Arkansas Books

Adolescent-level writing, melodrama full of editing errors, little to no factual information: the title is highly misleading. This attempt at historical fiction, and brief, even feebler attempt at 2027 prediction (when we apparently still rely on FTP, and are devoted to and dependent on Fox News)both fail utterly. If you want to learn anything about the New Madrid quakes, try "When the River Ran Backwards" or any other source instead.

You will tear through this book in one or two sittings. Arlington Nuetzel spins a stunning narrative around the earthquakes that devastated the American Midwest in 1811 and changed the course of the Mississippi River. His colorful characters are historical as well as fictional, which adds an additional sense of authenticity to the story. Nuetzel has done considerable research into the people he portrays, and especially into the horrific events that took place. His interplay between "the good guys and the bad guys," and how their lives were destroyed or forever altered by these cataclysmic events, is a very entertaining read; and yet, an unsettling one, because the scientific community knows for a fact that this horror will definitely come again... perhaps as soon as 2027.

First off, this is a great fiction story of a small family pulling together to survive in the pioneer wilderness of New Madrid, MO. For that, I give it 5 stars. Seriously, this book could well become a motion picture.

I deduct two stars, however, because the title and 'back cover summary' are misleading. The rear says: "Nuetzel...guides us through the sobering and shocking consequences of a 21st century Armegeddon." The book is 166 pages long, but spends only the final 22 pages covering the 2027 prediction, and sketchily, at that. For someone interested in the future predictions, this book fell short.

In the winter of 1811-1812 a series of earthquakes occurred in America's heartland, near New Madrid, MO. These earthquakes are listed among the some of the largest earthquakes of known history and are credited with affecting the topography of the North American continent more than any other known earthquake. They were responsible for forming new lakes, changing the course of the Mississippi River, and destroying over 150,000 acres of forest. There are estimates that these earthquakes were felt strongly over an area of 50,000 square miles. Experts predict that there is a 90% chance of an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 or greater occurring in the same area before the year 2040.

The author of 2027, New Madrid, Missouri takes us back in time to the winter of 1811-1812 and puts us down smack in the middle of the action. We get to meet several people who are living and/or working in the area and spend many anxious minutes with them as they fight for their lives in the middle of one of the major seismic events in known history. The action is tense and the book moves along quickly. At the end of the book, the author follows a descendent of one of those New Madrid pioneers into the year 2027 just when the New Madrid fault produces another great quake. We then get to see several predictions of what exactly could happen in the St. Louis area if an earthquake of the same intensity of the 1811-1812 earthquakes were to occur.

I knew the author through much of his teenage years and early adult life. Roger Tuller was the fat kid you pushed down on the way to lunch. The effect of this lowliness on the pecking order was a very bruised ego. I still remember him telling me, "I'm going to become a teacher AND I'M GONNA BE TOUGH. If they don't know their material in detail I'll fail them." It seems he was good to his word. It's a shame because verbally, Mr. Tuller can make old-west history shine and come alive. His story telling was a joy when we used to drink cheap beer and he's tell me of his vacations to Tombstone and points West. But now there is this technical field manual of a biography. The sentence structure of this book is indeed dry, parched and must be what it felt like to travel "cover to cover" through Death Valley in the old days. You find yourself skipping over words and punctuation just to get to the end of the bloody sentence. Recommended for those with sleeping disorders.

required reading for those heading into Native American vs. US Government studies. Have a can of Red Bull though!

A gutsy, three-dimensional view of the Judge. Tuller's passion for the subject is evident throughout.

The first major biography of Judge Isaac Parker to be written since 1951, 'Let no guilty man escape' provides refreshing insight into the life and career of a man that western novelists and Hollywood have stereotyped as the "Hanging Judge." Since most of the standard works on Judge Parker were written a half century ago, the documents and resources used by Tuller help to paint a picture of the complex person that Isaac C. Parker really was. While minor factual errors and inconsistancies occur throughout, this book is a worthy replacement of 'Hanging Judge.'

Daisy Bates was an integral figure in the integration of Little Rock Central High School. As president of the State Conference of NAACP branches, she was very active in the fight for black rights. Hers is an eloquent account of a highly volatile situation. She effectively compares her views with other accounts of people that were there, and the writing is very fluid and moving.

Daisy Bates work is a very important document from the era of civil rights. Although it is not an actual account of one of the nine students who integrated Central High, it is very close. Bates was right there directing the operation, making sure the students were protected, and made sure that the children were encouraged to go ahead with their duty. I don't think I would have been able to send those kids in to that school, with all those hateful students. I hope Arkansas and the citizens of Little Rock apologize every day for what they did to those nine children.

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THE LONG SHADOW OF LITTLE ROCK is an interesting book. The story of Daisy Bates, civil rights activist, newspaper writer, officer in the NAACP, is a story of hate and bitterness and constant battling against the whites in her state of Arkansas. It is supposedly the story of the intergration of Central High School in 1957 by 9 black youths under the sponsorship and "guidance" of Mrs Bates and the NAACP yet it more often reads as a chronicle of Mrs. Bates's successes and failures and her importance in the intergration. It is a one-sided view of an important occurance in the civil rights battle.

The reader must always keep in mind that the book was first published in 1962 (there is a preface by Eleanor Roosevelt) as the civil rights movement began taking on a more violent tinge. If you read it knowing the time period it was written in and the circumstances in the country and in the civil rights movement you can get through the pervasive hate and bitterness. Even Mrs. Roosevelt, herself concerned with the civil rights issue, comments on the bitterness of the volume.

It would be interesting to read Melba Beals WARRIORS DON'T CRY in conjunction with this book - because perhaps then the real truth of the Little Rock experience would be known. Beals did not care for Mrs. Bates and her experiences at Little Rock are covered in a very brief paragraph in Bates' book while other students, such as Minnijean Brown, enjoy pages of coverage. It makes you wonder whether Beals's story is true or a conglomeration of all the acts committed against the other students and if Mrs. Bates truly was concerned for the children at Little Rock or the press coverage.

A good read but one that must be read with the knowledge of the times, the attitude of the times and an open heart. Mrs. Bates recently died - and her book is an important read in the study of civil rights despite the anger, hate and bitterness of the writing.

Joan Hess is a very funny writer. Her Maggody series is a hoot. She creates situations and dialogue that make you laugh out loud. But she can't plot a mystery much better than her designated idiot, Kevin Buchanon, probably could. The plot in this one is a muddled mess.

I FELT CONFUSED OF SOME OF THE CONTESTANT AND WHY THEY CALL IT CO-CO NUT

You can take the girl out of Maggody but you can't put quality into the writing. Unfortunately, this is just another example of the poor character development that Ms. Hess is known for. She has come up with such wonderful characters and does absolutely nothing with them, leaving you with a boring book and a waste of several reading hours. There are alot of "cozy" writers out there. I would give this one a pass.

Joan Hess is a delightful writer. She has defined the small southern town of Maggody and it's eccentric residents in a series of books about Arly Hanks, the sheriff, and Clara,her mother. In this, Clara has won a baking contest and travels to New York with her best friend to accept her prize. Needless to say, things are not what they should be. Dead bodies appear and Arly has to leave Maggody to save the day. The assorted Buchanons in the book are hilarious and make this novel well worth reading.

Before reviewing, in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I am Peter Caulder's great-great-grandson.

This came as something of a shock to me, as I'd been told all my life that I was half Dutch and half Cherokee-Choctaw. Nothing about my features, save for a tan that lasts in some degree all year and a high resistance to sunburn, give much of a clue, and I generally think of myself as half white and half Amerind.

Yes, I'm certain of this; I have fond memories of my grandfather - who also had no immediately obvious african features - Henry Elbert Caulder, who is on the last line of the Caulder geneaology in the book. He had three fingers on one hand, having lost them in a combine accident, and died quite some time ago...early 1990's I believe.

So I have a bias.

That said, I really enjoyed the book. For one thing, it gives an insight into a totally different kind of black man in the early 19th century than we are generally led to believe existed - a free sharecropper who joined the army and served for 14 years, helped establish a small colony of free blacks in north-central Arkansas, helped build Ft. Hood...I am generally of empirical mind, but I didn't find enough lacking in the documentation to detract from the value of the information presented or the way it was presented.

I'll concede that much of it is second-hand and speculation, but the basic facts - that Caulder was a free black man born in South Carolina who joined the US Armed Forces with several other colored men (and family members) in his area as 'seconds,' a fairly common practice at that time (and long before the Tuskeegee Airmen, not to detract from their noble accomplishments!) There's no question that he was well-regarded by his fellow soldiers and superior officers, and he seems to have served well, if not in remarkable enough fashion to earn notable commendations.

Regrettably, he also deserted after 14 years, by all indications to be with a woman he loved and help start the aforementioned colony.

There is also no question that when Arkansas made free blacks illegal, a substantial percentage of the commune, including Caulder, moved to south-central Missouri and put down roots there. He still has descendants living there, including at least one of Henry Elbert Caulder's sisters, I *think*. I'd have to ask my mom.

Beyond my obvious personal interest though, I appreciate this book for exposing me to a new way of thinking about what life was like for black people in the years before the Civil War really started building. There is further indication in the book that Peter's father, Moses, was married to a white woman and they lived as husband and wife. Prior to Moses, there seems to be no information, so I can't say if any of my ancestors were slaves or not, and I hope I can say without offending anyone that I don't much care.

It's a fascinating, well-written story that will give you pause to challenge your own notions about the history of race in America, and I think it's well worth reading, regardless of my personal relation to the book.

I *would* like to thank Billy D. Higgins - with whom I've never spoken, nor has anyone in my family that I know of, he seems to have worked exclusively from publicly available information - for putting this book together, both from the personal point of view and from that of a reader.

The book lacks any proper documentation, and it is full of speculation, in other words, a work of fiction. Higgins portrays the entire population, of Free Persons of Color in Marion County Arkansas as black, this is not the case, most of these families living on white River during that time frame that Higgins talks about in his book, were indeed Native Americans, some of these Indians were of mixed heritage, but I doubt if there were any full Blacks as Higgins tries to make you believe. If Higgins would have done any real research he would have known that there can be a difference between a Free Black Person and a Free Person of Color, anyone atempting to write a book, that covers the issue of race, should make an attemp to do proper research on the subject, before they put pen to paper .
Anyone wishing to use Higgins book for genealogical research is wasting thier time,it is full of errors in most of the ancestrial lines he quotes, but if you have time to spare and like fiction, you might enjoy it, that is if you can work your way around all of the ifs, maybes and probably so's.

Billy D Higgins presents information in this book that broadens our understanding of US history. He tells the life story of Peter Caulder, a man of color, who grew up in an integrated rural community in Marion County, South Carolina where free black and white yeomen lived and cooperated in apparent harmony. Peter, his father, and several friends were recruited into the local milita unit as substitutes for more affluent neighbors and then into the US Rifle Regiment. These people of color served in an integrated army unit during the War of 1812 and, in Caulder's case, long after.

Caulder remained in the army for fourteen years, spending most of his time at frontier posts in northwestern Arkansas Territory. After leaving the army, he became a landowner and taxpayer in a free black enclave on the White River in Arkansas.

Unfortunately Higgins as created his book out of very limited documentation by padding fact with speculation, repitition, and extraneous information. Peter Caulder,like most of the people around him, was illiterate. The written record of his life is scantily recorded in census counts, army records and reports, sutlers' accounts, tax rolls, and the accounts of the few literate people with whom he came in contact. The book is awash in "may have", "might have", "perhaps", and "probably". The factual material is sufficient for a scholarly article, but not a book.

I still recommend it. In addition to telling Caulder's story, the book describes military life on the southeastern frontier and supplies interesting glimpses of US-Indian interaction in the wake of the Louisiana Purchase. Like NEGRO COWBOYS by Durham & Everett, A STRANGER AND A SOJOURNER compels the reader to rearrange the furniture in his attic of preconceptions.

I was very disappointed in the book. The author goes on and on about the History of Camark, but very little information about the various glazes used. Sorry I bought it.

Mr. Gifford writes an interesting & comprehensive history of Camark (I live in Arkansas, where Camark was produced). The book features many colorful pages with fair pricing of the items. I learned quite a bit from this book. I'm a new collector & found this book to be quite helpful to me. I have already recognized a piece of Camark I bought for $10 to be worth about $60! That's worth the price of the book!

Very interesting book! Like being taken back in time and seated right in the courtroom.

This book is not a factual account of these events.
Important testimony for Claude Handy was conveniently
left out of this book.

I can strongly recommend this heartwarming story, and if you can read it without shedding a few tears, you're a better man than I am.

As someone who was involved in this search, I believe this book is not telling the actual story. It does not talk about all of the search dogs completely falling apart and not really searching and also does not talk about the temper tantrum that led to this search. It is also so full of flowery prose and language that a diabetic would go into sugar shock. I do not recommend this book except as a work of fiction.

Description from the book back cover:

Arkansas Attraction - Adam Forrest knew his life would always be tied to the Ozark countryside - mountains, trees, and the freedom of the great outdoors were his greatest pleasures. But when city slicker Ali Cameron showed her beautiful face in his neck of the woods, she threatened his world - and his sense of freedom. For love had made a fool of Adam once, and he wasn't about to let it happen again. Or was it already too late?

MEN: Made in America. Fifty red-blooded, white-hot, true-blue hunks from every state in the Union.

The author, an excellent historian (check out his other books) couldn't seem to make up his mind whether this was to be a coffee table book filled with pictures (which are first rate) or a serious history of an epic, if largely unremembered, event that had significant impact on our society. As a result, this book doesn't quite make it as either. Still, it is interesting and provocative. It just but pales in comparison to Rising Tide, a magnificent work.