Alabama Books

After finishing her graduate degree at Loyola Marymount University in production, Carla Thompson decided to launch her career in Los Angeles. She managed to land low-level positions in Los Angeles production houses. She also had a lot of car trouble and maxed out her credit cards attempting to make her own videos but somehow, she wasn't making it big time as she had planned. Her mother, retired from the post office after 32 years, invited her to come stay with her in Montgomery until Carla could get on her feet. Although Carla had been raised in Harlem, her family was originally from Alabama and she had memories of not so pleasant summers spent with her grandparents there when her northern accent and Catholic religion made her an outsider. Carla didn't have high hopes for her new home in Montgomery. After accepting teaching positions in two local universities, she was pleasantly surprised at the "New South." It was not at all what she expected. She noted that blacks and whites have managed to create and maintain a peaceful coexistence and she didn't feel like that out-of-place person as she did when she was younger.

Carla Thompson has penned a delightful memoir. She describes her trip from Harlem to Los Angeles to Alabama in a funny, witty way that is sure to win the hearts of those who have made similar journeys and those who wish they had. It is an honest assessment of life as she views it. BEARING WITNESS is a pleasant book for a quick, enjoyable read.

Reviewed by alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

What's a black, female, academic doing in a place like this? Going crazy? Growing. The book is a poignant perspective of a 21st century town that still embraces much of the post-civil rights thinking.

Having lived on both sides of the Mason-Dixon I could identify with many of the experiences. But what's great is if you haven't lived on both sides, it's okay. Carla will take you there. You'll be easily drawn into not only the time and place, but the author. I was left wanting more.

Jeremy Bryan Jones wants to be remembered as the Red Neck Ted Bundy, he was well on his way until he got caught after the brutal, rape, murder, and arson of Lisa Nichols, a forty something attractive divorced mother and grandmother. It was after he obtained a false identity as John David Chapman by befriending the man's mother. Chapman is in prison for lesser crimes. Jones was up on charges of sexual assault. His life and background was all in preparation to be a career criminal. After Hurricane Ivan occurred in 2004, Lisa Nichols' murder was discovered in a trailer park. Sadly, we don't hear much about people who live in mobile homes except on Jerry Springer. Anyway, they are decent and normal people like everybody else. Mobile homes provide a better alternative to renting anyway. Jones is psychopath or sociopath or both but he is got a lot of the characteristics. He used people without a conscience like garbage when he was done. He left a trail of murder along the way in several states. Once he was arrested, he confessed to crimes that some he committed including killing the Freeman family of three and a childhood friend of their daughters. He killed without conscience or guilt or remorse. His drug use is not an excuse for his crimes. There are several drug addicts who commit crime but don't rape and murder women and kill men, women and children. They rob to get drugs. I can't stand Jones using his drug usage as an excuse for his crimes. I think he did it without the drugs but uses excuses. Jones has a broken home but that's no excuse. His supporters like his girlfriend and mother are your typical deniers.

In this latest release from Sheila Johnson, readers are introduced to Jeremy Bryan Jones: a young, southern drifter who claims to have killed numerous people all across the southern states. Yet, as of today, he remains convicted of only one murder and charged with two others. Many of the crimes he confessed to just couldn't be linked to him for a variety of reasons.

This is a well written account of Jones' crimes. Unfortunately, Johnson provided hardly any detail about his childhood, which, to true crime readers, can be a very important part of the book. Johnson plainly states that she didn't intend to make this a story of his life and therefore didn't go back to Jones' roots and ask the all important questions. For me, this was a major disappointment.

And, as journalist turned book writers are prone to do, Johnson repeats many of the details over and over. I found myself skimming through the repeats as well as lesson on Meth found later in the book.

Overall, it is a good read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy the true crime genre.

Braxton Bragg doesn't have the good press that Lee, Jackson, or Forrest had, but he was one of the Confederacy's better generals. This biography covers his life through the end of 1862, and it illustrates much about how the Confederate Armies went wrong.

Bragg again and again planned good actions against the Union forces, only to see them fall apart as his subordinates just ignored his orders. Particularly bad was Leonidas Polk, who was a bad enough general to singlehandedly doom the Confederacy, but there were other offenders.

A military genius might have overcome this. Bragg was merely above average for a Confederate commander, and thus he never had a chance.

Very interesting, and the maps are outstanding, among the best I've ever seen in a history.

Read it to see how a bad culture can foul up a good army with a good commander.

It is hard to believe that a head of state would keep a totally incompetent general in office and indeed promote him because of misplaced loyalty. Jefferson Davis was a leader who placed great importance on loyalty of his underlings. Your loyalty to him covered a multitude of sins of incompetence. The rise of Braxton Bragg is a perfect example of this. In every function of Bragg's meteoric career he failed miserably but maintained the high positions because Davis needed him to prop his ego.

The author does a remarkable job in presenting Bragg in as impartially as is possible with such an unlikable subject. Grady McWhiney was so disenchanted with his subject that he was unable/unwilling to complete the biography. The second volume was very ably completed by Judith Lee Hallock.

Bragg held a number of positions from the beginning of the war. He "led" armies in both the eastern and western theatres. He served as confidant of Jefferson Davis, and was rewarded with command of the very valuable port of Wilmington which ensured its loss to the Confederacy. The history of Bragg and Davis as portrayed very well by the two volumes of this biography is almost mirrored by the personnel mistakes of a recent administration.

If the subject were someone other than Braxton Bragg I could give this book five stars.

This book derives from a conference about the Confederados and it occasionally suffers from the attempt to edit together a group of papers that frequently overlap. With this one caveat, I must say that The Confederados is fascinating. Despite the occasionally kludgey back and forth references to other essays and chapters (and the repetition of material), the Dawsey's have assembled a fine book that examines the impact and legacy of post-Civil War immigrants from the U.S. South to Brazil; it also points out the contributions of other immigrants from the North and Europe who came to Brazil at roughly the same time. Especially interesting is the memoir of a Confederada, written late in her life, but rich in details about her childhood exodus from Alabama and the difficulties in getting to and starting a new life in Brazil. Also interesting is the study of the preservation of Southern dialect by the Confederados.

Neither an historian nor a scholar, but as a fluent Portuguese speaking American (born in Portugal) who spent half a century, both as a long time resident in Brazil and the southern United States, collecting data and contacting descendents of the Confederate migration to Brazil after the Civil War, I find this book the first real scholarly effort on an interesting, rather forgotten epic, though minor, of American history. Factually it appears correct to what I know of the people involved, then and now, from 1865 up to 1974 when I last left Brazil. However, as as academic production I find it lacks a certain feel for the "humanity" of those involved: the happiness and the tragedy, the bits and pieces of human interest that history (as do descendents changing actuality to pleasanter visions!} prefers not to speak of. There was as much sadness in the migration as there was happiness, as much failure as there was success. The human feeling, I find, is missing. Otherwise, this is a tremendous and most commendable effort. on a subject long forgotten. Perhaps, though small, one of the largest planned emigrations from the United States in its history.

Some readers will appreciate this concise work about Mobile, Alabama in the Civil War. Others will be disappointed by Art Bergeron's overview style text. If you are the sort of reader that delved deeply into detailed works like Wise's "Gate of Hell, Campaign for Charleston Harbor 1863," Brennan's "Secessionville: Assault on Charleston", Fonvielle's "The Wilmington Campaign", or Dufour's or Hearn's books about New Orleans then you will find "Confederate Mobile" decidedly light. (Fortunately, there is another volume available by Jack Friend that covers the decisive naval action at Mobile in depth.)

"Confederate Mobile" is written largely in a campaign summary format. The writing appears mostly objective with only a slight Southern political bias, and the bibliography indicates deep research; but the book fails to deliver the fruits of the research in a complete or entertaining manner. It does not drill down deeply enough into each subject to give the reader mastery of the topic. Too often the author leaves the rest of the story frustratingly untold, even in the notes.

Maps, tables, and orders of battle are mostly absent. The asterisk is that the Official Records maps are reproduced, but in a reduced grayscale format that blurs text illegibly and clips sections. Some detailed maps of the fortifications are a necessity in this type of work. In this case, even those with the O.R. Atlas will find the material somewhat lacking for Mobile's forts. Other secondary works will be needed to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

The coverage of the Battle of Mobile Bay and subsequent surrenders of each of the forts defending the passes is presented in a scant 14 pages. This is a pity as there are many interesting stories to pursue in this action. There is no list of ships with specifications, gun emplacements, orders of battle, or author's maps.

The blockade running chapter generated only 11 pages. It contained a few insights, but in several ways Wise' book about blockade running covers this in more detail, including tabular lists of vessels arriving and departing from Mobile.

This isn't a bad book, but it isn't very compelling either, so I can't recommend it. Its stinginess with details and maps mean that it does not succeed as a detailed reference.

This is third book of Dr. Bergeron's I added to my large collection of Civil War books. A must have for any serious scholar and the most comprehensive book I've seen on the subject of Mobile during the WBTS. Very fine research job! Bravo.

One of the BEST reference books on Wedgwood yet. This book is basically a pictorial inventory of all the items that are part of the Beeson Collection located at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the largest single collection of Wedgwood outside of the UK. A wonderful book with lots of superb color and black and white photos, and descriptions of all the major categories of ware, including Jasperware, Basalt, Caneware etc.

As an avid collector, I rely on seeing the actual identification marks (the curve of the impressions, the case, etc.), not just a description, for each piece. Otherwise I would have rated the book 5 stars. I do think the authors could have provided more photographs of the identification marks, including all the variations.

I purchased this book at a magnificent Wedgwood show at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. This is a wonderful reference for anyone interested in Wedgwood as art. There are several interesting articles on how the company was established and how they developed their craft in pottery. The articles include discussion of major pieces made by the company, and their various types of pottery.

The second half of the book is a catalog of over a thousand works. They have a black & white photograph, a description, provenance, marks, and more on each of the pieces.

If you want to get into understanding Wedgwood in a serious way this is an essential resource in your education.

Walk into any bookstore or library and you will find shelves upon shelves of books devoted to the American Civil War. It was this country's greatest catharsis, and we're still haunted by it. Most of the Civil War research and writing understandably concerns the land battles. The naval side of the war is dominated by discussion of ironclads and blockade runners. Robert M. Browning has filled a gaping hole with his detailed examination of the North Atlantic Blockade Squadron, an important but ignored area of Civil War history.

The Squadron grew out of Union General Winfield Scott's celebrated "Anaconda Plan," intended to choke the South by controlling the Mississippi River and blockading the southern coast, which would cut off commerce to the Confederacy. President Lincoln announced the blockade only six days after the fall of Fort Sumter. Originally the "Atlantic Blockade Squadron," it was later divided into a northern and southern blockade, with the more important northern blockade falling under command of three different commanders during the course of the war.

Mr. Browning, who serves as the chief historian for the U.S. Coast Guard, utilized original records in the Library of Congress and National Archives to present a detailed portrait of this crucial tool of the Union navy. The wealth of official correspondence between officers during the war is tremendous, and Browning makes ample use of it, particularly the letters of Rear Admiral S.P. Lee. Lee was the second commander of the Squadron, between Louis M. Goldsborough and David Porter, and Browning offers a sober and dispassionate assessment of his value to the navy during his arduous tenure as commander. He also emphasizes the importance of the U.S. army's cooperation in implementing military strategy, and the lack of such cooperation often hampered the Squadron's efforts. Browning covers logistics, supplies, the importance of coal, blockade running in both coastal and interior waterways, and culminates his study with the dramatic capture of Wilmington, the last Confederate port.

I usually read popular histories, since they're informative yet easy to digest. I bought this book because my ancestor was acting master on one of the smaller ships in the Squadron. "From Cape Charles to Cape Fear" isn't a "popular" history, it's an academic study targeted toward scholars and historians, and the reading can be demanding. But this is undoubtedly the definitive work on the subject, and I recommend it to any serious student of the either the Civil War or U.S. naval history.

A complete and thorough 453 page history of the events along the coast and inland water ways of North Carolina and Virginia during the American Civil War. Browning provides an in-depth discussion of the logistics, tactics and strategy of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which played a very important and often overlooked role during the Civil War. Its successes benefitted the efforts of the Union's Army of the Potomac and adversely affected the operations of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. There is also a succinct explanation of the campaign to capture Wilmington, North Carolina and the broader effects that campaign had on Lee's army. Eight maps, fourteen illustrations and over a hundred pages of notes and bibliography augment the text.

This is one of Madison Jones' fastest moving books and so thought-provoking. Mr. Jones' always has an evil character in his books and in this case, it's the wife. The local Priest lets the husband, who has married his brother's wife, know that he has done wrong. This infuriates the wife and she sets out to destroy the Priest with the help of her daughter. The daughter longs to please her mother, but feels so guilty about lies she has told. Of course, with all the scandal in the Catholic church about child molestation, this is a very timely book.

Madison Jones tackles a slew of issues in his book "Herod's Wife." True to traditional southern writing, the establishments of religion and community play a large role in this work that examines what loyalty, faith, and trust can come down to in a modern setting.

Hugh and Wilbur Helton are brothers. Both men live in Lakepoint, a small southern town that has lost most of its sense of community in recent times. Hugh and Wilbur are both lawyers, Hugh being the successful city attorney and Wilbur mainly catching the dregs of society. The brothers no longer speak or see each other, except for at a distance at certain public places around town. They did once, and Wilbur would bring along his wife Nora to dinners and visits. It was after Wilbur's wife left him for his brother Hugh that all communications ceased.

Another character that is caught in the difficult and scandalous situation is Father John Riley, a friend of Hugh's and his Priest before the union of Hugh and Nora. After Hugh begins to refuse communion at Mass, then upon his failure to even show up, Father Riley hears of the revolting news and decides to confront his former friend about the matter. This intrusion into the matter leaves Hugh bitter. Nora learns that Father Riley has spoken to Hugh and condemned their marriage.

Nora was raised and went to school in a Catholic setting, and holds a deep resentment to the church and to religion as a whole. Even while a child she resisted all things holy and spiritual, exhibiting contempt for such matters. Blasphemous words and actions, such as a note with the words "The Lord is my shepherd, but I am not a sheep," sealed her fate with her schooling and with her relationship with her father. Now, with her impressionable daughter Jean, a product of her marriage to Wilbur, Nora sets out to destroy Father Riley, for his condemnation of her marriage and for her deep-seated hatred for the church and religion. Her desire to bring Father Riley down has no boundaries, and her treacherous actions act as a whirlwind that sucks in all of those around her, even encompassing the entire community.

Aside from this main conflict, there are issues in the community that are taking place that set the mood for the novel. A new abortion clinic is opening, and a crowd gathers around, with supporters and protestors alike. During the protest, police officers have to come in to keep the peace, and in doing so they end up striking a young black man and carrying him off to jail. Just a month previous to this incident, another black man had been killed in questionable circumstances. Cap Waters, the unspoken radical leader of the black community in Lakepoint, makes the accusation that the young man, Qualls, has been murdered by the police officers and that they are being kept in the dark.

Jones paints a picture of a crumbling small town society that has lost its values. He offers the explanation of a devaluation of religion and of the church as a possible cause, and as a result, evils such as abortions, arsons, police brutality, and slander take hold in the community. Jones presents liberalism as being almost hand in hand with the loss of community and of religion. Indeed, Nora is a supporter of the abortion clinic and is against religion, and is described as being liberal-minded. Cap Waters, a huge proponent of civil rights and of black power, is yet another liberal character whose acts are unsavory at best.

Jones is heavy-handed in his approach in this respect, and this ends up being easily identified in the book. Religious and more conservative-minded characters are either protagonists, such as Father Riley, or at least somewhat sympathetic, as is the case with Hugh and Wilbur. The author does a decent job of trying to prevent his casting in the book from fitting a certain formula, such as having Hugh commit sinful acts but retaining some of his Catholic sensibilities, but Jones is not completely successful in keeping the characters from being somewhat predictable.

Jones shows that he is capable of writing beautiful sentences and show brilliant imagery, however it gets a little spotty at times. Again, dialogue is solid in parts but leaves something to be desired in others. It is hard to justify having a modern speaker use the word "alas" in a serious manner while in bed with her lover.

The novel moves along very nicely, having a very tightly constructed plot that only wanders long enough to tell the story of Cap Waters. Though not essential to the main conflict, Jones hits on another classic issue in southern literature, that of race in the community, and this side plot is more of a slight detour than a dead end.

The novel is a good read for anyone looking for a short and entertaining novel that also takes a look at some modern issues that hold some major ramifications in the modern landscape of small town communities of America.
Though "Herod's Wife" will never be regarded as a great work of art in the sense of the works that the Southern writers Faulkner and O'Connor produced, Jones has at least opened the door for modern southern writers and critics to discuss religion and the new community, or lack thereof, in 21st century small town society.

This was an enjoyable and excellent book to read and relating it to my growing up in the same little rural town. I can make a wonderful text to self connection with these poems. It was a wonderful experience to share the book with my class, along with the experiences.

i loved this book! it was great! the story line was great! i couldn't put it down. I read it in a day and i would recomend it to anyone who loves poetry.

Many readers will buy this books for the tales of covert flights over Manchuria, North Korea and Indo-China and it certainly delievers. But of equal interest is how does an intelligence service buy and then operate a proprietary while maintaining plausible deniability. Thanks to the diligent research of the author we know the trials and tribulations involved. I'm sure most readers would think when faced with administrative difficulties the CIA would just go in and wave their magic wand and all the roadblocks dissolve. As the book point out the US government had all the leverage in the world with the Nationalist government on Taiwan and it was still a trial to keep CAT operating on the island. Also CAT's books were a nightmare for years until they got professional accounting (not something one immediately thinks about when discussing covert flights over the PRC). A must read for the serious student of intelligence.

The CIA's Air America became famous for its feats in Southeast Asia. This is the story of how Air America began, as a private-venture airline in China headed by Claire Chennault of the Flying Tigers. Leary tells the story of how CAT morphed into a para-military force, supporting Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist troops in their losing battle with the Communists, and eventually retreating with them to Taiwan. There it began to take on odd jobs for the U.S. military, and eventually the CIA bought a piece of it, so that CAT pilots were one day flying supplies to U.S. forces in Korea, again providing the same service for French troops in Vietnam, and between times dropping spies into China. It's a great yarn, though told with professorial precision. A reprint (no changes) of an earlier book from a university press.