Alabama Books

Very interesting book about a young Marine's experiences in Viet Nam. Written as a journal it gives a unique perspective on a soldier's daily challenges during war. Author Griffis's role as both a defense counsel and a prosecuter exposes us to some of the lesser known trials and tribulations that soldiers encounter during war time. It also does a good job of showing the sacrifices that soldiers are more than willing to make when called upon to do so by their country.

Written in journal entries, "Eagle Days" is an interesting look at the day-to-day life of a man at war. One would expect that such a book might be dry as West Texas land, but Mr. Griffis has written with wry humor that lets one see the young man behind the uniform. Overall, I recommend the book not only for those who have been to war, but for those who have not. The name of war has changed, but not the pride and bravery of the soldier who fights it.

It surprises me that this book is already out of print. I read every Wallace book I can find and this is the most complete I've seen.

This is one of the best books written about George Wallace, and by far, the most objective. While most writers tend to either praise or revile the former Alabama Governer, Mr. Lesher remains objective throughout the book. Not only does this book document Wallace's life and political career, it also details the impact that Wallace had on American Politics, an influence which is felt today. Overall, a superb read.

Arthur has an unusual, perhaps unlikely, job. He researches the history of abandoned company towns. One summer, he takes his mother, his 11-year-old daughter Josie, and his 7-year-old son Ron to live in the ghost town of Whitner, Alabama, while he studies the town's sudden failure.

It isn't long before Josie finds out they are not alone in the dusty ruins. We know right away that Josie's new friend Lucy is a ghost, but it will be several more days before Josie figures that out.

GHOSTS OF WHITNER is almost a junior version of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." Author J.A LeVitt has done a wonderful job of weaving a message of friendship, forgiveness, and family into a story that, at points, is genuinely suspenseful and scary. In spite of the simple language she uses, the images pop right into the mind. They are graphic but not gory. The ending left me quite satisfied, unlike many other young adult titles in this genre that discredit their own plots by turning them into misunderstandings, dreams, or even jokes on their waning pages.

This book has a slight gender bias to it, but I don't think most boys would notice, so go ahead and buy one for your son. Lucy the ghost is obviously a black character, but the children in the story do not realize there is any difference. That is a good thing, and I'm grateful that the author doesn't diminish it by getting on a soapbox and proclaiming it.

Yes, there is murder behind the death of the town of Whitner, and the kids witness death there; so, if that makes you nervous, read the book before you pass it on to your 9-year-old. Hey, even if it doesn't bother you, read it anyway. You'll be treating yourself to a short, entertaining read.

-Byron C. Justice, author of
Violent Night
and Haunted Camps

Josie's family spends every summer in an old "company town" as part of her father's academic research. This year, in Whitner, Alabama, Josie gets to help, too. When she meets Lucy, she discovers that her new friend needs help, too. This is a chapter book that is part ghost story, part mystery, and part what-did-YOU-learn-on-your-summer-vacation! I will confess: I couldn't put it down. I read the book in one sitting and went to bed later than I should have! This is an enjoyable read that I'll probably pick up again. The story moves quickly, and the writing is clear, albeit awkward at times. The imagery and mystery blend well, making it a story where you can follow along with Josie and Lucy. It might have been nice to have a map of Whitner for visual readers. Some may find the plot troubling, as Josie and her brother entice the two-time murderer back into Whitner by themselves. The story debunks traditional myths/stereotypes of ghosts, and looking past it, there are opportunities to talk about compassion, empathy, and taking responsibility for one's actions.

This was a great book which expanded my knowledge of the T.V. production and industry. I highly recommend it for research purposes.

I have no idea who Joseph Udelson is - his only other published work is a biography of British author Israel Zangwill - or what got him interested in the highly technical and convoluted beginnings of American television. But he managed to unearth a rich mine of obscure and arcane history in this densely written little paperback.

His main qualification is obvious: the completeness of a compulsive and tireless scholar, who finds an untouched or neglected story and proceeds to explore it from every possible angle. The Great Television Race is tough reading for any but the most curious TV historian - but that reader will find plenty of information available nowhere else, and hopefully be spurred on to further research and discovery in what is still a largely unexplored sub-specialty in media studies.

In his drive for completeness, Udelson inevitably uncovers gems that make an otherwise dry narrative come alive. He quotes, in its entirety, the hourly station identification of the Boston Television Station W1XAV, which encouraged enthusiasts in 1930 to write for free TV literature, or even come and be televised in person!

Happily, Udelson also seems unaware of the prevailing wisdom that TV was strictly a laboratory affair before it found its mass audience. This allows him to explore early attempts at program planning, the machinations of the radio industry, and the growing regulatory power of the federal government. The purely technical histories won't tell you that third party TV sets went on sale in New York in 1938, a year before RCA intended the public to look in on its experiments; Udelson does, although perhaps inevitably, there is no follow-up. (RCA, in response, simply went off the air.)

If anyone ever gets the idea to write another (and hopefully better) popular history of pre-TV along the lines of Michael Ritchie's Please Stand By, The Great Television Race is an ideal place to begin.

Elizabeth Bishop's poems are amazing! very tought provoking. Buy this book if you're a fan of Elizabeth Bishop, you wont regret it. it's well worth your money!

The world of poetic criticism is often murky. Having read and loved Elizabeth Bishop's poems, I was disappointed by much which literary critics have composed in regard to her fantastic work. However, Colwell's book does a fantastic job of illuminating Bishop's individual poems in light of her much larger opus--without sacrificing any of Bishop's artistic vision as so many others have done in an attempt to force the poems to "mean" a certain thing. Furthermore, Colwell's emphasis on how the body constantly influenced Bishop's poetic vision has not only prompted me to reread Bishop in a new way, but also has prompted me to reread many of the poets by whom Bishop was influenced, and thus gain a new understanding of their work as well.

In 1862 Island No. 10, so named because it was the tenth island south of the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, Illinois, was a natural fortress 1 mile long and 450 yards wide. It was shallow, 10 feet above low water, in the middle of the channel, and straddled the boundaries of the states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. It was an ideal site from which the Confederates could maintain control of both rivers, effectively choking all northern river traffic and thus the export of all Union production north of these rivers as far east as today's West Virginia. It was a critical site indeed.

But in March and early April of 1862, the combined Union army and navy launched a campaign for command of the Island No. 10, which became the site of the first extensive seige of the Civil War. Success here launched the elevation of General John Pope to command of the Army of the Potomac and set the stage for the Union's subsequent disaster at second Manassas. But this engagement also demonstrated the strength of Union control in the Mississippi River Valley and set the stage for the Union's ultimate triumph at Vicksburg and the opening of the Mississippi River system over a year later.

An often mentioned yet overlooked Mississippi River battle, Larry J. Daniel and Lynn N. Bock render an excellent analysis of this key, early Civil War Union victory.

Island No. 10 is always there but never really part of the story. It happens off to the East if you are reading about the Trans-Mississippi. It happens off the West when you are reading a book on Shiloh. When you read about Forts Henry & Donelson, they clear the way for it to happen and it had to happen to allow the Vicksburg Campaign. If you read about the 1862 campaigns in Virginia, Island No. 10 makes Pope into McClellan's chief rival. Setting up all the questions about Second Manassas and did or did not the AOP with hold troops allowing Pope to be defeated. In 1862, Island No. 10 is one event that seems to be included in every story but is not important enough to be a story. We all know about it but we lack knowledge of the campaign falling into the always their but never central to the story.

With no large battles or star players, it is easy to see how this happened. Pope's reputation is destroyed in six months and Foote dies within a year canceling the Union leaders. The Confederacy never commits a major player to the defense of the island. After surrendering, reputations destroyed; captured and imprisoned the commanders are relegated to minor positions when exchanged.

This small book covers the actions of both sides as they struggle for control of a critical position on the Mississippi River. Island No. 10 is the tenth island south of the Ohio River and a key defensive position in stopping the northern advance from Cairo. Generals Polk, AS Johnston and Beauregard all had other things on their mind and the island was never a primary position. We are given an excellent but concise understand of the "bigger issues" caused this to happen. When Union General Pope took New Madrid, he cut the position off from most river traffic. Flag Officer Andrew Foote with ironclads and mortar ships launched a prolonged bombardment. Each side builds and abandons positions on the river, conducts raids and endures the boredom of siege operations. The reader gets a good understand of the move counter move of constant action. The book's maps keep the positions clear, while photos and illustrations give us the feel of history unfolding. The infighting between the armies and navies is a piece of ACW history seldom seen. The Confederate commander would not risk his ships wanting to save his ships for use in defending New Orleans. The Union commander was convinced his ironclads were all that stopped Confederate control of the Mississippi. The Confederate ships fled as Pope tightens control below the island and Foote faced with increasing pressure and near mutiny allowed a couple of ironclads to run past the defenses.

The Union City series ironclads, weak by later standards, were the decisive weapon in 1862. We see that here, as they are able to defeat anything the CSA can throw at them. Reading this book, helps us to understand the CSA's withdrawal to Corinth and the thinking behind the attack at Shiloh.

Larry J. Daniel is one of our better authors and Lynn Bock complements his style producing a readable informative book that is fun to read.

It was a great collection. I recomend it to anyone looking for a great ghost story.

Ms. Wyndham is a gifted storyteller. Her tales are spellbinding. Great for reading by oneself or sharing by a campfire.

This is based on my upcoming review in First Draft Magazine:

KEEPING HEARTH AND HOME IN OLD ALABAMA by Carol Padgett.
Menasha Ridge Press, Birmingham, Alabama. 2002. ISBN
0-8732-522-2.

At first glance, this seems to be one of those pre-packaged
books of old-time advice and recipes that could be reproduced for
each state in the Union--just change the name "Alabama" to
whatever state you want to insert.

However, though this is a wise marketing strategy, this book
is somewhat personalized for Alabama, making it worthwhile for
the historical footnotes it contains, as well as for its
entertaining recipes and bits of wisdom.

Where else would you be reminded that, because of the power
of "White Privilege," many old Southern recipes developed by
black slaves and domestics were credited to the white families
who passed them down the generations? This is something to
ponder.

Where else would you find advice from Harriet Beecher Stowe
on how to boil water properly? Where else would you learn that
asbestos is best in protecting your stove from setting the house
on fire? And you'll be grateful to learn that a dining table
"should be firm and solid and not so shaky that the guests fear
some catastrophe." So much for the advice I got from my wife:
always carry a matchbook to dinner, in case the table wobbles and
you have to level it.

In other words, this is a browser's book, a book for the
waiting room or the bath room. You can pick it up and learn
something totally useless almost anywhere in the book--and once
in a while you'll be startled with a useful piece of information:
"Many children form habits which are not nice, such as spitting
on the floor...and yawning." We have to be thankful for small
improvements over the past century.

--Jim Reed, author of DAD'S TWEED COAT: SMALL WISDOMS HIDDEN COMFORTS UNEXPECTED JOYS Learn more at: jimreedbooks.com

If you are curious on how your great grandmother, or great-great grandmother lived, this is a must read. Full of interesting recipes, household hints, protocol and family rearing tips of the 1900's. This book is one of a series (several different states have been written about) The book is written in an easy to read format, and would be enjoyable for anyone over 12 years old. This book has some humor and is written for the layman, and not the college student. This book may also be of value for someone writing historical fiction novels. If you are a romantic, and love reading books and watching movies set in the 1900's, this book is for you! Great Value! I am looking forward to reading more in the series. I give it 5 Stars!

Tom Allison has written a great book about the ATF's work in rural Alabama and Tennessee in busting illegal liquor. There is a lot fo humor in this book and plenty of very interesting characters, all true. I understand that this was written as a memoir, but ended up being very popular. It is definitely worth reading.

Some time back a Montgomery friend asked me to read a memoir that had been written by a former agent for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division (ATF) of the IRS -- a "revenuer" as they once were called. The author was Thomas R. Allison. Since much of Allison's career had been spend in northeast Alabama, my friend figured I would be interested, and he was right. So the manuscript was delivered. I read it. Encouraged my friend to encourage the author, and that was all I heard of it until a few months ago, when a copy of Moonshine Memories arrived on my desk, along with a note thanking me for all I had done. Understand this. I didn't do anything. This is the author's work and he should be justly proud. Begun as a way to tell his grandchildren about the life he led, Allison's tales grew into a full-fledged account of the one of the most legend-filled conflicts in southern history -- the cat and mouse contest between moonshiners and revenue agents. It is the story of lawmen chasing rumors, of stake-outs, of raids, of successes, and of failures, of excitement and danger, of painstaking investigations and boring dead-ends. Anyone who loves a good adventure story will love this book. But there is more to Moonshine Memories than ripping good yarns. Woven into the stories is one of the best accounts of how the illegal liquor business worked and how the men assigned to stop it did their job. Here is a look into an aspect of southern culture that, until now, has been obscure if not unknown. If you want to know what inspired songs like "Mountain Dew" and "Thunder Road," read this book. Best of all, if you like to read about southern "personalities," this book is for you. It is a fact that law enforcement and law breaking are two professions that attract unique individuals, some of whom could easily move from one profession to the other, and frequently did. Allison captures these people in print and reveals to readers a cast of characters that will delight and perplex. To sum it up, in Moonshine Memories Thomas Allison tells a good story, a funny story, an exciting story. But more than that, the story he tells preserves a part of Alabama history that is both important and entertaining. What began as a legacy for his grandchildren has become a legacy for us all.

Harvey H. Jackson. Review orignially published in the Anniston Star.

The author does seem to present clues that he comes from a moderate position. Nonetheless this is an excellent book. I personally enjoyed the many details he uses to describe SBC life 1969-1991.

David Morgan does an excellent job with the history of the conflict within the SBC over the past 25 years. Clearly documented and well researched, Morgan takes you step by step through the transformation of the convention from liberal (or moderate) leadership to conservative management. Although he never suscintly states his position, he does offer clear clues along the way that he comes from a more "moderate" persuasion, but he does seem to present a quite unbiased reference work. He demonstrates clearly the attitudes and actions of both sides, neither of which is very complimentary in light of Christianity at times. An excellent, readable work - exciting, frustrating, and most of all, enlightening.