Florida Books

This humble story teller of real people & real events make sense of Florida. Reminds me of Carl Hiaasen without the crazy humor. Jeff warms your heart.

If you'd known Jeff Klinkenberg in the '60s you would know that today he's a boy living his dream. There is no better guide to the 'real' Florida than Jeff, not because he knows Florida history, but because he loves it and he's lived it. He speaks to you as if you are sitting in the restaurant at his table, or having your sandwich with him on the ancient indian mound. His stories capture your interest and spur your sense of adventure. They inspire you to embrace the beauty, uniqueness, and sheer mystery of this land. There are Florida travel and interest guides galore, but none that match Jeff's depth or personal knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of a State that represents not only a land growing faster than any other (and yet clinging to the past with a steel-like grip) but a state of mind as well. These are not stories from someone's imagination, they entertain you with real people and places that, but for Jeff Klinkenberg, would fade into a distant past. Jeff is a time traveler who will take you on unbelievable journeys through centuries of archeological and human history with humor and curiosity. His is a guide that you want to bring with you when you visit because it is so far off the beaten path that you will feel right at home on the Loop Road. Indeed, I have known Jeff since the '60s, and witnessed his expertise first hand. If you are a true adventurer, I invite you to read 'Pilgrim in the Land of Alligators' and experience the 'real' Florida on behalf of barefoot children everywhere. You will not regret the trip through time.

Found this great article from Jeff's paper, the St. Petersburg Times.

Regaling us with real Florida
By Gregory McNamee, Special to the Times
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2008 5:54 PM

When I was very young, no more than 5 or 6, I saw an alligator eat a poodle right out of a Tampa back yard. It dawned on me at that sanguinary moment just why it was that my grandmother had forbidden me to play near the canal behind her house, where, naturally, I spent my time playing, and it gave me a lasting, nicely traumatic memory of Florida to nurse over a lifetime.

Had he been on hand, I suspect Jeff Klinkenberg would have been cheering for the gator. After all, one of the heroes of Pilgrim in the Land of Alligators, his new collection of newspaper columns turned into essays, is an ubergator -- something on the order of a dragon, really -- named Mojo, once resident in Kanapaha Botanical Gardens near Gainesville.

"You know how alligators will roar at other gators?" remarks the director of the gardens, who, suggestively, is missing his right hand. "Mojo was so dominant that when it thundered, he'd roar back at the thunder."

Long familiar to and even beloved by St. Petersburg Times readers, Klinkenberg is a fan, defender, student and denizen of what the great pop culture historian Greil Marcus has called "the old, weird America," the country that hasn't yet been absorbed into the monoculture of chain stores, cookie-cutter houses and mass-produced taste.

Preferring the confines of the Sunshine State, which is plenty weird enough, Klinkenberg has devoted decades to chronicling the wide spots on Florida's blue highways -- and, for that matter, the places where, improbably, no highways have yet been located, despite Florida's incessant growth.

Take the Loop Road, for instance, an hour from Naples on one end and an hour from Miami on the other, a century from either in real time. Klinkenberg knows every inch of the road, and he knows as well its dozen-odd full-time residents, folks who have found it expedient to disappear into the Big Cypress for reasons of their own.

One of them was Ervin Rouse, the fiddler who wrote Orange Blossom Special, and who passed away some years ago. Another, still with us, is a park ranger who might be singing with Ervin in the choir celestial had she not been ornery enough to shake off a load of pygmy rattler venom injected into her foot by said creature. "I was wearing flip-flops," she allows. "Somebody should have written D-U-M-B on my forehead."

If there is a theme in Klinkenberg's genial wanderings down the Loop Road and other roads like it, it is that many of Florida's more interesting venues conspire not just to relieve the visitor of excess cash, but also of life and limb. There are the storms, of course, which Klinkenberg praises as allowing rare opportunities to enjoy the beach by oneself, sans loudmouth neighbors bearing boom boxes and drunken grudges.

There are the bull sharks, which liberated an arm from another of his interlocutors. There are the snakes and skeeters behind every rustling blade of grass, the occasional wild-eyed outlaw, and, of course, the snowbird oblivious to the norms, physics and laws of motor traffic.

But then there are treasures worthy of the dangers, and Klinkenberg has a rare gift for finding them. One is a backwoods type named Spook, who likes nothing more than to bring down a wild hog or two with his bare hands. Another is a pair of more pacific, indeed Thoreauvian swamp dwellers who have made their own version of paradise on the aptly named Peace River.

There are the ghosts of hard-drinking, hard-smoking, hard-writing Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who turns up at several points here, and, to keep the otherworldly theme going, a Tampa eccentric who makes elaborate sculptures of animal bones, as well as the recently departed Gill Man, Ricou Browning, who scared us all to death half a century ago with his visage in Creature from the Black Lagoon -- if you look at it sideways, a Rawlings story gone terribly astray.

And then, by way of a celebration of life, there is a visit to "the best place to eat pancakes in Florida, if not the world," which by Klinkenberg's estimation is the Old Spanish Sugar Mill and Griddle House in De Leon Springs State Park, up by Daytona Beach. (For my money, that honor goes to the Ranch House near Montpelier, Idaho, but de gustibus . . .)

These are treasures to be sure, fine exemplars of an old and weird legacy. It's clear on every page that Klinkenberg has lived several worthy lifetimes in Florida, that he loves the place immoderately, and that he laments the state's transformation, along with the rest of the nation, into a land of tatty strip malls and soul-killing cul-de-sacs.

Jeff Klinkenberg comforts himself with the thought that, come the apocalypse, the gators will still be here. It's a thought that ought to bring solace and a smile to the rest of us as well. So will this gracefully written, endlessly entertaining book, a gift for all who love the real Florida.

Gregory McNamee lives in Tucson, Ariz. The University of Nebraska Press has just released his book ''Moveable Feasts: The History, Science, and Lore of Food'' in paperback.

Finally - the Vincent Diamond stories all brought together and with a few new gems. My suggestion is that you read every word - from the glowing preface, through the pages and pages of "smut with heft," to the poignant final story about an old man hanging out at a race track and the life he barely had.

This eclectic collection of stories is aimed at the connoisseur of the m/m reading public. Being my first experience with Vincent Diamond's books I didn't know what to expect and the stories included in this collection gave me a great appreciation of his work and his writing. Most of the background is set in Florida where Mr. Diamond lives and you can feel the sultry, hot, humid heat and air almost like a slow drumbeat in the background.

Every protagonist in his stories would be considered by most to be a man's man - physically strong, sometimes flawed, at times vulnerable and always three dimensional. Almost all of the stories are told in two and three segments making for a much richer experience with the characters that is not typically afforded the reader of short stories. The author makes no apologies for his characters and at times the writing is almost `in your face' because the stories are of people in situations that are harsh and uncompromising. What I'll try to do in this review of ROUGH CUT: VINCENT DIAMOND COLLECTED is give the reader a sense of the stories without being a spoiler

LIONS, TIGERS AND SNARES
COLD HANDS, WARM HEARTS

These two stories feature Byron, an agent for the US government working undercover as a pre-veterinarian summer intern at a big game wild life refuge and Kendall who is in charge of the refuge. In LIONS, TIGERS AND SNARES the electricity between Byron and Kendall is immediate but in the midst of getting to know each other a whole lot better a dangerous situation emerges when the owner of the refuge shows up and all hell breaks loose. In the second story COLD HANDS, WARM HEARTS there is a change of pace. I never knew there were so many uses for a freezer and ice. Oh my! Suffice it to say that I will forever remember Byron and Kendall's adventures but I also love the emotion between them.

A COLD NIGHT'S SLEEP
FIRE

I was really moved by A COLD NIGHT'S SLEEP and the two main characters who were both damaged, physically and emotionally. Sandy, a former policeman had been hurt during a fire and bore the physical scars; he was living like a hermit when Tanner dropped in on him, literally. The attraction between them grew that night fuelled by proximity until they couldn't hold back. When they made love to each other it was as if they were two halves of a whole and the sex was both tender and raw and it didn't matter that they were on different sides of the law.

In FIRE, Sandy and Tanner meet again three years later - Sandy now works for the Florida Parks Department teaching fire prevention to trainees. Changes have occurred in both their lives but the one constant is their overwhelming attraction to each other. I could feel the emotion and almost smell the odours described by the author, both indoors and out. What was amazing was that two such hard-bitten characters could show such feeling and tenderness. Then it is déjà vu all over again for Sandy - another day, another fire. The sex afterward - violent, sweaty and hot as they make love like animals - helps to heal Sandy's wounds.

HAUNTED
SLIDE INTO DESIRE
WALKING THE BLUE LINE
DEEP TROUBLE UNDERCOVER
A QUESTION OF TASTE
DANGEROUS DAYS
TROPICAL DAZE

These 7 stories, easily novella length at 116 pages, are about Steven, an undercover cop sent by the Jacksonville PD and the DEA to sniff out the department's newest target - Conrad, leader of a crew of ravers and a primary suspect in a meth and ecstasy distribution operation. From their first meeting the attraction between Steven and Conrad sizzles and Steven has a hard time at first with the idea of sleeping with a man, something he had never done before as well as getting in bed with the enemy.

Their first encounter is raw and rough and Steven is on fire; it's as if the world as he knows it ceases to exist and his entire universe is limited to Conrad. From HAUNTED where Steven and Conrad first hook up to TROPICAL DAZE as the story plays out, the sex and lust between the two protagonists burn up the sheets and anything in their way. As they become more and more entangled Steven falls deeper and deeper for Conrad and begins to fear the emotions developing between them and the impact on his undercover assignment. Each story moves into the other and the intensity heightens until it culminates into a number of surprising events. These 7 stories show what a gifted storyteller Vincent Diamond is as he weaves this sultry tale and ratchets up the excitement to a crescendo, taking the reader along for the ride.

The other stories - SHEPHERD, BRUISED, BACK IN THE SADDLE, HORSING AROUND and IRISH CREAM are all excellent but space will not permit me to expand on them. What impressed me the most is the incredible writing style of Vincent Diamond and the wide range of subjects explored in the book which demonstrates his experience, skill and eloquent voice. Mr. Diamond does not avoid any topic in this book and goes boldly where most authors do not tread. He tackles previously taboo topics and many of the stories are about making choices. From a paroled prisoner in a liaison with a former police officer to an investigator at a big cat reserve getting `jiggy' with his potential mark, to another officer deep undercover in more ways than one with his target and loving it, this book explores the seamy and sensual sides of the Sunshine State.

Fans of Mr. Diamond's work and first time readers will love this book and I have no hesitation giving it 5 stars.

Usually I don't like anthologies. The simple reason is that I can't be satisfy by too short stories, and when I like the characters is even worst, since I always felt like they are gone too soon. So it's always with a bit of prejudice that I start an anthology, and the reason why I choose to read it is always different, but usually since there is at least an author in the anthology that I like.

Rough Cut is different so. First of all it's a collection of stories from the same author, Vincent Diamond, ones I had the chance to read and like, especially in the Under Arrest Anthology. One reason more is that, the very story I like in that anthology, was also in this collection and it has also a sequel, so even better, since one of my prejudice falls as I have the chance to read more on two characters I liked very much and way better since the story I read in the past didn't have an happily ever after and I'm a looser for HEA. And finally the big surprise, almost all the stories in the anthology are related one to each other and tell us about the same pair, an ex cops and his bad boy lover, and so it's almost like having a full novel, plus some nice appetizers and desserts.

"Lions and Tigers and Snares" & "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" : Byron is an agent who has to discover an illicit traffic with dying big felines. So he works undercover in a shelter, playing the role of volunteer and looking around. But more than looking to illicit traffic, he is looking at Kendall, the man who leads the shelter and that probably is head to foot involved. But Byron sees how Kendall loves the big cats and he is sure the man can't be the ones who sells them to certain death.

"A Cold Night's Sleep" & "Fire": Sandy is a retired cop. He had a very bad experience during a fire and he still blames himself for the death of a little child. Plus he is scarred by the fire, inside and outside. He prefers to live alone in a cabin with a cat and no one to care who can leave him like his former lover did. Tanner is an ex con who arrives to the cabin during a storm and Sandy offers him a shelter to the bad weather. Also Tanner has his scars, they are only inside, but they are not less painful. And from a scarred man to another, Tanner can see beyond Sandy claims to want to be alone. But probably Tanner needs to set something in his life and it's not time for him to stop with Sandy. And Sandy is not yet ready to forget and move one. Maybe not now, maybe not ever.

"A Cold Night's Sleep" is the short story I remember. In "Fire" Vincent Diamond tells us something more on these two guys, and maybe the romance I thought ended in the first story, could have a "better" end in this second chapter.

"Haunted", "Slide into Desire", "Walking the Blue Line", "Deep Trouble Undercover", "A Question of Taste", "Dangerous Days" & "Tropical Daze": all these stories are about Steven and Conrad. Steven is a undercover cop, he is searching proofs of a drug dealing during the rave parties. Conrad is the man who organizes the raves. It should be a simple mission, not a very dangerous one, they are dealing mostly with young kids, college animals... But Steven cares too much, since he falls in love with Conrad. Conrad is an half spanish half cuban guy, sexy and smooth talking; he lures Steven inside his world and in his bed. Steven is new to all this, he can't even imagine to fall in love with a man, but here he is and in love. But Conrad? it's only sex? and then there is the little problem that Steven should do his work and his work probably will lead Conrad in prison.

I don't want to spoil the story, since probably I will ruin to you the big surprise it revealed me. Reading "Haunted" I almost believed that this one was one of that wonderful but sad story, with two star-crossed lovers condemn to be forever torn apart and instead... read and you will know!

Sheperd: Felipe is a good guy who ends in prison. He is not gay, but two years in captivity could change a man. This is not a love story, maybe it's more a life journey, the surviving tale of a man who sees his world collapse and needs to refocuses his priority and beliefs.

"Bruised", "Back in the Saddle" & "Horsing Around": another pretty long and so very satisfying story. Marcus is a man who has loved and lost. He is still mourning but maybe he is ready to be back in the saddle. David is a vet student who helps Marcus in his horse farm during summer. He is young and innocent and so tempting. He sees and wants Marcus and with his joy of life forces Marcus to live again, to want again, to want David. But David is soo young, and new to real love, plus Marcus is his first man, before him David never thought possible for him to love a man. Family and future seem big handicaps in their ride to life.

Irish Cream: an old man remembers a lost lover, a love born and died when they can't even think for it to last, but if death didn't call, what could be? Now he has only memories, sad and cold, but cherished.

What links all the stories? they are sweet and sexy, but a bit sad. Even when there is an happily ever after, and lucky for me, there is often, I always felt like a suffused sadness. Erotic stories sometimes are like a roaring fire, these instead are like simmering ashes, and maybe it is better, since a roaring fire blasts and ends in a blur, and instead the ashes last longer. So these stories, they spread inside you like a comforting warm, and remain with you long before you close the book.

I hope that any one that relly like to understad a jurney of life has to read it... life will look in other color at the end of the book. Good for the soul

Ms.Glasberg has had the courage to dig and relive her unspeakably hellish past. She has performed an everlasting act of kindness by giving thousands of Jews murdered, some sort of dignity. So many of them whithout even a marking to attest that once, not long ago they were part of families and communities full of life. May their memories live forever. As a decendant of a family from the Jewish Community in Chernowitz this book has taught me much of what became of my extended family back then.

Unlike the other books where the concentration camps are well known and they are all the same story, this one is uniqe. Instead of gas chambers and crematoriums the people in Bershad were starved to death and near liberation, they were shot. even after liberation the book is exciting and heartbreaking. do not leave it sitting on the shelves.

I bought this for my grandchildren, and really enjoyed reading it myself. Each page is in two parts -- the inside 2/3 of each page has words unique to Florida with beautiful illustrations for each letter of the alphabet, written in larger print and in language children can understand. The outside 1/3 of each page has smaller print and goes into detail about the words and pictures, expanding knowledge for curious children and adults. I highly recommend this book!

S is for Sunshine is not an ordinary alphabet book. It's a unique alphabet book of the Sunshine State...Florida. What makes it unique are not the beautiful, pastel-colored illustrations by Michael Glenn Monroe, but the combination of narrative and expository passages for each letter of the alphabet. The simple, rhyming lines depict a particular characteristic of Florida, for example, A is for alligator. Along the sides of the page is a well-written descriptive passage explaining about the alligator and its habitat. The rhymes and illustrations are especially appealing to the younger child, however, the accompanying passages provide a rich history and facts about Florida for the intermediate reader. What a wonderful book for children!

This is my new favorite alphabet book to read to my 3 year old daughter. We both love looking at all of the pictures of the places we have been to and the items and animals as the relate to the state of Florida. Each page features a letter, a rhyme even small children can follow, and a beautiful picture. There are also sidebars where more in depth information on the pictures is provided for more advanced readers. Our favorites are N for Nasa, S for St Augustine, and of course W for Walt Disney World. I foud the sidebar information okay in content. The letter U is for underwater Aquarium and I thought that maybe some info on the state aquarium in Tampa would have been nice if it was provided but it was not. On the other hand the page for the letter Z for Zebra Longwing butterfly mentioned Butterfly World an attraction that is located just down the street from us. I think the book would have benefited from some more in depth informnation on places you could specifically visit. That said I think the author did an amazing job of matching letters with Florida concepts. X is always a tricky one. I would recommend this book to any child who wants to learn more about the state of Florida and especially to children learning the alphabet who live in Florida. This book is a wonderful way to learn about our state.

This was a very intrestling book about the 2nd best coach and the incredible story of the 1991 season. This is a must read book for FSU Fans everywhere. I thourghly enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves college football.

As a freshman at Florida State in '91, I worked with the football team as a student athletic trainer. I remember Ben Brown, and how he spent almost every minute with the team, nearly becoming a part of it. Take it from someone who was there: Ben Brown got it right. If you want to know what a season at the top of college football's elite feels like, read this book. Even today, reading passages takes me back to memories I will never forget. I just wish Ben could have been with us in '93, when we won the National Championship, so he could have written a happier ending.

I felt this book reached deep down into college football. I was thrilled when names such as Edgar Bennet, Charlie Ward, Amp Lee, and Danny Kanell. I felt the boos of the opossing fans and felt the cheers of ours. Until I read this book, I never realized the preparation it takes to coach a college football team. This was a well planned, well thought, documentation of Florida State Football.

Officially licensed by NASCAR, The Sands Of Time: Celebrating 100 Years Of Racing At Daytona by journalist and sports writer Bill Lazarus is the rip-roaring multimedia combination of a splendidly photographed, coffee-table book with an informed and informative text recounting the history of the Daytona 500 automobile race from 1903 to 2003, and enhanced with an exclusive, 60-minute companion DVD of rare Daytona footage. The informative history is brought to life with pictures ranging from rare and vintage black-and-white photographs to dazzling color pictures of exciting races in progress. An excellent gift book especially for anyone who enjoys Daytona racing.

Being a huge fan of racing I have read many books that deal primarily with NASCAR. Most of them can't even get close to this book. Not only is it interesting to me as a racing fan it is also full of historical information that I have never seen compiled in one place before. The side bars are both interesting and informative, if you have the slightest interest in the "birth of speed" I suggest you read this!

I bought The Sands of Time at a book signing with Geoffrey Bodine in Daytona. I really just wanted to meet Geoff and didn't know anything about the book. But it turned out to be great! I really enjoyed all the photos from the early 1900s. (There is sand flying everywhere and the grooves around the corners are so deep. And some guys complain about track conditions today!)

But this is not a book that you'll merely flip through to look at its pictures. I started reading and did not want to stop. I've been a NASCAR fan for a few years now but have never really thought about its history..and didn't even know I cared till I read this book. I have a greater appreciation now of why Daytona and racing are so popular. Coincidently I read most of the book while sitting in 500 traffic on Sunday!

I recommend Sands of Time to any race fan. Not only because it covers a subject you love, but because I think it will make you love it even more.

Walter Mosley referred to Charles Willeford in an interview as someone he liked to read. That was a good enough recommendation for me.

Wow! Vivid, clear writing. Characters that are less than perfect human beings, whose foibles are not necessarily endearing. The psychopath was absolutely fascinating to observe.

The not improbable behaviors of the people in the plot end in a satisfying conclusion.

A unique voice. I'm going on to his other books.

Overwhelmed by an abundance of cold cases, Miami homicide detective Hoke Moseley retreats into a fugue state, abandons his pregnant partner and housemate Ellita Sanchez and his two daughters to seek a simpler life managing his father's apartment complex in Riviera Beach.

Meanwhile, Stanley Sinkiewicz, an elderly Ford Motor retiree who spends a night in jail on a false charge which prompts his wife to leave him, makes the acquaintance of Troy Louden, a cold-blooded killer who adds a new dimension to his life.

Stanley does a favor for Louden, which results in his release from jail. The two then embark on an odyssey which can only lead to disaster.

Hoke soon finds the simple life is easier to envision than to envelop. Coping with a job offer from the local police, a string of local burglaries and a daughter with an eating disorder puts him back on the path home.

But--before he gets there--Louden, Sinkiewicz, a grotesquely disfigured stripper and an artist with questionable talent launch a crime spree that comes full-circle into his sphere for a surprising climax.

Like others in the series, Sideswipe is packed with action and wry off-beat humor. Elmore Leonard says no one writes a better crime novel. Who am I to argue with that?

Loved it. I really enjoy Willeford's writing and the feel of seedy Florida in his books

"Southern Comforts" is an evocative prose poem of a place - Alachua, Florida - its countryside and town - its people, Native Americans, black, white, young, old, family, friends, living, and dead - and their stories, fact and fable, that coalese and collect in one woman's search for herself. The author is a rare species, a fifth-generation Floridian whose ancestors came to Alachua in horse-drawn wagons in a state ever increasingly populated with transplants.

"Tell me the landscape in which you live," Cauthen quotes Jose Ortega y Gasset, "and I will tell you who you are." Through her exploration of all aspects of her landscape comes, if not peace, self-knowledge and the comforts of understanding, a portal to the present through memories of things past. "Southern Comforts" points a way to those of us who seek why we are who and where we are and how we may find our way and place in today and tomorrow.

Beautifully written, beautifully bound - I purchased six copies and gave five to friends, all of whom love this book.

Sudye Cauthen is a fifth-generation Floridian who blends memoir, oral history and cultural geography to consider the vanishing elements of a place she holds dear. Southern Comforts: Rooted in a Florida Place is a recommended pick for any library strong on Florida history and culture, surveying the roots of changes to tradition and sense of place and considering archeology as well as history in the process.

I think this may be my favorite of all the books on Southern lighthouses that I have seen. Beautiful photography. Substantial factual information. Our paperback copy is falling apart in our library, I need a hardback copy and it appears they aren't available or are they?

First, this book is chocked full of Bruce Roberts' beautiful photographs of the lighthouses in this region. The photographs are nothing less than SPECTACULAR! Combined with the revised and updated information on each makes this regional lighthouse guide a requirement you won't want to be without whether you're visiting the region or a life-long resident. The text contains full, rich descriptions of each lighthouse, too.

I have many lighthouse books and all of Bruce Roberts' and Ray Jones' regional guides. I've read them all and used most of them while traveling. I've found them to be first rate, an excellent choice for people who want everything lighthouse between two covers. A joy to look at and informative to read.

First, this book is chocked full of Bruce Roberts' beautiful photographs of the lighthouses in this region. The photographs are nothing less than SPECTACULAR! Combined with the revised and updated information on each makes this regional lighthouse guide a requirement you won't want to be without whether you're visiting the region or a life-long resident. The text contains full, rich descriptions of each lighthouse, too.

I have many lighthouse books and all of Bruce Roberts' and Ray Jones' regional guides. I've read them all and used most of them while traveling. I've found them to be first rate, an excellent choice for people who want everything lighthouse between two covers. A joy to look at and informative to read.

Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands is the best single book on the often-overlooked Gulf Coast Theater of the War of 1812. Well written and researched, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light several little understood aspects of the War of 1812. First, it illustrates the previously overlooked interrelation of the Creek War and the bearing it had on the outcome of the War of 1812.

Secondly, it details all military and political actions on the Gulf Coast leading up to the Battle of New Orleans. Most books focus only on the events of the battle, ignoring the many actions that had a direct influence on how the Battle of New Orleans was fought. Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands describes these events so one can understand thier impact on the outcome of the battle itself.

Lastly, Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands brings to light the divergent Southern opinion that the War of 1812 was a great military victory. From the Southern perspective, victory was nearly complete; the Creeks had been destroyed (opening more land for settlement); the Mobile territory had been annexed; and a major British invasion had been decisively stopped. The book contrasts this Southern perspective to the typical Northern view that the War of 1812 was at best a draw, which is the general view put forward by the majority of books on this subject.

Overall, the book is readable and informative. It is important for the new ideas and information it brings to the history of an area and a period. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either the Creek War or the War of 1812.

Dr. Owsley tells the story of the Gulf area during the War of 1812 in a very readable manner. His work is quite thorough and includes a lot of detail about the skirmishes and battles. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in the War of 1812 and the Creek Indian War. The research done was well documented and any student of history will find this a great source.

For decades to come this will be the standard reference work on this topic. Superbly researched utilizing not only the usual American sources, but the previously untapped archives of Spain and Great Britain. Owsley has integrated the Creek War into the larger framework of the War of 1812 causing the reader at some point to pronounce "Eureka" as you begin to acquire a whole new perspective on Andrew Jackson and the conflict with Great Britain.

This may easily be the best history on the Creek War of 1813-1814. What could have been a completely altered history of the United States - if Andrew Jackson had not been in command, if he would have hesitated only weeks from the crucible campaign concluding at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, if the British would have landed the state-of-the-art muskets, artillery, military advisors/trainers, and cavalry accoutrements several weeks earlier than they did, if the Spanish had been more pro-active than they were for the Creeks, etc. - would have prevented us from our Manifest Destiny! I never before have read all of this with such fervor, explanation, and detail. Owsley makes the point that too many of our historians have belittled our accomplishments in these two interrelated wars and downplayed their significance. Often we have been led to believe that the War of 1812 was a "draw." He makes the point that it was on balance a resounding victory.

Jackson's being in the right place at the right time for the Battle of New Orleans would not have occurred but for his role in the Creek War and the overwhelming victory achieved. We would not have had the experienced and trained troops in place under his command but for the Creek War. And, inasmuch as the British did not recognize the validity of the Louisiana Purchase, if they had won the Battle of New Orleans then the Treaty of Ghent signed in December 1814 would not have applied to any claims that they would have asserted over New Orleans, Louisiana, and their planned buffer states under the Creek Indians and their allies. The frontier would have been inflamed and we would have had strong buffer Indian states with which to contend and two mutually supportive European powers. All of this was prevented by Andrew Jackson and his juggernaut victory at Horseshoe Bend. The sheer quantum of international intrigue taking place at Pensacola and throughout the Gulf area is enlightening.

This book is highly recommended by this reviewer. You will receive a whole new perspective on Andrew Jackson and his brave Tennessee and Georgia troops in the Creek War.