Florida Books

Britain And Barbary: 1589-1689 by Nabil Matar (Professor of English and Chair of the Department of Humanities and Communication at the Florida Institute of Technology) is the fascinating study of the many interesting occurrences of early modern England's relationship with the North African political front in the progressive time imperative to England's fundamental grounding during the 100 year span of 1589 to 1689. As an in-depth study significant to England's history, Britain And Barbary is a strongly recommended read for all historians, especially those seeking scholarly studies of the United Kingdom.

In 1933 Clemson and Melba Dockery accompanied by their nine years old son Tugwell drives from Moultrie, Georgia to Yazoo City, Florida, to visit his father on his birthday. Clemson tries to outrace a speeding train, but fails leaving nine years old Tugwell Dockery as the only survivor. His older sibling, eighteen years old Broda "Bro" Joe is in jail for running alcohol. His paternal grandfather seems indifferent so his Great Aunt Lulu picks up the traumatized child, who no longer can speak.

However, circumstance lead to Tug going to his grandfather's house, which is near the place where his parents died. Bro worries about his younger devastated brother and does not believe his grandfather will care for Tug. Bro escapes from prison with the objective to insure that Tug gets the help he needs to overcome the tragedy.

BRO is a deep look at the Depression Era south that will leave the audience needing a bookcase worth of tissues. The cast tugs at the readers' hearts as each one struggle with what life has dealt them; Tug especially will receive much empathy. Though character driven, historical fiction readers will want to join the pack of new fans that this long time top notch author (see A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE) will garner.

Harriet Klausner

This is a delightful historical look at Brooksville's past through photographs. It captures the essence of the town and its people.

This true account of the Nation of Yahweh is shocking, stunning, and at times painfully hilarious. I can honestly say the author was unbiased and is strictly reporting the facts, using exact times and dates when describing certain incidents and she uses the same vocabulary that the actual people who are part of this bizarre drama used. In the back of the book is a list of Resources that she used in the writing of this book. On the one hand, it seems that the Nation of Yahweh cleaned and straightened up poor neighborhoods in Florida. But it came at a price, as this book eloquently describes.

As I read the book I felt a sad pity for the families of the members of this cult, and the cult members themselves. I also felt compassion for those whose loved ones were caught in the line of fire by members swept away in delusional fanaticism. There were times when I wanted to believe that what I was reading couldn't possibly be true, but when I saw the black and white photographs in this book, and especially when I read the details that describe some of the practices that are still in use by members of the Nation of Yahweh at the present time, I had to accept the inevitable.

The parts that were so ridiculous that I had to laugh were the incidents that took place during the trial- it makes one question the efficiency of law and order in America, the needless red tape and frustration for those who really are trying to bring justice. Also the frustration for those who have lost loved ones and yet see the murderers (and law breakers) get acquitted or just a slap on the wrist- in this case, the trial of Hulon Mitchell Jr. and Co. (also comes to mind is the O.J. Simpson case, and the police officers in the Rodney King beating.) This book also made me realize that we need to seriously rethink the jury process and how we select jurors in trials of this magnitude.

The book re-affirms how when money talks, bull**** walks, and anyone can be bought. I am referring of course to the business peoples, law enforcement, and politicians of Miami (and the other Florida cities that were mentioned) during the 1980's when these events took place. Many of them simply looked the other way despite the growing evidence that murders and other abuses were taking place because it simply would have costed them their careers, money, and votes.

As for the Nation of Yahweh, they are still alive and well; they're just not as out in the open as they once were and they are all spread out. Though there may no longer be any signs of racism in their present literature, many of the same rhetoric and codes of behavior that was described in detail in this book is still in use at the present time- example: Mr. Hulon Mitchell Jr. still believes he is the Messiah incarnate, Mr. Mitchell was "crucified" by the U.S. gov't (meaning he served jail time), Jesus never existed, women are unclean during their menstrual cycle, all forms of birth control are not to be used, having as many babies as soon as possible is the goal, occasionally wearing white tunics, turbans & tetragrammaton, tithing, mandatory attendance of the Feasts, the list goes on.

I highly recommend this book to:

-anyone who is dealing with a friend or family member who might be/or is in a cult
-students of law, psychology, and sociology.
-anyone involved with a Nation of Yahweh member, past or present.
-those considering joining the Nation of Yahweh
-those who like a good crime story-in this case, true crime.
-anyone sincerely willing to take a deep closer look at the American society and how it creates situations like the ones described in this book.

This book is a great example of excellent journalism- the kind that seems to no longer exists on most media outlets (be it ABC, NBC, Fox, or anything owned and operated by Clear Channel) unfortunately.

If you read Joy Dryfoos' book about Full Service Schools, you'll be excited about this "how-to" guide...it helps you turn dreams into reality for children and their families!

Ms Takeuchi has presented an excellent appraisal of the life and work of Taiga. After a detailed biographical section, the artist is considered in relation to his contemporaries and to developing theories about the relationship between landscape and pictorial representation. Particular attention is paid to the theories of Gyokushu, who assigned Taiga a central position in the new Nanga movement in Japanese art. Finally, the meanings of the concept "shinkeizu", or "true-view", as applied to Taiga's work, are helpfully clarified.

Taiga is shown to occupy a pivotal position, reinterpreting Chinese traditions of landscape painting to give new impetus to topographical art during the Tokugawa period. His genius is shown to reside in his simultaneous innovation, and respect for tradition.

This book is generously illustrated in colour and monochrome, and benefits from some very helpful appendices, including a section on the personal seals used by Taiga on his pictures.

Having read the introduction, I understand (finally!) what happened in last years election.

The collection of key cases found here is superlative.

I highly reccomend this examination of election 2001 to any reader interested in an organized clarification of the events last fall.

This review is for the trade paperback reprint with the new cover art of Henshaw's late 19th century account of his travels.

James Henshaw, of Ohio, a member of the Cincinatti Canoe Club, was an outdoorsman and amateur naturalist, who savored the opportunity to journey into the wilds of Florida. Derived from two winter trips to Florida, Henshaw's accounts were originally published in two magazines; he expanded and refined them when they were published in book form.

With a map and over 50 pen and ink drawings, including many drawings of fauna. Appendices: A List of Fishes Observed by the Author in Florida and A List of Birds Observied by the Author in Florida. 168 pp.

This is a good guide packed full with good info. You are going to need to buy a DeLorme atlas for Florida along with it. The maps in the book are pretty scant.

As part of the Images of America series, this book brings readers some great Cape Canaveral photos. So much history has happened in Cape Canaveral, especially with our space program, that this book was long over due. Ray Osborne, a historian well known to the Cape area, does an excellent job presenting readers with images they will remember forever. If you love history and those little facts that make life interesting, then this is a must read. If you're going to visit or have visited the Cape Canaveral area, I would also recommend you get this. As a closet History Channel watcher myself, I really enjoyed this book and seeing how things were "way back when"!