Georgia Books

If you have any family lines that are from Macon Co., GA or passed through, this book is a must have. There is so much information crammed into it that it is a genealogist's delight.

Ten years of research by the author is a fair guide to the amount of information contained in this book. The 31st Georgia, part of "Stonewall" Jackson's legendary foot cavalry saw action in almost every major battle in the eastern theatre. Mr White's research covers not just the battles, and the commanders of the 31st (most notably John Gordon) but also many personal details of the humble private. A fitting finale is a comprehensive roster of the regiment with as many details of each member as the author has been able to find - including in many places the date of death for those that survived. I really enjoyed all of this book - the author's research has led to a fine regimental history.

The History of Turner County is an excellent reference book if you are doing family genealogy work. It list how the county came into existance and many stories of life and actitives in rural south Georgia. The format is not only educational but extremely entertaining. This history book is not just crammed with exacting dates and events, it is an easy read and a must if you have family in the Turner County area.

She's good, one of those sardonic southern writers who couldn't write a bad sentence if you held her feet to the fire or offered a bribe. She's got that fine ear that condenses our common language and turns it into near poetry. Every word pure protein, no filler. She fuses voice to people to place, like Grace Paley only Hood's people live in rural Georgia, tend to hunt, and Church sends its long shadow. So, imagine cross between Grace Paley and Flannery O'Connor. THrow in the terse existentialism of the blues. Richer language than Raymond Carver, or Tobias Wolfe but part of that short story renaissance that started in the Eighties. She's one of the best.

I wish my family had this book when I was growing up. The recipes aren't just for teenage boys; they're healthy and easy recipes for the whole family. There are good tips scattered throughout the book on making kitchen life easier, as well as insight into how teenage boys should eat. There are also great tips on how to get guys to eat healthier, like put healthy food where they will find it! Excellent for anyone who is looking to help her family eat healthier, even without teenage boys.

This is a valuable book (resource) for budding entrepreneurs. It seems to try to cover all the bases for starting a small business, but it can't do them all well in the space available between its covers. The book is only 288 pages long. If you are in the planning stages of starting a small business, then I highly recommend you get a copy of this book. Read it, study it, and outline it. There are helpful checklists to help you grasp the subjects. You will come up with a plethora of keywords and terms that you will want to google to find Web pages giving more detailed (and maybe more current) information.

I am a SCORE counselor (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) who typically does face-to-face counseling sessions three nights a month. It would really be neat if my clients would read this book BEFORE they came to their session with me because they would pretty much be "educated customers" ready to ask educated questions. Our sessions would be so much more beneficial.

My favorite chapters were:

1. Initial business concerns
2. Your business' structure
3. Business start-up details
5. Sources of business assistance (SCORE is mentioned here)
7. Your smart business plan (and a good sample plan is included)
8. Obtaining the financing you need

The book is weak when it comes to how the Internet can be used in corresponding, hiring, and marketing. But this is just one example of how googling keywords and concepts found in the book will make the book more complete. Don't treat the book as authoritative on the law. It isn't. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is light on tax information as it relates to small business.

I was particularly impressed with the material presented in Chapter 2: Choice of Legal Entity. That subject is sorely ignored in most small business books, and it is critically important. It is a subject I regularly must spend a great deal of time discussing at my SCORE sessions. This book does a pretty good job on the topic.

Chapters 4 and 9 through 12 are easy to find fault with. The topic of each could fill a book. But having these topics covered definitely will help a budding entrepreneur know some of the issues they raise.

I would have liked the book more if Chapter 6 (marketing) had been less superficial. When I read it I got the impression that the author was more a public relations expert than a marketing expert. I generally categorize public relations as a subset of marketing. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, and a whole host of other promotion techniques. I did not get this message when I read the book. I also would have liked the book better if the Internet, email, and Web sites had been discussed more. But there are many books on those subjects. Therefore, I can't complain too much about the limited discussion of computers.

When you read this book it may feel a little like it was produced on an assembly line. Maybe it was? There are 50 versions of this book sold; the only state I haven't found a copy for is Montana. Content is king, and this book has it. 5 stars!

Charles Rutheiser has added an impressive new addition to the literature of urban anthropology. In this, his latest offering, he chronicles Atlanta's urban redevelopment for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Like a hacksaw, Rutheiser sheers away at the Olympic hype, leaving only the truth of a "imagineered" Atlanta of the New South. As one who lived in Atlanta during the craziness of the Olympics, Rutheiser's observations are dead-on and leads the reader to view Atlanta as a "constructed" New Southern City.

No point reviewing it in detail. Hartley, Dove, and O'Keefe are three of my favorite 20th C painters, and I was reminded of this book by seeing some of their works in the new De Young Museum in San Francisco. Hartley's stock seems to be rising these days. The Walker Museum in Minneapolis is the best place to get to know him. I had a chance to buy a Hartley canvas some twenty years ago, but I thought it was overpriced. Terrible mistake! It would sell for six to eight times more now. With critical assessments shifting from the who-influenced-whom approach to a more open-eyed confrontation with the paintings per se, Hartley is bound to rise even higher.

The new De Young didn't thrill me at first. It looks a lot like Darth Vader's garage from the outside, and it was built to house an essentially provincial collection. HOWEVER... It's getting a comfortable feeling inside, with excellent viewing angles and light, and the collection includes three wonders: 1)great stuff from Indonesia, well displayed and intelligently labeled. 2)great stuff from Mesoamerica, also well displayed. 3)about four good gallery rooms of 20th C American paintings, including the three mentioned above, and Diebenkorn, Jess, de Kooning, Hopper, TH Benton, etc. I like to jog through Golden Gate Park, stop at the De Young to view just one gallery or even one painting, and then jog out to the Pacific.

J.B. Murray's abstract art leaves a vivid, immediate impression. Padgelek clearly explains Murray's African-Islamic and Evangelical Christian influences, an analysis which expands previous studies of this self-taught, visionary black artist. Padgelek's biography of Murray goes beyond academic analysis, to include Murray's overriding mission in his art-- a visionary experience of the Holy Spirit. Murray's essential sanity and commonsense within his religious context and 'calling' are sensitively treated. Although his work is primarily abstract, Murray often filled a painting's space with haunting, human faces and figures, as seen in the book's many illustrations. Padgelek adds to our appreciation of a unique talent. An excellent book!

This book has been extremely useful in tracing family lines. The book is divided by bride and groom with each being arranged alphabetically with page and book included. I have found it available at pkjones.net.