Alabama Books

Thistle and Twigg is a cute book from the title to its contents. Jane Thistle meets Phoebe Twigg and they hit it off even though they are very different. Tellng the story of their adventures from both points of view makes it all the more entertaining. Congratulations to Saums on the beginning of a successful series!

What an entertaining book!! I really enjoyed this read....very descriptive. Fun characters that you want to get to know better.

I've already ordered the next one!

If you are looking for something original and a little different in a cozy this book is for you. It's yet another female "odd couple", but the author makes it seem natural (and if you read a lot of mysteries, you may be pleased to note that there is no resorting to that tired plot device of a male authority/romantic figure warning about "meddling"). It also has a playful touch of the supernatural, which does not seem at all out of place. Throughly recommended for an entertaining weekend's reading with the cat on your bed.

This is a new series. I love it! I had my mystery book club review this and it got favorable reviews from all but one. My friend did not like that the 2 main characters were such opposites: one perfect, one imperfect. But to me they were so obviously different, quirky, unusual, that they were appealing to me. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. I found the characters very appealing and funny. I was immediately drawn into the story, interested in the characters, and how the newcomer would be accepted by her neighbors. This new series has promise.

Being a native Southerner and a fan of cozy mysteries I am naturally always looking for a cozy series set in the South. I have yet to find such a series that I didn't like but obviously some of my finds are better than others. One of my favorites was the "Southern Sisters" mysteries by Anne George but that series came to an end with the passing of the author and I still find myself mourning that loss. With this series however I may have finally found something just as good.

This book revolves around two older ladies who happen to both be widows. Jane Thistle is the widow of a career military man and spent most of her life moving from base to base. On one of her moves she happened through tiny Tallulah Alabama and she fell in love with the place. After her husband's death she resolved to move to Tallulah because of the town's beauty and also because of a strange spiritual draw that she felt for the place. One of her first acquaintances there is Phoebe Twigg who is a native of the town and knows or is related to everybody there. They become fast friends and naturally it isn't long until the stumble on a dead body and from there the two amateur sleuths go to work.

There are several things that make this book stand out and at the top of the list is the dialogue between the characters. This author has the gift of being able to make a conversation come to life and I could clearly picture these two ladies bantering to and fro and occasionally halting their conversation so that they could laugh themselves silly. Phoebe is especially outspoken and her conversations with the other citizens of the town are often quite hysterical. Often completely in the dark as to what is going on Phoebe nevertheless speaks her mind and does so without hesitation and she isn't at all above a good kick if someone really upsets her. As can be deduced from the cover there are also ghosts in this book and they are a playful lot who add a lot to the story. I was just so impressed with the characters and the setting that I find it hard to put into words. After all, where else but in the South could one of the characters attend a gun and crafts show and who else but a very talented author would think to include such an event in a book?

Despite the obvious distractions however this book keeps a pretty tight hold on the plot and the reader is led through a web of deceit, murder, greed and extortion. There is danger at every turn and it often comes from some very unexpected sources. There was actually quite a bit that I didn't see coming but I loved every minute of the journey and can't wait to read the second installment of this series. It has been quite a while since a cozy has captured my heart like this one has.

An inspirational story about the life of Rosa Parks, a mulatto woman who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery AL on Dec 1, 1955. Her courageous act became known as the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. Her quiet and non violent action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycot, provided the NAACP with a model case to end Jim Crow laws in the South and gave opportunity for young minister, Martin Luther King, Jr. to display his enormous leadership potential. The story reveals little known facts about the quiet and demure seamstress. It tells of her personal struggles with racism, poverty and chauvinism. It is a heroic story of an ordinary person with incredible inner strength.

I do not think this is a very good book for a book report on Rosa Parks. Despite the fact the title is "Rosa Parks", I received more information on other things that were happening at the time and about other people than you did about Rosa Parks. However, this is a good book if you are doing a report or want to learn about African American History in the late 1800s and 1900s.

True Life: Rosa Parks
By: Mariah Sanchious

This book states all the facts about Mrs. Rosa Parks and how she basically struggled to be equal her whole life. Mrs. Parks didn't really understand in her young years, why they happened to be separated by color. As she grew older she began to learn why. Why did she make such a difference in the south? Come experience her growing up memories with me and how she had a huge impact on today's society.

I enjoy this book because it notified me that people struggled to get what I have. Even though Mrs. Parks isn't before Irene Morgan or Claudette Colvin she made her stand up for her rights famous. She went through things like getting kicked out of restaurants to getting threating phone calls. She also cost her husband Raymond Parks his corner barbershop job. She also had KKK mobs running up and down the street throwing fires. She worked all the way on the opposite side of town and she walked six miles everyday until justice was served. As this happened to her, her close friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's house was burned down. His church also got burned down while two little girls were in the bathroom. She later lost her job and her husband was abused by policeman. She was also aware that her friends got raped and murdered by policeman and nothing would be done about it. A lot of pregnant women would walk a great distance just to protest with the bus boycott. People really believed separate but equal but a lot of African American leader strived to make that change.

I also enjoyed how the book gives specific details on her childhood years. Rosa McCauley was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. She had a mom Leona that was a rural school teacher, and she had a dad James that was a carpenter. In her toddler years her mom and dad separated and Rosa, her younger brother Sylvester, and her mom moved into a farm. They moved in with their former slaved grandparents in Pine Level, Alabama. She was home schooled until she was old enough to realize how the law was. At age eleven she went to an all girl's school with her friend Jonnie Carr. She continued that all girls school until she went to college. She went to Alabama State College for Negroes but had to dropout because her mom and grandmother were diagnosed with a terminal illness. That's when she got a job and married a local barber named Raymond Parks.

I also enjoyed how they showed how much awards she received and how much honor she received when she died. after the Montgomery Bus Boycott,In 1979, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded Parks the Spingarn Medal, its highest honor, and she received the Martin Luther King Sr. Award the next year. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1983 for her achievements as a civil rights activist. She was aslo asked to welcome Nelson Mandela from is imprisoning in South Africa. She also received rthe Rosa Parks Piece Prize in 1994 in Swedan. She also received the highest award given by the U. S Executive Branch in 1996 called the Presedintal Medal of Freedom. She also received the highest award from the legislative branch in 1999 called the Conggressional Gold Medal. Sha also got the Windsor-Detroit International freedom award that was pesented to her at the Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival. She died in Detroit, Michigan at age 92.

In conclusion, I would like to say that Rosa Parks stood up for a lot of coloreds . Her and all the civil rights activist led us to vitory and achieved their goal. Those 382 days of that bus boycott proved that we are strong and can do and be anything that we want to be. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys learning about black history. I also would like to say that this book makes you apprciate everything you have. It also has makes you feel that your in the obsticles that happened to african americans. I think that people would enjoy this book a lot .

Walking into restaurants and shopping malls, I see short and tall people, young and old people, and black and white people. You may be thinking, "Well, DUH!", but think about it for a minute...were black people always allowed to eat with and shop where white people did? I don't think so! I mean if it weren't for certain people such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, black and white people wouldn't even be able to drink out of the same water fountain, let alone shop and eat among each other.

After reading the book entitled Rosa Parks, written by Douglas Brinkley, I realized that life today isn't at all the same as life was 50 years ago.

Rosa Parks is mainly an autobiography of Rosa Parks. It does although mention other great people such as Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth. All these people helped create equality throughout all of the human races.

On December 1, 1955, a 42-year old black woman, named Rosa Louise Parks, refused to give up her seat to a white man. You see, back then, white people had the privilege of sitting in the front of the bus, due to their so-called "superiority" over blacks, and blacks were sent to the back. Rosa Parks' refusal set off a 381-day boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and is now considered to have been the beginning of the American civil rights movement.

Rosa Parks' case was different from many other people who disobeyed the laws. Rosa Parks had this biblical quality, which made her a saint, somewhat divine. Also, Rosa Parks only spent 2 hours in jail, while others were in for days, weeks, perhaps even months.

This book not only recognizes some of the most influential people of all time, but also tells exactly how black people were treated and how they reacted.

If you are interested in finding out more about Rosa Parks and other interesting people, I highly recommend this book.

Douglas Brinkley brings out the essence of Rosa Parks' humanity and her role in the Civil Rights movement. This short, highly-readable book provides useful background on Mrs. Parks' parents, early childhood, and introduction to the NAACP.

The impact of Rosa Parks' actions on her family and friends was among the most revealing aspects of the book. The web of support, before and after her refusal to give up her seat, is truly inspirational.

The author explores in detail the involvement of Mrs. Parks in the NAACP, church groups, and other activist organizations during the early-to-mid '50s. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s first national exposure in the movement is interesting for those not having read "Parting the Water..." and other such works.

Douglas Brinkley's telling of the Rosa Parks story is not the first - and certainly not the last - but is the best!

Forget the Smith and Street, SI or ESPN's preseason primers this is the only reading you'll need to do to understand this season, last season and a whole lot of others season yet to come.

I read Stewart Mandel's stuff in Sports Illustrated. I like his take on college football. When he wrote this book, I knew that I had to have it. I was not disappointed.

He tackles all the weirdness that is college football. He makes as much sense of the BCS as a person can. He writes about rankings. He tells stories about the great programs and even delves a little bit into history.

All college football fans like to this that they are knowledgeable. Few of us are as knowledgeable as Stewart Mandel. After reading his book, I am a little closer.

I am very pleased with the book and the service provided!

Thanks

I have been reading Mandel's columns and Mailbags for 3 years now and love his writing style. His book BP&TS has all of what makes his writing great on [...] plus even more detail than you can get into an online column.

The book provides a wonderful inside look at the politics of college football. You understand (kind of) the motivations of the bowl system after reading this book. It makes for fascinating reading.

I really like the snarky asides he puts into the book. The footnotes are almost more entertaining than the regular text.

Overall, an excellent buy and a good Christmas present for anyone on your Christmas list that loves college football.

"(NFL) scouts are to football what the third base coach is to baseball - an excuse for a whole bunch of old-timers to stay a part of the fraternity and collect a paycheck to boot." - Stewart Mandel

There are two U.S. sport seasons: Football and No Football. As far as I'm concerned, it's even a finer point than that: College Football and No College Football. BOWLS, POLLS & TATTERED SOULS tells me more than I thought I wanted to know about the collegiate game. But, now that I've read this book by "Sports Illustrated" writer Stewart Mandel, I'm so very glad that I did. It's a completely absorbing volume that I devoured over two days. I wish it was longer.

Mandel examines ten of college pigskin's greatest ongoing controversies, one per chapter:

1. The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) - how we got to this impasse, who supports it and doesn't, and why it's not likely to change dramatically anytime soon.

2. The team ranking system - its evolution, politics, and how it's affected by the BCS.

3. The Heisman Trophy - its history, and why it's become a media exposure contest not necessarily based on playing ability.

4. The hiring and firing of coaches, particularly the latter - the growth of their salaries and the precariousness of their tenures (or "What have you done lately?").

5. Notre Dame - what makes this independent university so damn special that it has BCS equality with the Pac-10, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, ACC and Big East?

6. The recruiting of top high school players - the stand-alone spectacle it's become, and the impact of the Web.

7. The formation of, and school re-alignments with, conferences - it's all about money, particularly TV revenue $. (Say it ain't so, Joe!)

8. Post season bowls - their history, why there are so many, and the team motivation (or not) to participate.

9. NFL recruiting - the joke that it's become.

10. Scandals - who the perps are and why the NCAA doesn't necessarily have jurisdiction (much less care).

Mandel being an ultimate insider himself, his book should be required reading for all the insider-wannabe fan(atic)s who populate the off-field margins of the sport and who come off their couches in droves to demonstrate vociferously with torches, pitchforks, tar and feathers whenever their favorite teams, coaches, or players are perceived to have been criticized unfairly or gotten a raw deal in the polls or BCS standings. While BP&TS won't make such partisans more reasonable, it will perhaps raise their stridency level and make the collegiate football season even more deliciously confrontational and loud than it already is. I love it!

I myself have followed USC on and off - mostly off - since the late 60s when I numbered among my friends several who graduated from the university and got me interested in the Trojans' game at the time OJ was still a hero and not a bum. I've never been a fan(atic), but rather now follow the extraordinary career of Coach Pete Carroll and his gridiron squads much as one would intellectually admire the craftwork of an expert glass blower or master stonemason. In the doldrum years of such head coaches as Ted Tollner and Paul Hackett, I couldn't be bothered. I'm a Fair Weather Adherent, and proud of it. (Would I switch allegiance to the UCLA Bruins if their new coach proves as succesful as Uncle Pete? Most assuredly not. Who can root for a team whose colors include powder blue for Chrissakes!) But even I found BP&TS enormously satisfying and interesting for the insider knowledge it imparts and will better appreciate the moment at the beginning of the 2008 season when USC charges onto the field to beat the Bandini out of its first opponent, Virginia.

Fight On!

This is an eye-opening, gripping account of mental institutions during the Depression and after. It is well told and keeps the reader hanging. I could not put it down. Once I connected with Della Raye, I had to know what would happen next.

Della Raye is only one of hundreds of children from age 2 through age 21 who were shipped off by one or both parents to Partlow who simply did not want to care for them any more. Fortunately she, and others whom I personally know, came through it, although they will never forget the nightmares of being locked in a 4 x 4 room for a month for stealing a piece of cornbread, or worse yet, beging stripped naked and taking turns for showers until all patients in that building were finished. No personal clothing, no books, no radios, or newspapers, when a relative of mine was released after ten years, she did not even know how to dial a phone or how to apply for a job. This book is a true story of one person's hell, replicated thousands of times over at least 50 years, and must be read to be believed. Believe me, it is all true.

I drive by Partlow every night on my way home from work. As a resident of Tuscaloosa, you sometimes forget that Partlow and Bryce are there. As you head towards the bridge to cross the river, the top of the main building at Bryce is easily seen from afar, and I'm sure visitors to the area probably think it to be an antebellum home. Instead, the sprawling grounds of Partlow and Bryce speak of the sad state of "care" in this state, in the past and in the present. I truly loved this book, and I always hoped after I read it for the first time that I would run in to Della Raye somewhere in town and get to meet her. I know she's gone now, but what a testament she left. I hope many more people will read this story. She never became famous, but she showed courage and perseverence and forgiveness and love to the world, a world that locked her away and demeaned her existence.

On Saturday, September 20th, 2003 @ 3:00AM Della Raye Hughes became one of the most celebrated angels in the Heavens. I love you and will miss you terribly Della Raye. Right now you are probably flitting from angel to angel doing comb outs, setting perms and trimming locks. I wish you well on your journey.I am honored to have known you. Please look down on me from time to time. Lord knows I need all the guardian angel help I can get, oh, and it wouldn't hurt if you put a good word or two in for me (insurance...you know). Thank you for all the inspiration, encouraging words,laughs,long distance hugs and for the trust you placed in me. You will always be in my thoughts with much love and respect.

This book is about Della Raye Rogers who at age 4, along with her mother and some other relatives, was committed to the Partlow State School for Mental Deficients in Alabama. It was 1929 and Della Raye's Uncle Richard was too poor to shoulder the burden of caring for himself and his "feeble-minded" relations so he had them institutionalized. At the state school the patients were classified as "morons", "imbeciles" or "idiots". The staff was mostly untrained and uneducated so the "school" was more of an underfunded warehouse for those who were unable to care for themselves. After suffering 20 years of horrifying physical, psychological and emotional abuse, Della Raye was finally released. She found that she not only had the spirit & intelligence to live her life fully, but also the grace to forgive those who had treated her so badly. A heart-warming, inspiring story of the power of love and faith.

This was a decent read. Not exactly suspenseful or hard to put down, but a decent read. This is the first I have read by Jack Kerley, and I will probably read another.

I loved this book yet even saying that I can admit it had some flaws. It just does not measure up to the first two mysteries by Kerley in the basic point - plot & interaction of characters. Perhaps it's the curse of the sequeal in which the reader is burdened with already meeting the characters and having little to discover about them. In the last book Carson got with Dee Dee, the reporter (great story there). One thing I did enjoy was the greater role his partner, Nautilus, played.

Someone is savaging women around town & now it seems that a four-year case might be linked to a current one. Then there's the explanation, the downside of the story. The idea of rich, evil families with mountains of trouble has been done so many times it's almost a genre unto itself. In this case, we are at the edge of believability - not only is there a no-nonsense mom and besides being rich they are paranoid and utterly hedonistis, but they are also insane, mean for the sake of being mean and without a single redeeming qualities save their "gifts with strings". Another problem was the controlling mechanism, the family controlled all aspects of Mobile life, getting folks hired, fired, making them betray their friends, controlling politicians & the media... The storyline with Claire goes (in my opinion) nowhere except to the inevitable bedroom.

Positives - great action, particularly toward the last. Quirky characters - the looney bin of the "K" family was hilarious with tree boy, puppet man, fake dementia, genius son, big head, etc The nurse was such an effective presence, nearly perfect. Alas, all good things must come to an end and Dee Dee makes a near fatal choice of guy pals. Our knight in shining armor (Carson) loses a gal but gains a confidant.

I completely agree with L.J. Roberts' review below. I too had to read through the blurb and skim the book before I could start writing this review. Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus are two detectives investigating a brutal murder. Ryder's tongue-in-cheek humor and the fun interactions he has with his partner always make Kerley's mysteries so fun.

It's not Kerley's best novel; but it isn't bad, and I still look forward to the next entries in the Ryder/Nautilus series.

Detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus pick up a call from dispatch and beat another pair of detectives to the scene of a reporter found murdered in her car. The reporter is a friend of Carson's girlfriend, Dani Danbury. The trail soon leads to other murders, a police cover-up and to the very wealthy, influential Kincannon family, including Buck who is counting Carson's girlfriend.

This book lacked the spark of the previous two novels by Kerley. I found the plot implausible and imminently forgettable. Even to write this review, one week after reading the book, I had to go back and leaf through it to remember the plot. The best part of the book was the relationship between the two detectives, although even that didn't have quite the impact of previous books, and the growing relationship between Carson and Claire Peltier, a forensic pathologist 11 years his senior. There is a suspenseful scene toward the end that does make the book exciting. It's still a good series, but this wasn't Kerley's best effort.

The setting for this crime thriller is Mobile, Alabama. A reporter for
the local radio station,Taneesha Franklin is slashed to death. The Mobile
police Department assign two homicide detectives Harry Nautilus and Carson
Ryder ti investigate the murder. Franklin was a good friend of Ryder's
girlfriend Dani.
Also featured in this story is the Kincannon family. They are ruled over
by the domineering mother. There are several sons who make up the business empire. This family owns everything of value in the Mobile area.
The family also has a son named Lucas.
The investigation leads in several directions. The two detectives discover a Kincannon employee who is named Crandell that fixes problem messes. In the meantime Carson Ryder is abducted. Their investigation
uncovers several secrets of the Kincannon family. The two detectives also discover that one of their fellow officers is not honest. This book takes you on a winding path before you get to the truth behind the crimes.
This is a very good book that I enjoyed reading.

The only thing I remember in 1965 about my childhood in Montgomery, Alabama was that I was six-years-old and there was the terrible murder of a white woman by the Ku Klux Klan. I didn't know her name. All I knew was she was killed for having a black man ride in her car with her. That is all I have known for years. Thanks to Mary Stanton's excellent biography, I now know her name and her story. One night after reading several chapters I could not get to sleep. My thoughts were of Vi and Highway 80 out of Selma. Remembering can be a painful thing but through the sensitivity of Stanton's writing and her personal admiration for Viola Liuzza, I came to love and admire this courageous woman. Sorry that we never met. I appreciate Stanton sharing her struggle to research the story and write it. That was fascinating and very rewarding to be at Stanton's side page after page hoping her contacts and leads would pan out.

Like the author I was stunned in 1965 when I heard of the Liuzzo murder and the trial of Collie Leroy Wilkins. The prologue in Stanton's book was engaging and beautifully written. However, after the prologue the book is not as compelling. Ms. Stanton clearly suggests that Rowe was the murderer, but leaves some large questions unanswered. Where is Leroy Moton? If Moton testified that Wilkins was the murderer why dismiss Moton's testimony because of lie detector tests administered to Wilkins? I wonder if Rowe committed the crime myself, but I don't see evidence in the book to support the author's perspective. Even if Rowe did commit the murder, that does not exonerate Wilkins or Murphy. Also, the book seemed unevenly documented. In some cases there were footnotes from newspapers that were either unnecessary or provided insufficient support. In other cases claims were made without any documentation.

What is good about this book is Ms. Stanton's passion. What it lacks is structure and support for some of the claims contained therein. Still, I am glad I read the book and glad she wrote it.

Like Mary Stanton, I was also curious about Mrs Luizzo, and she stayed in the back of my mind. I am sorry for the loss her family and many other families suffered simply because they wanted to change something that was completely wrong and unjust. I also feel shame on a government who would go so far to make those who were right and decent appear so degrading and immoral and to even allow murder to protect the "status quo" This book is must reading for anyone who really wants to take the blinders off about what really happened during that horrible time. I have recently been given the opportunity to visit parts of Alabama and while the area I visited is very decent, mentally I can still visualize the Alabama of 1965 and understand why it is necessary to leave the Viola Luizzo marker defaced; as the author has stated the struggle isn't over. Thank you Mary Stanton

This book took priority over my agenda, a page turner of the first order. Getting the real story of Viola Liuzzo was on the back burner of my own mind so long I didn't remember it was there until Stanton's book caught my attention at the library. The book is in layers, with the story of getting the story as telling of the 1990s as the unfolding of what was actually happening in Selma and America in the 1960s. The role of women and political correctness 1960s style all over the U.S.A. as well as in Selma rings true. The story of the civil rights movement in the context of the South is absolutely girpping.

Only one of the many people who gave their lives for racial justice in the 1960s was a white woman. Several reasons for this become clear in Mary Stanton's moving portrait of the life of Viola Liuzzo.

In an age when conformity was considered a virtue, especially for white women, Viola Liuzzo was not a conformist. A spirited woman who married the first time as a teenager, Liuzzo was at the time of her death attending Wayne State and the mother of five children. Her best friend was African American, when that was considered peculiar. Her husband was a Teamster, but he could not control her. When none of the other students who agreed to accompany Liuzzo to Alabama at Martin Luther King's invitation showed up, she went alone. The March from Selma to Montgomery was hours finished when she and a young black male passenger in her car were shot. He survived, just barely. She did not.

For all Liuzzo's unconventionality, nothing prepared her friends and family for the drubbing her reputation was given by the government. Overnight, she went from a brave, unselfish freedom fighter to a slut who abandoned her children, possibly used drugs and was married to the mob. The information leaked to the press was the invention of the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover had his own reputation to protect, and that of an informant inside the Ku Klux Klan, who contributed to Liuzzo's death.

Stanton, who has since written several portraits of whites caught up in the Movement , shows that it was these slurs on Liuzzo's reputation, rather than her death, that inflicted the deepest wounds on her family. She was killed twice-once by a bullet and again by the ugliest kind of slander.

While Congress debates whether or not the Voting Rights Act should be renewed, this book reminds us that our government of, by and for the people has often colluded with the worst among us to keep down the weakest. It's worth remembering.

Enjoyed this book. The author can use harsh language occasionally, but his insite into turkey hunting is great. I really enjoyed his humor and definitely learned some things that I'm going to try. Of all the tips he gave, the one I think is most significant is to learn how to shoot off-hand. His best joke is how turkeys have rewritten Murphy's Law!

Tenth legion, the first of Tom Kelly's prolific writings is a must read and will get you addicted to him. Full of laughs and philosohies sprinkled with advice, this 114 page book is one you will enjoy and come back to reread.

Reading this book was a lot of fun. There are a few gems of knowledge that can be picked out of this book, but truly I would only buy this book for the entertainment value. If you are looking for info on how to turkey hunt, your best bet is to go find someone who has been doing it for a while. Barring that, there is good information on the internet to get you started.

This book is a lot of fun, but definitely not a how to.

Tom Kelly is my favorite author of all time and Tenth Legion is a true masterpiece. It is a must read for every serious turkey hunter. His wit and humor are flawlessly intertwined with years of turkey hunting experience. The literary value of this book, as with the rest of his books, is in a class by itself. I am convinced that Kelly could write about anything and make it a pleasure to read.

I didn't find that this book met my expectations. I've read better and don't understand all the hoopla about it... On the other hand my father loved it and is buying copies for his friends. So there you go, a mixed review. I still think the Flaming Turkey is the be all end all of turkey hunting stories.
This doesn't compare in my opinion.

White's book, Off the Record, manages to combine a Christian journey, romance as well as political intrigue. Laurel Kincade is a candidate for the Alabama Supreme Court and a figure from her past, Cole McGaughton, appears. Laurel has led an exemplary Christian life, but she has one secret from her youth: a three day marriage and annulment to Cole while in law school. Cole then had been nothing but a bad influence, but has since changed his life, focusing now on God, his family and his career. But Cole's appearance is a shock for Laurel as he is a reporter and she's afraid that he might be able to blow her campaign. The book also adds campaign intrigue. After this book, I'm very much looking forward to reading other books by White.

Cole is bound and determined to show Laurel he's changed since their heartbreaking past; she's holding too much hurt to start anew. Excellent story with believable characters and a compelling plot.

Elizabeth White's Off the Record ended up surprising me. I expected a typical romance boy meets girl etc. etc. But what White manages to pull off is a sweet look at the damage done through kept secrets and truth's freeing power.

Charming characters and situations full of humor, tension or sweetness made this book a quick read. The revealed secret ended up holding a few surprising elements.

I was pleased to find that my favorite character from the book, Matt, will be starring in White's next release, "Controlling Interest."

One note to very cautious readers. White uses slang throughout. If you make it a policy to NOT veer from conservative Christian fiction you may find some words and situations offensive.

Those looking for a humor infused read, romance lovers, and women's fiction junkies should find much to like in "Off the Record."

This was the first novel I've read by Christian fiction author Elizabeth White, and about the fourth inspirational romance novel I've read in a row! Even though I'm not a huge fan of this genre, this book made it more enjoyable. Laurel Kincade is running for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and reporter Cole McGaughan knows a secret about her past that will make her conservative, family-focused supporters think twice about voting for her. I love to study how stories develop, and this one continues to gain momentum and build interest throughout, with a touching and surprising ending.

The "inspirational" aspect of this book was also a surprise. Too many times books are labeled "Christian fiction" because the author claims to be a Christian and the main character has some sort of shallow relationship with God. It's more like deism than anything else. But the spiritual development of the characters in this novel is excellent and not forced or cliche. It obviously comes from a deep place in the author's own life.

Again, a few discernment issues on this one. I know it's a love story, but lately I've noticed a trend in Christian romance to allow more and more non-discreet details to slip into the pages. I don't know that it's always necessary. It depends on the context. And I noticed a few instances of that in this book. So be aware of that before you read.

All in all, though, a well-written and absorbing read.

Off the Record by Elizabeth White is the story of Laurel Kincaide, a young Southern lawyer who has decided to run for Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice. Just as she announces her candidacy, she sees journalist Cole McGaughan, the one man who could bring her campaign to a quick end with secrets about their shared past he holds in his hand. Laurel's best friend and campaign manager, who is unaware of their past, asks Cole to follow Laurel through election day for a story that could help them both: his with his newspaper career and Laurel to win a seat on the court. Things are complicated by Cole's friendship with private detective Hogan who has been hired by Laurel's opponent Field. White does a wonderful job of creating the Kincaide family with its delightfully twisted history and members. Laurel is trying to live out her faith during her candidacy, and she struggles to believe that Cole has had a change of heart and faith since they last met. I really enjoyed reading about Cole's faith. White portrayed it in an intimate way that struck home with me. Cole spoke to his Lord often as a good friend and loved son. At one point he runs through his options to calm down: cold shower, shot of alcohol, etc before realizing that what he needed was to talk to God, and it brought peace to his soul. Cole's relationship with God has helped my own grow in the same way. The book ends the way you would expect, but the twists and bumps on the way are worth the ride.

This is an excellent study on the political career of George Wallace, the former Alabama Governor famed for his stand against integration in the early 1960's and his subsequent runs for the Presidency. Carter portrays Wallace as a complex individual, who seems to have been motivated from the start more by ambition than principle. The book gives an extremely well researched and readable account of Wallace's early life, his family, friendships and formative experiences. Carter attempts to show that Wallace early on became politically ambitious for the Alabama Governor's office and that he originally adopted the stance of a moderate (for the time) southern populist, going so far as to refuse to break away from the Democratic party in 1948 and supporting Truman over Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrat party.

In the 1958 Alabama gubernatorial election Wallace was defeated by a more blatantly racist, segregationist opponent and vowed in a famed statement of racial epithet never to be the racial moderate in any future elections. True to his word he ran a 1962 campaign on the stance of continued defiance to federal government attempts to integrate Alabama schools and extend voting rights to the state's black population. Successfully elected, he made a national name for himself by his confrontations with the federal courts (including initially trying to defy or evade the court orders of man who had once been a good friend - Federal Judge Frank Johnson) and the Kennedy Justice Department. The book doesn't shy away from the resulting violence of some of Wallace's followers and the more extreme racist comments and actions of many of those who supported him in the 1960's. I think Carter makes a good case that by his disregard for federal law enforcement agencies and civil rights protesters that Wallace in some degree bore some of the responsibility for the actions of the more extreme and violent of those opposed to integration and expanded civil rights for black citizens.

Carter also provides great detail into minds of the inner circle of those men who managed Wallace's candidacy in his state and later national campaigns for President, including talented speechwriter but also violent racist Klansman Asa Carter (no relation to the author), who would later become famous as the author of the historical novel that inspired the Clint Eastwood movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales". Biographer Carter's premise is that by Wallace's strong showings in the presidential elections of 1968 and 1972 (before he was derailed by an assassination attempt) that Wallace succeeded in moving the national political debate to the right, especially in the area of social policies and politics. Carter has gone on record in other books and speeches as trying to link the Republican policies of welfare reform, re-examination of affirmative action policies and anti-crime legislation as being directly descended from Wallace's bigoted early campaigns. While I think he stretches the point I do think that some of Wallace's populist appeal did pave the way for successful Presidential campaigns of other southerners, such as Georgia's Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Arkansas' Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. Carter sees Republican Ronald Reagan as more of a direct descendant of Wallace, but this reviewer sees it as a fact that most successful Presidential races since 1968 whether Republican or Democrat have taken Wallace's anti-Washington bureaucrat populist rhetoric and support for a stronger defense and lower taxes as being more important than his racial stances.

Of course Wallace himself moderated his racial stances through the succeeding years, until he was running as a populist with appeal to both blacks and whites in the 1980's and appealing for forgiveness to many of those he had wronged. Carter dutifully reports this later conversion, although he seems to question some of the sincerity behind the public conversion.

The book doesn't represent itself as a conventional biography as much as an examination of Wallace's life and the effects of his political campaigns on national and regional politics, and for that reason I can forgive what I see as a failure of the book to give as much detail and scrutiny to Wallace's life after 1972 as Carter gave the previous years. The book does a powerful job of conveying the reality of Lurleen Wallace's life and trials as George's wife as well as her fights with the cancer that finally killed her. Her stint as a successful stand in candidate for Governor in 1966 and her short term in office before her death is given a good overview. However I would have liked to have seen as much detail and information on Wallace's later family and personal life, including his other marriages and relationships with his children. I also would have been interested in finding out more about the Alabama political scene of the 1980's and 1990's and Wallace's lasting effect on those politics, but I can't argue with the fact that Carter has written a masterful portrait on both the man and his era and the waves he caused by his political campaigns. A definite 5 stars for this award winning (justly so, I might add) political biography.

Other reviewers have commented on the lack of detail in this book about Wallace's early and post-shooting life. This is valid but, as the title makes clear, not really the point. Carter's work is quite specifically examining the active part of Wallace's political life, and in this regard he does a stellar job of charting the rise of conservatism and Wallace's defining role in that rise, a subject all the more relevant as fundamentalism and "righteous anger" have made a comback in the start of the new century. For those with an interest in poli sci and/or the flipside of the cultural revolution of the 60's and 70's, this is an enlightening read.

Every year I teach this book for about 125 undergraduates in a course called "Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right." Though it is a course that welcomes controversy, one thing that virtually all of my students agree upon is that this is a GREAT book. Carter, the dean of Southern historians, is a masterful storyteller with a matchless eye for detail and a balanced political judgment. He shows how Wallace, far from being just another Southern demogogue, opens the way to the transformation of American politics and the rise of a new conservatism whose wellsprings are the rage and fear of white Americans in the face of the civil rights revolutions of the 1950s and 1960s. It's a brilliant, absorbing book and every year when I read it again I am struck by the rich craft of Carter's prose and the deep thoughtfulness of his assessments.

In this book, Dan Carter provides a wonderfully insightful examination of a man who perhaps more than any other has defined the course of contemporary American politics. An ambitious man from the start, Carter shows how Wallace tapped the growing uneasiness of many voters towards the profound changes taking place in American society after World War II, using it to win the governorship of Alabama as a defender of segregation. Though Wallace ultimately failed in his subsequent quest for the presidency on a similar platform, his campaigns introduced themes and tactics that would become staples of postwar American politics. In this passionate yet objective account, Carter succeeds in helping the reader understand both the man and what his candidacies represented, as well as their lasting effects on the nation.

Since I read, on 7 Dec 1969, Professor Carter's masterful Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South I have since this book was published in 1995 wanted to read it. It tells well the story of George Wallace, four-times governor of Alabama, and his time, and is well footnoted with a good bibliography. It is disturbing that as recently as 1972 a blatantly racist message could resonate so powerfully not only in Alabama but in other states as well. A few years ago the ban on miscegenation which was in the Alabama Constitution was repealed by the people of Alabama (tho it had been inoperative by reason of a US Supreme Court ruling long before)and I found that encouraging, but one has to fear that many of the people who so raucously supported the bigoted and corrupt regime of Wallace as recently as 1972 may not have repented. Reading this book is as sobering as thinking about the fact that millions in Germany as recently as 1939 supported Nazidom.

This collection of Ed " Doc " Ricketts letters rates 5 stars if for nothing else the glimpse it gives into a man that is all too rare. For the non-biologist reader considering reading Ricketts book, Between Pacific Tides, The Life and Letters of Edward Ricketts is a good place to start. If any reader is interested in exploring what John Steinbeck called " a mind without horizons", this is a very valuable resource as well. What we find in this collection of letters is really what his friend Steinbeck saw, a man with unlimited understanding of the human condition and a man who still, almost 60 years after his death, has much to teach.

Renaissance Man of Cannery Row finally puts flesh on a real person who has been perceived as a caricature for too many years. In this book Edward Ricketts, a father, a marine biologist, a hard-working figure found for two decades along Cannery Row in Monterey in California (shades of Steinbeck?), and the persona found in at least six of Steinbeck's novels and short stories comes to life. Katharine A. Rodger has done a masterful job of editing that allows a wonderful insight into Ricketts personality and philosophies. The letters include Ed's correspondence with such figures as John Steinbeck, Henry Miller, Joseph Campbell and Paul De Kruif.

The book is a must read for any student of Steinbeck, Cannery Row or the Monterey area and is beautifully done. As professor Richard Astro stated "to know Steinbeck one must know Ricketts." How true.

Ed Ricketts had an important influence on the developing science of marine ecology during the 1930s and 40s. Even if John Steinbeck had never met or written about Ricketts, his work Between Pacific Tides (co-written with the forgotten Jack Calvin) would stand as a significant contribution to biology. But Ricketts also was a close friend of Steinbeck's, and so Ricketts himself (as he appears in the Log from the Sea of Cortez) and the caraciture "Doc" (Cannery Row) overshadow his written accomplishments. For better or worse, Ricketts now is remembered mainly as Steinbeck's friend. Besides reading and thinking about his scientific work, we want to know what it was like to hang around Pacific Biological Labs and drink with Ricketts, listen to music, and talk about big or small things.

Ricketts was a hard-working and prductive biologist (without a college degree), a struggling small businessman, a father separated from his two daughters and wife, but close to his son, a serial monogomist, a drinker, a reader, a music fan, and by all reports a very appealing guy. Someone who almost anyone would enjoy spending a few hours talking to.

Ricketts important previously unpublished writings were collected in The Outer Shores (2 vols.), edited and with biographical notes by Joel Hedgepeth. Hedgepeth knew Ricketts and wrote in an entertaining iconoclastic style. It's long out of print and hard to find, but provides greater insight into Ricketts than this collection of letters can. Readers willing to wait should be encouraged from an NPR news report a few months ago that Ricketts son, Ed Jr., is editing a collection of writings which presumably will include much of the same material.

Ricketts wasn't a great philosopher, but he wrote 3 essays of philosophy that he was proud of. He was interested in music and poetry and felt he knew what characterized really good work. His ideas wouldn't fit into today's postmodern world, where a basketball in an aquarium can pass for art. Fans of Robert Pirsig's Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance might find Ricketts philosophy appealing.

Katharine Rodger has collected about 100 letters, written to various friends, family members, professional contacts, and John Steinbeck. She also has written a bare bones outline of Ricketts life, with little insight into his thoughts. We can fill these in ourselves from the letters, assembled mainly from Ricketts own papers (he kept carbons of his correspondence). Sadly, they cover only his later career, because his lab and its contents burned down in 1936. There are no letters addressing Ricketts marriage and how he came to spend both his nights and days at the lab instead of home with his family. Further, after Ricketts was killed, Steinbeck went through Ricketts files and destroyed most of their correspondence.

I found most of the letters here unsurprising. Most of the really revealing letters are the ones to Steinbeck, but there aren't many of them. I wasn't rivited to the book until the last few pages, when Ricketts (near) step-daughter dies, his long-time partner Toni Jackson leaves, and he suddenly takes up with 25 year old Alice. The emotional impact of these changes all within a short time must have been immense, but we get only a hint of it in the last letters to Steinbeck and Jackson.

A worthwhile read, but it doesn't leave you feeling like you know him any better than you did before. I hope for a more comprehensive biography some day.

Renaissance Man of Cannery Row finally puts flesh on a real person who has been perceived as a caricature for too many years. In this book Edward Ricketts, a father, a marine biologist, a hard-working figure found for two decades along Cannery Row in Monterey in California (shades of Steinbeck?), and the persona found in at least six of Steinbeck's novels and short stories comes to life. Katharine A. Rodger has done a masterful job of editing that allows a wonderful insight into Ricketts personality and philosophies. The letters include Ed's correspondence with such figures as John Steinbeck, Henry Miller, Joseph Campbell and Paul De Kruif.

The book is a must read for any student of Steinbeck, Cannery Row or the Monterey area and is beautifully done. As professor Richard Astro stated "to know Steinbeck one must know Ricketts." How true.

...and that's it.
There is little penetrating biographical detail in the short essay that begins the book, and the failures of action and inconsistencies of thought are shrugged off. Everyone has failings and Ricketts's were substantial; but they are also what make us interesting, and are what often create the context in which greater aspects of character can be realized. There is little critical analysis of Ricketts's thought and work (which is probably not a bad thing), but we are left thinking, "Wow, what a nice clever guy; wish we could have shared a beer." Which is about right.
The letters are about as engaging as such collections go, and do sort-of flesh out the evolution of the man and his thoughts. But Ricketts was careful, as we all are, about the manner in which he projects and portrays his character. He is at a distance, more often than not, and somewhat armored.
Not a bad read at all, mind you, and I am grateful the editor has pursued the project. Pull up to a tidepool, have a beer, and do some non-tele(ological) thinkin'.