Indiana Books

This is a wonderful collection of unique fairy tales with lovely illustrations. It was written by Johnny Gruelle as a tribute to his friend, James Whitcomb Riley, the creator of Orphant Annie, and is basically a continuation, though in prose, of the poem Little Orphant Annie. This book relates the stories Annie told to the children she cared for while cooking and cleaning for a family to earn her board and keep. The lessons, values, and morals in this book are similar to those in the Little House series but told in fairy tale fashion.

Many of my own fairy tales include stories within stories, and the Orphant Annie Storybook inspired several of these mini-stories. Why the Ladybug is Red motivated me to write What the Grasshopper Uses Buttons For, Why the Flamingo Stands on One Foot, and Why the Roly-Poly Pill Bug Always Curls Up When He is Touched. My favorite story in this book is The Gnome in the Peanut. And each time I eat a peanut, I carefully split it open to see the little gnome, trapped forever by his own selfishness.

The stories in this book are clever, endearing, meaningful, classic, timeless, and completely delightful. I can't come up with enough words to describe the value of this book. Annie is brilliant, and her enchanting stories are full of wisdom for the ages. I have read the stories in this book many times each and will likely never tire of my favorite fairy tales.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles

It gives me great pleasure to write the first review for this magnificent book. Not only is it for the student, it is for the lay reader as well.
As to the qualitative researcher-this is a must. It brings together many writers, including those in the community, and gives us a real picture of what is going on in Middletown (Muncie, Indiana) in the present. This community came together to tell their story, along with Lassiter, Campbell, and others.
For the lay reader, this is easily read and understood. My only question is...why don't other communities do as this one has??? Perhaps telling our stories, talking with one another...that might make a difference in the way we get along in America. Not only is the story about race...it combines ethnic beliefs with age and gender differences...
I rec. this book for anyone interested in what can and will happen when a few people try to make a difference...

Except for Albert Frieds - The Rise & Fall Of The Jewish Gangster In America this is up there in my top three. Ms Joselit has written a comprehensive historical account of the Jewish mobster from 'birth to death'. It was fascinating to read how the Jewish community in New York faced up to, coped & in some cases ignored the reasons for the rise of these immigrant gangsters. If you can find it in the auctions I recommend you buy it.....a little historical treasure.

In the west, where the knowledge of the sacred techonology of the mother is almost non-existant, this book is a blessing. Gives a great introductory understanding of the dynamic force/being/ability/power that is Ájé.

This book is a great overview of thee magic of the Pacer's 1994 season. You can feel the intense rival of the New York Knicks and Indianapolis( Not to mention Spike Lee and Reggie Miller), a Reggie Miller's phenomenal 8 points in 8.9 seconds that rocketed the pacers to Madison Square garden victory. Reggie Miller was the glue of the Indianapolis Pacers, and that year his magic was flowing, as he let loose a dazzling pantheon of clutch plays, including a fadeaway three-pointer to win the Pacers-Knicks series and send the pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals. Overall, a great twist of excitement, and good writing that helps the reader to thoroughly grasp the magic of the pacers 1994 season.

"Painting Indiana" is an awesome collection of art.A must for anyone interested in fine art. My dad is Dan Woodson and his artistic ability is way beyond anything I have ever seen.

Palestinian Cinema: Landscape, Trauma, and Memory is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between an Israeli scholar and a Palestinian scholar tracing the development of Palestinian cinema, with especial attention paid to its response to political and social evolutions. Chapters reveal that the worse social, political, and economic positions become, the more Palestinian cinema intertwines itself with the national struggle. Palestinian cinema creates its national narrative against the Israeli narrative, and the bitter reflection between the two viewpoints sadly echoes the greater resentment and hostility between the two peoples sharing the same territory. In particular, the films of Michel Khleifi, Rashid Masharawi, Ali Nassar, and Elia Suleiman are discussed, as well as roadblock movies in general. "To a large extent, the new directors have joined forces to protect Palestinian unity and identity in the face of the threat of extinction. Thus, they express, even more intensely than their predecessors did, the strengthening national consciousness and identity vying with familial, regional, pan-Arabic, class, or gender identities. In their films, they strive to construct a single national unity, which is strong and secured, by integrating different sections, groups, minorities, and political stances." A 'must-read' for anyone with an interest in Palestinian cinema and what it has to tell us about the culture from which it comes.

I can't read enough about the Pennsy and generally enjoy most books about the railroad. This book gives a good overview of how the PRR came together in Indiana in the early days and how it came apart at the end. I was very entertained by this book and learned a lot about the operations in this state.

This play was written the same year (1598) Shakespeare wrote "Henry IV, Part II" & "Much Ado About Nothing." IMHO it's comparable - so it's very, very good indeed. It combines a highly poetic love story with the drama of war & considerable comedy. The translation & footnotes make it more accessible than most of Shakespeare, while providing considerable insight into medieval Chinese literature, legend, poetry, & customs. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it & would love to see it performed. Of course, it's not for everyone, but if you like Shakespeare, Marlowe, et al, give this one a try. You might like it even better.

If you want to see where feminism is headed, this is the book to buy. Bold, critical, well-researched, and timely, Yuracko's challenge to contemporary feminists must be taken seriously. This is not a work that shies away from controversy or seeks refuge in abstraction or rhetoric. You may not agree with everything Yuracko says, but she makes a clear and convincing case for the open discussion of values among feminists.