Tennessee Books

I agree with Mr Smith that it has some terrific photo's through out Memphis. It is sad that such spectacular buildings have been torn down through the years with history behind each one of them. Hope they don't knock down anymore! Progress replaced them with some pretty ugly one's...
I'd recommend this book to everyone...WoW!

I enjoyed looking at all the then and now photos which were in this book. It's sad to see that so many of the grand mansions in Memphis are no more. I highly recommend this book.

Ernest Withers possessed an artist's eye. In this great volume of oversized black and white photos Withers captures much more than the Memphis Blues. Many of the photos are of acts that played the chitlin' circuit of the 40's, 50's and 60's.

Acts such as Ike and Tina Turner at the Paradise capture the full power of those early, energetic and soulful performances.

aretha,elvis,bb king,jerry lee lewis,duke ellington sam cooke, al green,ray charles,helen humes,james brown, tina turner,the snearly ranch boys.. they all lived in or came to memphis to perform and record. this collection of images which spans four decades provides rare insight into the talent that was atrracted to and lived in this city which was the gateway from the oppression of mississippi.withers' photographs seem alive with the youth and exuberance of these young, legends in the making. the subjects seem oblivious to the camera and withers must have had carte blanche to capture the enegy and private moments of these american icons. any serious student of this country and the roots of its traditions should have this volume.daniel wolff has done all of us a favor in publishing the work of withers. it appears he has just scratched the surface

Simply the most enjoyable hiking book on Middle Tennessee one can buy. It is informative, with plenty of maps and photos, and the text is conversational, something you'll want to read again and again as you plan your trips or reminisce on trails already covered. I've done about 100 miles of the trails in this book and have yet to be disappointed. Virgin Falls, South Cumberland, Radnor Lake, Cedars Of Lebanon, Cardwell Mountain...other books cover more concentrated natural areas of Tennessee with more depth, but not as much charm. If you live in Middle Tennessee or are planning a visit, this book is the perfect starting point. Thanks, Mr. Brandt!

Robert Brandt's book is a "Must Have" for anyone who enjoys hiking the trails in Middle Tennessee. In addition to an accurate, vivid description of the trails and the hiking conditions, Mr. Brandt also includes a very informative history lesson of the area as well as discussing it's geology, botany and wildlife. "Middle Tennessee On Foot" now accompanies my wife & I when we lace on the boots and strike out on a new hiking adventure. Thank you, Mr. Brandt.

MIGHTY ROUGH TIMES, I TELL YOU is a book that tells the real history, what really happened. This book reveals the atrocities of one of the worst crimes in American history, slavery. The former slaves tell their histories in their own words. Some give more information about their lives than do others. The narratives that stood out to me were, "I Expect I am the Oldest Man in Nashville," "There Wasn't No Learning Going on in Slavery," "You Couldn't Go Nowhere Without a Pass," "Stock Was Treated a Great Deal Better," "I Want to Build Up," and "I've Been Here to Hear it Thunder." Anyone who is interested in American history should read this book because it tells the truth about a piece of American history that has been misrepresented through lies.

This is probably the best in the series of the interviews with former slaves done in the 1930s-in this case Tennessee. Here we get info on a long-forgotten lynching that tookplace in Nashville in 1892 and an early look at life at Fisk University. What makes these stand apart from the others is the fact that since Black Students from Fisk University interviewed these ex-slaves in 1929-30 (not to be confused with the later WPA Slave narratives), they felt freer to express themselves than they would have with White interviewers at the time. We get an eyeful to read as a result and a vairutally untarnished view. However, many of these are anonymous since some of the ex-slaves feared retributution for their remarks. All in all, an excellent read and a treasure chest for historians.

There was another book that was written in 1968 from the Fisk University Slave narratives called "Unwritten History of Slavery" that contains some of the same material. Interesting to compare the two.

THIS COOKBOOK IS AWESOME! WHAT MORE CAN YOU SAY ABOUT A COOKBOOK THAT HAS ALL OF THE TREASURED SOUTHERN RECIPES THAT YOU REMEMBER FROM YOUR MOTHER'S AND GRANDMOTHER'S KITCHEN. IN THIS BOOK YOU WILL FIND EVERYTHING FROM CHOCOLATE MERINGUE PIE(ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES FROM MY CHILDHOOD) TO TENNESSE ERNIE FORD'S CORNBREAD AND SAUSAGE HOLIDAY DRESSING TO MISS DAISY'S FAMOUS FIVE FLAVOR POUND CAKE TO GENUINE TENNESSEE CORNBREAD. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. HOWEVER, THE MOST SPECIAL PART ABOUT THIS BOOK IS THAT MISS DAISY HAS JAM-PACKED IT WITH TENNESSEE HISTORY FACTS ON PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT HAVE MADE OUR NATION'S 16TH STATE SO WONDERFUL AND ENDEARING. BEING BORN AND RAISED IN TENNESSEE PROBABLY MAKES ME A BIT PARTIAL BUT I ASSURE YOU THAT NO MATTER WHAT PART OF THE COUNTRY YOU LIVE IN THIS BOOK WILL BRING YOU A SPECIAL HEARTWARMING JOY. MISS DAISY HAS DONE QUITE AN AWESOME JOB!

I bought this book on the road as I traversed the complete 500 mile breadth of the great state of Tennessee. The recipes are super, and of incredible variety, but even more I like the lore that fills this unique book. You will benefit from cooking this cuisine, but, if you want a browser and a good read, let Miss Daisy be your guide. She knows Tennessee, she loves Tennessee, and it truly shows.

Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com

Perry March was a successful attorney with a beautiful wife, Janet Levine March, and two beautiful children. They lived in a Jewish community of Belle Mead, Tennessee near Nashville, music capital. Janet goes missing and of course, the suspicion goes towards the husband as prime suspect. In this story, the twist is that he convinces his elderly father to help dispose the body of the mother of their two children. Larry and Carolyn Levine, the in-laws, are immediately suspicious because the couple were having lots of marital problems. Perry March is not a sympathetic husband as he tries to get out of this mess. He left a firm because he sexually harrassed one of the women there. After Janet's disappearance, he fled with his children to Mexico to avoid deportation. The law would catch up with him eventually and he was deported back to the United States. He wanted to make a deal of like 7 years in prison. Even without a body, his father would confess to dumping Janet's remains. Perry even remarried and fathered a daughter in Mexico as well while his in-laws fought to see their grandchildren. I felt bad for Arthur March who died on December 21 at 78 years old in prison and was interred at Beth El Cemetery in Portage, Indiana with his son and daughter. He loved his son, Perry, and would have done anything for him. I think it's wrong for the state to rescind it's plea bargain. Arthur March was harmless at the end and died in prison anyway.
Until I received a recent comment about Arthur March, I had no other knowledge about Perry's life with Arthur. It is possible that Arthur was probably responsible for his wife's death but it wasn't known. Yes, Arthur should have turned Perry into the police but the book can be somewhat regarding Perry's upbringing. There is no question that Arthur had responsiblity for the death of his daughter-in-law but only afterwards and help covering up for his son as well. He could have said that he killed her and spent the rest of his life in prison. But like I wrote, the author never mentions much about Perry's mother or his upbringing. The problem with true crime books is that it doesn't cover everything and things are omitted for the readers. True crime readers like myself are not expected to go out and research the cases. That is the job of the true crime author to report all relevant information. While I admire Jeanne King's writing, I do have to say with regret that I should have given less stars because of the omissions regarding Perry's upbringing and background. I do not doubt that there was abuse in Arthur's household and the belief that he could have gotten away with murder. If Perry had witnessed his own mother's murder at his father's hands, it could be traumatic but we don't know the truth. We can only speculate. King's job is to report and analyze from the information. There is no question that Arthur disliked the Levines as much as Perry did but father and son were both dangerous when they didn't get their own way. Now, if Jeanne King had focused on that in her book then it would have been more memorable. Regardless, Perry is in prison for his wife's murder and his children are being raised by the Levines. The March children have suffered losing both their parents in such a heinous matter.

Extremely well written and loads of detail. This author really does her homework. She's right up there with Ann Rule; in fact, I thought I was reading Ann Rule.

I was born in the southern tip of West Virginia. I move north at age 8. I would walk with my grandparents to church and simply loved the preaching styles. As I grew up in central Ohio, I would try to explain what I experienced in the Regular Baptist faith but couldn't get my thought across. Finally!! Finally I found this book and it is so well written and explains everything I couldn't. I can close my eyes and almost see my Grandpa lining out the music and hear my Grandma singing in her high soprano voice. The author did an outstanding job without bias. And I appreciate his hard work researching this. More people should know about this simple faith. As I have told so many people in my years in the north.. I have never met a people who shared such a faith! It's seems to be a dying art... that pure and simple faith that gets us through the hard times and keeps us totally reliant upon our Lord.

Too many times, the Old Regular Baptists have been either ridiculed outright or praised as "quaint" or "anachronistic". Such praise still condescends. The ORB's have developed a hesitancy about opening up to the outside world who do not understand their way of worship. They will not allow cameras in the church house (as a rule) and anyone who brings a recorder into a church needs to be discreet to the utmost. That is why Howard Dorgan's book is so welcome. It well- and, more importantly, respectfully written.
Before I continue, the reader should know this reviewer grew up in the Old Regular Baptist Church. My paternal grandfather, his father, and his grandfather were all ordained Old Regular Baptist preachers.
Mr. Dorgan's book reads well and helps explain some of the idiosyncracies (to the eye of the outsider) of the denomination. They do not believe in Sunday school (and there is an historic and doctrinal reason for it), they do not pass a collection plate, they do not have musical instruments in the church. But what they do have is a spirit of God moving through their service that is incomparable to any I have ever seen.
The service is simple. There is singing, an introduction from the moderator, prayer, and two or three visiting preachers preach for 20 to 45 minutes each, and a prayer to close the service. There is none of the "extraneous" items, such as a bulletin, a youth group, announcements, children's church, a nursery, etc. It is just a time for pure worship.
Mr. Dorgan explains all this and more and I believe that he has even helped many of the faithful understand some of the reasons behind what they do. He does this with readable history and the theology behind the doctrine and practices of the denomination.
This ought to be required reading for anyone who wishes to go to an Old Regular Baptist Church for a service. You will not be questioned, you will not be looked upon suspiciously. Instead, the entire congregation may make their way to you and other new faces in the church to shake your hand and welcome you. If you are looking for "the good old-fashioned way", you will have found it here.
I recommend you also take a listen to their songs. The Smithsonian has put out a CD/cassette of the music by some of the best-known singers and preachers in the denomination.

As the step-daughter of a Caldwell County tobacco farmer, I picked up this book with a general interest in learning about the history of the area I was growing up in.

While reading this capivating novel I was relegated with additional details about the Night Rider stops in Cerulean, KY at a barn nearby my previous grandfather in-law's home. The men picked a barn in that area to stop at and switch out their tired horses for fresh ones on their way to Hopkinsville for raids and trouble-making.

All of Kentucky history as brought to life only by Mr. Cunningham truly fascinates me. Bill Cunningham is an amazing historian that has consistently recounted some of the most fascinating events in Western Ky history.

I have also recently read and highly recommend his novel: "Castle: The Story of a Kentucky Prison." I have enjoyed being captivated by his accounts and writing style.

In "On Bended Knees: The Night Rider Story" he has once again delivered! This was an amazing book that I just could not put down once I had started reading. Being a young girl raised on a tobacco farm in Caldwell County, Ky I was no stranger to the grueling work that takes place on a tobacco farm. My family depended on the tobacco markets for a living.

Mr. Cunningham brings to life the most historic and fascinating of Western Kentucky tales. This book is a must read for any and all inhabitants of Western Ky and those with a special interest in the history of the tobacco industry and West Kentucky.

I agree with the previous reviewer: this is THE novel on the Night Rider story!!

This is a history of the Night Rider movement - an outgrowth of the Black Patch Tobacco Wars in Western Kentucky from 1905 to 1912 ot so. It's a fascinating piece of American History - the tobacco farmer versus the American Tobacco Company, which is becoming a monopoly in the world of tobacco. Well researched with details of the principals, and the major raids. I also read Marshall's Violence in the Black Patch of Kentucky and Tennessee. The Cunningham book is FAR AND AWAY the better book.

The southern states east of the Mississippi were in a territory that was for a long time under Spanish or Indian jurisdiction. By law, only persons issued passports were allowed to enter the southeastern territories, and so the passport records have the largest body of data relating to the pioneers to the Southeastern United States.

Dorothy W. Potter spent eight years doing research in the records of the War Department, the State Department, the archives of the individual states, as well as records of the Spanish and the British in West Florida. So she has assembled a complete collection of the passports and travel documents issued to individuals and families going to the Mississippi Valley area from Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Never again can genealogists complain that research in the Old South is hampered by lack of a comprehensive source book, for in this one outstanding reference work there is now a huge and invaluable body of source material at their disposal. No wonder this book was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Tennessee Historical Commission!

"...This is one of the finest reference books we have ever seen."--Winston De Ville, Alexandria (LA) Daily Town Talk

"...Mrs. Potter has made a major contribution to genealogical research in the southern states."--Charles F. Bryan, Jr., Tennessee Historical Quarterly

"May I take a moment of your time to tell you how impressed I am with your Passports of Southeastern Pioneers. It is a model work of genealogical scholarship...."--Letter to the author from Elizabeth Shown Mills

This book was well writing, with many unknown facts on the movement of American families caming to the Southern states. It is a shame that it is out of print.

An amazing woman and a fine writer, Ms. Murray brings our social history to life by looking at her own. Ms. Murray moved through the century finding new ways to contribute to each phase: from writing in Harlem in the 30's to helping to found N.O.W in the 60's. Denied admission to UNC in her youth because of her race, she said her first mass at a chapel there three decades later. Her intelligence and grasp of social issues is evident in her writing, as is her love of family, her strong faith and her pride in her race. If I am forced to a simple description, I can say this book is like if the Delaney Sisters were social activists. I have given away several copies of this book, as well as her history of her remarkable family. (PROUD SHOES, now back in print so grab it while you can.) The house where she grew up in Durham, N.C. still stands, very near my own home, and her many relatives continue to tell stories about Ms. Murray with pride.

Pauli Murray (1910-1985)is regarded as "one of the least discussed figures in the history of twentieth-century African American women's activism." She was a highly regarded Feminist, who called attention to the plight of women, especially the colored and working poor.

Her gendered perspective led her to become a civil rights activist, and an advocate for underrepresented working people in her capacity as both lawyer and a writer.

"One person plus one typewriter constitutes a movement," she declared as she took up her challenge for the weak and down trodden in our society.

Far sighted enough, She never blamed the poor for their poverty, a fashionable practice in current society.

Murray's parents were educated working people. Her father was a school teacher in Baltimore and her mother a graduate of Hampton training School for Nurses.

It was at Law School where she first became aware of "Jane Crow,"-- a overt form of discrimination against women in society.

First she observed that there were only two female students in her class at the time-- "not more than two or three women" were enrolled, she said.

On the professional faculty, the only woman was the registrar.

"Jane Crow" even expressed itself in class through what she called the "free wheeling classroom style of informal discussion" which "allowed the men's deeper voices to obliterate [her] lighter voice."

Her sex similarly deprived her of membership in her university's well-known legal fraternity.

How would she characterize her general reaction to "Jane Crow"? She was at once disheartened and motivated by her rejection.

This is a great book. I recommend it highly!