Arkansas Books

I first read The Black Lights soon after its publication in the mid-80s. I felt then that it was as good if not better than any non-fiction examination of boxing. Rereading it recently, I was still impressed by its thoroughness, insight and candor. Sadly, the same characters who held a stranglehold on boxing then are still in charge - King, Sulaiman, Arum. The only new player is HBO, which has replaced the three networks as the major bankroller of big fights. The fighters are still used for all they are worth and then tossed aside.
Billy Costello, whose Nov. 1984 title defense is the book's focus, had a distinguished ring career. Fortunately, he also had Thomas Hauser to record his grace under pressure. You cannot help but admire Costello for his dedication and decency amid the scoundrels who flock to the sport. Readers are sure to come away from The Black Lights with the feelings of true boxing fans - a mixture of fascination, admiration and revulsion.

This is a great book by a writer I truly admire. Thomas Hauser wrote an incredible biography of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, and in this book he really gives the reader an inside look at boxing.

Focusing in the career of former champ Billy Costello, the author provides an interesting view about promoters (Don King included, of course), managers and the terrible agony of the fighter and his fears, in and out of the ring.

Really recommended!

The Black Lights

It's no wonder that after reading this Muhammad Ali chose Thomas Hauser to write his story.

How this book got it's name is another great example of what Hauser can do with just one paragraph!

I had assumed that this would be somewhat of a dry read or just not as good as Hauser's other books on boxing and the world of boxing. I had thought that since it's Hauser's first attempt at writing about boxing that it would be just ok - maaaan was I wrong - THIS is a fantastic book!

Hauser is an amazing writer and is exceptional in all his writings about the sweet science.

This is a great example of a book successfully covering and achieving what it set out to do. You get educated on the inside story of professional boxing and get a great and personal insight into the world of Billy Costello.

I was caught up in every chapter and did not want to put this book down. I've never heard of Billy Costello before this book and found myself being nervous for him, being excited for him, cheering for him and feeling now like I was there with him.

Great book for anyone.

This is a nice quick read that gives a behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to put together a world championship fight. The book follows the career of former Superlightweight champion Billy Costello and the individuals that comprise help him reach the top. Interspersed throughout the book are anectdotes regarding the promoters, trainers, televison execs, and boxers who all want a piece of Costello.

The book really takes off when Costello's camp tries to set up a title defense for the champ. From the stuggles to find an opponent who won't pose much of a risk to Costello's crown, to the virtual soul-selling that occurs to get the fight broadcast, to the fight itself, you feel the turmoil that Costello, his trainer and manager all go through. The description of the actual fight is written so vividly you feel like you're the one in the ring.

This true story makes you sorry you never followed Costello's career as it was happenng in the early 1980's. And as an added bonus, the author gives you one more reason (as if you needed another) to despise Don King.

It is a story about an underdog. A man fulfilling his dreams and facilitating the same for the many people he came in contact with. The story of John McLendon's life is a shining example of how sports and entertainment can be a microcosm for the rest of society and perhaps an easier barrier to elicit change. Many times, society remembers the culmination of a chain of events. In the case of John McLendon, he was the pioneer that paved the way for the likes of Glory Road and Jackie Robinson.

Milton Katz has humor, integrity, and wisdom to spare. He is one of the finest individuals I know. Those who cannot enjoy him in person can at least enjoy him in print. Mr. Katz knows how to tell a great story -- and like everything he does, he does it with a lot of heart. You can learn from this man -- and you'll probably have fun along the way...

Breaking Through: John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer-The ESPN presentation, "Black Magic" prompted me to purchase this book to learn more about John B. McLendon. Being an African American college student at an HBCU when TN State won the three NAIA chanpionships, I knew a little about Coach McLendon and TN State. The book made me aware of many of the things that McLendon accomplished during his life, both on and off the court, and how little credit he has been given for doing so. I strongly recommend it to all basketball fans and coaches at all levels.

This book is great reading not only for anyone interested in the game of basketball, or in learning how to be a better coach (of any sport), but also for anyone interested in the Civil Rights movement and all those looking for a story that inspires. Coach McLendon has a lot to teach all of us about courage and integrity. Author Milton Katz shares story after story that illustrate these points in his highly readable narrative. This book would make a great holiday gift for just about anybody.

Such an amazing book!He pierces the heart of his subject matter to whittle it down to it's most important truth. Resonant poems full of history and painful truths. I can't believe I waited so long to find this book.

We were lucky enough to have this amazing poet visit our class today. He happened to go the same school as us, Lakeview Academy in Gainesville. He is an amazing poet and doesn't care about making poetry the traditional way, he writes what he feels. This is evident in how many of his poems do not rhyme, but he feels his words. He is underrated as a writer and I hope soon people will become more affiliated with this wonderful writer.

A stunning book. Our children will be studying Patrick Phillips in some future edition of the Norton Anthology, and footnotes and professors will explain the references to photographs of people lost in the World Trade Center or the loss of farms to make Lake Lanier. But everyone will see for themselves, without need for explanation, what family and place were like at a specific time and that time's place in eternity.

Chattahoochee is an impressive compilation of verse by poetry award winner Patrick Phillips who is currently a Henry Mitchell MacCracken Fellow at New York University. This is poetry that is spare, sophisticated, and above all, memorable. The Flood: Two-thirds of earth, and most of us, is water./Come life, come death's black, fathomless water.//At the mirror I try to picture the soul./I raise my cupped hands, full of water.//And think of my birth: the scalpel, my mother's/skin parting like a sea of red water.//In the dream of the flood I'm always the one/looking back, turning into a pillar of water.//I drag a stick through my reflection: there lies/another, whose name is written in water.

Echoes and Sunsets is a beautifully written story about a romance that is confined by small-town rules. Ms. Walker wrote the story of a couple whose relationship is taboo from the beginning. This story spans several years and the love between the two remains. This book is a very fast read as you can't wait to find out what happens next. I recommend this book to all ages and think that anyone who reads it can definitely learn about past societial beliefs and compare them to today's society. I truly loved this book. I look forward to Ms. Walker's future books.

This is a wonderfully told story that is not your usual romance. It is an interracial romance told against a backdrop of racial strife in a small southern town during the early 40's. This author has considerable writing talent in that she is able to draw the reader into the story in such a way that he is able to generate strong feelings about and for the characters: some he can identify with, others he is able to feel compassion for, and others, he merely tolerates. This book is a real page turner that the reader will find hard to put down because of his curiosity about what will happen next. The story has an unexpected & explosive ending that begs for a sequel. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a really good, in depth novel to enjoy reading.

Echoes and Sunsets was an EXCELLENT read. From the first page, I was hooked. The author masterfully developed each character's personality to the end that you felt that you knew them. I found myself thinking about the book and the various plot situations as I went about my day and wondering what would happen next. The book is very well written and easy to read and follow from page to page and from chapter to chapter. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment to hear what happens to the characters next. I anticipate seeing this book developed into a film in the future. It is a great book and I HIGHLY recommend it.

The content of this book is very good and I found it to be very easy to read and full of suspense. It flows smoothly sequentially and the reader is able to stay focused and current with what is happening in the story. There are moments of drama as well. A very good book from this author.

Schafer's book is by far the best I have read on the relationship between mind and matter. He makes a convincing case that matter arises from the mind and not the other way around as classical physics and neo-Darwinism insist. The key to understanding how matter arises from the mind is the wave/particle duality. Schafer shows how it takes an act of observation to collapse a ghostly wave of probabilities into a specific bit of real matter. His chapter on the wave/particle dualty is superb, again the best I have read.. Schafer, in my opinion, does a far better job than E.O. Wilson, in his recent book Consilience, of unifying human knowledge within the framework of science. The difference is that Schafer uses Quantum Physics while Wilson hardly mentions it, and stays largely with the old mechansitic and materialistic world view of Newtonian or classical physics.

donw@techline.com or dwallace@crc.stmartin.edu END

Lothar Schafer: In Search of Divine Reality

KEYWORDS: SCIENCE AND RELIGION; QUANTUM MECHANICS AND SPIRITUALITY

In the context of Encounters of Science and Religion, "In Search of Divine Reality" proposes that the traditional conflict between the two disciplines is mainly one involving classical,Newtonian Science and many of its most pressing issues have been solved by the discovery of Quantum Mechanics. In Classical Physics, there is no room for the spiritual and for God. In the World of Quantum Mechanics, the foundations of physical reality have revealed all the aspects of a transcendent reality; with non-material entities at the basis of material things; with components of ordinary things that are not as real as the things that they make; with instantaneous, long-distance (non-local) influences pervading the universe; and with elementary entities that have mind-like properties. Thus, in the same way in which dead atoms can form living organisms and stupid molecules can form intelligent brains, the metaphysical can engender the physical. Without the employment of advanced mathematics, the book uses the phenomena of Quantum Reality to provide a clear and generally understandable description of the concepts of Quantum Mechanics and its consequences for our views of human nature. In the words of Prof. Quentin Smith, Department of Philosophy, Western Michigan University, Author (with W. L. Craig) of "Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology": "Schafer's book is an integrative approach to Modern Science and Religion that aims to show how some traditional religious and philosophical notions can be understood or redefined in terms of modern science. The scientific explanations are reliable and the scientific interpretations of religious ideas are interesting and should be taken seriously and respectfully by even the most sober-minded adherents of the scientific world-view. Rather than science being opposed or or subordinated to religion, religious views are refashioned in terms of currently accepted scientific theories. Most of the arguments of the book are based on conclusions drawn from the phenomena of quantum reality and it is one of the clearest introductory explanations of quantum mechanics on the market. Schafer's book is written in a lively and accessible style that will appeal to the general reader. I really enjoyed reading this book."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lothar Schafer is Distinguished Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Arkansas. His research interests include topics in Computational Chemistry and Molecular Structural Studies by Electron Diffraction.

In addition to its thought-provoking philosophy, "In Search of Divine Reality" is also an excellent introduction to the basics of quantum mechanics. Dr. Schafer explains these usually intimidating concepts in a way that most laypeople will have no difficulty understanding. If you are one of those people who has been scared of the "hard sciences" since high school, this is the book for you. It's bound to get anyone as excited as a kid with a new chemistry set.

An excellent and well-written discussion of how quantum physics makes it possible to conceive of a new notion of spirituality that is consistent with available scientific data, yet provides meaning and a moral basis for our lives. The author has a deep understanding of both physics and metaphysics, reserves the technical aspects of his argument for appendices, and provides a multitude of informative references. The book possesses a conciseness and clarity uncommon in literature of this sort, and reflects the author's passion for the subject. A truly worthwhile read.

Allison Wallace has written a lovely book in an engaging voice that blends memoir with fascinating details about the lives of bees. It's a project that could only come from the hard (and often funny) lessons of firsthand experience as well as careful scholarship about bees and bee lore. What makes this book especially inviting is that she is just as interested in the lives of humans--the "hives" that we build and call home, what work means to us, and how we construct meaningful lives. The book is beautifully written, and is, in the opinion of this reader, wise, funny, and brave. Brave because, while the author never loses sight of the intricate lives of bees, she gives us just enough information about her own life to reveal vulnerability and to serve as an interesting mentor. She invites us to think about our own unfinished lives--what is missing, and what might count as a good destination. She brings together experiences in North Carolina, Maine, Arkansas, and the post-Hurricane Katrina Gulf Coast landscape, but never forgets that the star of the book is the bee. Much to enjoy in this delightful book!

As someone who is interested in the replenishment of our flora and fauna on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, especially following the catistrophic event of Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Wallace's book is a needed respite from the storm. However, it is lacking in her musings about her personal life and should have been more clearly expounded on for the reader to understand. What I did find most enjoyable was reading the scientific facts on the honey bees, and I do hope we will hear more from Ms. Wallace, but with more thoughts and observations on the most interesting character she so hesitantly, but humorously mentions; that being the character of her mother. Both Ms. Wallace and this brave lady,Mama Lupio, sound like they could be characters much more fascinating than the "birds and the bees."

You would not believe some of the things bees do! Fun and fascinating facts about honeybee behavior fill this volume--the chase scenes, sex, and murder might make you wonder what TV shows those bees have been watching while you thought they were busy making honey. The book's seven chapters could each stand alone as a lovely, informative essay, but taken together, they tell the story of Wallace's own journey through life as a beekeeper, from mail-ordering her first queen to witnessing her first--of many--swarms. She draws thoughtful parallels between human and honeybee behavior, making you see the world in new ways. There's glorious prose here, soaring across the page, and wisdom aplenty, but there's also laugh-out-loud humor and loads of honeybee gee-whizzery. If you gravitate towards writers like Annie Dillard, David Quammen, Joy Williams, and Sue Hubbell, you'll treasure this book.

I never thought a book about bees, entwined with one's life, could be so interesting, deeply moving,insightful, and yet funny, too. I had to finish it before I could put it down. We need more books from Ms. Wallace.

"Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: New Writing By Women of the Iranian Diaspora" is a totally new first anthology of writing by women of the Iranian diaspora. Revealing unique outlooks in a formerly male dominated, patriarchal literary tradition, these vivid works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction give authentic artistic voice to the silence of the veil stereotype frequently perceived by the West. Over one hundred selections are presented by more than fifty authors, some famous and some unknown. Two thirds of the works are previously unpublished. The authors selected are a diverse group who represent a cross section, or a complex community of intelligent, sensitive, articulate women in a rapidly changing world. The voices of these writers have been named "Allegories of our enriched nation... the real thing," by Zohreh T. Sullivan, author of "Exiled Memories: Stories of the Iranian Diaspora." A list of the contributors include Tara Bahrampour, Susan Atefat-Peckham, Firoozeh Dumas, Farnoosh Moshiri, Azadeh Moaveni, and other less familiar writers such as Leyla Momeny, Gelareh Asayesh, Niloofar Kalaam, and Farnaz Fatemi. Certainly many kudos are owed to Professor Persis Karim, teacher of English and comparative literature at San Jose State University, for amassing this wondrous, stunning collection. The selections are organized by theme into six different main areas: Home Stories, For Tradition, Woman's Duty, Axis of Evil, Beyond, and Tales Left Untold Subjects include differentiating dual and multi-cultural identities, sexuality, love, traditional expectation and its failure, politics, gender, blood and suffering, and the desperate poignancy of silence. There is so much to absorb in this collection, it is so very rich. It is certainly a fragrant beginning to enable Western to grasp the barest outlines of the complexity and courage of these women and their worlds and cultures. It is impossible to read any part of this book and come away unchanged. "But she wants to step into/the whiteness of this inferno/and search Madison/for someone in his life/with the power to change him:/daughter, father, wife./She would become that person/undress him in the daytime/stand naked in front of him./say, look at what we've wrapped in./See this soft scraped creamy dark thing? It/s life." Farnaz Fatemi (p. 240)

Great book. It taught me a lot about contemporary Iranian writers and poets.

This book is a wonderful collection of poems and short stories by Iranian women. The variety of authors makes this an interesting collection and it is also enjoyable to read the short biographies of the authors. This is a book you can easily read from cover to cover or pick up and read a few selections at a time from anywhere in the book. This isn't a book only for Iranians, it is for anyone wanting to be immersed in well-told stories and conveyance of emotions and life's happenings.

Persis Karim has embraced a remarkable collection of work by mostly recreational writers and new poets in this book that is significant in a number of aspects. It is a testimony to the incredible spirit of all women, by exploring the journey most of these authors have taken while their immediate surrounding was experiencing significant turmoil and destruction. A voyage that was carried despite significant prejudice and eradication of an assortment of their basic rights. It is also a narrative of the immigration experience, being subjected to intolerance and narrow-mindedness on a different level and yet succeeding despite the odds. These incredible women are telling their story and the story of all of us who experience conflict, affection, separation, contradictions and intolerance, while struggling to maintain a conventional existence. A lesson for all of us in improved comprehension of one-another and recognizing the value of our differences. Highly recommended!

Award-winning author Donald Harington originally published Let Us Build Us a City in 1986; now in a beautiful new edition, this thoughtful collection of stories about eleven forgotten small towns in Arkansas remains a pristine glimpse into history. Some of the forgotten towns gradually dwindled and declined to little more than a church, a post office, a general store, a gas station, and a handful of residents; other overlooked towns were never terribly memorable to begin with. Donald Harington learned of these towns' stories through his connection with a researcher named Kim, and eventually Harrington and Kim fell in love. Let Us Build a City is a contemplative look at the joy and wonder to be discovered in hidden Arkansas history, and as enjoyable to read today as it was over twenty years ago.

An extremely interesting synopsis of the birth, life, and death of eleven Arkansas communities at one time aspiring to own the coveted label of "city," this book is all the more interesting if you have had the chance to have travelled through several of these mere wide spots in the road on occasion. While the author's incessant tangents seem to be the product of a deep seated need for a vehicle with which to exhibit his wealth of worldly knowledge, this annoyance aside, his ability to raise common people to the rank of folk heroes, if only on a local scale, is indeed unsurpassed.

In this odd mix of travelogue, Americana, love story and history, Donald Harington shows us not just lost cities and lost people and places, but what he calls "lost places in the heart, of vanished life in the hidden places of the soul". And the beautiful thing, the redemption, is that these places aren't lost. In Harington's elegant prose they live on, and will live on as long as this book is read. It deserves to be read in every American history class in the country, because in this book his remembrances and his curiosity open new worlds, just next to and behind this one. Towards the end, when he includes a poem by Richard Hugo, it's as if he's bottled something inside you that you felt but didn't know. A tremendous achievement of remembrance.

It gives me faith in the publishing industry to find this wonderful book still in print. Donald Harington was an established Arkansas novelist when a reader named Kim wrote him out of the blue expressing the inspiration she drew from one of his stories. Harington was lecturing out of state at the time but he responded with encouragement for a project looking into the history of Arkansas places that had "City" in the name and were anything but. So, Kim took off, doing the leg work and dispatching her findings to Harington who eventually shaped them into this symphony of historical fact and human tragedies and comedies. As soon has he was able, he caught up with Kim and the two became instant soul mates. Their own story is woven into this unique blend of fact and imaginative invocation of original intentions and relinquished dreams. A pleasure to read, it sparks curiosity about the cities that never grew up in your own state (the author includes a state by state list) and a desire to go learn their stories. This is a unique story, very human, very American.

I purchased this book to accompanying the book my high school classes are currently reading, "Warriors Don't Cry." As a high school teacher, I realize that students are likely to more fully engage with a novel when they feel they can truly relate to the story and when they are able to imagine all that is happening. "A Life is More Than a Moment" makes this possible! As we read the novel, I share pictures from this text with my students. They love this book. Often they ask to read this book even on their own, excitedly reporting their newfound knowledge with their classmates. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who is intersted in seeing the real thing.

This book is a thoughtful summary of the events of the 1957 Central High Crisis, especially for those who don't have the time or inclination to delve into the details but want to know all about the history behind the crisis and the events at that time. What makes the book even more interesting is that the authors take you inside Central High School forty years later so that the reader can see the life and times of a academically successful and fully integrated CHS today. Of course, one of the greatest contributions are the photographs by the late Will Counts -- awarding winning photography that carries you back in time. I highly recommend the book for students over age 12 and anyone who desires an accurate account of this shameful yet historic civil rights event.

This book although not very entertaining, is perfect for someone writing an essay on segregation or more particulary Central High. This book was my main topic of research for my essay. A good Read.

Little Rock was the first time since reconstruction that federal troops had been mobilized top protect Blacks seeking to exercise the rights they allegedly won in the aftermath of the Civil War. The terror, hatred, and brutality of the times is searingly captured by the iconic photo which gives the book its title--of a young white student screaming, her face contorted, at an equally young black girl. Equally appalling is the other major picture which forms the center of this work--a series showing the mob attacking a black reporter, and beating him with no one willing to intervene.

While the book would be worthwhile for the pictures alone, it is all the more compelling by bringing the story up to date. Centered around the fortieth anniversary of desegregation of Little Rock High School, the author tracks down both the black student and the white student spewing hatred. There are pictures of them together, having gone through a process of healing and reconciliation.

The ultimate question--why such hatred--is not answered, nor could it be, given the format and limitations of what is, af4er all, basically a book of narrated pictures. But the question is certainly raised and explored.

This is a great book and should be on the shelf of anyone who loves photography or wants to understand why the Civil rights movement was so important to the history of this country (although I would strongly urge that no one take the advice f the other reviewer, and use this as the primary source for information on this struggle).

My only criticism is that the upbeat tone of this volume needs to be questioned. As James Meridith has said--If a black man can be kicked ten times in open view, and has no redress, is it really "improvement" if he is only kicked nine times, but still has no redress? Is Little Rock really free of prejudice and discrimination? Is America?

It's a sad world in which poetry has been sent to the nether regions, you know, those beyond even novels and other such "literature", but it's easy to understand. Most folks can't be trusted to read anything without the Oprah stamp or some fundamentalist's creepy okay. Books, well, alright,as long as they don't turn my kids gay or into sorcerers. Just make sure the movie comes along quickly, right? Poetry? Well, that's just sophomoric. No.

But Frank Stanford, damn it all, given the slightest introduction to your world might change your worldview. Sensuality- he brings it. A genuine setting and a vibrant milieu? Check. Robust emotion? It's there, in droves. After all, the man killed himself with three (3!) pistol shots to the heart. Poetry, by all rights may well be dead in 21st century America, and that's as despicable as your Dan Brown reading habits, but Frank made the words righteous. Try it. You'll not be disappointed.

I had not heard of Frank Stanford until my dear friend Bill gave me this little book. He explained that he was on a mission to introduce people he cared about to Stanford's poems. I can see why I missed it, since his work does not fit into any of the clean boxes that some of my early poetry influences favored. All the same, I am sorry that I missed it for so long. The jumpy dream-like quality was a lot of what I was trying to work for, back when I was writing poetry.

Oddly enough, once I started reading this, all kinds of other connections appeared. For instance, my favorite Lucinda Williams song, Pineola, was written for Stanford.

I like the rural focus that the poems have, and the way that the diction feels familiar even when I do not know exactly what Stanford is saying. He clearly has a taste for tall tales and dreams, and tells the truth of his world through these beautiful fantasies. It is a sad truth, and often a broken truth. Even if the introduction had not told me that Stanford killed himself, I might have guessed it after reading his work.

Stokesbury wrote a good introduction, by the way. It is informative, short and not irritating. A mark that many other poetry collections miss.

Anyhow, there are times when I feel as though I can review poetry, and other times that I am left at a loss for words. All I can say about this book is that I think it is a good thing that Bill is on his mission-- more people should read this work. I may just join him in it this Christmas.

If you're thinking about buying this book go for it. It is worth it. Most of his books are out of print but thankfully this book is available. If you like it check out Stanford's "The Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You."

Frank Stanford died a suicide at a young age, yet managed to create a body of work that deserves to be read despite his youth and nearly 20 years of obscurity. His poems, both subject and meter, are of great beauty. It's too bad that most of his work is out of print but, despite this, the University of Arkansas Press manages to keep the best of his poems alive. They do deserve to be read, and a good part of Stanford's work merits a wider audience. Check out The Light the Dead See for a great example of what this guy managed to create in his short life.