Indiana Books

Though I have yet to complete Steel Trails of Hawkeyeland by Don Hofsommer, he certainly has me hooked. I couldn't imagine how he was going to organize the task of Iowa's railroad heritage, but so far he has done an excellent and interesting job. The illustrations he has included are top notch. Anyone with an interest in railroads in Iowa or the Heartland of America should consider this a must.

A great record of a building designed and built with heart.I think this book would be an excellent primer for those interested in architecture.

Compared to Dr. Birch's two main collections of Chinese literature, this work is smaller and more focused, but no less fun. Here he presents translations of works that appear in Feng Menglong's great collection. I've often heard complaints from peers when Chinese literature courses offer stories in translation, but it is a brilliant introduction that a student needs to propell him to further sinological pursuits; to learn language well enough so he can read the original. This work provides that source of inspiration well.

I have read many English versions of the Story of the Stone, yet David Hawke's translation is by far the best. If you have decided to read this great novel in English, this is the one you want to choose.

I loved this book, not just because I'm a Hoosier. This book is well written and informative so if your a researcher a definitive must for your library, even if you don't live in Indiana.

"Strangers in the Land of Paradise" by Lillian Serece Williams is a brilliantly written book about the creation of an African American community in Buffalo, New York from 1900-1940. Illuminating with new information, pictures and graphs, it answers many questions about the daily life experiences of a group of Americans adjusting to political and economic changes. The family support system that Williams delineated in this turn-of-the-century community is one of those strengths that too often are overlooked in contemporary literature on African Americans. Yet these are important strengths that are present in contemporary African American communities across the nation and upon which I frequently draw to treat some of my patients.

This timely, outstanding blend of scholarship and humanity places this work in the category of a genuine classic. The book is a "must" for every serious scholar of American history. "No Shame in my Game" by Katherine Neuman would be a wonderful contemporary companion.

Although now more than a decade old, Attebery's book is one of the finest critical works on fantasy that can be found. His writing is pleasant but insightful, and where many critics spend a lot of time and effort coming up with their own particular definition of the fantasy genre (often including or excluding too much, thus rendering the definition useless), Attebery introduces the concept of the fantasy genre as a fuzzy set, centred on one (or a handful) of works which can be considered typically fantasy. The genre then spread out from this centre, changing but maintaining something in common with the central works.

In my opinion, this is a book which is almost as hard to ignore to the fantasy scholar as is Tolkiens "On Fairy-Stories".

A good overview on Black Documentary films, mostly from PBS and its early history with the TV series at WNET, BLACK JOURNAL, and the legacy of Henry Hampton with his Blackside in Boston (Eyes on the Prize). The book also covers the early little known history of the documentary film and its pioneer, William Alexander.

Incredible book . The story of 1,262 men who served in the Civil War. Complete roster, including home towns. This is most of all a personal book, the lives of over 1,000 men who almost all came from Northern Indiana, about Peru through South Bend. If you are in Indiana, you can visualize the towns they were from, many whom exist today. You'll see the units all recruited from the same town, dozens or even close to a hundred all from the same area. You can imgine when one third never came home and sometimes a whole town's men disappeared. A vicious war, fought by men of honor and belief on both sides.

Believe it or not, I read this book and I truly believe it is a masterpiece...I laughed, I cried, I recalled old memories of the Chapter house.....socials, pledging, and other fun things young men like to do.....all brtohers should read this captivating tale, besides, we always tell pledges "David Letterman is a brother"...now you can learn something about the man behid the name....

In Hoc, Morton