Arkansas Books

I think that this is my first Samantha Adams mystery, and I should say right off the bat that it is not a bad read. If you like a quick-read mystery with snappy dialogue and a few laughs thrown in, then this is a good book for you.

Personally, while I enjoyed it, I found it at least a little bit too slick and too glib. I felt like the con man element could have been developed out a little bit more (I liked it-- I felt frustrated when it didn't pan out). And unfortunatly the ending felt a little bit too easy.

I will probably read others in the series if I see them available as used books. Mystery fans who like their stories on the cynical/humorous side may find this book appealing.

I think this series is improving with every book

This is a fast-paced, very funny (made me laugh out loud at times), and unique book.

It's my first introduction to Sarah Shankman and makes me want to read all her books. She reminds me a bit of Carl Haaisen in style although this is a comic mystery set in Arkansas rather than Florida. The author certainly takes a swipe at Southern pretensions, but it appears written by someone who is poking fun with fondness.

In addition, there's definitely a feminist edge which I liked because it was done with sytle and wit and I liked that the author didn't hit me over the head with it, but made it a integral part of the primary character. The heroine (Samantha Adams) has an inner strenghth which shows through as she deals with adversity with her sense of humor intact.

I understand this is part of a series of "Samantha Adams" books Shankman has written, and I look forward to them ... Sam is a great character, and easy to like and to understand.

. . .I agree with previous reviewer. Sam was NOT dumped. She was scared to make a commitment and Harry decided to move on after she told him she couldn't commit. Did she expect him to just stick around like a puppy dog until SHE decides when and if she can be serious about him?

There is plenty for her to see and do, with or without Harry. A big fancy wedding to attend, a murder to solve, a man with shady connections to flirt with, and, no doubt, some Pepsi to drink. Some of it gets wrapped up this time. . .but there's a "cliff-hanger" ending and as it turns out, Sarah Shankman made her fans wait twice as long as usual for the next book in the series while she worked on and released "I Miss My Man But My Aim Is Getting Better," wherein the best part of the book was the title. Once you've finished "He Was Her Man" just skip "I Miss My Man" and go straight to "Digging Up Momma."

First of all, let's set the record straight. Sam did NOT get dumped. Her boyfriend pressed her for a commitment. She didn't want to make one. His response was to give her space. What else could the guy do? Stalk her like Leroy does Shelby Kay in "I Still Miss My Man, but My Aim is Getting Better?" I mean, what do you people want??? There. I feel better now. The Samantha series has gotten better and better with each installment. This is the best of the bunch. When's the next one coming out, already???

The story is about black and white folks in their respective communities (and sometimes with eachother) in post civil war Arkansas. Initially I had a hard time keeping the various characters apart, and I had to make myself continue reading at times. The big event that connects everything and everyone is a tornado that kills some and whisps away others. The most intriguing character, perhaps, is the red-headed preacher's wife who is found dangling in a tree by her famous over-metaphorized hair. The black speech is at times interesting, although it feels somewhat artificial and too "constructed".

Overall, it has the all-too-common feel of a white woman's rendition of black folk's culture and a very PC and feminine one at that (somewhat similar to the much more popular "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd). It amounts to subcutaneous chick lit - pleasant at times, but ultimately forgettable.

Myra McLarey is a storyteller of rare quality. Her debut novel WATER FROM THE WELL paints a mural of time and place, spanning almost a hundred years in southwest Arkansas. Like the red night that opens the first story, the book is filled with images that color symbolizes - passion, violence and blood.

McLarey chose the novel's title from an old spiritual in which Jesus gave a woman living water and not water from the well. But like the woman receiving living water, McLarey's novel will send the reader away singing.

Lyrical and Haunting, McLarey's insight into all walks of life creates a book as rich in flavor as the South itself. McLarey explores the spiritual realities of a wide-spectrum of characters in a deeply touching and respectful way.

In Water from the Well Myra McLarey reveals the soul and spirit of a racially divided community in Arkansas early 1900's. Through the stories of its inhabitants she explores the various ways in which religion, race, legend, community and personal relationships act to both keep the races apart-and at the same time binds them together. She shows how the character, soul and spirit of a place can transcend the various forces at work to shape it. In the end one realizes that the story is in fact not really about anyplace in Arkansas but a place we all "know"--that mystical, ideal, imaginary place called home.

McLarey's style and craftsmanship is very reminiscent of that of Barbara Kingslover. It's a pity her work is not nearly so well known or recognized.

Water from the Well ranks as one of the two or three best books I've read in the last decade. I highly recommend it.

In Water from the Well, six short stories coil together, nestled in the spiral of a century of Southern history. On one level these could be the stories of any small town: the bit characters are universal-gossip mongers who know (or think they know) just about everything about each other. But on another level, these characters are uniquely Arkansan and their struggles pinned in place and time to the three generations who inherited the chaos and eventual resettling of the post-slavery era.

"Red Sky at Night," is the story of a baseball game between the white men of Sugars Springs and the black men of Bethel. This story, set in 1905 serves as an introduction both to the characters and the tensions of the novel. "Red Sky at Dawn" is set a year later, and introduces the element of chaos in the form of a tornado that hits the town without warning. "Ransom Passing" explores the personal history of one ex-slave and then moves forward in time to his grandson's life. "Baby, Leaving," and "The Choosing of Little Jewel" demonstrate gender tensions among families of both races. Finally, "The Salvation of Cora Emery McRae" highlights religion's role in the South.

Although the language is unmistakably Arkansan, Myra McLarey's voice is more fluid than the traditional women writers of the south. Think Alice Hoffman rather than Eudora Welty or Flannery O'Connor. While the depth of the characters and the vividly-painted context make this book a worthwhile read, it is the lyrical prose which makes it unforgettable.

I loved the way the story was told. I was a former Madison County resident that turned to worse drugs that David Mac wrote about and walked away from them before things got so bad but truly believe they are as bad or worse than he depicted. I witnessed them first hand!! I also witnessed the way back roads Madison County lives and LOVED it. I would return in a heart beat if the situation came back to me. I wish he would write a book about those people who did walk the straight and arrow path after going through what we have went through and now that he is in that situation, maybe look into book #2!! I didn't know it was pulled from the shelves but thank God I got my copy before it did. What's up with that?????!!!!

Good reading for a redneck who lived in Madison County.

I first wanted this book because I read some select excerpts on his website www.whenmoneygrewontrees.com and I liked what I read. I first bought the book because I was captivated by the whole scandle with Ralph Baker and all the drug money. When I first started reading the book, I was truely amazed because this all happened in my back yard. He wrote about people I knew and even my girlfriend's grandma and aunts & uncles. When I liked only 72 pages to read in the book, I invited David Mac to a benefit pie auction for one of the Cousins that he wrote about in the book. Well, Mac showed up and bought many pies and sold books. He donated all the profit from the books to the Cousins and also held a book signing. So, please buy this book...you won't be sorry. Its the best book I've ever read.

Although it can't be said if everything in the book is true, knowing Madison County and Sheriff Baker I venture to say that most of the book is true. Once started it is very hard to put it down. Since the book is no longer available it was pure luck that I was able to obtain one. Now, I'd love to see a second book come out to tell us why there is a law suit for this publication, why it was yanked from the shelves and WHO was so offended by it to cause this to happen.....someone in a high place I can only imagine.....What an interesting real life 'soap opera' in our little community of Booger County.

As for the story, I think it's a bit far-fetched...But, being from 'Booger' County, I am tempted to believe most of it...

My main problem with this book is the writing. I truly think that I can find a word spelled incorrectly on at least 85% of the pages. Was there an editor?

DeLorme topographic maps are essential for anyone traveling (or living) in areas where their main routes are not Interstate highways. It is hard, or maybe even impossible, to find a better source for accurate, reliable and easy to use logistical information for any trip, and is especially valuable for planning. Highly recommended!

...then this is the map for you. Gazetteers are made for every state in the US and if you plan to take a driving trip, don't go without it. It shows not only the primary and secondary highway systems, it also has nearly all of the back roads, paved and dirt, mapped as well. Use this book in conjunction with a GPS system and you'll never get lost again!

If you are navigating rural highways and county roads, these gazettes are perfect!

There just is not a better book or piece of information to have than a state atlas when travelling. With the atlas, you are able to get (off the beaten path), see the "hard to get to" areas of the United States, and actually get back on track again. You will do all of this and never get lost!

These books are amazing. Not only do they have all the gravel roads but even the dirt roads! Buy the Atlas, you won't be sorry.

I ordered this atlas because it was advertised as showing townships and sections. I was very disappointed that that is not true. The maps did not show township sections. The atlas I received did not have a new copyright date (which REALLY was a surprise) so maybe that is the problem. I do have other state atlas by same company that do have the township and section included in the maps.

You know her books are going to have happy endings which is the kind of book I want sometimes. This book, which I think is the best Cathy Kelly book I've read, is full of interesting people who are all connected or become connected in some way. It made me want to move to the town of Redlion in Ireland which is where much of the action takes place.

Cathy Kellys' books aren't literary triumphs--they're sort of middled-aged chick-lit. However, they are entetainment triumphs. I don't think many writers can keep readers interested for over 700 pages like Ms. Kelly can.

I have become a big fan of Cathy Kelly's books and have read six of them and enjoyed them all. Her ability to bond women of all ages (from a young aspiring singer, a single businesswoman, a married mother of two, and a widowed woman) all meeting in a small town in Ireland, sharing modern situations that probably everyone can relate to, either in their own life or someone they know. Cathy Kelly can show you that women can make changes in their lives, especially with a good support team!

Cathy Kelly is a most enjoyable author to read. Her contemporary stories feature likeable women facing problems we can easily relate to, and the characters grow with a lot of self-motivation and help from dear friends. WHAT SHE WANTS follows this pattern beautifully as readers meet Hope, Sam, Virginia, and Nicole and are intimately drawn into their lives.

Hope is a young mother with two small children and a handsome husband she never feels worthy of. Hope lacks the courage of her convictions and meekly adjusts her life to whatever Matt decides, even when it comes to uprooting her family, quitting her job, and moving to a strange town where she knows no one so that Matt can "find himself" and become the author he has always dreamed of being.

Her single sister Sam is a career-driven executive at a major record company in London. She has an impressive resume, money in the bank, a designer wardrobe, but lots of fears as her fortieth birthday arrives.

Virginia is a widow with three grown sons. The unexpected death of her husband Bill leaves her alone and depressed. She struggles with finding the strength to face each day and becomes a virtual recluse until a chance meeting sets a new life in motion for her.

Nicole is young, beautiful, and talented. When a colleague of Sam's discovers Nicole at a karaoke bar, the possibilities of fame and fortune open up for her. But does she have the ability to leave her mother, grandmother, and little sister behind?

You will enjoy spending time with these four plucky women and the friends and lovers who enter their lives. Follow them as they each confront a personal crisis and find fulfillment in unexpected ways.

"What She Wants" is Chick Lit at it's finest. Like Maeve Binchy's books, this will leave you feeling like you just returned from an Irish holiday, and missing all the new friends you made. Even before I had finished it, I ordered another one and sent it to my mother-in-law.
Perfect for a rainy day, with a glass of chardonnay.

Open Cathy Kelly's newest novel and you enter a world full of characters you would like living in your neighborhood. They instantly warm the atmosphere around you with fresh cooking aromas, English gardens and pets so adorable you'll ache to cuddle them. Curling up with WHAT SHE WANTS is an ideal way to pass the lazy days of summer. It's a great feel-good book.

Hope Parker has a gorgeous husband, Matt, and two children whom she yearns to spend more time with. But when Matt unilaterally makes the decision to uproot his family and transplant them to Redlion in County Kerry, Hope balks at the idea. He argues that he needs the freedom and atmosphere to write the great novel that is bottled up inside him. Always compliant, Hope bites her lip, smiles and agrees. Writer's block isn't the only problem that faces the couple in Ireland.

Hope's sister Sam lives the life of the high-powered businesswoman in London, pushing herself through a daily grind that constantly assaults her physical and mental well-being. It takes a medical scare and a trip to Redlion to make her step back and see herself as those around her do. A surprising change comes into her attitude and, ultimately, her life. What had at first seemed a pesky new neighbor blossoms into an enchanting new male friend. Their verbal sparring lessens, but there are still rocky roads to travel.

Meanwhile, Nicole --- young, beautiful and talented --- has hopes of becoming the newest pop star. Darius, Sam's business colleague, discovers Nicole at a karaoke bar one night and falls hopelessly in love with her and her husky voice. Nicole, feeling her usual responsibility for her mum and little sis, wrestles with her conscience over her newfound love and freedom. She wants to share any success with all of them.

Widow Virginia Connell, a year out from losing her beloved husband Bill, picks up stakes and moves to Redlion, her goals manifold. She wants to cherish his memory, but without painful everyday reminders. And her three grown children and their families worry about her too much. Being a greater distance away, she hopes, will give her the breathing --- and grieving --- room she longs for. Then along comes Kevin, a Redlion widower, and he and Virginia strike up a friendship. The awkwardness of seeing a member of the opposite sex is quickly apparent to both of them after lengthy, happy marriages. Settling into a rhythm with each other proves challenging.

Mary Kate, founder of the Redlion Macramé Club --- a euphemistically named group organized as an excuse for the ladies to get together and indulge in cocktails and frank talk --- is the voice of reason, dishing out sage advice along with her wild martinis. She is the glue when their lives fall apart.

Cathy Kelly has a Maeve Binchy style about her. There is something so wholesome about WHAT SHE WANTS, yet primly erotic, that it's seductive. Don't try to put it down. Hope, Sam, Virginia, Nicole and the Redlion community will beckon from the pages, drawing you deep into their lives, their problems and their joys.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

Oprah's Book Club has inspired many people to read in the past several years. "Reading with Oprah: The Book Club That Changed America" is an examination of the book club and those who participate within it. Topics covered include the criticisms lobbied at Oprah's book club, the club's effects on the books it features, and Oprah's turn to contemporary fiction in recent years. The new second edition includes an expanded analysis of the James Frey scandal. "Reading with Oprah" is a must for anyone interested in how the club has affected the reading habits of America as a whole.

I definitely recommend Kathleen Rooney's book. What is especially compelling about her approach is how she mirrors the strengths and weaknesses of OBC in her own critique. Like Oprah, she dares to walk the dubious lines between the academy, mass media, and personal commentary, risking scrutiny on all fronts. And also like Oprah, she pulls it off with confidence and humor. I appreciate Rooney's struggle to be an authority and critique authority, which is why it's perfect that she includes a healthy dose of self disclosure and makes room for her own assessments of Oprah's picks. Most importantly, perhaps, Rooney makes the point that OBC is a woman-fronted effort and it's women readers who are changing the what, who, and how America reads.

not that those things are contradictory, but I really had no idea what to expect when picking up this book. In fact, the cover and the title don't do justice to the content or the writing inside.

Instead of being simple description of the book club, how it works, or a description of Oprah, the book is an analysis of media culture in the late twentieth, early twenty-first century, told through the clear-eyed view of Rooney. And it's not that her account is unbiased but that, as with much of the best non-fiction and critical analysis, she is aware of her biases and let's the audience know and evaluate them as well.

In short, the book is very thoughtful, well-written, researchful, and interessante.

Kathleen Rooney's _Reading with Oprah_ frames Oprah Winfrey's "Oprah's Book Club" (OBC) within the omnipresent high/low critical dichotomy pervasive throughout the American literary landscape.

Rooney's examination of the first OBC's (Part I) "flattening" of fiction into easily digestible afternoon TV tidbits highlights the challenging translation of high lit criticism into empathic, commercial, "low" literary presentation. OBC Part I's overemphasis on author biography and viewers' emotional responses deadened further investigation of plot and characterization. Oprah's later attempt, OBC Part II, counterbalanced flattening with the "high" criticism of guest scholars and online study helps. OBC II's belated accentuation on literary criticism has only magnified talk show programming's bipolar relationship between serious reflection and TV ratings. Oprah tempers a sincere invitation to delve into her favorite works against her cultivated media persona and corporate capital.

_Reading with Oprah_ treads on sacrosanct assumptions concerning TV's delivery of elite literary culture into the hands of middle America. This wonderful first work forces consideration of new literary spheres of influence far removed from the conventional wisdom of recent years.

Without a doubt this book fills a hole, exploring the Oprah Book Club (OBC) in its near totality. Although Rooney makes insightful points about the Club, including critical and popular reactions to it, unfortunately, she incorporates things that weaken her credibility and detract from the overall quality of her study. For example, many of her statements, though perceptive, are repeated too often, such as how Oprah fails to acknowledge her status as an intellectual, or how the TV host does not engage in the essential discussion over the high-low brow cultural divide.

Another drawback in the text is when Rooney creates a personal stratification of high to low literary quality. The exercise would have been very useful, if not for the lowest rung. In trying to save herself through the use of "it's-my-own-personal-opinion-and-many-will-likely-disagree-with-me", the author's credibility is compromised when she places comics and pornography there. The added statements that there are some good quality comics and `pornography' (I think she meant erotica?), don't remedy the inappropriateness of the choices. Comics (or graphic novels as they are more commonly called), today are not so much the cheap and pulpy mass-produced rags of yore and they've become a well-respected medium, especially in the library world.

In the section of `awful' and `unreadable' Oprah books, Rooney serves up the list of her most hated OBC selections, together with her most loved. While certainly entitled to her opinion, the point of the exercise is lost. Why bother throwing personal and subjective assessments in if they don't add anything to the study? It is unclear whether Rooney set out to write her personal adventures with the OBC, or an objective semi-academic treatise on the OBC phenomenon.

As a librarian, I wanted very badly to read this book and gain a better perspective on the book club that led to mile-long waiting lists and much buzz with my public. On many counts, despite the aforementioned criticisms, I got what I wanted. Rooney explores how television flattens discussion of books; how we can learn what the OBC taught us about taste; how the second configuration of the OBC that relies on classics addresses the criticism hurled at it from the first incarnation; how twitchy Oprah essentially made professional critics; Oprah's impact on authors, publishers and America's reading public; the whole `Franzen affair', and of course, who her readers are. The author clearly did her homework to answer all the questions any students of the Book Club would have.

A good read, not too much mental stimulation, but enough that it was interesting and I could finish it.

A recipe for a perfect murder mystery. Joan Hess is amazing once again!!!!!!! If your looking for a mystery that will drag you to the next page start reading! The book has a cliffhanger at the end of every page.

If you like a good mystery that suprises you and has a great plot, READ ONNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the first Joan Hess book that I read. I picked it up by chance at the library. I am now totally hooked on her books. I love the Maggody series as well as this one. This book is entertaining and funny. It introduces some charecters that are important to the series down the road. It also was extremely funny. This particular book in the series allows you to really begin to identify with her charecter. Though not her best book,( I liked A Conventional Corpse best) still a strong book by a great author.

Fans of Joan Hess won't be disappointed with this one.The fun starts when Claire Malloy gets conned into directing the Miss Thurberfest pageant and the reigning beauty queen, Cyndi, turns up dead? Whodunnit?? There are plenty of suspects...the slick and slimy senator Stevenson...Arnie, the drunken chauffeur..or possibly Eunice,Cyndi's "trainer" (She was once Miss Cherry Tomato)Claire solves the mystery with just a little help (or is it hindrance?) from boyfriend Peter Rosen and

daughter Caron...an enjoyable book!

Joan Hess captured a new and devoted reader with her mystery, A Really Cute Corpse. Using Claire Malloy, an appealing female investigator who is both wise and witty, Hess side-steps blood and violence and focuses on character developement and humor--attractive components to female readers of any age.

A consumate Dorothy Gilman fan (author of the Mrs. Pollifax series and other delightful books) I now search the H authors on each trip to the library--hoping to find a new Joan Hess book on the shelf.

Hess has not created a leading character as lady-like as Mrs. Marple, nor as totally charming as Emily Pollifax, but certainly her women are emotionally strong, mentally awesome, and career-wise down-to-earth, as women of the 90's must be.

Stay More, Arkansas seems just about as isolated as a place could get during World War II. Yet even in this tiny hamlet, the children are immersed in the images and language of the war. They have divided themselves into two camps -- Allies, for those in power, and Axis, for the outcasts.

Dawny, the narrator, is aligned with the "Japs." He and his motley crew of associates plot to overthrow the Allies, local bullies who have long oppressed them. What starts as a game begins to grow more serious as the stakes get higher and the maneuvers riskier.

Suddenly a group of GIs arrives. They plan to use Stay More and its environs to carry out war exercises. The soldiers, who grew up all over the country, infiltrate the town, associating with and befriending the locals, and changing many of them, including Dawny. The soldiers' arrival makes the encroachment of the "outside world" more imminent in a town with just one radio.

I really enjoyed the pacing of the narrative and the appealing characters in this book. The ending left me very confused, though, and dampened my enthusiasm for the book.

Donald Harington is a marvelous writer. His creativity, humor and the ability to make the down home characters in the Arkansas Ozarks come alive is a true gift. I have read every one of his books and have loved each one. If you have never read one of his books I suggest you begin with the Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks. It is a fun read and will introduce you to the characters to come in his later books. The Rev. Betty Long, Williamsburg, VA

An inquisitive, sensitive boy, called Dawny, is the narrator of this enchanting novel set in the small town of Stay More in the Ozarks of Arkansas during World War II. A journalist himself, Dawny dreams of becoming the next Ernie Pyle, and it is his unique voice, that of observer and writer, which holds the reader spellbound from beginning to end of this sweetly comic yet also darkly frightening tale. The children of Stay More, dividing themselves into two rival groups, the Allies and the Axis, become in Don Harington's skilled hands, a microcosm of what's going on in the war overseas. While the world loses its innocence to the cruelties of war, Stay More's children also begin to lose their innocence. The golden glow of childhood disappears beneath the dark shadow of approaching adulthood. Powerful in its impact, "When Angels Rest" is a remarkable, ambitious novel. A fanciful and imaginative writer, Harington draws his character with love, ultimately showing us -- his "Gentle Readers"-- how we need to love the world if we truly want to save it. P.S. I am so glad that I once again ignored the typical Kirkus "comments" and took a chance on this wonderful novel!

Dawny, an inquisitive, sensitive boy, is the narrator of this enchanting novel set in the small town of Stay More in the Ozarks of Arkansas during World War II. A journalist himself, Dawny dreams of becoming the next Ernie Pyle, and it is his unique voice, that of observer and writer, which hold the reader spellbound from begining to end of this sweetly comic yet also darkly frightening tale. The children of Stay More, dividing themselves into two rival groups, the Allies and the Axis, become in Donald Harington's skilled hands a microcosm of what's going on in the war overseas. While the world loses its innocence to the cruelties of war, Stay More's children also begin to lose their innocence. The golden glow of childhood disappears beneath the dark shadow of approaching adulthood. Powerful in its impact, When Angels Rest is a remarkable, ambitious novel. A fanciful and imaginative writer, Harington draws his characters with love, ultimately showing us--his "Gentle Readers"--how we need to love the world if we truly want to save it. P.S. I am so glad that I, once again, ignored Kirkus and gave this fine novel a chance.

If you haven't tried Donald Harington's perceptive, word-musical, and searching fiction before, this new novel is an excellent place to start. You'll want to sample some of his other nine books when you're finished. He turns a small corner of Arkansas into a meeting point for universal themes and well-shaped characters.

Harington has used the "witness," as a commentator on the actions of others in his novels, to great effect elsewhere. In his "Some Other Place," a literate ghost narrates the actions of an inquiring pair of lovers -- even turning some of his observations into poetry. In what may be his strongest narrative, "The Choiring of the Trees," a story of a brutal miscarriage of justice is told in part through the sensibilities of a brilliant landscape artist.

This new novel becomes utterly captivating by fully carrying out Harington's "single ambition that motivates my work," which is "to make the reader part of the story." (Quoted in a newspaper story that I wrote about Harington. For the Web address, feel free to e-mail me.)

Here, the witness is neither a lively spirit nor an interpreting artist, but a young boy -- close in age and circumstance to Harington himself, but not quite. He becomes a voyeur, in the strictest sense of "one who sees." It's not strictly out of matters of sexuality, although Harington includes a sensitive coming-of-age plot for his 11-year-old protagonist.

Instead, young Donny is plunged into a whirlwind of changes that come with his small Arkansas town, Stay More (the venue for all of Harington's novels), being finally touched early in 1945 by the long arm of World War II.

All that is left in the single street of Stay More are the children, with the men at war and the women tending homes. They have re-created the war through two rival play-gangs, but never quite connect with what the real "Allies" and "Axis" are perpetrating abroad.

Donny comes closest, by following his admiration for war journalist Ernie Pyle into creating a gel-printed "newspaper" for tiny Stay More. The irony in his being so observant of events is that none really happen ... that is, until the hollow unexpectedly becomes the site for an Army training maneuver, and Donny is not allowed (at first) to write fully about it. Events soon overtake both the town children and the visiting soldiers, with tragedies that go beyond anyone's capacity to observe or to report.

The irony is redoubled by how Harington shows a sad universal fact of growing up: Donny's journey of learning about budding sexuality, mutability, and death is far more worth his reporting than what he tries to eke out in writing his free newspaper, but he doesn't grasp this until he's suffered many personal losses.

What in turn enfolds all of these events is a conscious involvement of the reader, in the words (and even actions) requested on the part of the young narrator. Harington is not subtle about this, and it is part of the novel's charm. One isn't simply reading about a young boy marveling at the girl he loves bathing in a brook ... one is pulled into being present at that moment of tremulous discovery.

In the same way, a literally deafening experience at the novel's climax is translated into the harsh music of words. Harington has done this before, most fully in his "Lightning Bug," but never with the sounds inside one's head, and he shows yet more mastery of the power of language.

Once you dip your toe into Swains Creek, the fickle stream that runs through Stay More, you'll want to come back. Harington's other books have spun its history (back to the 1840s), passions, stark choices about life and death, and slow decline. He's told these stories through chronicle, allegory, meditation, memoir, tall tales, analysis, and now "reporting." All of this examination of one stretch of earth has made it a locus for universal truths. It's also been the spark for compelling writing. Try it for yourself!

I enjoyed this book. Even with 400+ pages, it read very quickly. Lots of research went into the book. Towards the end, I was saddened to see that the Black Elite had and have truly disappeared.

1. Classic.
2. A JackandJill-US.com must-have.
3. Inside the black upper class.

This book is written from the vantage point of an objective, 3rd party eye. Very clinical, and hard facts. This book is MUCH better than the more recent popular book on the black elite. The author lays it on the line in a professional, objective manner.

This is the most informative book on the social history of Black America that I have read. Dr. Gatewood presents us with an interesting history of the black upper class in every major city in the United States. His focus on the prominent Bruce family opens our eyes to the life and times of the "colored aristocracy" in the nations capital during the late 19th century. This is a must for those interested in the social history of black America.

Despite the fact that the book is long and contains well researched facts and figures, I found it difficult to put down! As a very personal account of a group of Arkansas men who try to survive the Civl War, from recruitment to the final surrender, it had me wondering what was going to happen to each of them mentioned by name. I read every footnote and enjoyed it so much that I would recommend the book to anyone. I also think it would make a great screen play as well.

Although Arkansas committed most of its men and boys to the Confederate cause, and her regiments served in every theater of the Civil War, there has been precious little attention given to the important role they played. James Willis has fixed that with his landmark book, "Arkansas Confederates in the Western Theater."

When the book was published, the reviewer for the Arkansas statewide newspaper complained that it was "too detailed." For the serious Civil War reader, that phrase is music to our ears.

This massive book (nearly 900 pages) was thoroughly researched and meticulously footnoted. Although all of the Arkansas regiments which served in the Army of Tennessee are covered, the vehicle Willis used to carry the narrative is a day-to-day chronicle of the 9th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. As a counterpoint to the "big picture" of campaigns and battles, Willis provides numerous "soldier's eye" vignettes, using excerpts from letters, diaries, journals, and muster roll entries.

The result is a monument to the perseverance and dedication of the Arkansas volunteers.

Included are several appendices which list a complete regimental roster, casualty lists, officer lists, etc. I continually refer back to this book in the course of my own research.

I highly recommend this book.

As geneologists well know, it is the research that is really the fun part of working on a historic subject. Clearly the author here relished digging into obscure archives looking for undiscovered tidbits of information on Arkansas' Confederate soldiers. He probably did the most extensive research on this topic of any historian. For that he deserves great credit. This book is probably a valuable addition to a Civil War historian's library for its 41 page bibliography alone.
His problem begins when he has to decide what information to include and what to exclude as he writes his book. Apparently he did not exclude anything and ends up with neither a first rate annotated bibliography nor an interesting read. It is too bad that the author did not publish an annotated bibliography on Arkansas Confederates and then also a separate history of the 9th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.
The story jumps around to the extent that it is quite annoying. At one moment we are on one part of the battlefield and suddenly we are with a completely different unit on the otherside of the battlefield. Too the writing is stilted and overdone. For example in describing one Confederate attack, the author writes that they "hit the enemy line with a determined, resolved, resolute, and firm fierceness, an unbridled, violent, barbarous, and savage fury."
If not for the first-rate research I would have to rate this book two stars or less, but it is valuable as a research tool.

Civil War research is often written from a soliders point of view or contains romantic idealism. This book simply states the events, describes the conditions, offers personal glimpses of the soilders, and provides a timeline of events. If you had an ancestor in the Western Theater, this book will provide information of what their world was like. I found soilder listings here that I have not seen anywhere else. This book has become a valuable source of information and I wish there were more like it.