Kentucky Books

I think this is a very useful book if you would be doing a report, or just like to read about Arturo. He is a great, and the book is a great!

I have read this book many times. It is not only a book about the past of our country, it is a view into everyday life in the 1800's. Aunt Jane is wise and funny and the characters she describes in the book come to life. The quilting chapter is for anyone who loves quilts. Aunt Jane is wonderful.

Having lived in the Northeast and Upper Midwest for most of my adult life, it was with some trepidation that I accepted a position as a doc at a Southern Appalachian hospital. To deal with my cognitive dissonance, I purchased this book and was reassured. Now, after months of working and living in Appalachia, I can only agree: My anecdotal experiences support Backtalk from Appalachia. The region is populated, for the most part, with people with a refreshingly strong sense of home and place, and an appreciation for nature--imagine that! There are professional, blue collar, unemployed, and everything-in-between folks down here. The bell curve of IQs around here is normally distributed: The oft-repeated Deliverance nonsense has no place outside of the book and the film. So, if, like me, you have tired of the big cities with their congestion, pollution, and crime, come on out here for a visit. You might decide to stay.

As a nation at war with a country we don't understand, we all need to read this book as well as Mr. Langley's other book "Banana Men". Forget your political ideology and read a well documented account of how the United states tries to shape Central America in their own image, gets bored with it and spawns the conflicts in the 1980s. Mr. Langley gives a quick paced vivid account of the intervention in Central America and the Caribbean. He tells the story of some of the most flamboyant characters in American history. From Chesty Puller stopping a riot by jumping on a crate with his Thompson machine guns blazing to the last words of the diplomat in Haiti asking why the Haitians wanted the Americans out. The Haitian official's statement was to the effect of "Yes, our country is a mess, but it's our mess, Please leave".

Read this book it will give you a great perspective about good intentions and how they can go wrong when you don't understand the people you are trying to "help". Could go a long way in understanding our current intervention.

The biography of Pioneer Baptist preacher, John Taylor (1752-1835, Virginia-Kentucky) was superbly researched and written by Chester Raymond Young, the editor. His annotation of John's pithy, and sometimes rambling discourse, on his 10 Baptist Churches in the Bluegrass and Ohio R. region of early Kentucky, really helps one to understand the history of the pioneer settlers. By reading the biography first, one gains a much deeper appreciation of who the people and family members are, whom John Taylor mentions in his book. This is a treasure trove for both geneologists and students of religion.

Although this is a history of one UAW local union in Louisville, Kentucky, it is also the story of both Ford Motor Company from its beginning and the UAW since its formation in 1935. Through interviews with those who "made the history," this is truly a one-of-a-kind labor history book. There are also wonderful photos that additionally tell the story of the "ordinary" men and women who are and were members of UAW Local 862.

The title of this wonderful book comes from when the Ford plant was located on Southwestern Parkway. If a worker complained about the working conditions, he was told by his foreman that if he didn't like working there, he could just quit because "there's a barefoot boy on the parkway" who will do the job. Once the UAW was formed in 1941, workers could solve their problems through collective bargaining and there were no more "barefoot boys."

A wonderful work by an excellent writer. I enjoyed the book as much if not more than any History book I've read in years. Mr. Jenkins passion for the subject and his love for the men who fought for the Union comes out with every page turned. The complete roster included in the back of the book will be a boon to anyone interested in locating their ancestors of the regiment. This book reads as if it is a wonderful movie. I loved it. The fact that several of the companies came from the northern Kentucky area also added an extra thrill during my read.

"Battlefire! Combat Stories From World War II" by Col. Arthur L. Kelly
The University of Kentucky Press, 1997.

This book is written by a veteran of three wars: World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Colonel Kelly has collected in one place eleven (11) different stories of World War II, ranging, chronologically, from the Japanese sneak attack on the Navy at Pearl Harbor to the Marines' attack on Iwo Jima. The author recounts experiences of individuals in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Air Corps and the Marine Corps. Interestingly, all of the eleven individuals were from Kentucky. This is understandable for a book from "The University Press of Kentucky".

I found it difficult to read the story of Corporal Field Reed Jr. who was on the Bataan Death March and was a POW at Camp Cabanatuan. Where he was rescued by U. S. Army Rangers.

Of personal interest to me was the story of Signalman First Class Lee Ebner, U. S. Navy. He was on the USS West Virginia, BB48, which was sunk at Pearl Harbor. Ebner recounts how he joined thousands of sailors who had lost their home due to the attack. There were seven (7) active battleships at Pearl Harbor on that December day. If each ship had a crew of 1500 men, then there were some 10,500 sailors who lost their belongings, their uniforms, and their place to sleep at night. On the USS Arizona, BB39, more than a thousand sailors also lost their lives. Signalman Ebner relates that he was assigned to a destroyer, the USS Mahan, DDG37, the day after the raid on Pearl Harbor. What a let down! From a big battleship to a tin can! Ebner's story goes all the way to the end of the war, where he was under attack by Kamikazes.

Here is a story yet to be fully told. How did the Navy deal with thousands of displaced sailors on the days and weeks after the sneak attack? Where did they go to eat? To sleep? Where did they obtain new uniforms, and how did they get paid? The old Navy always wanted full and complete pay records before they would give you a dime.

This slim volume covers the full gamut of World War II experiences, from the raid on Pearl Harbor, to POW stories, to B17 raids and depth charge attacks on American submarines. Nicely done!

The reader will hardly believe the danger, deprivation and hardships endured by by these ordinary Kentucky boys plucked from their farms and schooling and thrust into the most extaordinary circumstances. Kelly is a great story teller, and these stories of bravery and heroism in the face of the terrors of war are powerfully moving. These are stories that capture the experience of war from all the services and all the major campaigns of WWII while focusing on the very human side of those who were caught up in it. After you read this book you will want to give it to your children and grandchildren so future generations will never forget the sacrafices of those who went before.

What a great book! I compare the times back in the 20's and 30's to now and find it interesting that an orphan could have such a great chance to be the best he could be and with such excellence expected of him. Yet today it is hard for me, a single mom, to get my own children to be so energetic about learning. Is it that there are so many distractions? Maybe it is the fact that he had the space to dream and the teachers and, in most cases, mentors able to take the time to sustain such a "village". Yet we all have the chance and choice to make something of ourselves and to be the mentors to others. Who knows what others will say of this generation in 80 years?
The book is very well written and thoroughly researched for someone who is 87-90 years old. What a treasure for his descendants! Makes me proud to be his daughter.
P.S.: My dad completed a book signing on November 1 and a Pacific Brass Band concert November 2. He contracted pneumonia and died November 11, Veterans Day, 2003. He smiled when he lifted the book knowing we could enjoy his memories forever. He sincerely wishes all of you would write your own memoirs. It is a true family endeavor. Blessings.

The book, The Beatinest Boy is about a boy named David who went up on a mountain one day and found a coon puppy in a hollow log that had the mange. In the book, The Beatinest Boy, it is a real setting because it had mountains and flowers and grass. David, Grandma Beverly, and Boliver were believable characters because David had decisions to make like real people and he likes to coon hunt and real people like to coon hunt. Daid was a likable person because he was cheerful and he liked to do fun stuff. I liked the story and it was exciting because when David goes coon hunting and when he robbed the bees exciting things happened. When David went coon hunting, he had to climb a high tree to get a coon. Robbing the bees was exciting because I was wondering if he was going to get stung alot. My favorite part of the story was when he went up on the mountain and found the puppy because I wish I could find a puppy. What the main character learned from this book is that you always shouldn't always kill what you catch. I would recommend this book for a friend because it has lots of exciting events like when David and his Grandma robbed the bees. If my friend liked this book he/she would also like Old Ben.