Oklahoma Books

Set in Quiver, Oklahoma in 1961, a 13-year old girl named Frannie becomes friends with an African-American girl Celeste. Celeste is the first and only African-American student to attend Quiver Junior High School. Initially, Frannie grapples with having a friendship with Celeste or maintaining the acceptance of her peers. This friendship blossoms after the two are selected to be a part of an all-girl vocal ensemble. Through this friendship, Frannie learns a lot about prejudice, segregation, and injustice. Through Celeste's fathers' research of his genealogy, the girls realize that the town of Quiver holds a lot of secrets including include a history of Klan activity. The two girls find a secret "starplace" where thy meet and share their deepest inner most thoughts. This book falls into the genre of historical fiction. The accounts in the story are historically accurate, but unfortunately some of the actions of the characters are far too unrealistic for the time period for which the book is written. Most of the students are far too welcoming of Celeste. Also, Celeste's characterization is far too idealized, portraying her as having all positive traits. The feeling of the early 1960s is strong in spite of a few phrases and slang terms that sound more modern. This book is for middle and junior high students, but I would only use this book after careful consideration. In addition, the students would need background knowledge of Klan activity and the horrid acts committed by its members. This aspect is only slightly touched upon in the novel.

This book is about two girl's, Nancy And Celeste that become friend's one white and one black, the town doesn't really appreciate having black people in their town especially becoming friend's with what they call negro's!!! They have a history of racisim but they naver could get through it! So will Nancy stay with her naew best friend or will she dump her for town's reputation. I really recommened this book for all teenager's to read about racisim and how it could ruein A best friend's relationship!!!

A black girl moves to a "white town," and isn't treated the best by her peers. However, a girl named Frannie befriends her, and so does a small group of girls. She came with her father, to find out about their family history, and they discovered some interesting things about their ansestors. The klu klux klan had been terrorizing her family for a long time, but she responded better than most people would, she didn't try to get revenge or anything. After a while, Frannie and her friends didn't care about what other people thought about them hanging out with Celeste, and they stuck up for her, even when she would't stick up for herself. This is a very good book that makes what happend in the past, directly after segragation was outlawed, very interesting and you can really relate to this book, and understand everything.

One of the star sisters

When school starts at Quiver Junior High Celeste is the new student and the first ever black student. When Frannie meets Celeste she likes her and wants to be her friend but wonders what others will say. Frannie has also had been planning a luau. With Celeste in her choir class they try out for the soloist group to see if they can beat the popular girls. Read the book to figure out if Celeste makes friends, if the luau goes according to plan, and if Celeste and Frannie make the cut.

The Starplace was a very great book. It was about a girl named Frannie who lives in a town called Quiver. The setting is back in the 1960s when there was a lot of racism. In the town of Quiver, there aren't many blacks in this town, there is a haunted house were an old man use to live. Everyone thinks that the house is haunted. One ordinary day Frannie was going to her moms work and sees a black man going out from her office. Frannie finds out that he has bought the old haunted house. The man has a daughter named Celeste. When summer break ends and Frannie and her friends go back to school, she sees Celeste at school. No one talks to her because of the color of her skin. When people pass by her in the hallway they stay at least five feet away. Celeste happens to be the first colored girl to go to the Quiver school. Frannie starts talking to her and they become the best of friends. Many other people that Frannie hangs out with talk to Celeste, too. They stick up for her and hang out with her. Celeste is a very good singer. She takes choir class with Frannie. They try out for a group for singers and they both make it. They sing all around the town of Quiver. Then when they have reauditions Celeste does not make the team because the color of her skin. This makes Frannie very upset. Frannie one day sees Celeste and her father in her backyard looking at the field behind her house. Frannie is very curious. Frannie sees them picking up something that looks like a burnt finger. Celeste tells her everything about her great grandfather that had to do with that field and a cave in the woods. Celeste and her dad moved to Quiver because her dad wanted to write a book about the cave and the field. There are many mysteries that have to do with the field and the cave. The book that her dad writes has to do with her great granfather and his time in Quiver. It has to do with the poeple hanging the colored people in their town. In addition, the cave has to do with where a colored guy was dragged after he was beaten and cut many times. Celeste was very sad and emotional over this. When her and Frannie were in the cave they found mangles that happened to be from the colored guy that was beaten. At the end, Celeste gives her the burnt finger which is actually a harmonica that was her great grandfathers. The book is called Starplace because Celeste and Frannie have a place where they like to hang out and they like to sing with each other. They call it their Starplace. They call each other star sisters. The main conflict in this book is just because Celeste is colored people do not talk to her and try to avoid her. Frannie makes a difference by talking to her and had people starting to talk to her. This book has a lot to do about racism. Frannie trys to create a difference by having a colored friend and showing that they are not different then regular white people. This book is good to read if you like books about true friendships. If you like a little mystery there is some in here for you to read. Girls and Boys should read this it could teach you a thing or two about friendships and how important they are.

Dorothy Garlock's books (except for the earliest romance novels) are so rich and moving that I have trouble putting them down. I savor her books and am looking forward to reading all of them, but don't want to be thru with them!

Kathleen Dolan has bought half of a newspaper in Rawlings, Oklahoma--a small town with big secrets. As she tries to uncover just what's going on, she finds herself thrown together with Johnny Henry. He's a complex man. A man who doesn't want the complications of falling in love. But sometimes loves happens whether we want it to or not.

With Heart is the story of two strong people who unite for a cause, and stay united for love.

I really wanted to like Dorothy Garlock's WITH HEART more, and it's probably one of my better and readable 1-star romances. I liked both our lead characters here, I thought the hero was slightly different from the historical-romance archetype, and I enjoyed their sparse moments of romance together. Not to mention the late 1930s Oklahoma backdrop constituted a new setting for me. Unfortunately, the bungling plot and pace of this 433-page paperback disappointed big time. The characters and passion in most romances usually supersedes any plot or more often, the romantic tension *is* the plot. Here, Garlock attempts to balance the plot having to do with surreptitious dealings in Rawlings, Oklahoma, with Kathleen & Johnny's burgeoning love. But since the passion and love was rather on the light side, the blundering plot really exacerbated the entire reading experience in this romance novel.

Heroes and heroines from past novels crowding the plotting never sits well with me, and there's just too much of Keith McCabe in this novel, a hero from one of Garlock's prior novels, I presume. It seemed like this novel's hero Johnny Henry constantly deferred to Keith McCabe for help and building Johnny's characterization. For instance, light-hearted banter between Keith, his wife and Johnny molded Johnny's characterization from our heroine Kathleen's eyes during a dinner after the rodeo. Barker Fleming attempts to bond with his long-lost son Johnny after the rodeo as well while helping Keith ride his flock back to his ranch. Johnny mentions connections through Keith McCabe which could succor a dangerous situation our protagonists create from uncovering the surreptitious conspiracy in Rawlings, OK. And Johnny turns to Keith McCabe when he wishes to entrap a murderer as well. Too much Keith McCabe, enough already!

I thought an episodic bookkeeping characterizes much of the plotting. There were too many times in the novel where Garlock painstakingly notes to include all the characters in the room before allowing someone to divulge pertinent information. For example, Kathleen makes Barker Fleming wait until Paul and Adelaide are in the room together before allowing him to share what happened at the clinic with Doc Herman. In a gossiping way, Kathleen asks Johnny whether he heard about the young girl in town (Judy) looking for her real parents. It all amounts to amateurish bookkeeping if you ask me. Worse, for over 3 pages, we're treated to a confrontation between a local merchant Leroy and our newspaper owners Kathleen and Adelaide when Leroy threatens to withdraw all local advertising. Kathleen fumes at Leroy for being spineless, and the entire altercation seemed pointless since we knew Doc Herman was pulling the strings and naive of Kathleen to prolong and provoke an altercation with an intimidated hireling. I think that dumb and pointless argument accelerated the book's decline while the melodramatic ending hammered the final nail in this book's coffin. Finally, it's funny and I'm probably bad for saying it, but I really didn't find our villain Doc Herman's clandestine activity all that condemning. I'm skeptical a profitable market would exist for his service: a pseudo adoption agency, providing homes for unwanted children of unwed mothers. Are there really that many affluent couples not able to have children of their own?

WITH HEART mostly belongs to Kathleen although I thought our hero Johnny managed to make an impact as well. The passion is PG-13 though their connection wasn't any less resounding for it; in fact, I find more explicitly sensual romance novels involving a notorious libertine scientifically igniting a virgin's passion empty by comparison.

I have read several of Garlock's books and have enjoyed all of them. The characters are so believable. Their personalities, characteristics and mannerisms are so well described. It was a love story but was also a mystery. There are a few surprises that will catch the reader completely off guard. I loved it.

I fell in love with Johnny Henry in "With Hope" and "With Song", and am thrilled to find him the main hero in this story, and "After The Parade", the next book in this series. Ms. Garlock did not disappoint me! This is the best romance story I ever read! Why this series hasn't been grabbed for a mini series is beyond me... it has all the best qualities!!!!

The romance is so powerful and strong, I couldn't put the book down. I read this one in two days, and was left breathless for more! Luckily, "After The Parade" was waiting for me! You won't be disappointed. If you read any of Ms. Garlock's books, read this one!!! You do not have to read the series in order, there is enough information cleverly included so that you don't miss a beat!

This book provided a fascinating look into Blanche Barrow's life as well as great detail into the lives of Bonnie and Clyde and their fellow outlaws. The author/editor did an outstanding job of compiling Blanche's memoirs into what was occuring in the world during her lifetime. I wasn't too sure if I would like this book when I ordered it because I normally don't read biographies/autobiographies about criminals. However, when I began to read it I became totally absorbed into this woman's ife and the pictures are great too (there's lots). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Blanche Barrow's account into the turbulent and volatile few months in 1933 she spent with Bonnie, Clyde and W.D. Jones on the run is fascinating reading. The one point which comes across over and over is her true love for Buck Barrow - which really supports that old saying: "Love is Blind". There was certainly nothing apparent which made Buck an intelligent or appealing type of fellow, but to Blanche he was everything. This lovely lady is very much a victim of circumstance - drawn into the dark scheming world of hatred and revenge of the law of Clyde Barrow. Clyde was certainly the orchestrator of their life on the run. For some reason, Buck Barrow was overwhelmed and dominated by his younger brother Clyde and Blanche was continually trying to get Buck away from this life of running and hiding. Bonnie Parker too was entranced by Clyde's domination as well. It seemed as though she was in awe of Clyde and everthing Clyde said or did was the gospel. It is very much an encaptivating read - however I was hoping to find out more what her prison life was like after the Dexfield Park capture which the book seems to skim over very briefly. The accounts of Joplin, Platte City and Dexfield Park in this book are excellent and you really do wonder how they all survived as long as they did. I thoroughly recommend it to all Bonnie and Clyde fans.

I really enjoyed reading this book. However, you must keep in mind that it was told by one of the participants and that self image and self preservation were apparent in telling her side of the story. I would advise doing what I did. I read the Knight book, "Bonnie & Clyde, a Twenty-First Century Update" and the John Neal Phillips book "Running with Bonnie and Clyde" at the same time as this one. I think by combining and sifting through the information in all three, you can come away with a pretty clear picture of these peoples lives.

I often wondered what had become of Blanch Barrow as the movie did not tell us much of anything. At the end of the book I found myself with tears in my eyes. I am not saying she was totally innocent in everything that transpired, but she paid dearly for the mistake of loving her husband and I being a woman can synpathize with her greatly. I can just picture her sitting in a chair, an old woman, forgotten, left with nothing but her cats and memories of days gone by...nothing is sadder than what might have been. What really made me realize how human these characters were was when Blanche tells us about bringing her dog Snowball on the run when she and Buck took off with Bonnie and Clyde and then loosing her dog during the shootout in Platte City, as the dog was spooked by the gun battle, he ran out of the house and this was the last she ever saw of her beloved pet. These were very much people like us that I firmly believe were victims of the times they lived and the desolation that surrounded them. I often wonder what would have became of those four people if they would have grown up in New England perhaps or New York where even though the depression was going on, there were more opportunities for work or perhaps they were born at the wrong time in history. Maybe if Bonnie and Clyde would have been born and came of age in the 80's or 90's, they would have been different people....but we will never know. This book is a must read for anyone, not just fans of Bonnie and Clyde, but its just a damned good book to read.

This is about the best book I've read on Bonnie and Clyde so far. Although as Mr. Phillips states it is slanted in the favor of Blanche, it still is very well written and I think more historically correct than other books I have read on this subject. It was interesting to read how these people really lived on the run and how human they were. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Bonnie and Clyde.

Good reference book for visiting the battle field... a must for those 'THEN & NOW' types.... like me... :)

In this very interesting large-format paperback, photos of the Little Big Horn battlefield taken (in some cases) within a year or so of the battle are compared to photos taken as nearly as possible from the same spot and with the same field of view, over the past 20 years. It is amazing how little this landscape has changed, the main differences being due to erosion, changes in the course of the river, and the springing-up of large numbers of trees in what was originally a treeless, barren waste.

My main reservation about the book is that clearly, it lives and dies by the quality of the photo reproduction, and this quality is not high. "Serviceable" is the best I can say about it. Another problem is the huge, often nearly maddening, amount of sheer repetition in the text discussions. This is clearly done to make the commentary on each pair of photos as self-contained as possible, but nearly exactly the same comments, in almost exactly the same words, appear over and over.

This book makes a good companion to the recent Little Bighorn account, A TERRIBLE GLORY. It provides, based on Indian accounts and archaeological excavations, a fairly detailed discussion of the various stages of the battle involving the three companies (or whatever they were called) of cavalry who went along with Custer... details that are not present in A TERRIBLE GLORY.

The authors make a number of very interesting points, concerning for example the later confusion between the spot where Custer's body was found (at the top of the hill) and the spot where he was buried (about 100 feet down the hillside). It's clear from the photos that Custer's body was found at a spot which today is immediately in front of the later monument. Wherever Custer was buried, he might be still there, because when the graves of the officers of the 7th Cavalry were excavated so that the bodies could be reburied as the families directed (Custer was supposed to wind up at West Point), only a few scattered skeletal fragments turned up in the grave marked as his.

Unlike many university press books I have examined in the past few decades, this one has been professionally set in type, and the text looks great.

I consider this an outstanding piece of work. For anyone who love early photography and comparing historical photographs with contemporary views, this is great work. Resulting in many hours of field work and re-photographing the areas in modern times, many historical facts were uncovered. It is like a fresh look at the photography of the Little Bighorn. After reading this book and viewing the old photographs, one will never see the vintage photos in the same way. As the old saying goes, "A photograph is worth a thousand words" , some of these old photographs have held some serious answers to some of the questions that were never revealed until this important study brought them to light.

As others have attested, this is a superb collection of photos, and the text is scrupulous and compelling. You have to love the battlefield to want this book, but if you do, then you can't live without this. What's great is that you emerge with a sense that the battlefield hasn't been standing still for years, but slowly changing over time. Pair this book with Greene's new "Stricken Field" and you realize that history is constantly being made before our eyes.

Having been to the Little Bighorn Battle site twice, I found this book wonderfully fascinatng... to compare the old photos with the new ones.
The authors took great pains to point out specific distances or spots by using people to stand in various places or by the use of "arrows". I especially liked the use of maps of the areas with details showing which way the camera was pointed for each of the individual shots.
Well done! I'm very glad to have this book in my collection.

This book is essential reading for every undergrad. Empiricism should be taken to heart by anyone engaged in social or natural sciences. Shamefully, it tends to be forgotten in both, in favor of a pseudo-science of studying "concepts" or "models" instead of facts.

Social sciences are behavioral. They study human behavior, and therefore are purely empirical. Natural sciences are observational and experimental, and therefore also empirical. Yet, even some geologists (in my experience) tend to forget to examine the world as it is and instead fall back lazily on a fake intellectualism of model-driven thinking.

Completed some time after he had immigrated to New Zealand upon fleeing Nazi Germany, this, one of Popper's most important and well-known works, is where he first introduces his solution to the problem of induction. According to Popper, scientific theories can never be proven; they can only be tested and confirmed or "falsified." In short, theories are mere hunches: more or less guided speculation, that must undergo continuous and rigorous testing and are subject to being overthrown at any time, including even after they have been rigorously tested. Popper's main point is that theories, are never completely proven, whether tested or not, they must remain available to falsification.

The Logic of Scientific Discovery was thus aimed primarily at pseudo-science and the pseudo-scientist (or at least at what Popper saw as the dangers of pseudo-science). Eventually the attack developed here became a full-scale broadside against the technique and process of inductive reasoning and of all scientific progress and theorizing that had been advanced on the basis of such reasoning.

Popper contends here (as does Hume and his other fellow Logical Positivists) that induction -- and presumably this includes mathematical induction, which many believe to be on a somewhat sounder footing than ordinary inductive reasoning -- was not logical. Among those that Popper considered a practicing pseudo-scientist, was none other than the great Sigmund Freud and his psychoanalytic theories of consciousness, which Popper considered to be dangerous pseudo-science.

Before this book was written, the best defense against the logical hole in induction was that put forth by the other Logical Positivists. They had rested their hat on a technique they coined as the "Principle of Verification," which was designed consciously as a temporary stopgap to close the logical hole that they all knew existed in inductive reasoning. Here Popper analyzes this principle and concludes that even though it is indeed a sounder form of induction, it remains induction no less: that is, it too is not logical. The "Principle of Verification" which required that theories be capable of passing rigorously designed scientific tests in Popper's eyes was just a halfway house between "pure induction" and Popper's more stringent criterion introduced for the first time in this book called the "Principle of "Falsification." Falsification turned the "Principle of Verification" on its head, by requiring that every proposition be falsifiable, and thus logical through the backdoor of being forever open to testing.

For the better part of four decades, Popper's principle of falsification reigned supreme in science, but now cracks have begun to develop, and many scientists, including some of his fellow logical positivists are beginning to give inductive reasoning and the Principle of Verification a second look. Despite these emerging reconsiderations of Popper's work, this book (which is dense and heavy going, and difficult to read in most of the middle parts), and his principle of falsification, Popper has nevertheless assured himself a well-deserved place in the annals of the history of the philosophy of science.

Five Stars

Not exactly light reading, but a great reference work, and a clear expostion of Popper's Falsificationism. This methodology is widely regarded as the leading tool for demarcating between science and non-science or pseudo-science.

The Logic of Scientific Discovery is in my view Karl Popper's finest work. When I studied science I was amazed at the insight Popper had into the scientific method of inquiry, and I admired his refusal to accept intellectual garbage.

While Popper has come under strong attack from both scientists and philosophers for several shortcomings in his work, in my view Popper has framed one of the most important studies of scientific knowledge and how it is gained, and the difference between science and non-science.

I agree with Popper's argument that the key feature of scientific theories is that they are 'falsifiable.' By this Popper simply meant that a scientific theory, even if beautiful, can be shown wrong by empirical observation. While this account is no doubt oversimplified and leaves out the key social and historical dimensions to science (which thinkers such as Kuhn addressed later on), this principle remains central to science; as Feynman said, 'If it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong.' The fallibility of science in Popper's view was the key to its strength, in contrast to pseudo-sciences such as Marxism and Freudian psychology, which while containing elements of truth, set themselves up as infallible truths and glossed over things which contradicted the belief system.

Popper also wrote many other philosophical works, including an important study of the difference between democratic political societies and ones ruled by totalitarian ideaology. However, he rightly deserves fame as one of the most important 20th century philosophers of science.

I have to ask myself, "What is the basis for my scientific knowledge?" On a daily basis, as I am a chemist. I have often been struck by arguments for "induction" as lacking credibility, because how can one argue of probabilities with an unknown sample size? Popper argues that a proposing scientific hypothesis is an inductive act, but it is a creative act not a logical one, but that scientific knowledge is dedective.

I agree with him. The nature of science is such that one must put for statements about how the world works and test them. A scientist should always try to find a way of proving himself or herself wrong. If the predictions of the test are shown to be false, then the hypothesis must be false. That is the basis of scientific knowledge. The rest, the best theories we have are just "working models" and we can never justify why they work. They're simply our best working models now.


I don't find Popper's argument disheartening. Popper points out that we don't have to justify our search for explanations of the world, because they may do us benefit (if we happened to live in a world with stable physical laws, for instance).

I think many scientists would fundamentally agree that the laws of nature can never really be proven. They can't, but they speak volumes about what is relevant to us as a species (which is why Popper's argument that "induction" is creative is so interesting). All Popper asks of a scientific hypothesis is that it can, in principle, be demonstrated false by experience.

This is by far one of the most interesting and (I feel) important books I've ever read.

One of my all time favorite books.
If you like westerns and outdoor adventure books, you must read Mountain Man. The story and the story telling are riveting.
I have owned a copy of this book since 1972! All of my friends were compelled to read it(by me) and all enjoyed the book.The book stuck a lasting chord for us.
I could call an old friend up today and say "watch your topknot" and he would reply "watch yourn". Back then we all wanted to be mountain men.

If you happen to be a fan of Bob Redfords 'Jeremiah Johnson'or a lesser known work by Richard Harris called 'A Man in the Wilderness', or of just a good tale of the early, open west then this book by Vardis Fisher is one you must read at least once.This is one of an extremely small number of books that truly transported me into another place and time and made me wish I was right there along side them.Beautifully written it is the story of one, Sam Minnard.An educated man who gave it all up to live little better than a civilized savage on the open ranges and endless plains of the northern midwest territories.It encompasses and incorporates music,art,flora and fauna,survivalist skills and the truly hard but satisfying life these men had.These men did exist and they helped to tame and open the west to others who would follow much to their disgust and saddness of just what that meant to their way of life.Loners who belonged to a very select club mostly knew each other and would come together to aid Sam in one final showdown against the Indian nation.The book focuses on his life but opens up his inner self and emotional makeup and does maintain a rather negative viewpoint toward the redman which was widely held by many mountain men at that time.The encroaching westward movement of civilization and the day to day hardships and joys of living free are examined with subtle yet powerful story telling.The need and enjoyment of no taxes,free food provided by the land itself, no bills,mortgages,laws,police or government control were gladly accepted by these men who lived off the land and knew how to survive in a sometimes hostile but glorious landscape that was the untouched west.The American Indian was there first, lest we forget, and we were trespassing but the number of men were so small that their presence was barely felt. That is until the rest of us came along and mucked up the works for everybody.Sam's happiness is abruptly and violently ended setting him on the path of vengence both sealing his fate and securing his legend.This book is remarkable and will not let you down.If you tire of the crap written today and long for something you can sink your teeth into,something that will stay in your head for a while with its crystal clear clarity and descriptive beauty, then read it.True, it is only a work of fiction but it is based on the lives of real men and women for that matter in real situations during the early to mid 19th century American west.For mountain men, life was probably very much like this, it had to be and Fisher nailed it right on the head.That alone will allow you to safely observe a life story of survival without the benefit of civilization all around you.A situation that could be upon us again if our world turns upside down.Would any one of us today live as good as Sam Minnard did with just a gun, a knife and a horse,I truly doubt it.There is something to be learned from this book. Read and learn.

I really liked Vardis Fisher's colorful writing style....He paints a picture of the world the Mountain Men lived in so well....This book has A LOT of info on what Mountain Men ate...Vardis pretty much describes every meal the guy ate....This book does have a lot of violence and it is kinda sad at some parts..But then again the life of a Mountain Man was no cake walk...There is some good Bowie knife and tomahawk action too!!!....This is a fiction book but it has alot of REAL Mountain Men "characters"..Jim Bridger..."Old" Bill Williams....Kit Carson..They are all there....The story is pretty good too...A story of love and vengeance would be the best way to describe it....Now I see why so many people regard this as a CLASSIC in Mountain Mnn literature...I fully agree..This is a classic book.

MOUNTAIN MAN continues to be a classic in American Western literature. The major foundation for the movie, Jeremiah Johnson, MOUNTAIN MAN tells the story of Samuel John Minard, a mountain man known for his physical prowess and for his quick and educated intellect. A renaissance man who has chosen the life of the great American West.

In his adventures Sam meets up with Indians of various tribes, other mountain men and a crazy pilgrim woman. HIs marriage to an Indian maiden leads him into a one-man war with sweeping consequences for himself and for his enemies.

MOUNTAIN MAN, as is the case with most books upon which movies are based, considerably outshines JEREMIAH JOHNSON in its story and characterizations. But, hey, I love the movie as well. I guess that says a lot about what I think of the book.

THE HORSEMAN

I didn't read this book until after I had seen 'Jeremiah Johnson', and was pleased that the movie and book were so different. I enjoyed the movie very much, but with Fisher's story I felt as though I had put on my huntin' clothes, laced up my boots, grabbed my Hawken Rifle, and joined in on the adventure. Coming from a family of outdoorsmen, some of us certainly fantasized about leaving it all behind from time to time, and making our way in the remote wilderness. In fact my two brothers moved to the Pacific Northwest after college and still spend much of their free time wandering the Cascades. Anyone who loves the wild west will find this one to be a real gem, and simply by reading it, will be richly rewarded. It is a diamond in the rough, but not one to be missed, and has inspired much of my own writing. This one comes highly recommended.

James Hart Isley
Author of The Bear Hunter

I found this book to be very interesting and to pack a great deal of insight into a relatively short (300-page) biography. It's an entertaining read, and best of all, Thomas doesn't fall into any sort of hero worship. I found his reading of Stuart's troubles getting to Gettysburg to be completely fair and well-reasoned. Indeed, his overall thesis on his subject is somewhat critical, a rarity for a book on someone as lauded as Stuart is. Thomas is a very good writer and does a good job bringing a fascinating man's life into focus.

One nerdy nit-picky point that I, as someone who lives in the Valley, must make: Turner Ashby was killed in Harrisonburg, Virginia, not in Pennsylvania as Thomas asserts. (Yes, I know how lame I sound correcting one minor point in a 300-page book, but I lived in Harrisonburg too long not to represent a little here.)

Stuart first met Lee as a cadet at West Point, when Lee was Superintendent, in the early 50's, not at Harpers Ferry.

Jeb Stuart would sing these lines at the top of his lungs as he rode with his troops into battle. It must have been some popular tavern song of that time.

A very enjoyable read about this country's finest cavalry officer, James Ewell Brown Stuart, educated at West Point. He was the eyes and ears of General Robert E. Lee, Lee's best scout. He could "command both small and large numbers of horsemen, and he was able to integrate his cavalry with artillery and infantry, as well as to conduct independent operations." This book, like Robertson's biography about Stonewall Jackson is more about the man than actual battle tactics and history. He could trigger stampeeds, just by his presence. Many of his battles were won before they ever started. He and Stonewall were some of this country's finest soldiers of the nineteenth century whose ancestors came from Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The South's poor horses, that last year of his life, and they had one more year to fight after Stuart's death. They were eating bark off of trees, on scant provisions of feed and hay and regularly slaughtered on the battle field, increasing the number of dismounted soldiers. And of course, the southern soldiers were in desperate straits too.

Thomas faithfully tells the life story of this gallant southern warrior's character. He himself helped to create his legendary character. He was a fighter and one of his last words on the battlefield at Yellow Tavern after he was shot was "I'd rather die than be whipped."

His most famous feat was his twice repeated ride around McClellan's huge Federal host, numbering tens of thousands.

The Civil War was a mass slaughter. Not everyone in this country has revered Abraham Lincoln. My great grandmother whose father was a 16 year old cavalry hand for Nathan Bedford Forrest in Mississippi once remarked at the base of the Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial, "THE OLD COOT!" Would things have turned out differently in that war, if they had had the kind of technology and information we have now available at that time? Could war have been avoided, if the issue of slavery were dealt with differently and laid on the table from the very beginning?? (Sounds like a book for Newt Gingrich).

Particularly intriguing for me was the story of Stuart's apprehension of John Brown, the mass murderer who inflamed the whole slavery issue right before the start of the war. And strange, that this country would exalt a criminal to hero status in song and words. Anyway, it's something to ponder.

Jeb Stuart was a good ole southern boy who didn't touch a drop of liquor following his mother's orders until the last hours of his life. On his deathbed, those gathered in his room sang his favorite hymn, "Rock of Ages".

I did love how retired UGA Athens professor Thomas told his story. This book is probably one of the best biographies of Stuart's life.

I had forgotten I still had this book on my shelf! I used it early in my college years (1991)to write a Cival War Cavalry paper for an English class. I got a B on the paper, but I had so much fun writing it. This book and others were a big help. Thomas uses actual letters, diaries and news stories to tell the story of J.E.B. Stuart. Terrific book and I highly recomend it to anyone who is into Civil War or general American history!

In my humble opinion, Emory Thomas has written what I believe to be the definitive account of one of the 3 most effective calvary generals (Sheridan and Forrest being the other 2) during the Civil War. The writing style flows smoothly throughout the text as the writer goes from one subject to another in JEB Stuart's life.

Among the areas covered include:

1. Stuart's early life and West Point days.
2. His early US Army service before the Civil War.
3. His family life.
4. His Civil War relationships with various generals (Lee, Longstreet, Jackson, etc.) and subordinates (Jones, Rosser, Munford, etc.).
5. Civil War campaigns and ultimate death from a wound suffered at Yellow Tavern, VA in May 1864.
6. His evangelical faith.
7. Stuart's personal strengths and weaknesses.

I appreciated Thomas' ability to respect his subject while also describing his personal weaknesses (extreme vanity and concern with what others thought of him, excessive self-promotion, too much of a flirt with the ladies.). Doing so helped to show Stuart as a mere human being instead of the facade he attempted to portray.

The only complaint I had was not having enough maps showing Stuart's involvement in the many campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia. The maps in the book were of good quality but there could have been a few more.

All in all, I recommend the book as the best account of JEB Stuart. Read and enjoy!

In my opinion this is what a fiction book should be.The characters are interesting and well developed, the story engaging, there is philosophical intelligent commentary, and it has a happy ending. And, it is hilarious.
If you do not enjoy this book I do not want to sit on a long bus ride or airplane ride next to you.
Thank you Mr. Black!!

I really enjoyed reading Baxter once again. At times, it did run a little slow for someone who is familiar with rodeo, but it was a good book overall. This is a keeper.

Any fan of Baxter or rodeo will enjoy this book. Blacks habit of interupting the story adds a whole new level of humor to the story. His down to earth and simplistic approach to life's curve balls is furthered as he takes on a variety of topics. Without a doubt this is worth the read.

Most reviewers talk about this book as bust-a-gut hilarious, which it certainly is at points, but it's also a whole lot more than that. If you have an interest in rodeo cowboys and their life on the road between those hoped-for 8 seconds of adrenalin in the arena, this book is primarily about that. Exaggerated, you bet, but compared to the yarns told in Bill St. John's book of real rodeo cowboys, "On Down the Road," not all that much.

Baxter Black captures and celebrates the comical that exists in the self-deprecating and unpretentious manner of cowboys. The story of his two cowboy pals doing the summer rodeo circuit all over the western states, with hopes of winning enough money to make it to the national finals, explores that rich vein of American humor between guts and glory and human comedy. There is a fine line between fearlessness and foolishness, and few sports make failure not only ignominious but dangerous (being thrown and getting not only a faceful of dirt but broken bones to boot). It's no accident that in the rodeo arena the hardest working cowboys are surely the clowns.

Black's book achieves one other enjoyable objective; it represents the friendship between two men, a subject that has found its way into the buddy movie, but is seldom treated in literature of any kind. These two guys are different enough to play off each other's strengths and weaknesses, but they're no odd couple. Their devotion to each other, their companionship on the road, their late night talks attempting to make sense of the world they inhabit -- not to mention their adventures with porcupines and "wild women" -- all of it is an entertaining celebration of being best pals.

St. John's book about rodeo cowboys is out of print, but if you can find a copy, I heartily recommend it as a companion to this wonderfully entertaining novel by Baxter Black.

There's no doubt that Baxter is a talented writer, but his style and this story didn't hold my interest throughout. Some parts of the novel were funny, but they weren't rip-roaring funny like some reviewers suggested. If someone bumping their head on a car door makes you laugh, you'll enjoy Baxter's humor.

Another complaint I have about the writing style is that Baxter continually interrupts the reader with his own remarks. Most of the time he does this to point out something that was either implied in the writing or common sense. The constant interruptions took away from the flow of the story. When uninterrupted, the story was a good one. Lick and Cody were very likeable characters. This was a great novel about the lifestyle they led and the friendship they shared.

The last integrationist makes you think about the power the government has to do secretive things that the public aren't aware of. I enjoyed being in the lives of the characther's in the book. Melvin, a black attorney generalhad a lot of pressure on him, to do what was right in the eyes of the media. I learned a lot about politics, by reading this book.

The Last Integrationist was written before it's time, if it were to be released today in the year of our elections, it'd be a bestseller. A tale of a black man and his bid for vice presidency, his unwillingness to go along quietly with the present status quo and his inevitable fall.

This story is deeply written, filled with questions of what the powerful is really capable of doing to the powerless. Recommended reading for anyone who wants to step up a notch!

Jake Lamar's book is a great read! It's well-written, absorbing, and I found myself irritated at being interrupted as I was reading this book. My 24-year old son also read this book, and he said it is one of the best books he's read in 5 years. Set aside some hours of quiet time for yourself, because once you begin reading it, you won't want to put The Last Integrationist down until you finish it.

Question: Under what circumstances would paranoid white supremacists actually support vastly accelerated government intrusion into the lives of private citizens? This story attempts to define such circumstances in a sort of pre-apocalyptic America of the near future. But this premise is ultimately flawed since the is no natural support for the type of actions contemplated, not by conservatives, not liberals certainly not people of color or anti-government reactionaries.

Nevertheless the author manages to discuss significant racial issues, and particularly inter-racial relationships, in a powerful manner. Well worth reading in spite of the unlikely premise.

I will start by stating that I'm not really into politics and, therefore, the first chapter or two, I was thinking that this book really wasn't for me. But, I'm happy to say that I stuck with this book and this was a powerful story of how things COULD be in OUR world today. The politicians in this book were portrayed so realistically that I could envision things that happened in this book happening in our society. Jake Lamar's writing is fantastic and he really told an unforgettable story. I will definitely try reading another book by this author and I only hope it's half as good as this one!

This is a wise, thoughtful, deeply probing assessment of The United States current situation, with sensible prescriptions to address problems. Every American should read it.

I am sending my copy of "A LETTER TO AMERICA"A Letter to America by David Boren to the Arizona State Superintentent of Public Schools with the recomendation that he read it and mandate it to be required reading for all High School Junior Students. If I could afford it, I'd send a copy to every citizen in the United States!
My wife, Pegge, is ordering a copy to send to Opra.
Tom Downs, Scottsdale, AZ

This book is a must for every American to read. Finally, someone has expressed how I feel about various issues facing our country.

I wish this book was mandatory reading for all High School Seniors and all College Freshman and College Sophmores. Most of my colleagues and friends have long felt that over the past 2 decades our leadership has mis-guided us and short changed us on the quality of stewardship provided. This book uses plain talk to tell a compelling story about events and decisions that have put us where we are, and provides hopeful recommendations on how the future could be shaped.

This short book represents David Boren's current views of the problems facing the USA. I found his dispassionate discussion of the US's relation to the world, the destructiveness of partisanship, campaign corruption, economic health, the disappearing middle class, and the Urgency of Memory (best chapter in the book) to be good summaries of where the USA stands today. I did not see Boren saying "we are at a crossroads", however.

Overall, each of these problems have been discussed in the media in one form or another, so to me, it seem like a better than average repitition of what's out there. However, the CHapter on "The Urgency of Memory" caught my eye and should be restated as an "op Ed" column. It is by far the best chapter in the book, and it contained much in it that was new to me.

Boren quotes the following passage from an address entitled "The Urgency of Memory" in which the importance of Americans returning to humanistic studies was emphasized to understand themselves and their place in the world following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

"A nation that does not know why it exists or what it stands for cannot be expected to long endure. We must recover from the amnesia that shrouds our history in darkness, our principles in confusion, and our future in uncertainty. We cannot expect that a nation which has lost its memory will keep its vision. We cannot hope that forgetting our past will enhance our focus for the future."

Boren then summarizes the demise of teaching of American History and Civics in US high schools, colleges, and other institutions of higher learning. He rightfully criticizes the demise of academic standards through out the American educational system because of political correctness and recommends that American history and Civics be required of all university graduates.

My own recollection is that the main purpose of the American primary and secondary school system was to teach American History and civics to immigrants so as to integrate them into American Society. If it is indeed true that American primary and secondary education has abdicated this reponsibility, we are in trouble.

The solution: Mandate that all immigrant and foreign students not only learn English, but also American History and Civics at ALL levels of the US educational system from kindergarten to the graduate school. Once implemented, make it mandatory for ALL students.

How can that be done?: By executive order, instruct the Department of Education to withold federal funding from primry and secondary school systems unless such a requirement is instituted. Second, by executive order, mandate the same requirement in all American Unviersities who receive federal funds for research, extension and other services or risk seeing their funds evaporate. That's at least a start.

As for Boren's other solutions, I found them weak. I felt that they represented a nostalgic trip to his younger days when life was 'simpler' or in the US Senate, where things at one time were more "collegial".
I saw no recommendations that would reinvent America along our traditional model in a new framework for the 21st century.