Texas Books

This book provides an excellent overview of the evolution of human knowledge about the Solar System from the first observations in recorded history to the latter 1990s. Its emphasis is on communicating a basic understanding of planetary astronomy rather than focusing on scientific details. This makes the book an outstanding introduction to a complex and fascinating subject. The general public rather than astronomers and space scientists are the primary audience for this work, but conceivably specialists in the field could read this book with profit. Jurgen Rahe, NASA's late director of Solar System exploration, sponsored this work as a formal effort to provide general readers with a reliable, well-written overview of planetary astronomy. He succeeded in that objective as author Ron Schorn has published a fine entree to comprehending the breadth of the subject.

Of course, planetary astronomy is generally categorized as consisting of the outer planets and inner planets of the Solar System. Schorn begins with a discussion of the nighttime sky and what one may view there. While he discusses the possibilities for origins of the universe, and the galaxies on view every night, his focus is on what planets one might view with the naked eye, relatively simple telescopes, and then more complex instruments. At that point he journeys back in time to the earliest observations by the ancients and how they constructed their understanding of the universe based on astronomical observations. He then quickly moves forward to the twentieth century when understandings of planetary astronomy changed rapidly in response to ground and airborne observatories and especially space probes sent to the various planets of the Solar System.

Schorn discusses at some length the many spacecraft that have been sent to the inner planets by the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as European and Japanese consortia, traveling to Mercury, Venus, and particularly Mars. This book explains well the story of such missions as the Mariner series that journeyed to these planets, the two Viking spacecraft that landed on Mars in 1976, and plans for future explorations of the red planet. Some spacecraft have been sent, but far fewer, to the outer planets. Visits to the gas giants of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and the small distant rock known as Pluto have been largely the province of the United States' efforts. NASA, for example, sent Pioneer 10 and 11 on a "windshield" tour of Jupiter and Saturn in the 1970s; following soon thereafter with Voyagers 1 and 2 that flew past the gas giants beginning in the latter 1970s through the 1980s. This activity, Schorn asserts, represents a golden age for Solar System exploration.

Schorn is at his best in discussing the decline of planetary astronomy in the early twentieth century--as astronomers led by Edwin Hubble focused their attention on galaxies beyond the Milky Way rather than on the Solar System--and its recovery in the 1960s as NASA reenergized planetary exploration with the first probes to Venus and Mars. This reemphasis on planetary astronomy was actually quite practical. The recently created NASA held a mandate to undertake exploration of the cosmos with both human and robotic spacecraft. Since the technical capability for planetary exploration existed, NASA's scientists focused their attention there. Even more important, according to Schorn, these scientists also emphasized lunar exploration as an adjunct of NASA's Apollo program to humans on the Moon. These efforts revitalized scientific study of the Solar System and yielded an enormous harvest of understanding about our immediate corner of the universe.

Easy to read and dased on a wealth of sources, both oral and written, "Planetary Astronomy" is a wonderful introduction to an enthralling subject. Enjoy!

This is a fascinating history of the field of planetary astronomy written by an insider. Dr. Schorn was once head of planetary astronomy for Nasa. As such, he's known most of major figures of the field from the last half of the 20th century. What distinguishes this book is it's very literary style. Dr. Schorn not only knows the field, he writes of it in an engrossing style that the layman can understand. If you have any curiousity about how study of the planets has grown, then languished for decades, only to re-emerge during the space age, then this book is for you.

This book is a good read for anyone who has a limited knowledge of astronomy, especially from a historical perspective. I would have rated it five stars, however I would have like to have seen a little more discussion about celestial mechanics (the movement, alignment, and rotation of the planets) along with illustrations. I found it somewhat cumbersome to intereperet some of the early models of the universe without charts or other illustrations. Overall though a very well written book.

This book is a must as a historical reference. It offers a fresh insightful look at Planetary astronomy as it happened. Schorn has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat at the turning points of discovery (i.e. Newton... sunlight through a prism... but spectroscopy wasn't to be discovered for another 2 centuries...), minutes, purpose and impact of the US/USSR space race...

This book is surprisingly well written and very engrossing. The author never gets ahead of himself--each new nugget of knowledge about the heavens above is evaluated using the science of the day, not with a modern bias. Consequently, you never feel that ancient astronomers were somehow stupid for missing things that are so "obvious" to us, such as the heliocentric model of the solar system or the nature of comets. The very first chapter is an especially good gem--it puts you in the shoes of someone two thousand years ago and asks "what could you logically deduce from looking at the heavens above?" Utterly captivating and a must-read.

This book is a great new twist on the Horatio Alger stories of decades past, but much, much more satisfying. The difference here is that the author creates characters of incredible depth, making even the bad guys interesting. I still cannot believe this is his first book.

This cannot be a first novel. Already waiting for the next one, and the movie! This is what I call "A GOOD READ" from start to finish. I highly recommend this book to our Library patrons.

This story line is captivating and Mr. Clidienst obviously knows the industry which serves as the backdrop to his book. It was refreshing to read a book with an original plot and excellent character development. Fantastic book!!

Would the next John Grisham please come forward...Introducing George Clidienst! The Protege marvels with twists and turns that rival no other. The reader is gripped as they follow our fellow Protege through an intense path of corporate corruption, a racey relationship, and the struggle for more, more, more. The Protege is a must read for those who love suspense in the combination of greed, wealth, and power.

This is one that I could not put down. Just when I thought I knew what direction it was going in, I was taken by surprise. Remarkable ending and very unpredictable... I can't wait to read Mr.Clidienst's next novel. GREAT WORK!

Like all over reviews of this book, it was the funniest western humor book i have ever read. Just find myself wishing Sederwall would put out another one just good as this one, but that would be a hard thing to do since this is as good as it gets.

Michael Humphries

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Coming from the Southwest, I almost feel like I know these characters. I read a story anytime I need my spirits lifted. My thanks to the author.

What a terrific book! This is a great book full of BULLoney. The book is written just like you were sitting there with the boys around the campfire. I swore I about busted a gut laughing...

Sederwall's great sense of humor, and ability to tie short stories into one big hoorah, is incredible. If you like Jeff Foxworthy's style of jokes, you'll love "Puncher Pie & Cowboy Lies." You don't even have to be a cowboy to enjoy the chuckling humor of this book. You almost feel like your in a comedic Louie Lamour! A definite must read!

As one of the characters in this book, I can assure you that the campfire quibble was all true (at least in our minds, such as they are). And since you weren't there it really doesn't matter much. A bunch of us cowboys just sat around the campfire for several days and told bold stories as only we could remember them. Being a personal acquaintance of all those folks ( I would never admit to anyone that they were friends) I can only say, never let them hold your money for you! The book was definitely a major dose of "Puncher Pie" served up with a hearty plate of sarcasm and obnoxious behavior; stories which probably meant something to someone but certainly not to any of us. Read the book during those times you don't want any intellectual stimulation. It will definitely help you pass the time and put many a grins on ya'.

I have read and enjoyed all three books in this trilogy about a family, through two generations,from Tennessee who make their way to Texas in the early 1800's. It is well researched with accurate historical facts mingled with the storyline. It is well written and caused me to stay up past my bedtime more than once! I only wish this was an ongoing series.

The Raiders: Sons of Texas (Sons of Texas Series)

This was a great series. I picked up the first book in the series by mistake thinking if another author. Was very glad that I did. I ordered the rest of the series from Amazon, along with several other books by Elmer Kelton. I have not had time to read the other books that I purchased but expect they will be everybit as good as this series was. I would recommend these books for anybody that likes stories about pioneer life.

I really like following the familys. I can't wait for the third in the series.

Another Kelton masterpiece. It fleshes out the early settlers of Texas and fills in the history.

In book two of the Lewis family trilogy, THE RAIDERS: SONS OF TEXAS, veteran author Elmer Kelton delivers a finely wrought western set in the early days of Mexican-ruled Texas. To keep their land in Stephan Austin's colony, Michael and Andrew Lewis battle the elements and raiding hostiles. Michael's frequent wanderlust causes hardships for his wife, Marie, and small son. Andrew works Michael's land in his brother's absence, but Andrew's apparent fondness for his sister-in-law drives a wedge between the brothers. Their lives are endangered by the appearance of old enemies, the Blackwood brothers.

In an effort to ease tensions Marie suggests that Andrew should leave for a while and use the time away to hunt for a wife. While on his journey, Andrew visits Stephan Austin who sends him to Nacogdoches to ascertain if rumors of a revolt are true. Andrew meets a lovely young woman named Petra, but he is very confused about his feelings for Marie. During his travels Andrew makes a sworn enemy, Tolliver Beard.

Elmer Kelton's skillful narration exposes the resilience of love intertwined with gutsy determination. This second volume is rich in detail and strong characterization. I'm certain that the third book in the Lewis trilogy will be excellent reading.

I read this on a Plane and it made the trip go by quickly. Could not put it down. David Robbins has done a great job once again.

The town of Nowhere is in No Man's Land, an area yet to be given a name or statehood. A place where the only law is that dealt out by a one-handed Marshal, which aint alot.
A small town struggling to survive. Then Black Jack and his outlaws decide to make Nowhere home.

At first it works well, the uneasy peace between outlaws, citizens and the cowboys who work in the surrounding area. Eventually the peace becomes unease and then the violence erupts.

David Robbins provides us with a top notch tale here, tough, gritty and at times brutal. A story that dosen't contain a central character, rather revolves around the actions of many, both law abiding and not. Characters that'll have you urging them on, sharing their happiness and sorrows, or just plain despising them.
The events of the story weave together to build strongly to the final violent confrontation.

This book grabbed me from the opening sequence and from then on just begs not to be put down until you've finished it.

Very highly recommended, buy it now!

NOWHERE, TX - A Ralph Compton novel by David Robbins Genre: Western

This was a great book, one of the best stand alone Westerns (i.e. not a series) I've read IMHO. The way it was written was very effective and original, in fact I can't remember a book being written this way before. You had to judge people in the book by their actions, reactions or what they said or didn't say, You never got to know what the character's were thinking as no thought processes were detailed in the narrative i.e. there was never anything like "he thought", "she wondered" etc. It reminded me of watching a movie in some regards where you had to judge a character by what they did or said as you couldn't know what was in their minds.

The basic story revolves around the town of Nowhere which is on the cusp of the states Texas and Oklahoma but belongs to neither so it is in effect in "No Man's Land" and totally lawless as no state statutes apply there, A gang led by Black Jack Shelton take over the town gradually without the citizens noticing as the profit by the money the Outlaws are spending in the business, before they know it the town in a wild and lawless place. The story builds to a brutal and bloody outcome but I won't detail the whole story here as I don't want to ruin in for other readers. The whole pace of the book is very quick and I couldn't put the book down once I started it. The violence at times in the book is shocking as it comes totally out of the blue most of the time as you don't know what the character is thinking about before they trigger the violence, Billy Braden is a good example of this when he kills two innocent traveller's at the start of the book. What I also found interesting is that there isn't really a central hero figure in this book and this made it more life-like to me as there wasn't one good guy putting everything to right at the end of the tale.

This is a must read Western IMHO, fantastic.

This is a must read for David Robbins fans and everyone else. I sat down to read a couple of chapters and ended up reading the whole book because I could not put it down. It had some unexpected events that literally take your breath away. Wonderfully crafted, don't miss it!

David Robbins does a picture perfect job of recreating the old West and Terry Evans does a great job of giving it voice from the outlaws, cutthroats, and thieves to the outraged townspeople to our hero.

Nowhere, TX is precisely that - nowhere, a tiny town perched on the border between Texas and the Oklahoma Territory. Nowhere is also a way station for all running from the law and for those who simply want to make trouble.

Obviously, life isn't easy for any law abiding citizen when they're overrun by desperadoes who think there's no law they can't break and set out to prove it. But, enough is enough, the town folk want the killers and thieves out of their town.

The tale of how this is accomplished is a breakneck listen from start to finish.

- Gail Cooke

HA! big blond creep? - a jerk? ------- and Samantha [not a good girl]is excused for her part in the misunderstandings?
Someone didn't read the same book I did --
RANSOM MY HEART by Gayle Wilson!
And who the devil is Jim Wilson - at least get the author right, you guys! Gayle Wilson as is on the book!
Please get this book listed under Gayle Wilson's book list.

The two McCuller brothers are very close. An then Mac is killed.
Chase is convinced that Rio Delgado is responsible. I guess that is known as "Kill the messenger." It turns out that Rio is his half-brother.
Chase is a man of honor, at least he tries to be until Samantha seduces him. Her father has demanded that Chase stay away from her.
Chase has been in love with Samantha since she was 17 but he is older than her. At 21 she seduces Chase and then they sure get their wires crossed, as he deals with Mac's death and his determination to put Rio in jail.

Now Samantha knows she is pregnant but refuses to inform Chase - yup, bull-headed and stubborn just like her daddy. He still has no use for Chase. So many little things lead to their estrangement.

Ah, but Sam Kincaid wants the best man for the job, when his granddaughter is kidnapped. Lucky for Samantha that it turns out to be Chase. He would do anything for her.

Now to deliver the ransom money, which takes Chase and Samantha on practically a wild goose chase. They get ambushed and suddenly Samantha finds out that Chase still wants her and maybe she had gotten things all wrong about him. Yup! just like all women who operate on their emotions.

It turns out that Samantha and Chase dealing with a true Mexican gentleman as a kidnapper. But then who wants to kill them??

Finally these two learn to follow their hearts and make a family. Chase is still willing to give Sam what he wants. A grandson!

"HOME TO TEXAS" series is starting out with a bang and I hope it just keeps getting better. This is definitely a keeper!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- Even though Samantha is a twit.
Now onto Rio's story - "Whisper My Love" - 5 years in prison, UGH!

We have read almost all of the Harlequin books, and this one interested us the most!!! We thought that Samantha should have told Chase in the beging about Amanda being his daughter.We can understand why Samantha loves him, but why did he have to be such a Jerk to her?! Ugghhh!

"Ransom My Heart" is a great book, except for one BIG problem: the hero is a complete jerk. In the prologue that sets up the story, he has sex with the heroine, then casts her to the side for reasons that really don't hold any water for anyone with a brain. We move ahead five years, where the man, Chase McCullar, is hired to find the kidnapped daughter of his one-time love, Samantha Kincaid. Although Samantha is mysterious about the girl's father, the reader already knows who it is the whole time. That doesn't detract from the story, though, as they have to struggle through a danger-fraught trip through Mexico to find the girl, only to discover secret dangers lingering back in Texas... Wilson's action sequences are great, I liked Samantha (especially for putting up with the Big Blond Creep, Chase), but he ruined the book for me. Arrogant, condescending, and insufferably rude, I wanted her to knock him over the head through just about all of the book. Frankly, I couldn't understand why Samantha would even want him, considering the way he treated her, but I guess if the cover art is any indication, she thought his looks were good enough.

This is the first book of Wilson's "Home to Texas" trilogy, and it makes for a good beginning. Unfortunately, Chase plays a prominant role in the other two, "Whisper My Love" and "Remember My Touch," and he's a jerk in both of those too. Fortunately, a development in that last book takes him out of most of it, something that we all can be grateful for. All three books are worth checking out.

right up to the last page. I fell in love with Chase and Samantha's romance. This book, the first in a three part McCullar series, was the perfect mix of romance and drama. I've already started the second book, Whisper My Love and can't wait to get to Jenny's story in Remember My Touch. Gayle Wilson is going on my permenant to be bought list!!

This was definitely the best book I've read in ages! While some readers might feel that Chase is a jerk, if you read carefully, you'll know that he didn't mean the things he said, and he knew from the beginning that he loved Samantha with all his heart. This is one of those books where I couldn't wait for the end, and then when it came, I wanted more! Please, Gayle, write another book about Chase, Samantha and Mandy!

When I ordered Bill Jacobson: Photographs the Rocky Schenck book was automatically recommended by Amazon. I am so glad it was.

These images are simply haunting and beautiful, a kind of nostalgia for a memory you've never had.

Highest recommendation.

Excellent work from a photographer not known enough in Europe. Only seen in real, by me, in Paris-Photo fair. A book to have, for argentic pictures lovers, fond of plastician photographs.

Rocky Schenck is a gifted photographer, the images within this book are dark, moody, melancholy, and hard to take your eyes away from. Schenck has been a long-time influence in my own work, so I was excited with this purchase. Just be aware that this book is 99% images, with very little explained about the artists inspirations or techniques. I was hoping to find a little more insight into his processes...BUT, this book is still a keeper. Keep it up Rocky!

As an owner of one of Rocky Schenck's photographs, I was thrilled when I saw that there is a book published that is dedicated solely to his phtography. And what a book it is! This beautiful book, documenting Rocky's work from the mid ninties through the present, is a work of art in and of itself. Since the price was so reasonable I never expected such high quality production. The paper used is perfect, as it has a great "hand" and a subtle glossiness. Each plate has it's own page as well it should for a book of photographs. Rocky Schenck's work is just so beautiful! Even if you are not familiar with his dreamlike and brilliant compositons you would be safe to treat yourself to this book sight unseen.

Rocky is one of the most interesting fine art photographers at work today. While there is a little of the turn-of-the-century Pictorialist sensibility in these pictures, he warps that tradition in sophisticated and surprising ways. In addition, he shows how powerful suggested narrative can be in the right hands. Stories are everywhere in these images--but the photographer leaves them open-ended, the mystery intact. This is work that gives one hope for contemporary fine art photography.

The so-called El Paso Salt War is one of those important events seemingly forgotten in the swirls of history. Yet it is a tale that ripples through Anglo and Mexican relations to this day.

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons this chapter has gone relatively lost is the complexity of the story. It involves hundreds of people, many with backstories vital to understanding what happened and why. There are numerous shades of grey and nuances that demand a subtlety beyond the scope of most researchers and writers.

But not Paul Cool.

Years of intense study and investigation provided him insights previously undiscovered. Moreover, Paul has been able to take this huge amount of information and present it in an easy to understand, intelligent yet compelling book. His talent is a gift to the reader.

And make no mistake--Salt Warriors is a grand tale of greed, ego, ethnic and cultural hatred, duplicitous behavior and violence that no novelist could have come up with. If this were fiction, readers would dismiss it as a flight of fancy. But it's dead-on history. It really happened. And it impacts current border relations.

Paul Cool has done an incredible job of revealing the people and events of the Salt War, and of bringing them to life for the modern audience. This is a must for the library of any Old West history fan.

Salt Warriors is both a work of scholarship and a terrific read, one of those rare history books that is willing to consider the past on its own terms while reevaluating it in the light of the present. The best book on Old West history published so far this year.

The Salt War is one of those subjects that we have often heard without understanding its significance. Cool gives us an opportunity to catch up in a hurry. This book should appeal not merely to lovers of Old West history but to those who want to understand how it connects to the politics of our own time.

I have just finished reading Paul Cool's first book, Salt Warriors. The story of the Salt War in El Paso in 1877 is a complex saga of politics, greed and personal conflicts and Cool has done a wonderful job detailing the events and the combatants. He has exhausted every possible source in the search for new and expanded details on the conflict. In doing so, he has managed to deliver a very balanced account of the trouble. In particular, the author has used his outlaw/lawman research experience to help provide greater detail on all the participants. The result is a triumph of research and writing, that stands above previous works on the subject. Cool's ability to unlock background details of the key players allows for a greater appreciation of the motives of both sides and thereby engages the reader in the events. Salt Warriors is a great read and a truly important historical work, written by a gifted author and indefatigable researcher. Congratulations Paul Cool. The book was long overdue but worth the wait.

Although not as resonant in American borderland history as the Alamo or San Jacinto, the El Paso Salt War left a lasting imprint in Anglo-Hispanic relations, especially in western Texas and New Mexico. With this first full-length study of the Paseño insurrection in El Paso and environs, borderlands historian Paul Cool has advanced both our knowledge of history and our understanding of the roots of present-day borderland issues. Cool, with prodigious research and use of a myriad of untapped primary source material, has shed new light on this 1877 insurgency that saw murderous clashes between Mexican-Americans, known as Paseños, and newly arrived Anglo-Americans.

Hispanic settlers had apparently been communally utilizing and selling nearby salt deposits as a cash crop for generations. With the coming of Anglos and a differing concept of resource ownership, a culture clash and an ensuing clash of arms was inevitable. Paseños thought the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo guaranteed their unfettered access to the salt even as the region was ceded by Mexico to the U.S., but the Anglo-dominated Texas legislature had other notions. Mix in the personal tragedy of putative manager of the salt lakes and provocateur of Paseños, Charles H. Howard, his angst explained by Cool's insightful analysis of his humiliation and his southern notions of honor and gratitude, and the triumph of violence over diplomacy was unavoidable. And triumph it did, for three deadly months.

Neither institutions nor individuals come off particularly well- the Texas Rangers, the U. S. Army, local law officers, the main protagonists or antagonists- although the author probes the motives and depths of each and makes it all compelling. Most on the Anglo side are incompetent or craven to one degree or another, several are plain cowardly. Others, notably a Silver City contingent of hardcases masquerading as a peace force, led by Dan Tucker and John Kinney and including killer Jim McDaniels, are worse, functioning as little more than a gang of robbers, rapists and murderers. An especially valuable section for the reader's closure is a follow-up on the key participants in the Salt War drama, tracing their later, post-insurrection, years, often with poignancy.

This overdue study is beautifully written, and is a significant achievement in the scholarship of southwestern history.

The best book about the war over the salt flats just west of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas.

Sam Houston is a figure who aroused great passions beginning in his own day and continuing to the present. Jim Haley's well written biography, supported by fifteen years of research in original archives not available (or used) by past researchers, joins the ranks of major works on this interesting figure. The book should join the library of anyone interested in the Texas Revolution and its heroes. With impressive scholarship, the book is well written and enjoyable to read. A major achievement, worth the wait.

Sam Houston was larger than life! Prof. H.W. Brands has stated that you could never write a novel based on Sam Houston's life because nobody would believe it: He was right! What a great figure! Admirable with all his flaws, a true hero. Mr. Haley's book is written well, though not perfect, I recommend it to anyone looking for a great story and a great and well lived life.

The question begs asking -- "Who is James L. Haley?" -- because this author has come forward without a lofty academic post and shown the cheek to produce what is probably the finest modern biography of Houston yet written.

With several dozen good biographies of Houston already in print, James L. Haley went the extra mile and built a terrific book based mostly on primary sources, many if not most of them apparently first mined by him. He appears to do research the old-fashioned way -- in archives, accosting private collectors, and pursuing the odd distant family source as well. At a time when the lions of academia are being dragged through the mud of plagiarism and scandal, blithely recasting and repackaging the hard work of others, Haley's work-ethic -- which is purely Puritan -- is pure refreshment to find.

His book has more heart and soul than either Marshall De Bruhl's or J. H. Williams's works. And just as importantly, Haley -- lack of academic-world gravitas notwithstanding -- writes with the strongest sense of voice. He gets carried away a bit when he's feeling his oats, but the result on balance is sterling biography. As the eminent Texas historian Elliott West says on the back cover, all future scholarship on Houston and Texas will have to reckon with this striking, substantial book.

James Haley's "Sam Houston" is a study into a man's soul. Using new resources he has humanized the man and the legend. Mr. Haley has done the best possible job of getting into the head of Sam Houston and explaining his life long habits without falling into the easy trap of revisionism. As a matter of fact in my mind he is a champion of the facts, using common sense logic when faced with the incompleteness of facts that is often found in history. He often has to navigate through the propaganda of the day and connect the dots with the straight edge of reality. This is well demonstrated by the facts presented about the biggest Sam Houston mystery of all, why his marriage with Miss Eliza Allen failed. You will have to read the book to find the answers.
Easy to read for the casual reader, well noted for the serous researcher. James Haley's "Sam Houston" is a great read.

This is one of the most awesome books I have ever read! I didn't want to put it down! This is a wonderful biography for a history buff or just a person curious in learning about the life of one of this nation's greatest leaders! Great buy!

As a former Ambassador College, Pasadena student (1974 - 76) and ex-WCG member, Showdown at Big Sandy opened my eyes to many of the events that occurred during my tenure. I was privileged to meet the author and have many informal chats with him in the Pasadena Student Center.

I was delighted to be reacquainted with him more than 30 years later through the WCG Journal website. We had a lot in common having attended Ambassador College at the same time, and upon reading his book, I was re-introduced to many of the mutual friends we had and each individual's subsequent struggle with the dogma and rules that were enforced upon us as members.

I was especially impressed with Mr. Doudna's Biblical investigation into many of the doctrines that were blindly followed by most of the cult members, including myself. This was an intoxicating belief-system run by charismatic leaders and I was seduced by their dogmatic answers to all of society' ills, as well as the future of our world as explained by the Armstrongs and their church elders who combined prophecies from Daniel and Revelation to literally scare us into joining the cult.

Mr. Doudna and his small group of friends challenged many of these beliefs and there is a step-by-step account of this in his book which I find fascinating as well as instructional.

I recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with the Armstrong Empire, and especially to people who are interested in the inner workings of a cult and the hold it places over its unsuspecting membership.

Gillian Lynn Katz
Author, Scarsdale, New York.

This is the most thoroughly researched work of apologetics and the history of one of the worst cults to form in America. Greg has done a marvelous job of comparing the way doctrinal concepts were formed and how the followers of Armstrongism were so easily brainwashed into accepting them.
It behooves all who are exiters of the Worldwide Church of God(past and present)to read this excellent history of that church.
Myra McQueen

"Big Sandy" in the title of this book got my attention and gave me a strong desire to read it. Big Sandy was a big part of my life as I spent two years there working in the press, met my future wife there and got married to her there. We stay in touch with friends who live there now. Recently Big Sandy was even in the sports news at the time of the Super Bowl. The coach of the Chicago Bears, Lovie Smith was from Big Sandy, TX. During the NFC championship game between the Bears and the Saints I saw someone holding a sign that said "Big Sandy, TX loves Lovie Smith". One of my Big Sandy friends wrote me to tell me the sign holder was one of his neighbors. So Big Sandy has a special place in my heart and a book about Big Sandy sounded interesting.

The title of the book is rather long but it's probably the clearest statement of the author's reason for writing the book that you'll find. The book is more than anything a record of Doudna's efforts to confront the leadership with his constant barrage of written new found truths from his young and inquisitive mind. An effort shown to have been largely wasted.

The book is written in three segments: (1) Innocent in Paradise, (2) Creativity, and (3) Denouement.

In the first part of the book the author tells us how he came to be in Big Sandy at this strange college and then he gives a quick glimpse into the history of the church and the leader behind the college. That gives us a look at Herbert Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God. Although he paints a fairly accurate picture of some of the teachings and beliefs of the Worldwide Church of God he focuses on those few teachings which he immediately challenged with his youthful exuberance and creativity. That paints a rather narrow picture of the church. It seems that he can't really spend much time on his innocence or on his paradise as he jumps right into several of his creatively new articles in this first segment of the book rather than putting them all into the second segment.

The author is quick to point out that his youthfully creative articles were not really all he thought them to be at the time as he now relegates most of his articles and newly discovered truths to the trash pile of history and hallucination. He does convey quite strongly that he was full of enthusiasm to learn and to promote his own discoveries. After reading through several of his newfound truths it was hard not to take his advice which he gave several times that the reader could skip over his next thesis without missing any of the story of the book. But there is the problem the author faced in telling his story. The story of the book is Doudna's various articles. On the one hand he tries to tell how he struggled to get the leadership to read and evaluate his articles and on the other hand he gives us these articles in their complete and lengthy original form. Reading completely through them got a bit tedious.

As I read further in the book I kept wondering why such a one dimensional character was being presented. Doudna's writing gives the impression that his life consisted of very little more than writing one thesis after another. A life of one challenge to church doctrine after another. He does mention a job he held on campus and a few classes but only in the context of how they related to his articles and challenges. Having experienced life at Ambassador College myself and having experienced it much differently than the intellectual wonder child that Doudna seems to be I had to wonder if there were any student activities in his college life. Were there any dates with the co-eds? Was there no time for romance in this paradise of his? What about sports or other interests? Was his only interest proving and promoting new truth?

The book made interesting mention of various students and faculty I knew personally in Big Sandy. I did not know Doudna as he came after my time at AC. So overall I enjoyed reading the book and found much that stirred old memories in my mind. It did leave me wishing that Doudna had spent more time writing about his more normal college relationships but maybe he didn't have those. I also longed for more about his reasons for going back to his Quaker roots. But then to put all that into this book he would have had to eliminate some of his many articles and that would have defeated what seems to have been the point of this book, namely to impress the reader with his youthful intellectual brilliance.

The book is definitely interesting to read if you have any interest in the history of the church or college.

This fascinating book is a Forrest Gumpian romp through the Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College in the mid-Seventies. But instead of naive Forrest we have intelligent and clear-minded Craig Doudna to recount and analyze events. Like Forrest, destiny brought Douda into contact with many of the most influential people and events in the Worldwide Church of God at that time. But this is not a just a light cultural tour. Doudna's penchant for writing revisionist and cogent doctrinal papers led him to the ideological heartland of Armstrongism, a heartland populated with colorful characters with interesting behaviors. Since his doctrinal papers challenged tradition, Doudna engaged these institutions and ideologues in an evocative way that exposes for the reader the essential core of Armstrongism. But this was all done with sincerity on Doudna's part. As a student at Ambassador College, he was not a firebrand radical but a serious student who sought to add to the integrity of the Armstrongite ideology. Likewise, the theme that runs through this book is not one of unremitting polemics but rather the development and awakening of a young person in the crucible of fundamentalism. This reviewer was present at Ambassador College when Doudna was there and can vouch for the fact that Doudna has effectively captured the spirit of that time. For those people who are familiar with the Worldwide Church of God and its history, this will be a "page turner". For those interested in an academic analysis of fundamentalist sects, this will be an excellent case study. Both entertaining and thought provoking, this account should be required reading for young people who are drawn to Armstrongism but do not have a broad and balanced view of its history.

Greg Doudna was a student at Ambassador College, Big Sandy during the turbulent Seventies, and this is his story. Showdown at Big Sandy seems to be mercifully free of the hobbyhorse apologetics that spoil many books of this sort. This is, in addition, more than just an AC alumnus on a nostalgia trip. The author, who later returned to his Quaker roots, is in fact something of an authority on the subject of the Dead Sea Scrolls, with articles in The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures and The Bible and Interpretation, and an 800 page text published by Sheffield Academic Press entitled "4Q Pesher Nahum: A Critical Edition." Be assured, however, that Showdown seems anything but a dense academic dissertation, and will be compulsory (and perhaps compulsive) reading both for those who attended Ambassador College in its heyday, and those of us who are simply fascinated by the history and evolution of Armstrongism.

Showdown at Big Sandy was first published in 1989, but has been out of print for some time. Greg has now updated and reissued the book. I'm very glad he has.