Kansas Books

I love what these guys have done with the dog treat industry. This book had more of a story to it rather than just recipes.

This book is mostly an entrepreneurial autobiograhy, interesting only if you want to start a similar firm or know the owners personally. The writing style is annoyingly self-congratulatory. There are only a handful of recipes. If you have a bit of baking skill, you can easily come up with better ones on your own. My dog and I received this book as a gift along with some treats from the Three Dog Bakery. The treats were great; the book is not. I wouldn't recommend it as a gift.

Like everyone else, I loved the story of this family, men and dogs, and how they came to build their business. It was a true American entrepreneurial tale, and I'm glad they've had success. The descriptions of the dogs were also compelling.

I have to admit, though, that I've tied several of the recipes, and my dog never cared much for the results. The ginger snaps in particular seemed inedible to him. I've made many other dog biscuits for him using recipes from other places and out of the newspaper that sent him over the moon.

If you don't plan to use the recipes, I highly recommend this book. It is a wonderful story and well written.

I really liked this book and have read it twice. Some parts of it were humorous. In short, I recommend this book to all dog lovers and owners!

I saw a show on Food Network about the Three Dog Bakery and found out about their cookbook. I have 4 dogs, a sheltie, a toy pomeranian, a st.bernard/retriever mix, and a "heinz 57", they all love it when I spend the day in the kitchen cooking. My favorite form of relaxation !! There is an invisible line they do not cross between the dining room and the kitchen, so all 4 will sit at the line and wait for a treat... they don't really understand but now they get a lot more treats than before and it only took a couple of times with the new "doggie treat" jar for them to all sit, with tails wagging and tongues hanging out waiting for the dog friendly and healthy treats... The treats are easy to make, most of the ingredients are readily available in my kitchen and they store well... I collect cookbooks and this one has moved to a prominent place on the shelf...

Great biography of a Western Civil War barbarian. When it came to being ruthless during The American Civil War, Bloody Bill broke all bounderies. Not for the weak of heart!!

This book reads like a romantic western novel. A description of Anderson: "Dressed entirely in black- hat, velvet shirt, pants, boots- he was lean and sinewy and looked taller sitting in the saddle of his large black horse than his actual height of five ten." (p. 11, hardback edition) It continues like that for another 150 pages or so. The only thing missing is voluptuous maidens.
Castel's biography of Quantrill doesn't read like this, and Goodrich's "Black Flag" doesn't really have much style at all, as it is mostly quotes from primary sources. I don't know why they felt the need to write this the way they did, but it ruins the story. Both authors have done their work in researching, but the writing leaves much to be desired. A definitive account of Anderson still needs to be written.

The authors appear to have done their research, and present the story in mixed third person objectivity and first person period prose. For the casual reader who has an interest in Civil Warfare, or more specifically, the Kansas-Missouri Border War, this is an entertaining book. For the scholar, it must be taken with a grain of salt. The authors have taken literary license to the extreme in their description of scenery, battlefield and camp site conditions, personal conversations, et cetera. Although the essence of news-worthy situations are, more often than not, accurately portrayed in historic newspapers, the use of quotes and eye-witness accounts are often biased and stretch the truth. The authors appear to continue in this vein of sensationalistic reporting. There is no way the authors could know of the detailed conversations that took place between officers, combatants, and/or farmers, and thus, their factual portrayal of these more intimate situations must be questioned. If they had told the story entirely in the third person, this book would be good and much needed reference. As presented, with interjections in the first person literary style, the book lacks a degree of credibility. This is unfortunate, as it is a great story of guerrilla warfare and otherwise well-written. 170 pp., Stackpole Books (1998).

Thomas Goodrich did an outstanding job of researching his subject. I've read many other accounts of Anderson, but this is the most complete and revealing. It's unfortunate that Stackpole insisted on bringing Castel into the mix, as the two men's writing styles are so different. The end product, though the best work so far on a fascinating man, doesn't equal Goodrich's original work.

Bloody Bill Anderson was a product of savagery in the early days of the Civil War's influence on Kansas and Missouri. The border war there was bloody and brutal. An eye for an eye conflict that escalated beyond anyone's imagination. The region was devastated. The atrocities that men were willing to commit against each other on both sides of the fratricide in that area are horrendous. Rocketing out of that soup came Bloody Bill. He is the prototype of a deadly psychopath. He was sadistic, ruthless and devoid of conscience.

Castel and Goodrich have outdone themselves in taking what little historical data is available to present as thorough an accounting of Bill Anderson's life as you're likely to find. They hone in on two of his most infamous rampages around Centralia, Missouri. You'll believe you were an eyewitness. However, they don't fabricate the stories or engage in fiction. The book is thoroughly researched and very credible in every detail. They could only have exceeded in this endeavor if there were more firsthand historical data to draw from.

Fact is Bloody Bill was a real individual and these events really did transpire. You will be transfixed even as you are horrified.

This book had me from the begining! I was pulled into this book until she started to go back and tell you how everything happened. I would not recommend this book to anyone b/c when she went back and told you everything I started to lose interest in the storyline. I'm sorry Ms. Monroe, but try again with this one! No I did not read the other story by Victor McGlothin!

Borrow Trouble was both refreshing and exciting. Mary Monroe really knows how to keep you wanting more. She took a simple vacation and turned it into something that can easily happen to anyone. Victor McGlothin on the other hand kept my attenion and painted a vivid picture. I felt as though I was there running right beside Baltimore each step of the way.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sister, "Bad Luck Shadow" by Victor McGlothin introduces us to Baltimore Floyd. If you thought Walter Moseley's Easy Rawlings was the man, look out because Baltimore is in the house. Baltimore comes at just the right time. Walter Moseley now has Easy in current times as an old man and Victor takes us right back to a time when Men were men and ladies are ladies. Back to a time when men wore brims and were dressed to the nines. Baltimore doesn't need Mouse as a side kick or to do his dirty work, the brother has no fear. Victor thanks for Baltimore and I'll be standing in line waiting to hear what Baltimore is up to next. RIP Easy Rawlings and move over Walter Moseley, Baltimore Floyd and Victor McGlothin are on the scene.

This book keeps you hanging on the edge! I have always loved Monroe, but had never heard of McGlothin. McGlothin is my next new author. This book keeps you hanging until the end and then craving the next one.

The two novels were very closely related because both gave kudos to friendships which were outside of a husband and wife relationship.

Mary Monroe's novel keeps you flipping pages one right after the next; there's never a dull moment with poor little innocent Renee's life. Inez was Renee's true friend to the end; and that's exactly how the story ended, with Inez being there for Renee in the end; even more so than Renee's husband. With friends like Inez, who needs husbands like Leon?!

Victor McGlothin's novel, contrary to Mary Monroe's, started out extremely slow; so much until I almost stopped reading; but it eventually turned around. Victor's character Baltimore Flynch was very detailed in description. Baltimore was a southern hustler (so to speak) with good looks and an even better conversation piece. Baltimore's theory for living was "kill or be killed," and the ladies loved him for that. He routinely put his life on the line for his close friend Henry. Although Baltimore was exceptionally fiercely driven, he had a soft side as well; and his kind heart may have been just the thing to save his life...

this book has vivid color. when you read to your kid. they love it too.

The illustrations are absolutely fantastic! they are beyond vivid its truly a feast for the eyes!
The story is simple and cause the illustrations are so perfectly done for a toddler it's very self-explanatory, Bear is traveling through the entire story on different means of transportation he goes to an island on a boat, to the market on bike, to a grand ball in a carriage and through the story the little boy is trying to keep up with bear but he just keeps missing "the boat" so to say. It's a very fun rhyming journey to introduce to little ones! This is our favorite of Stella Blackstone's Bear series its by far her best book!

We recently got this book out of our public library and I must say that it is a big hit with all of us. We (my son, my husband, and I) absolutely love the pictures and the text. I think this is a wonderful book that will get lots of mileage.

Beautiful and Bold Pictures, Clever Rhymes. My son just loves this book and I enjoy reading it to him. Check out the other Bear books. They are all winners.

This is my daughter's all time favorite book, she has loved it since she was a baby, she is now almost 3 and still loves it. My son is 1 1/2 and it is his favorite too! They each pick this book every night and fight over who sits on my lap to read it. It's a cute story with rhymes and my kids learned a lot from it, especially the grocery page.

I have started my Christmas shopping and ordered this for my son-in-law. I'm sure he will enjoy it. This looks to be right up his alley (chimney).

Robert Day has written a whimsical story which entertains and informs. Much of the humor, which is in abundance, is tongue-in-cheek. The characterizations are somewhat cartoonish, but fit the story line and make the reader care about events unfolding. Spandler Tukle is a character, the likes of which we have all met at one time or another in our lives. The reader will enjoy the journey through modern day Kansas under some old-time conditions. We know that this cattle drive can't happen with today's city ordinances, laws, speed limits, littering rules etc., but what a pity it can't. How many of you would sign on for this adventure? A majority, I think.

If you are comfortable with the bi-polar qualities of Kansas, you will love this read. A comparison between the rural plains on the west and the contemporary city and college on the east. You don't have to be from Kansas to enjoy this book, but will enjoy it more if you ever tried to ride a horse later in life or make a binjy cow do what you want it to do. Just trust me, if you enjoy authentic characterizations of plains people, you will love this book. A cross between a Ken Haruf and a David Sedaris.

I just can't think of a book I've ever enjoyed more, in my last two decades, and I've read all kinds of things in my adult life.
I'm 45. In my college years at the University of Kansas in the late 70s, I kept hearing about this book, but it *sounded* kinda boring, so I never bothered reading it. I wish I had -- it's a great book. I wouldn't have felt so alone.
I've lived in kansas most of my life, and the character sketches Day makes of his book people -- especially Spangler and Opal Tukle, and Jed, and the farmers and ranchers that they meet along the way to Kansas City -- are so well formed! And funny! And the depictions of Kansas as being far away from real civilization are dead on, too -- like the non-degreed teachers at the protagonist's school just laughing and throwing away the new dictum from the state, saying that all teachers have to be degreed and certified. That would have happened in Kansas!
Great, great book. The only person I didn't like was the protagonist -- he was a whiny, spoiled little ingrate, I thought, not much better than the awful Harold -- but despite that, I loved the book.

Anyone who has lived around cattle, horses, and the people who work them knows these characters under a different name. Same is true of the dialog. The author has done a great job bringing these things to life.

I thought this was a wonderful series, but i must say i thought this book was my favorite of the series. I couldn't put this book down, and i often stayed up late reading it. It kind of leaves you hanging at the end, but i would say this book is worth the money!!!

The book was a gift for my daughter who has read other books in this series and quite enjoys them. She is happy to have it and is busy reading it.

This book and each of the Prairie River books were very interesting. Kristiana Gregory characters in the series help give me an insight of how life was experienced in the 1800's. Her discription of each character spoke to me as if I was living there myself. I give a rating of five stars to each book in the series.

A Journey of Faith is, like my title, a book to remember. I just loved it. It's a very unique blend of a girl striving to survive and to seem older than her fourteen years, but also can't let go of her childhood. It's about a determined, but not headstrong orphan girl named Vanessa/Nessa, and she is running away from marrying a bland old preacher, Pastor McDuff. She settles in Prairie River, somewhere out west (this is 1865, ya know, after the Civil War and Lincoln's assasination) and meets rivals and friends, is blamed and rewarded, and the contrasting doesn't make you confused, mind you. You read this book. Promise?
(I sound like a grandma, but read it anyway. You'll be glad you listened to me if you do.)

I usually don't read these kinds of books, but once I started this one, I couldn't put it down. It is written for juveniles and thus it moves at a fast pace and doesn't really have a lot of low points. Some parts are rather difficult to believe, but the intent is to show young readers how their faith can be exemplified through fictional characters.

There are really no villains in this book. Some people don't like Nessa Clemens, but the author doesn't really develop an evil antiheroine. None of the situations Nessa finds herself in are life-threatening and things always seem to work out. as I said, it is a book about faith more than the historical setting it takes place in.

If you think a coming of age story with food as a central character and recipes included sounds like fun, give this a try. It's enjoyable to read, and the recipes I tried are good too.

Here's another good one I lapped for the month of
June...This one is a feast for the Stomach and the
Soul.

The product of a cross-cultural family obsessed with
food, Weston Tito begins his story by saying he was a
seed in his parents' kitchens‹plural in both cases.
Weston's mother is Italian and works the successful
catering business BuenAppeTito upstairs; downstairs,
his father, who is fixated on cooking only indigenous
foods "Santa Fe style" (they live in Kansas City),
runs the Tsil Cafe, a restaurant as it is
tear-inducingly spicy. Wes' crib and later his cot are
literally in his mother's kitchen (in the cabinets,
for a while), and she teaches him her "vocabulary,"
the names of foods, by letting him taste them. His
father refuses him entry into his own obsessive
domain, almost a holy order, until he can claim to
enjoy such un-childlike flavors as habanero and
anchovy. After that, like a knight's apprentice, he is
allowed to help slice and chop ingredients -- carry
his own sword, in effect.

One of the points of contention between Wes'
hot-blooded parents is the local restaurant critic, an
old admirer of his mother's. Nevertheless, the critic,
who acts first as a teeter-totter between the two
adults, ultimately becomes a sort of bridge, giving
Wes his first opportunity to critique -- to see the
food of both parents objectively -- and start to
develop his own concept of food.

Over the years, Wes absorbs a rich stew of influences
and emotions from his mixed-ethnic family, along with
the various Mexican employees of the cafe who serve as
surrogate relatives and even a Native American
graduate student who takes him foraging for cactus and
cattails and invites him to a corn dance. Ultimately,
he will even marry the critic's female successor.

So pervasive is food in this coming-of-age novel that
the recipes become a reflection of life's shifting
flavors in Averill's kitchen novel. The almost

magic-realism intensity of the flavor descriptions and
the author's habit of dropping in dictionary
definitions of various terms such as "turkey,"
"mescal" and "maple" re-emphasizes the native quality
of the ingredients. The narrator's entire life is
lived in the study, anecdotal and later academic, of
foods; ultimately he will become a chef as well,
melding his parents' Old World and New World cuisines
into a One-World cuisine.

A great fascinating read!!

SECRETS OF THE TSIL CAFE is a creative and refreshing novel which endears itself to anyone who enjoys experimental cooking, a deep sense of family, and an appreciation of New World culture. It presents the challenge of growing up in the world of a rather unusual restaurant with its own special food critic. Dotting the novel's pages are descriptions of New World foods and rather exotic recipes which might challenge anyone's taste buds! The story itself captures the essence of a young man who grows to more fully understand himself by learning about his parents and his extended family.

I wouldn't want to "give away" the ending, but I think one would have to be asleep throughout to miss it on the horizon. As Wes Hingler makes his way from childhood to young adulthood, he learns the necessary but unremarkable lessons that all must learn: parents are imperfect, life isn't fair, people and pets die, hard work has it's rewards, etc. Eventually, he finds himself. There is a cast of enjoyable, if not always well-developed, characters, from whom Wes learns various lessons along the way, culminating in a rare meeting with his maternal grandfather. As a piece of writing I would have given this only 3-and-a-half stars. However, it is the context of the story that makes it a fun read. The narrative is interwoven with unique, adventurous recipes, which mark the protagonist's life lessons. What Thomas Averill's book lacks in the way of dramatic tension it more than makes up for in the inventiveness of his recipes and his use of them to move the story along.

This is a warm, engaging, and eccentric novel, which gourmands will find captivating. Its focus on a Southwestern cafe, of uncompromising native American cuisine is set in the seemingly unlikely "wonder bread" mid-west. Averill devotes little time to the possible disconnect with the cafe's surrounding environment but focuses upon the clash of indigenous peoples and cuisines with European incursions, and the inevitable fusion of both.

Philosophical, insightful and profound, albeit in a very subtle fashion. The author makes many worthwhile observations and statements about the encounter of these two cultures without being pedantic, and while having fun. This is a delightful novel, one which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Ths is at best a run of the mill true crime story which concentrates more on the cops who caught him than the killer himself.Very little attempt is made in understanding the mind of BTK. Do we really need to know about the family life of the detectives on the case, i dont think so

Dennis Rader also known as BTK Killer which stands for Bind, Torture, and Kill murdered over ten innocent people over the period of 30 years. He had led a double life of devoted husband and father in Wichita, Kansas. He was also a serial killer who murdered the entire Otero family on January 15, 1974. The book is well-written and told by the people who were directly involved in the investigation and case. Since January 15, 1974 when the Oteros were brutally murdered, Wichita had learned that there was a monster in the mist. For over 30 years, people particularly women checked to make sure the phone lines weren't cut as they entered their homes. Women were terrified because the main target of his BTK's victims are women. Rader's secret life was complicated by his obligations as husband, father, and Christian. While the police wondered why BTK stopped killing, it was because he was busy. Rader was smart, calculated, slick, and purely evil in determining his victims. He stalked them, followed them, monitored them, and watched their habits before he attacked like a predator to the prey, BTK knew he didn't want to get caught because he was ashamed of how his other life as husband and father would be shattered. He also worked in the security business ADT setting up alarms. Think of the irony, here was a man who installed security systems because of the BTK killings. Rader knew no mercy towards his victims. When he wasn't raping and killing, he posed and wore his victims clothing. The authors of this collaborative effort did an amazing job in putting the story together. It's not without effort that this is probably the best book on the BTK case that I have read so far. Also, the book goes insides those affected by the case that went unsolved for so long. Wichita lived in horror and terror for over 30 years. The terrorism that BTK inflicted upon Wichita for so long affected those residents. Rader also knew how to play games with the police, press, and his victims. One victim, Anna Williams, came home to find her home burgled and then she later learned that she was a potential victim of BTK from a chilling note. Rader loved to play deadly games of scaring people. He had changed his modus operandi several times which threw off police. Unlike Bundy, Gacy, and Dahmer, Rader is fascinating because he knew how to be careful, controlling, and deadly at the same. He watched, stalked, wrote notes, and learned how to pick his victims carefully. He made notes on when to attack to rape and kill his potential victims. He defiled his victims by posing their dead bodies and even wearing the victims' clothing at times. He showed no mercy towards even the youngest of victims and would have gladly killed Shirley's children if he had the time and change but the phone rang constantly. He is now spending the rest of his life in prison but nothing will make up for the terror and horror of the residents of Wichita and it's surrounding area of what BTK had done to them. It is no longer innocent anymore as it once was. People now regularly locked their doors, watched their children carefully, and protected themselves with security alarms and made sure their phone lines were not cut off. This book is the best book so far on the BTK killer.

Straight forward storytelling with great accuracy and full details. One of the best books I've read this past year.

This book is fascinating. It is an "insider" account into the BTK murders in Kansas. It is well-written and factual, often clearing up many misconceptions about BTK from the mass media. It is a must read for anyone interested in serial crime, especially those who are interested in how law enforcement solves crime. Some parts of the book are disturbing, be forewarned. A+ for "Bind, Torture, Kill."

This book was well written and very informative about the investigation and also the motives of Dennis Rader, the BTK killer. What a heartless cruel person he was and how dedicated the officers and detectives were in bringing in this monster. It's a shame it took so long to capture this monster.

I really wanted to like this book. As a debate coach for an inner city school, I looked forward to having my own problems and complaints validated. To some extent they were. However, the book as a whole left me with more questions than answers, more anger than acceptance, and more frustration than appreciation. Let's start with the obvious: the author is a reporter and the book was an to be an unbiased look at the debate culture and how it affected an inner city school. That the author not only became a part of the story but actually directed the actions of the story is an appalling breach of jounalistic ethics. While I did not expect the writer to remain entirely neutral, and I do give him credit for portraying the debaters honestly, his own leap from neutral observer to debate judge to coach while still writing this book crosses a line.
Secondly, we are introduced to the major characters and confronted with an injustice: these students are prohibited from attending a major national tournament by a set of archaic state rules. Forgive me for being confused, then, when the team attends national tournaments in Washington, DC and Atlanta. The writer never clarifies this point, perhaps because it minimizes the conflict. The book gives short shrift to a comment by James Copeland of the National Forensic League that Central attends major tournaments throughout the year that the majority of competitive teams cannot afford to go to.
It bothered me as well to read about debaters who come to practice late--if at all, work that does not get done, late night partying and yet, and yet, debaters that rise to the top of each tournament. How? Was it too much to ask how the debaters got from point A to point B? I was troubled throughout the book by Mr. Miller's attempt to minimize the role of coach Jane Rinehart. Other than a few exercises she leads new debaters through, her only role in the success of her team appears to be as driver, observer and censor of language. One can't help but wonder if this is deliberately done to make his own debut as an assistant coach who literally takes over more impressive.
That leaves me to deal with the issues of debate style and content. I have, in the past, been a big fan of the Urban Debate League and its quest to bring minorities into what is largely a "white" activity. I am not a fan of programs that tell debaters they cannot succeed in the event as it currently exists because of their skin color or their poverty. Originally debate centered on analysis and persuasion, something that cannot occur in 300 word per minute speeches designed to cram in as many cards of evidence as possible. While both the book and Rinehart reject local tournaments that condemn speed and require debaters to talk to "Suzi's Mom", these tournaments teach students to really understand what they are saying and to be able to explain it coherently to someone who is not an expert in philosophy, who does not understand how simply passing one piece of legislation will lead to nuclear war. Rinehart elects instead to compete on the National level but condemns those tournaments for not rewarding the very things local tournaments would: analysis and persuasion. I find it insulting that the author makes the gigantic assumption that having his debaters turn to hip hop and a rejection of the structure of debate would have magically saved a young man from being a gun shot victim. The message he sends by the end of the book is that he is one of the few visionaries of debate; that the only honorable style of debate is one that rejects debate as currently played. I am not an apologist for many of the abuses in the activity today. I am, however, a firm believer that debate can change lives, regardless of skin color and family income. I am a firm believer that debate teaches students skills that will serve them throughout a lifetime--organization, the ability to structure their arguments and presentations, the composure in unfamiliar situations. If we accept Miller's assertions that the entire activity has to change to accommodate a few, that without these changes minorities can never succeed in this activity, then we are buying into a even more racist mindset and it disturbs me that Miller's book perpetuates this myth.

This book works on many levels. It has a great narrative, which drives one to keep reading. The fast-paced story is also one of underdogs who succeed against all odds.

The exciting narrative is a vehicle the author uses to effectively share with the reader how truly awful some inner-city schools are and how uneven the playing field really is. This information is contained in the story and is not preachy.

The author also uses the narrative to teach readers about debate and the on-going controversies within the debate world. I highly recommend this book for both teenagers and adults.

The premise of Cross-X is very similar to 'The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists' by Neil Strauss; a journalist decides to write a book. Joe Miller wrote it about a debater; Neil Strauss wrote it about himself. There are actually a few parallels in debate and pickup; there are rules and guidelines, some people obsess and know every little detail, it's considered a game by those who play it, etc.

So if you liked The Game for its writing, you'll like Cross-X. If you liked The Game for its subject matter, you'll probably be disapointed; Joe Miller is a cool dude, but he doesn't know NEAR as much about social dynamics as Neil Strauss.

Aside from the questions of the politics of liberation in education and the difficulties of racial balance in urban schools, there are two inner conflicts at work in the context of this piece of reportage. The first has to do with the shift in practice in academic/policy debate from what could be called persuasive oratory - as the book presents it speeches designed to convince "Suzie's Mom" to a high speed delivery, multiple flow theoretical presentation designed for experts in the subject and style. The difference is a rate of delivery more than one and a half times that of most casual speech, laden with acronyms and jargon. And then there is the challenge to this. The second conlictis the competing areas:small schools vs. large consolidations, urban vs rural, public vs private. At the college and university level the regional organizations have almost disappeared. Debate is an endowed activity or a speciality ( sometimes for ideological reasons, one finds schools with agendas also tend to have debate programs). To really understand what goes on in this book, this inside knowledge is helpful.

So I warn, if you are not going to misread events, "What do you know about academic debate?" It is a complex world, the shifting forms of which are at work in this book: NFL (the original one), NCFL, TOC, CEDA, NDT as well as city, state and regional leagues and tournaments. At first blush it seems there are obvious nasties and obvious good guys, aspiring inner city youth and dedicated teachers, dullard administrators and power mad bureacrats. But you really need to know a bit more if you are going to truly understand this nationwide, multi linked and important activity. And it is important- the precentage of public figures with high school/college debate experience is not much less than the number of NFL (football one that is) players with highschool/college football experience. Miller portrays some empathetic individuals and some he can't stand, but it is vital that any reader be aware that this is advocacy journalism, much like the advocacy debate he is pushing for in the book. Many of the "enemies" are there because of principle not laziness or self interest. The history of debate, changing from the persuasive oratory of the sixties to the speed delivered ethos of the seventies, to the pedagogy of liberation theory influenced rhetoric in the eighties has morphed to performance activity and has filtered from colleges down to high school. Those presented as standing in the way, may in many cases be standing against the educational ideas of Pauolo Freire and Jonathon Kozol and in favor of rather traditional, non deconstructive rhetorical theory.

Mr Miller's book is told from the experience of African-American students in an inner city high school. One must consider why a student is involved in what is admittedly a highly competetive activity. His advocacy reminds me of the alternative of being highly successful in the "game" chosen by one of my outstanding students who said concerning Ebonics, "This little brown girl knows if she is going to take care of herself in this world she better know when to write 'I am' and when 'I Be.'" This is the problem of privliging of a discourse. Mr. Miller( and the performance school) do not acknowledge that within a context or ethos certain discourse is privleged and to act differently is to invite retribution. We are educated to do and not to do a number of acts. And here is the rub, what is truly discriminatory, and is the debilitating effect of any discrimination best fought on a personal or organizational basis. The argument goes on and on.

Cross-X by Joe Miller covers about a year in the lives of several students from Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri as they travel on the debate team. They face racism, infighting from the state activities board, and the choices made by their own family. Miller does an amazing job taking this story and making it accessible to all readers. The stories of Ebony, Marcus, Antoine, and Brandon are poignant stories of survival. These black teenagers compete against white kids from private schools and win because of their quick wit and determination to win. Miller completely changed my ideas about debate: what it is and what it stands for. He includes a history of Central High School, a flashpoint in the controversy over Brown vs. Board of Education and also the site of an astronomically expensive renovation to encourage white families to move to the district. Instead these teens have to face ambivalent teachers, tough home lives, and peer pressure in an environment that expects them to fail. The story ultimately becomes about racism and the right to be different. The only disappointment in the book is when Miller inserts himself into the story by becoming a coach to two of the boys. As an objective observer, Miller was able to narrate a tale showing all of the different sides to these young men. As an active participant, he becomes strident as he attempts to be their savior. As such, the ending is a bit of a let-down. The book exposes the deep differences between black and white education and points out that we need to make a change so that all children have the same opportunities for education so they can succeed. It opened my eyes to the incipient racism in schools today.

"The Fugitive Heart" is a heart-wrenching story of the civil war and the families this conflict tore apart. Samantha is a girl of 14 growing up on a farm. She knows that she will marry 17 year-old Nathan, her neighbor and her brother's best friend. Their childhood dreams are torn apart when both of their fathers enlist in the Union Army, are reported missing, and their homes are burned to the ground by Confederate soldiers. The boys drop Samantha off at an orphanage and enlist in the military, too. But war changes the boys, hardening them until they reject the grace of God in their lives. When the three are reunited 6 years later, can Samantha pour God's love back into Nathan and Caleb's lives? Or are they too hard-hearted to allow His love and forgiveness to take root?

This is a superbly written novel of grace, forgiveness and second chances. The genuine presentation of these characters, their inner turmoil and their experiences made my heart race one minute and brought me to tears the next. This is a book that you won't want to put down!

This is the story of Samantha and Nathan. They are young sweethearts growing up and it's war that seperates them. Samantha's brother (Caleb) and Nathan leave her at an orphage and join the war. Over the years Caleb and Nathan have become wanted men and have lost their faith because of the awful things they saw and experienced during the war. Nathan has a strong feeling that Samantha needs him and decides to go the the orphange but doesn't expect to find her. She's there. He asks her to come live with him and Caleb. He still loves her but knows that he can't have a future with her. She loves him but is shocked to find not the gentle boy she knew but a hardend man. The story is their journey of triumphs and defeats, love and hurt.

The thing that I loved about this story is that it was true to life. When I say gritty I mean that you can feel the physical struggle between the two. The desire to do what is right and the desire of the flesh. Isn't that how real life is as well?

If you like westerns, romance and realism than you will love this story. I also recommend the sequel "The Hidden Heart". It is the story of Caleb. That's a great one too.

Just as a side note...if you order the book it may have a different cover than the one shown. So if you want a particular cover you need to ask the seller.

Growing up on the Kansas prairie, Samantha Martin cherished two desires: to love God and marry her childhood sweetheart. But the War between the States took nearly everything--her family, her home, and Nathan her love. When he returns six years later, she is shocked to discover he's no longer the gentle boy she's always adored. Instead, he is a physically and emotionally scarred man on the run, dodging charges of theft...and murder.

Nathan Hamilton once dreamed of seeing the world, becoming a doctor, and making Samantha his bride. But instead of adventure, he encountered tragedy and made choices that nearly destroyed his life. Now, in Samantha's arms, Nathan seeks peace and freedom--while she strives to lead him from darkness to light and into the embrace of the only one who can provide a true refuge for The Fugitive Heart.

What a great read! The first book I've read by Jane Orcutt and she needs to keep up the good work! She has talent and really portray's that not everything goes "right" even when you're a Christian. What a great example of God's love for us and forgivness no matter how much wrong we have done and how bad we think we are. A great romance also! A breath of fresh air in the inspirational section of fiction writing! Worth your time.

This book paints a realistic life of frontier struggles. It's gritty, sometimes violent. The heroine meets obstacles with incredible bravery. The novel honors family and faith, instead of glorifying gunfighters, and that's a wonderful change of pace.

At times, however, Samantha was too good to be true. Instead of feeling angry with Caleb, which would've been natural, she felt guilty for doubting him.

Also, I couldn't believe how far Nathan had fallen from his faith. Sure, his experiences during the Civil War would make anyone bitter, but I couldn't accept that he'd become a sarcastic outlaw who smoked, drank, and robbed banks. He seemed too intelligent to succumb to those things. His growth and redemption, however, was very believable.

I gave this book a C at All About Romance.