a somewhat optimistic outlook on the future of the civil rights movement. The path thus far blazed had been substantial and he felt that "the upsurge of power in the civil-rights movement has given it greater maneuverability... and security" (King 138). He saw that "the Negro potential for political power is now substantial" (King 139) and "already in some states and cities in the South, a de facto alliance of Negro and sympathetic white voters has elected a new type of local official - ...[the] nonsegregationist" (King 140). Overall, King felt that "American politics needs nothing much so as an injection of the idealism, self-sacrifice and sense of public service which is the hallmark of our movement" (King 141).

King's optimism was not misplaced. He recognized both the dividing factors and the unifying factors between whites and blacks and between blacks themselves. In 1964, while he was writing his book, President Johnson was busy working on his "Great Society" legislation, which included the Civil Rights Act. This act banned Jim Crow laws, which was King's main objective in Birmingham all along. In fact, he had gained the attention of Johnson throughout his demonstrations, and even received support from the President. Johnson would also pass into effect laws for fair voting in 1965 (furthering King's idea of the black political power), and in 1969 another law involving fair housing would pass through Congress. As the government furthered its involvement into the cause of civil rights King's optimism had begun to pay off. Although the movement would be a torrid river, plagued with stones and dams, King saw the channels with which to ultimately reach the shore of equality.

As a piece of history Why We Can't Wait is certainly important, and at times, as in the letter portion of the book, the arguments are both eloquent and compelling. Unfortunately, as a book it can at times be dry and repetitive. It is worth reading, certainly, but not one to pick up again and again.

The trip to France slowed things down a little too much. And the narrator's voice changed a bit, sounding a little more snobbish. I guess when in France.....

What's better than a mystery with an interesting, complex and convoluted story, great characterization, an unlikely love story and a surprising yet satisfying ending? You coldn't ask for much better and the language is intelligent and captivating from the start. Once again, it is NOT the goryness of the crime or the shock of the monstrous that creates lasting memories; it is the human element, that inner dialogue shared with the reader and the relationships developed in the story.

As a Southerner, I especially like mysteries set here. More than any other section we have retained our peculilarity in both speech and habits. The subject is as fascinating, repulsive yet compelling - there is an underground who get their kicks by collecting articles of serial killers. The closer the article to the crime (a rope to strangle the victim) the higher the price. I thought that surely this had to be a joke until a quick Google gave names, upcoming auctions and the like. I find it hard to understand the mindest that would enjoy such things. Just when you think you've heard it all something like this comes around.

The story opens with a trial of a Manson-like cult artist who has a fanatical following. His specialty was death, capturing that "Last Moment", and for this purpose he killed savagely and cruely. The end of the first chapter is shocking, establishing a theme that will recur later in the story. Years after his death the cult has returned and someone is recreating the deaths again. Rumors abound that the artist left a mythic "collection" of his works that would be worth millions. Carson, our hero cop, must battle his own demons. His brother, who nearly steals the show, reminds one of Brad Pitt as the insane genius in "Twelve Monkeys". Carson's partner, an older, experinced black cop dispensee advice bother personal and professional. Their relationships is a close one - almost father and son. Carson's nemesis is a cut but bothersome television reporter who goes by the name "Dee Dee" though he bestows a four-letter nickname that I am not allowed to print in this forum. After much action, intrigue, death and loving, we find the answer - the REAL story of the crazed artist and his legacy. Bravo and here's hoping for more.

Maybe I was too excited to read this book after The Hundredth Man. This novel fell short of my admittedly high expectations. Kerley's previous novel was so entertaining that perhaps I was looking for his next book to be unrealistically good. What I thought was truly missed in the authors second outing was the sub plots found in THM. It provided the depth for the main characters that drew me in and made them likable. There is a lack of emotion in chapters that demand more which made the story feel a bit rushed at times. While the main plot in The Death Collectors is creatively fed to the reader at a suspenseful rate and the writing is just as smooth as Kerley's previous, it simply feels a bit empty. The relationship between Ryder and "the new girl" Danbury is hollow and did not really provide any significant or useful purpose to the book. Overall however this book has the ingredients for a good read. Unlike some of the previous reviews, I found the end to be terrific. As in THM, Kerley skillfully keeps his audience guessing until the inevitable "I did not see that coming" moment followed by a slap to the head. So maybe it was not as good as Kerley's last effort which set the bar way up there. I still enjoyed it and still look forward to future books in the series.

The three primary characters are alive and engaging, you care about them. The mystery is well crafted and keeps pulling you forward towards the end. The horrifying descriptions of the focal crimes are not for the weak stomach or hearted, but opens a window into the darkness of pure unredemeable madness and evil. A good read!

Jack Kerley is one of my new favorite authors! I got hooked on Kerley with the Death Collectors and then bought his first book - The Hundredth Man - And it was as good as his second novel. A Garden of Vipers (his third) was also EXCELLENT! Can't wait for more Carson Ryder novels to come out.

I note that there is only one other somewhat unfavorable review of this book. I'll say the one nice thing first -- Martin's writing is "pretty." When he describes something, I get a good picture of it in my head. Unfortunately, he uses lengthy descriptive passages of minor events that don't build the story line; it almost seems like filler and can be very boring. His characters are not to be believed. His story line is not believable. What happened to the mothers of these two boys? Why would the mothers give them up so easily? Where were the police when Miss Ella was beaten silly by Rex??? Where was social services when the boys were beaten silly by Rex??? Why didn't Mose beat the heck out of Rex??? Did the two boys stay in the house all the time by themselves, only visited by Miss Ella during the day? Come on. I've read several of Charles Martin's books. I'm beginning to think he had a horrible childhood because he either never mentions characters' parents in his books, or when he does, they are unbelievably abusive. Should have borrowed this one from the library. Wasn't worth the $$$$.

Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin was difficult to get into, to be honest. I picked it up about two years ago, but when about 60 pages into it, I knew more about a truck-stop prostitute (who was an oversized prop--and when I say oversized, I mean oversized) than I did the story itself, I put it back down. But on the encouragement of a friend, I tried again. I'm glad I did.

Wrapped in Rain is about Tucker Mason and his brother Matthew (a.k.a. Mutt) coming to terms with their messed-up past (namely, a father who's frequent absences was preferred to his abusive presence), forgiving daily, and learning to freely love. The only redeeming aspect of their childhood was Miss Ella Rain, their nanny/housekeeper, who loved them as if they were her own and who fought for them when they couldn't fight anymore.

The story begins when Mutt, who suffers from a personality disorder because of his past, escapes from the mental health facility. At the same time, Tucker runs into his childhood girlfriend, Katie, and her son, Jase, on the run from Katie's husband, who's been abusing them. Reunited, Tucker, Katie, Mutt, and now Jase, learn to live together, love each other, and work through their issues.

The prose is flawless and beautiful, although at times superfluous (i.e. the description of the truck-stop prostitute and other well-written but long descriptions of local color). Sometimes the story seems too convenient (i.e. how Tucker runs into Katie and the subplot of Katie running from her ex, which wraps up too neatly, I think), but the emotions and inner struggle encapsulates what it means to forgive every day. Because of the nature of the story, backstory is integral, but it's overwhelming. At times it felt a little like this: I walked through the field. It reminded me of the time when...backstory...On the other side, I met Katie...then Katie shares her backstory through one-sided dialogue...We walked back together like we did that day when we were...another backstory.

I'm exaggerating. Slightly.

All in all, I'm glad I gave the story another try, and I'll read more Charles Martin because I like the flow of his prose and the development of his main characters. The prologue in the beginning kept me going through the slow story development. If you're willing to persevere through the beginning, I recommend it.

This was such a unique book. It wasn't close to what I expected. Two boys, who live with their father in Alabama, are pretty much raised by their housekeeper, Ella Rain. Their father is very abusive and it impacts the boys life in drastic ways. Tucker, a photographer, is running from himself and the person he does not want to become. Mutt is in a mental hospital dealing with his demons and the voices inside his head. When Mutt escapes from the hospital and Katie, an old girlfriend, appears with her son and a black eye, Tucker is forced to return home and face his tragic past. This books brings faith and hope together with great character development and a very unique story line. One of those I whipped through and did not want to put down.

I don't too often rave about a book I've read but this is one of those you just have to rave about and share with others. I am an avid reader and read probably 2-4 books a week. I read secular and inspirational and I have to say this author moved to the top of my list as must reads. The book is loaded with humor and wit, sadness, love; no, this isn't a romance though there is a little romance going on but mostly it's several people who have been damaged by life and how the love and prayers of a black house keeper and nanny affected the lives of 2 boys. This is about forgiveness and how God worked to bring these lives together and heal them. It's not a preachy book though there is one chapter of a Catholic priest who says more profound words in a few minutes than many preachers I've heard who preach an hour. The characters are all so delightful to read about and I wanted to read more of them when it ended.

Jase, the little boy in the story is so adorable and I loved his relationship with Tucker. Then there is poor "Mutt" damaged so much by the past. Yet he is a delightful character. Of course probably the most important character was Miss Ella who loved these boys and prayed them through life and took beatings from the abusive father but still wouldn't leave the boys.

Towards the end of the book, Tucker is talking to God and says it all. "WE had 33 years of misery, bitterness, and hell, but you were right. Whipped, battered and beaten, love broke through the rocks. I don't know how, but it did. I guess that's the mystery of it all." It will be worth your time to read the book to find how all of this took place.

I got this book from the library but loved it so much, I ordered it to have my own copy because I know I will read it again and lend it to friends. I have pre-ordered Mr Martin's next book, "Where the River Ends" due out in July. This is one author really worth your time to read.

Found the story line to be a little far fetched, especially a person being sent home from a mental hospital with 2 injectable shots of Thorazine and a bottle of so called pills.

The very explicate descriptions of a situation or a view I found to be long, they could have been more to the point.

I had a hard time in reading the story and I had to force myself to finish.

In order to understand and learn about the origins of the KKK, this book was purchased. Although there are brief mentions of this detail, the book mainly consists as a manual of the rules and regulations of the KKK throughout the years. As a historical book, this was a waste but as as a detail manual of the historical rules over the many years of the Klan, this would be a justifiable purchase. The format was not interesting at the least bit and was more of a text book format. For what I expected, this was a waste of money.

The Klan (1st one) was a late comer to America as a terrorist group. 'Gangs of New York' only provides a glimpse of other terror groups. Prior to the Klan there was The Golden Circle, The Grange (depending on where your sympathies lay), The Sons of Liberty, Red Legs, etc.

Terror groups existed before the War of Independence.

Sensational title, but sadly very wrong.

The documents are interesting. Some of the commentary is a bit heavily biased for me. Where is the "other stuff?" The other Klan and Klan-like groups that existed at the same time (as both original and reborn Klans).

Interesting, good information- just not definitive.

This is a good book that reveals many interesting facts about the Ku Klux Klan of the 20s. It is hard to put the book down once you start reading it.

I highly recommend "Ku Klux Klan America's First Terrorists Exposed" for its insight and depth. Patrick O'Donnell has done a remarkable job in putting this book together and it should be read by all who have a serious interest in American (shadow) history and those who care about where this country might be headed in that regard.

The Klan's last great attempted to capture the hearts and mind of a changing nation is documented by a collection of vintage documents in this informative book. Because of the climate of racial sensitivity and political correctness that persists today, the popularity of the Klan of the 1920s (widespread and very public) has been removed from the public discourse, and thus doing a disservice to the historians of today, the precedent voices that opposed the Klan, and all races of people that rose above oppression. This book examines both the crimes committed by the Klan as well as their social acceptance by a majority of Americans at the time; both topics will be equally shocking to the present day reader.

What is so utterly fascinating about Mr. O'Donnell's attempt to bring light to the subject of organized terror is the perfectly ordinary way in which he goes about it. Not present in his book are the heavy-handed moralizations modern authors feel compelled to include in theirs. The effect can be chilling at times; especially when murder, rape, torture, and the demoralization of a race of people are described with the vernacular of the period. To think that once any issue regarding Black Americans was deemed "The Negro Problem" by the press of the day or how lynching was seen as an expectable deterrent to crime is disgraceful and does not need any author to point this fact out.