Kansas Books

I had the honor of meeting Dr. Broome at the 2007 Little Bighorn Association conference in North Platte Nebraska. I would like to think that his scholarship helps to set a standard for historical research. When I consider what I see being produced today by many of our universitys I don't hold out a lot of hope for this though.

Dog Soldier Justice is an amazing piece of research in that it covers ground often ignored today. It looks at the dangers and horrors that often faced pioneers in the form of indian depradations. Today we frequently forget the innocent victims caught up in the plains indian wars. We also forget that evil acts were committed by the indians as much as the white man. Dr. Broome manages to correct some of this by the tragic story of this one woman and her family. He also reminds the reader that this sort of treatment was not the exception and more common than many historians are willing to admit. There is some justice in relating the truth and Dr. Broome's book is a step towards this.

Dr. Broome paints a very interesting history of the settlement of the American West in the late 19th century. He pulls no punches in his history which is extensively researched and referenced. No "New Western Historian", is he. He tells what happened in detail and in unvarnished truth. Among the history lurks the soul of a mystery novel except this is true. The reader knows in advance what happens, but even today we don't know the details of what really happened to Susanna Alderdice. She is the centerpiece of the book. Her experiences are as bad as any atrocity known to man.

Anybody interested in the Kansas and Colorado early settlers and their experiences with the renegade Dog Soldiers should read this book. Life was not bread and circuses as many would have you believe back then. It was a struggle against the elements, a struggle against disease and the ever present danger of being attacked just for living.

Jeff Bloome has produced an outstanding narrative concerning a little known period of history in 19th Century Kansas. I was attracted to it because my own grandparents were captured by Indians on a Kansas farm near Marysville, one of my family members was burned at the stake by Indians in the 1700's, and many of my ancestors had to protect their homes and lives from warring tribes in New York and Kansas. This book is the epitome of research on the subject of the Indian raids that terrorized and killed so many settlers in Kansas in the 1860's, and none of it is fiction. Dr. Broome tells the facts in a way that is spellbinding, and in a manner that makes the people of the time, both Settler and Indian alike, very real. Dr. Bloome has the ability to capture their time and the way they felt and reacted to these tragedies. The American settler comes alive, particuarly in the person of Susanna Alderdice and her family. Five stars is the most I am permitted to rate Dog Soldier Justice, but it deserves more than that and anyone whose ancestors were a part of the early history of America should be particularly grateful to Dr. Bloome for his detailed research and the sincere empathy he shows in his writing about these real people on the prairie who eventually succeeded,in making the wild terrority home despite its many dangers. This is not a derogatory piece designed deliberately to make Indians look bad, there were many good Indians, it is simply historical fact about the Dog Soldier Indians who did a great amount of harm to their own cause, and the story needs to be told as it happened, not as some would like it told. The extent of his research and his care in the presentation coupled with a captivating style of writing and complete footnotes to back up this writing makes this a must reading for those interested in the history of the Plains in the 19th Century.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Broome at the Little Big Horn Battlefield this year, 2005. I have found this book to be outstanding in the discription of just how ruthless and savage the Bog Soldiers were to the settelers of the Kansas plains. The research is outstanding and well documented. This book will move you in the hardships the settelers of the West went through and their courage and bravery of them all. The brutality that the Dog Soldier Indians put upon the woman of Kansas is heart braking and it's amazing anyone who survived could have endured. I highly recommend this book, regardless of how you might feel concerning the Indians of Kansas as this book presents the moving story of the will to live and survive and settle Kansas.

Paul Posey
Grovetown, GA

In 1961, Jonathan MacLean is a minister in the Scottish Church. He is happily married to the woman he loves and owns the ancestral estate Kilgarth. His best friend, Lord Alexander Chisholm, owns Balnagard Castle. The two buddies plan to take their annual trip together, which consists of roaming the countryside wherever their instincts lead them to travel. However, Jonathan dies from anaphylaxis reaction to bee venom.

Alex believes that someone deliberately murdered his friend as the bees were found inside Jonathan's picnic basket. Alex is happy that another friend, intelligence officer Ben Reese is coming to Balnagard to appraise his heirlooms. When Ben arrives, he agrees to investigate Jonathan's death. Ben soon finds several viable suspects, but never anticipated that the killer might want to make him the next victim.

Although the story line occurs less than four decades ago, there remains a surreal atmosphere, as if the events occurred in a previous century. The plot is compelling as PRIDE AND PREDATOR focuses on a monster wearing the respectable mask of sane civility that fools everyone except the likable hero. Sally Wright has the right stuff as she shows her story telling abilities to turn a mid-twentieth century who-done-it into a grand novel.

Harriet Klausner

I give the book 4 stars rather than 5 primarily because I had trouble keeping track of the many characters and the geography -- just way too much to follow . But I decided not to bother figuring out "who dun it" (although a shrewd guess halfway through turned out to be correct) and just enjoy the trip.

The plot involves the death of a man who was greatly loved but had a few enemies as well -- an upper class man who had returned from World War II a changed man, who became a Presbyterian minister and married an American pianist. He is found dead on Holy Island, apparently the victim of an accident, but there are circumstances that make those close to Reverend McLean question whether it was really an accident or murder. Ben Reese, an American archivist with a skill for solving mysteries, has already been called in to make an inventory of saleable items at a castle in Scotland owned by Reverend McLean's best friend, so he is asked to poke around and see if there is enough evidence to go to the police and ask for the case to be reopened.

The strength of the book is in the literary skill of the author, although some of the dialogue seemed a bit to lyrical for the characters. This book kept me reading and wanting to know "who dun it." If you like Scottish settings, you'll probably like this book, although be warned, you're not going to read this book in one evening.

Some of the best new mystery fiction coming out today. I'm glad to see the adventures of Ben Reese moving forward--unlike most other modern 'mysteries,' this series doesn't rely on blood and guts or sex between the characters to keep the novel moving along--the mystery is the point of the book, and mystery is what you get. The plot is well thought out, and the clues well placed.

She informed me and delighted me again!

Intriguing plot and characters. A fine setting. And a decent mystery to boot!

I had never thought of Scotland as a possible travel destination. Maybe after her depiction I might consider it. Not that she romanticizes it, she obviously just loves it because it is lovable. Plus there were so many amusing and beguiling Scots that I had the pleasure of meeting. Not to mention the depths of the human heart that I had to ponder when reading this (I thought I knew who the murderer was, but I really didn't want to believe it was who I thought it was--so I had to ponder my own heart's depth as well).

I rarely reread mysteries, but I will return to this one again sometime. There's more to this than I could get on one time through.

Some people can think it is a book for History, Politics and War aficionados - it is. But it is not exclusively. If you are an Executive, Planner or Strategist, involving people administration, fifficult goals and (limited) resources, you will enjoy and learn a lot with this book.

The text is easy and at same time comprehensive. The pictures extremely well selected. It is the result of expertise and dedication from author and editor.

Flak played an integral part of Germany's air defenses during World War I and II. This well-researched and well-written volume looks at the development of the antiaircraft artillery, its organization, employment and manning. No other book I have ever come across has done as good a job as this one in discussing the antiaircraft artillery of the Luftwaffe and the German Army. The production of the excellent "88," the wartime development of radar and other aspects are presented in this volume.

FLAK: German Anti-Aircraft Defenses, 1914-1945 by Edward Westermann is the definitive study of Germany's ground-based air defenses. This meticulously researched book takes the reader from the early days of air defense and traces the development of ground-based air defense from its vestigial theoretical roots in WW1 through the learning days of the war in Spain and culminates with a thorough analysis of the effectiveness of ground-based versus fighter air defenses.

Westermann masterfully weaves all aspects of the development of the 88 with the other less-well-known and understood defenses used by Germany such as smoke screens and decoy sites, the high-level of damage to bombers from Flak that increased fighter kills as they pounced on stragglers, the decrease in accuracy from bombers trying to evade Flak, the coordination with night-fighters (the Wild Boars), as well as the development of improved targeting devices such as radar.

Westermann shows that in the early days of the war and indeed into 1942, the Flak arm of the Luftwaffe was taking a heavy toll on Allied bombers. He discusses the evolution of bomber strategy in dealing with the Flak, as well as decisions made by the Luftwaffe that would lead to a decrease in Flak kill averages and a precipitous drop in the effectiveness of all ground-based air defenses from 1943 on due to material shortages, bomber technology, allied countermeasures, and less skilled Flak crews such as women and children replacing trained units.

The book is a dense study filled with graphs and charts that help show the effectiveness of Flak versus fighters (and indeed shows that both were most effective when used in tandem), yet it is an easy read that is very logically laid-out.

For myself this book was an eye-opener. My grandfather was in Flak from 1938-1945. He began as a range-finder (Entfernungsmesser) operator on 88s preparing for sea-lion, and later became a radar operator. This probably saved his life. As more and more Flak men were pulled into line units to fight on the ground in Russia and elsewhere, the skilled radar operators stayed on the Western Front to monitor the daily fleets of aircraft flying to Germany and they provided what little early-warning the Luftwaffe would have until everything collapsed. It gave me a better understanding of my grandfather's service as well as an appreciation for what Westermann terms the world's most advanced air-defense network at the time.

Westermann is a professor at the School for Air & Space Studies in Montgomery, Alabama, and is another of the Showalter-style of disciples. This book is very specialized, and thus not for the average WWII buff. However, if you have any interest in the subject this is great military history, touching upon social, economic & political aspects of air defense as well as standard military history stuff. It necessarily has some discussion of fighter defense as well as flak, and that discussion is well-handled and interesting enough to make me think the author should have gone on to write a companion book on the air/fighter defense aspect.

Good scholarly review of the subject. Goes into the politics, economics, and effectiveness of the German flak defences. The author's case for the effectiveness of the flak arm is very persuasive. Would have been nice to have had more personal recollections of ex-flak gunners.

One of the best regional history books I have ever read, Ghost Towns of Kansas: A Travellers Guide, can best be described as BIG, Bold, and brash. Actually a greatest hits package of the first three self-published books, this is a gem to have for any library.

According to the author, Kansas has had 6,000 ghost towns, and he writes about the cream of the crop here. Big, bustling, boom towns that had thousands of people and now have nothing. Fitzgerald crafts a good yarn about each of the hundred he writes about.

This book went on to generate several news emmys, a bunch of PBS documentaries, and a sequel 6 years later. Even a record album, In the Spirit of Things, by his close friends, the rock band Kansas. And it is fun, fun, fun to read. Don't sit and read from beginning to end in one sitting, for that is too much overkill. It is best in small doses.

As a travellers guide, the book is not that great. No really good maps or directions. You will have to research in more detail to get to some of these places. And for some of these places, like Riley, there's nothing there. My picks would be White Cloud, Neosho Falls, Eminence, and Coolidge. Take your pick though, a lot of great exploring here.

There has not been a great Kansas history series like this one since the last book, Faded Dreams. Fitzgerald needs to write another sequel. I'm getting bored with the stuff out there right now. I need another Kansas roadtrip.

This is probably one of the top ten best regional histories I have found to date. Maybe even in the top three. Countless books have followed the same format since, with less success.

This book made tangible the hopes and dreams of the men and women who moved west in search of better lives. Fitzgerald has included maps, photographs and layouts of towns that illustrate the optimism (and in some cases, the deceptiveness) of investors and town founders who hoped to establish new communities. I have lived in Kansas most of my life, but never appreciated why earlier generations moved here, and ultimately why they thrived or failed. Fitzgerald clearly demonstrates how county seats, mines, railroads, rivers, and interstates can save or kill a town. In addition, he has included where to find the town's remains - if there are remains to be found. This book is easy to read in little snippets. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Kansas history and the history of westward expansion, as well as anyone who enjoys good anecdotes that build connections to those who have come before us.

I know the author personally. As I see above that Joseph W. Snell is listed as designer. Not so. He only did an introductory page. I typed & edited the manuscript. A sequel that is doing just as well is "Faded Dreams, More Ghost Towns of Kansas". Both volumes contain at least 100 old KS towns & histories, with maps and many pictures. Both are of great interest to the western history buff.

Thanks.

This book contains brief histories/descriptions of about a hundred towns or locations that no longer exist, except for perhaps as place names on local maps. Most places described, however, were once "big" enough to support a post office during earlier times. The book is broken down by sections of the state and then by county, making it easy for the traveler to plan out an itinerary. Maps of each section are also included. Fitzgerald has done his research well and thoroughly. There are lots of photographs as well. Although Fitzgerald draws out the temptation to get in the car and seek out many of the towns he describes, the book will give just as much satisfaction to the armchair traveler, too. This is a model work on how to write a guide to lost towns, not only in Kansas, but anywhere. A terrific book.

The Gettysburg battlefield guide is the first of many Civil War guidebooks and set the standard for the other books. The book covers the largest battle of the American Civil War and our most visited Battlefield Park. This is one of a multitude of guidebooks on the battle and can be an option to employing a guide or purchasing a park driving tour.
The series format is directions to a point on the field, orientation, a general lesson on what happened in your view, followed by first person accounts of the action. These guides are designed using the general staff training concept of a Staff Ride. This is when a class is taken to a historic location, discuss what happened and see how the terrain influences the event. Staff Rides are designed to be intensive "on the ground" training couple with physical observation in the hopes students will gain experience for later use.
I am not saying this to frighten you away from this guide but to tell you this is not a walk about and look at the monuments type of guide. This guide will have several pages devoted to the action at this point. It may contain a critique of the local commander's actions with possible alternates.
My experience is that reading the book prior to my visit works best. This allows me more time observing the field and less time reading the book. Of the tour options, a professional guide is usually the best but most expensive choice. The park driving tour is the best choice for a quick trip through the field to get the kids passport stamp. This book is the best choice for a serious student of the battle looking for a detailed explanation.

I generally agree with the other reviewers that this guide book is informative and useful. I have had it in had twice when I visited Gettysburg. A solid resource with some very interesting historical exerpts from after action reports etc.

I would also encourge people considering this book to take a look at Gettysburg: A Battlefield Guide by Mark Grimsley. (ISBN 0803270771) In my opinion the Grimsley book is a bit clearer on some of the more confusing parts of the battle - the fighting in the Wheatfield for example.

All things considered both books are quite good.

These series of books from the U. S. Army War College are the best available resource for conducting ACW battlefield tours - assuming that your purpose in touring battlefields is to study and understand the applicable tactics, strategy and terrain and to develop an appreciation for the objectives and efforts of the participants. If you go to ACW battlefields to gawk and gossip as an everyday tourist then an investment in these guides is unnecessary. If you have an active interest in ACW history, military history in general or fascinating chapters in human history, then these guides are remarkable values, "Best Buys". Helpful maps illustrate troop engagements and key terrain features, excerpts from the Official Records provide first person commentary from the participants at each "Stop" on your tour and concise analysis is provided to tie the story together. Thorough but not intimidating, insightful and objective, with no deficiencies noted.

I just returned from my first Antietam visit after reading many books about the battle. The Staff Ride Guide gave me a thoroughly detailed, comprehensive, fascinating look at the battle. I brought along my father, not a Civil War buff, and he got a lot out of it as well. Good clear driving directions, great choices of accounts from both the O.R. and individual letters and diaries. Superb. I can't wait to use the other battlefield guides.

Anyone who has ever worked in an organization has witnessed the paralysis that sets in with failure, reprimand, disappointing results or unfulfilled expectations. That recognition is palpable throughout this book. The deepening loss of power that follows seemingly small pitfalls or mediocre human interactions is extremely damaging and spreads to each and every aspect of an organization. Martin does a great job of both carving out the territory of these viral disempowerments, and of showing us how to bring greater authenticity to our work and communication to turn around these conditions. A correction in the psychological or cultural environment can be powerfully segued into an opportunity for more strategic thought and alignment of behavior with an organization's vision. Having seen so many of these cultural viruses do irreparable harm to both people and business results, the book has become a wonderful addition to an arsenal of tools that is never complete. I highly recommend The Responsibility Virus to business-people of any level of authority.

Amie Devero, Author of Powered by Principle: Using Core Values to Build World-Class Organizations

Ever notice how offices (maybe even yours) are split between the doers and the idlers? Ever notice the resentment that accrues in workplaces where control freaks do everything and ne'er-do-wells do nothing? Ever wonder how such jaded office environments came to be, and whether they ever could change?

Well, step right up, dear reader, because this book decodes the phenomenon that cruelly saps the morale out of even the most capable of offices. Labelling this task imbalance as the `responsibility virus,' Roger Martin seeks to render a diagnosis and prognosis of this nefarious sickness. Martin, with the assistance of psychological and biological principles, explains how the basic `fight or flight' response leads many to assume too much or too little responsibility in times of stress. This results in a causal chain reaction where the other workers correspondingly take positions on the opposing end of the spectrum to best complement this initial game opening. As Martin ably explains, these positions are never static; over-responsible persons eventually become under-responsible, and vice versa. This is essentially a never-ending dance that may eventually destroy an entire office.

So what to do, you ask? Martin proposes four separate strategies that are designed to purge the workplace body of this virus, all of which may be used on their own or in combination with the others, depending on the state of the virus' evolution and the players' goals. These different methods all have the share the same central goal: maximizing inter-office collaboration and thereby ridding the workplace of the responsibility virus. They are all very easy-to-understand and readily adaptable to many workplaces. Martin's generous use of case examples also provides a context to identifying problems and their respective solutions.

Martin's most intriguing strategy is to redefine the nature of true leadership and, by extension, corresponding `followership.' Martin entreats the reader not to accept the canard of the `man on the horse;' the heroic, all-knowing, all-powerful leader who can jump into the fray at any given moment and single-handedly solve a vexing problem, while his minions listlessly stand by waiting for the hero to save the day. Rather, true leadership fosters collaboration; followers contribute to the best of their abilities and open lines of communication are maintained throughout the various levels of management.

In all, this is a persuasive read that is very ably argued. Although I felt the conclusion was a bit rushed (where Martin makes a u-turn from his central argument that people's actions are dictated by their governing values), readers would be hard-pressed to write the book off as unhelpful. Use it in your business life or even your personal life; the book is a powerful suppressant of the responsibility virus.

This book explains in very simple terms why some people are so driven while others just go on a cruise and the relationship between the two.
If you ever feel overwhelmed at work and often find yourself wondering why others don't pull their own weight - this book is for you.
If you feel like you could do so much more at work if only given a chance but lack the confidence or the knowledge to go for it - read this book.

Roger Martin has lain down business organizations in the therapist chair, but you won't notice it because the author avoids skillfully the psychological labels currently in vogue.

If you often wonder about why you end up working more than others, why some people don't understand what you clearly state or why everybody sees what is wrong in the company and they don't do anything to fix it, this book is for you. It goes to the root of the problem, explains it plainly and offers a step by step program to solve it. The book also provides a better understanding of what's behind the Enron debacle and the government agencies mishandling of security issues before, during and after September 11.

It doesn't matter if the reader is a CEO, a manager, a professional or a secretary, he or she will find familiar faces and situations; people that could be your boss, your vice-president of sales or your managing editor. Why do we have the chance to see ourselves and others in these pages? The book is simply about human nature. It deals with the underlying emotions, culture and language that make many bureaucracies what they are: an incompetent and unfulfilled mass of otherwise intelligent, good and hard working people.

Martin explains that lack of collaboration between leadership and other parties in the organization brings an unbalanced approach to responsibility. The author describes what he calls the "heroic leader", which takes more responsibility that he or she should. Conversely, the other parties react giving up responsibility. Once the leader is unable to meet the goals, he or she sits back and takes the position of the followers. Meanwhile the frustrated followers take responsibility for their part, but because they can not attain the needed broad or bold solutions, parties induce the leader to take again more responsibilities that he or she can handle, and the infectious cycle of dependency starts again.

The mysterious Responsibility Virus is nothing more than the very human fear of failure. According to Chris Argyris, cited in the book, there are "governing values" that guide the way we interpret and deal with the world. They reside so ingrained in human nature that they apply to people across ages, cultures, economic status, and educational levels. Humans-Agyris claim--will always try to win, maintain control, avoid embarrassment and stay rational in any situation. Fear of failure triggers the governing values and they make us either take more responsibility (fight) or abdicate responsibility (flight).

Martin proposes the use of some "tools" to improve collaboration (choice structuring process), eliminate the mistrust and misunderstanding (frame experiment) and to balance capability and responsibility (responsibility ladder) among the parties in the organization. All these tools have the general objective of untying the person from the situation that requires attention and put aside the biased frame of mind from which we see the problem. Once all the parties involved in decision-making have a better perspective of the issue, they are in a position to find a middle ground between capabilities and responsibility.

It is at the end of the book, redefining leadership, when Martin describes the leader as what sociologists or psychologists would call a mature personality. According to the author, a leader should be capable of splitting responsibility through dialogue, apportioning responsibilities in keeping with capabilities, but more importantly, making apportionment discussable and subject performance to public testing. Although he doesn't mention it, you have the sense that it is the leader a significant carrier of the responsibility virus and also accountable for spreading his or her fear of failure throughout the organization.

In these times of leaders finger-pointing at each other and frustrated managers turned into audacious whistle-blowers this book is a timely required reading to understand not only organizations but the world around us.

Primarily for quilters, this lovely book includes excellent instructions for an applique quilt top as well as inspiration and suggestions for smaller cotton and wool applique projects, a few designs for rug hooking, and two "visits" to homes of interesting folk artisans, arranged according to the calendar year and its holidays. The book's best feature is its complexity, not of instructions, which are admirably clear and straightforward, but rather, of design. The featured quilt top, nine appliqued houses and their front gardens, is created twice, once by each author, a choice that hints at the wealth of possibilities available to readers. Further, each house block includes many, many design elements that tempt the adventurous reader to use them in different and original ways. The writing is warm and encouraging, the patterns full size and not overlapped, and the photography of both finished projects and artisans' homes visited is beautiful. Many instruction books are shared, shelved, or discarded once the skills are learned. Allen and Alma's Home Sweet Home is a book readers will want to browse, savor, and save.

I saw a quilt in this book in a monthly quilting magazine and had to buy the book to make the quilt. I made the quilt and it is absolutely lovely. The hand work took a long time. There is more hand work than machine piecing. The directions and pictures in this book make the book easy to follow. I recommend this book for anyone who is a little more advanced than a beginner. I have been quilting for 30 years and found it challenging but rewarding. Loved this book!

I bought this book after wanting it for a long time. I saw my online friends making the main house quilt and decided I didn't want to be too far behind, so went and got it. I have done the first block and am so excited! The book is beautiful, the pages glossy and full of color. I especially like how there are 2 versions of the same quilt. Just gives you more options. I personally am doing mine in very different colors from the book ones just to make it exciting and new to work on.

The main quilt is probably not for absolute beginners, but great for someone who loves needleturn applique. The blocks and nice and big - you can get lots of detail done on each block. A beginner might enjoy making it if they used a different applique method such as fusible web. But then again, why not just jump in and get both feet wet and learn to needleturn at the same time!

There are other projects in the book which look great, though I probably won't make them as I bought it mainly for the house quilt.

Barb Adams and Alma Allen do such wonderful work with their quilts and books. This book certainly lives up to their good reputation.

This book has beautiful pictures as well as great instructions. The house quilt, which is the bulk of the book, is unique and very detailed.
There is also a beautiful flag quilt which was my first project out of this book and I will definately do more.

EASY: a delight to read. INFORMATIVE: CRAFTED carefully, skillfully. PROFESSIONAL: author growing geometrically (1-3-6?). POSITIVE: author mellowing. LANGUAGE: succinct but not excessively. HIGHLIGHTED: masterful use of relevant quotes. THOUGHTS: personal - must sit on own bottoms. ENGAGING: reader perspectives will evaluate(FAIR). FORM(Design): selectively episodic. GRAMMAR: superior. ENHANCED: FUNNY! STYLE: free, lyrical, musical(Delightfully melodic, rhythmic sounds). NARRATIVE: Substantive, significant ideas; Factual, meaty detail; Flowing, reads faster. LAYERED: something for each, more for some, much more for others. ALMOST MORE IMPORTANT FOR WHAT IT ISN'T, AS WHAT IT IS! HOORAY for "spontaneous housework! It's OK!

I loved this book as I did her first. I relate well with her lifestyle, for it is mine too. I worship the solitude living alone can give me. I can laugh along with Amy as she battles the Wasps and spiders. I can share her fun at being able to walk "nekked" in the house whenever needed and in the fact we are not bound by someone elses rules. Noone can tell us how or when the house should be clean. Ms Blackmarr is my hero :-)

The last time we saw Amy Blackmarr (in the fine "Going to Ground: Simple Life on a Georgia Pond"), she had been forced to give up her pondering on the pond and was headed to the North Georgia mountains. However, she somehow got derailed and wound up in a peculiar little house in Kansas. No problem, in her newest work, "House of Steps: Finding the Path Home," she still finds plenty of adventures to share with us, including some from her past life. And her reflections on life, love, family and nature are as sharp as ever. As she did on the pond, Amy still finds snakes and other interesting creatures to deal with, and some of the people are pretty wild too. She even wins the battle of the mailbox, sort of. Either of her books is just the right length for a trip to the beach, or a few hours in the backyard. One more thought: If you like these books, you should also try "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" by Janisse Ray, another South Georgia woman with a heart for nature.

While Blackmarr's first book was about having the courage to follow your dream, this book seemed to be about your dream later taking you to a place where you didn't really expect or want to go--in her case, back to Kansas--and drawing what meaning you can out of it. But Blackmarr has such an incredible knack for finding meaning in just everyday experiences, what she calls "the remarkable and incorruptible process of living from ordinary day to ordinary day." This book worked on many levels for me. It's hilariously funny sometimes, has some great characters, like the stove man and the wasp lady, but it's also intensely spiritual. It has a zen-like acuteness to it. Yet it's a fast, easy reade. There's a great deal in a small space, here.

I loved this book, and have loved everything I have read by Tracey Bateman. I recommend it everyone, even those like myself who typically don't like Christian romances.

All the stories were Great. It was something I couldn't wait to get home and read. Although I liked the fact everything was family related story wise to each other. By the time I got to the last book.. I was almost bored with it.. Because it almost felt like the same ol same ol. but I gave it 4 stars, and I'd def- read it again!

I was born and raised in Kansas. so this book I truly enjoyed. But then also the author also helps being another excellent book. Tracey Bateman is an excellent Christian writer

This is an excellent book about a family living in the hardships of the midwest in the early 18th century. The book is full of inspiration about living life with God's help. I highly recommend entering the world of the St John family and learning about God's abiding presence in our lives.

This book was one of the better ones l have read about the Depression era criminals of America. The bibilography is very impressive, obviously the author has done a lot of research of books and newspapers as well as conducting interviews with the Miller family and other persons. The book walks the reader through the life of Miller from his childhood to his time as a soldier to sheriff to criminal. The author sticks to the facts and if no evidence is available, he says so.

Miller's life is a paradox, from war hero to an honest, decent sheriff to a cold blooded killer and bank robber. Why did Miller follow this path? How could he turn from being an honest sheriff striving to seek justice for victims of crime to a ruthless criminal shooting down people in cold blood? Brad Smith explores this area well and examines and explains the area of military psychology. The author suggests that Miller fits the profile of a soldier who is thrilled by the state of war. These types are not natural killers but will not hesitate to kill if they think that certain moral codes have been impinged or a friend is need of help. The job of lawman was too confining for Miller, he could have a much richer lifestyle as a bank robber and killer and get more thrills out his life too!

Brad Smith makes the distinction that the criminals of the rural midwest differed from the urban east in personality and lifestyle as did the societies in general and of course he is right. Millers relationships with other criminals such as Nash, Buchalter, Pretty Boy Floyd, Richetti, Karpis etc also make up much of the book and is fascinating to read. The author brings this era and its criminals back to life in this book and gives the reader an excellent perception of the type of lives these people lived.

Depression era outlaws seem to have needed to meet certain requirements to register permanently in the American consciousness: a catchy name like Dillinger; a catchy nickname like "Pretty Boy" or "Baby Face" or "Machine Gun"; or to be gunned down by the law, especially the federal minions of publicity-seeking J. Edgar Hoover. Perhaps the most important of these Public Enemies was a man who didn't meet any of these criteria: just-plain Verne Miller--sounds like a guy who lives down the street. He had no colorful monicker and the law never caught up with him. Miller was killed ignominiously and hideously and dumped in a Detroit ditch by his underworld "friends." Why was Miller so important? He was responsible for the bloodbath that launched the nation's first "War on Crime" which transformed a little known investigative branch of the U.S. Justice Department into today's powerful FBI: the "Kansas City Massacre." Brad Smith has done an incredible job in researching a fascinating and largely forgotten figure of America's lawless past. Only the Prohibition era could have produced this murderous but interesting and contradictory man, who went from war hero to policeman to sheriff to bootlegger, bank robber and cold-blooded killer, and, quite fittingly, his lawman-to-outlaw career spanned and paralelled that era, from 1920 to 1933. Miller was the criminal who declared war on America and the epitome of a lawless decade and his life story, told here in marvelous and exciting detail, in itself defines that period.

I wondered when I opened this book how well I would enjoy a true story about an underworld figure. I was not disappointed; this book held my attention from beginning to end.

"Lawman to Outlaw" is the story of Verne Miller, a known underworld figure, perhaps one whose life was filled with more mystery than any other. Mr. Miller was responsible for the slaughter that took place at the parking lot of Kansas City's Union Station, June 17,1933. Did you know that the FBI was actually formed because of this event and the outcry of the American people against crime. Interesting piece of information, I would say.

The author takes you through the life of Verne Miller; his childhood, his military days, his days as a well respected Sheriff and draws you into the mystery behind this man and his faithful companion Vi Mathis. What made a law abiding respected man turn into a cold blooded killer? Mr. Smith addresses this question and more.
I cannot even imagine the intense research that went into this work. Detailed information is revealed, events are replayed as the author walks you through the life of this notorious gangster and finally his death at the hands of his so called friends. Quite a story, quite a read!

Well done Mr. Smith, hats off to you! A recommended read for all those that are interested in our colorful past and those that painted it red!

Brad Smith works this biography in the same way that Verne Miller reputedly wielded a machine-gun: powerfully, controlled, and with surgical precision. Smith succeeds in exploring the motives and flaws within Miller, from his early exploits as a war hero and sheriff, to underworld hoodlum. The accounts are straightforward and laid bare, without yielding to hearsay or romanticism, and Smith even explores alternate scenarios in some of the more critical events in Miller's life.

Miller winds up - eventually - a desperado hunted by both law officials and the criminal world. His life is filled with paradoxes that only Smith has succeeded in conveying in written form. And Miller's enduring legacy with the Kansas City Massacre is also recognized as the driving force that sparked the formation of today's FBI. Had Miller been captured by J. Edgar Hoover's G-Men, his role in history may have rivaled those of Al Capone, John Dillinger, and "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Smith's work may bring Miller's significance to light, seventy years after his gruesome and unusual death.

As a storyteller, Smith never loses command of his subject matter, and weaves a tale of desperation, loyalty, love, and brutality unlike any other I've read yet. A definite must for those who enjoy reading about the Golden Age of Crime.