Kentucky Books

I was fortunate to have met Jesse Stuart on one occasion and I own every book that he wrote -- I've read them all, "Taps" multiple times. He wrote darn near as many books as did Agatha Christie.

Jesse Stuart, the former Poet Laureat of Kentucky, and a renowned Kentucky (and Ohio) school teacher, was probably second only to Mark Twain in hallmarking the humorous American Short Story, as is the case with "Taps." This book was really based upon an impoverished Eastern Kentucky family and, as the book generally portrays them as hillbilly scoundrels, I'm certain that Jesse would never have admitted this actuality to anyone other than a trusted friend. But it was apparently pretty clear, when the book was originally published, as to whom it was all about and a lot of folks were talking about it.

In any event, the fictional family of Private Tussie got the word that this unfortunate soldier was killed overseas in wartime and the large clan proceeded to reap an insurance benefit as a result. The body was sent home and carried up the rocky hillside to the old family cemetery for burial on the backs of Tussie's numerous kinfolk. Subsequently, the old family patriarch decided that they could quit living like trash, in squalor, and rent a nice big home. Other relatives also flocked to the scene to reap the dubious rewards of Tussie's death. Reveling in their newfound prosperity in the big new home, the clan does not endear themselves to the local community with their endless Hillbilly antics and peccadillos.

I cannot go further without revealing a spoiler of the story but I can assure you that it's one hilarious tale, in my opinion, Stuart's best. (Most would say that "The Thread That Runs So True" is his top read -- it certainly got him the most fame).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed either "Huckleberry Finn" (Twain) or, "As I Lay Dying," (Faulkner). It's quite readable and a real page-turner. As a Native Appalachian, I can tell you, however, that "Taps" has been a minor topic for increasing controversy as political correctness rears its ugly head ever-higher in American sociology! *.*

This book was the winner of the 1943 Thomas Jefferson Award and the illustrator is THE Thomas Benton, the famous mural painter from Missouri.

This book is a literary classic in that it can be read on so many diverse planes of enjoyment by so many different kinds of people. It is folk-poetry sensuous and hilarious fun, but also lots of eager page turning to see what is the world can be going to happen next.

Everyone who reads this book will enjoy it.

This book was written after Stuart conducted interiews with my family (my grandmother on my mother's side is a Tussie) who still live in southern Ohio and Kentucky. It is a true-to-life tale of a poor country family who finds themselves suddenly "rich." The language of the hills and the nature of good ol' home folk comes to life in Stuart's telling. This is a story for anyone with family from the hills.

Do not read the introduction before you read the book!!!! Gifford explains why it wasn't made into a movie by giving away the surprise ending. I can't believe they put that in the book. It is a wonderful story about an Eastern Kentucky family in the WWII era that wastes the insurance money from thier dead son....)Hope you enjoy the book!

This book gives a look in the life of uneducated folks in the hills of Kentucky, and how money can make a change in thier life and relatives life. The language is true to the region this story happens in, and the life-style is factual. A book that can give a reader insight in the life of mountain people doesnt come along very often. The author has lived this life and know how to tell a story using his past experience

Harris Sklar has captured the essence of life on the backstretch. The pictures are gorgeous, and the people and horses come to life through the skillful intermingling of text and photographs. The backstretch really is a small city -- of people who work very, very hard and have dedicated their lives to chasing an elusive dream. They are out every morning, often in the worst kind of weather. Anyone who works with Thoroughbreds risks life and limb every day. This book is a tribute to their dedication. The section on Smarty Jones is compelling. My favorite picture is the one of Smarty galloping, his neck arched, the rider standing straight up in the stirrups. Talk about raw horsepower. Wow!

The track can be the height of glamour and ceremony where the genteel hang out with the touts. This book has haunting images of a whole invisible underworld society that is surprisingly complex. There is pathos and charm in these people's devotion to the horses and the challenges of producing a winner. The inside story on Smarty Jones was a special treat. Highly recommended for anyone who loves horses.

This book is a tour de force. The photographs perfectly capture the magnificence of the horses and the special relationship they have with those who care for them--a relationship that's rarely seen or appreciated by even the most avid racing fans. Sklar shows us a world few of us know (the backstretch), and it's almost uncanny how well he does it. I look forward to more work by this fine photographer. Highly recommended.

This book is about people, not only horses; an insider's view of a self-contained community little known to most of us. This is an informative, enlightening, candid exposure to the bonds between the workers and their families who RESIDE at the racetrack with each other and with the horses to which they dedicate their lives. The photographer evokes empathy from the reader because of his unusual sensitivity and stirring photos. It is a treat to enter and savor this special place.

I found the book to be entertaining as well as informative. It's like watching the making of a movie with spectacular photos of every aspect. The imagery evokes emotions from my childhood when I would go to the track with my father. I would recommend this to anybody who has ever felt a love for the sport of horseracing or just wanted to know more about it. You won't be disappointed.

This biography of the generally forgotten acting dynasty, the Bennetts, is a tour de force. While father Richard Bennett is long forgotten, daughters Constance and Joan Bennett are still accessible through a number of classic films ("What Price Hollywood" and "Topper" for Constance and "Scarlet Street" and "The Woman in the Window" for Joan, among others).

The author has captured the personalities of each Bennett. So many biographers fall into the trap of providing superficial detail around a chronology of the subject's life, but not so Mr Kellow. He has managed to bring alive the autocratic Richard Bennett and his 3 daughters, the troubled alcoholic Barbara, the mercurial, opportunistic Constance and the refined but passionate Joan. The book moves between each of their lives and Kellow benefited from the co-operation of many surviving members of the family. He has also created a vivid sense of the period in which the story is evolving from the girls rebellious behaviour in the roaring twenties, through career highs for Constance in Hollywood in the thirties and Joan's emergence as a femme fatale in the forties to both actresses move to the stage in the fifties as film work dried up. They were much married and all the details about their stormy relationships are vividly recreated, not in a gossipy tone but creating portraits of intelligent woman who were not afraid to take risks, particularly Constance.

This is a very clever well written book.

At long last, someone has tackled the fascinating story of the Bennett family. The result was well worth the wait. Kellow's book is enthralling, nicely balanced, objective, and well-researched. Anyone interested in Joan or Constance Bennett or even in film history will enjoy this book.

For anyone interested in Hollywood's golden era, this book is a must! Far superior than The Bennett Playbill which was published in the 1970's with Joan and a ghost writer, this book is exhaustively researched and provides a much fuller picture of father Richard and daughters Constance, Joan and the ill fated Barbara. Fans of the tv show Dark Shadows will remember Joan, but probably a lot fewer remember Constance who was one of the top film stars in the early 30's only to be washed up in films by the end of the decade. Joan had a much longer film career, though it took awhile for hers to catch fire. All the marriages, scandals and career highs and lows are covered in depth and Kellow provides a critical evalution of their many film roles. The narrative does skip back and forth between family members, but Kellow does a good job keeping the narrative flowing and after a few chapters the reader will adjust to it. The Bennetts may not have ranked as high as the Barrymores, but they rank right up there with other Hollywood dynasties.

Brian Kellow has done a wonderful job in telling the personal and professional stories of the acting Bennett Sisters and their father theatrical legend Richard Bennett. This book really fills a gap and is so well done that it would be difficult to imagine a better book about the Bennetts unless there were individual books on Constance, Joan, Barbara, and Richard Bennett. I would have liked a listing of the various plays that particularly Constance Bennett starred in. This versatile and glamorous star appeared in the Cole Porter musical "Silk Stockings" and this was not discussed in the excellent text. This is a small complaint and I think this book is a must for fans of Joan and Constance Bennett and for great books about show business. There are also some wonderful photographs and that alone should induce the reader to buy this book!

This well researched and presented book is a fine addition to anyone's library of books about Classic Hollywood or about the Broadway stage. The Bennett family were hard-working and talented performers, extremely famous in their day, but not as well-remembered today as they deserve. Their stories are full of human drama and Brian Kellow tells them in detail, without any wiff of the snide, nasty edge far too many show business books have today. He's honest about the faults of his subjects, yet compassionate about their humanity.

OUTSTANDING!!! I bet I have looked at this book from cover to cover a dozen times AND STILL find it moving ever time I go back and look at it again. I feel a kinship to many of the people shown because they reminded me so much of my own family and the lives they lived as farmers.

This is no "coffee table book of pictures!" Appropriately done in black and white, the photography is stunningly powerful. No sugar coating here in telling the story of the hardship these folks lived. The photos captures their lives and moods in a plane and simple way leaving viewers with a real sense of "the other side of America."

If you purchase this book. be prepared to have those around you take a look at it and then talk about it.

John Francis Ficara, you did good!

The picture on page one is of Griffen Todd, a third-generation farmer. He's standing in a recently plowed field, eyes turned toward the skies. Under his overalls he wears a pristine, starched white shirt. His son, Griffen Jr. will take over the farm.

This eloquent book paints a picture of what is happening today to small, independent, black farmers. Today, unlike the Todd family, most black farmers are the last generation.

Without a doubt, all small farms are being squeezed out by megafarms. But the black farmer, primarily through racism, is being driven out at rates at least ten times higher than their counterparts.

The pictures tell a story--pride, hard work, a connection to the earth. But don't neglect the essay. "Each photograph articulates the paradox facing black farmers: what looks like slavery is, in fact, the most courageous form of economic self-determination, and what looks like "the simple life" is, in fact, a profoundly complex and risky economic undertaking."

The last photograph depicts a vine-shrouded structure that once housed a farm family, and the essay ends with "These pictures are timeless and speak to the best virtues of the American heart... , Here is a golden twilight to treasure--the story of black American farmers.

I hope this is a documentary for black farmers of future generations, and not one about the fading of a way of life.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.

John Ficara is a truly gifted photojournalist. His latest undertaking is a work of love and historical necessity. The plight of the Black farmer in America is that they are quickly losing out to large corporate entities, and the family farm is quickly vanishing. Ficara's documentation of their lives and fruitless efforts to continue a family tradition is admirable and very well done. A true keeper for those who admire beautiful photography and historical documentation.

In 1920 black Americans made up 14 percent of all farmers in the nation: they owned and worked millions of acres. Today they are less than 1 percent of the nation's farmers and less than 3 million acres are cultivated under their hand. BLACK FARMERS IN AMERICA provides a photo documentary of their lives, providing some 100 duotone photos with chapters hardship and farming life. Juan Williams provides the historical background for the photos as he charts racism and struggles as they affected black farming efforts in this nation. A 'must' for any college-level collection strong in Afro-American history and studies.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

John Ficara, a well respected photojournalist, undertook this ambitious documentary project on his own. With a world filled with "celebrity" journalisim, Ficara devoted a major period of time to document the plight of Black Farmers in America. Not done with pity or cheap shots, Ficara brought us a book with integrity, remarkably strong images, and an understanding of an issue overlooked by the main stream press and government.

This is a book which should be a must for each serious library and photography program.

A "keeper"!.

"The Dark Side of Hopkinsville" is a collection of short stories written by the distinguished African American journalist Ted Poston. Mr. Poston was a reporter for the New York Post for years. When joined the paper, he became the first black reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper.

Theodore Roosevelt Augustus March Poston spent his early years in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the youngest of eight children. His parents were educators with his father often called upon to settle disputes of fact among the men of the local community.

These stories are about segregation, the complexion game, social pretension and how silly these issues really are. Set in the early twentieth century, they cover the final idyllic years of Ted's childhood before the death of his mother. These stories are not angry, they are humorous and entertain as well as educate.

The character's are vivid and well developed. Mr. Poston is efficient yet thorough in developing them vividly in remarkably few words. There's Rat Joiner, Ted's best friend from Billy Goat Hill. Rat is Huck Finn to Ted's Tom Sawyer. There's Mrs. Nixola Green head of the `Blue Vein Society'. The membership was reserved for Negroes of light-complexion enough to see their veins. Knee Baby Watkins a kid that absolutely, positively refuses to walk. Mr. Fertilizer Ferguson who's rough exterior (and smell) hides his entrepreneurial genius. The humorous cast of characters goes on.

This slim volume necessarily includes "The Revolt of the Evil Fairies" Ted's most anthologized story. (If you haven't read it, you know nothing about African-American literature.) In it he rebels against the complexion discrimination perpetrated by Black people by other Black people in the context of a school play.

Mr. Poston led a long and successful career as a journalist. This reviewer just wishes he'd written more fiction than this gem he has left us.

While this book is about life for a Black child in rural Knetucky in the early 1990s, much of this will be easy for people of almost any background to relate to.

This look on a Black child's life is not entirely the fun stuff of Bill Cosby's Fat Albert or the grimness and despair of Richard Wright's Black Boy, but it combines the good and the bad to prevent it from being either rose-colored memories or gloom-despair-and agony-on-me. We get the fun of beign a kid and palying games and getting into srapes with your friends as welll as the brutal racism and classism of the times in whcih Ted Poston had lived. This would make a good cartoon series or movie (anyone at Disney listening)?

In either case, it would be a good idea of older folks from the pre-television era would read this book with the kids and talk about it afterwards.

Truly one of the most fascinating books of the decade. It is the African American version of The Little Rascals. It is an amazing tale of friendship, and a community that truly lives the African proverb, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." This books gives meaning the prejudices even within the same race and social class in a fun loving,yet serious way. The Dark Side of Hopkinsville should be read by children of all ages. The adventures of several friends during the turn of the century will affix your mind to yester year. It will bring back memories of your childhood and the wonderful experiences you shared with your closets classmates and friends. You will remember the times you "cut out", of school to go fishing or perhaps wish you would have. There are stories that you haven't told for perhaps decades. Reading this book will recall familiar stories from days gone by, it will make you smile, laugh, cry and at times wonder why. But, through it all you will realize that you made it over and suddenly you are here and you are still here. As I read the story it helped me realize that although things change they somehow stay the same. There is really nothing new under the sun. There is a Rat Joiner who still whipps the Kaiser. Some people are meant to stay alive even after they are gone so generations after generations can meet them, they are meant to be known for ever, such is the case with the characters in this book.

Truly one of the most fascinating books of the decade. It is the African American version of The Little Rascals. It is an amazing tale of friendship, and a community that truly lives the African proverb, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." This books gives meaning the prejudices even within the same race and social class in a fun loving,yet serious way. The Dark Side of Hopkinsville should be read by children of all ages. The adventures of several friends during the turn of the century will affix your mind to yester year. It will bring back memories of your childhood and the wonderful experiences you shared with your closets classmates and friends. You will remember the times you "cut out", of school to go fishing or perhaps wish you would have. There are stories that you haven't told for perhaps decades. Reading this book will recall familiar stories from days gone by, it will make you smile, laugh, cry and at times wonder why. But, through it all you will realize that you made it over and suddenly you are here and you are still here. As I read the story it helped me realize that although things change they somehow stay the same. There is really nothing new under the sun. There is a Rat Joiner who still whipps the Kaiser. Some people are meant to stay alive even after they are gone so generations after generations can meet them, they are meant to be known for ever, such is the case with the characters in this book.

As a child my grand-daddy "Rat Joiner" often called Ted Poston's name and I never paid close attention that he was a real person and best friend to my grand-daddy. After growing up leaving home, my mother Anna Joiner Harvey "Rat Joiner's" daughter, informed me that a lady by the name of Kathleen Hauke came to Hopkinsville interviewed many residents and initiated a book signing of "The Dark Side Of Hopkinsville". As I eagerly read the book in one sitting I happily recalled some of the stories grand-daddy told of Ted Poston over the years. The annedotes are heart warming and so real to almost anyone who lived in a southern or rural setting. The experiences and relationships forged in the book among the various characters can be applicable to most of our lives. The challenges that were over come by the characters as children encourage us all that life is one test after the next. With deep rooted faith,family and friends we can overcome any obstacles in life. This is evident in that Ted Poston and Theodore Roosevelt "Rat" Joiner, came from such humble beginnings and made outstanding contributions in life. Ted became a noted author and reporter and "Rat Joiner" left a long line of descendents (over 350 grand and great-grand children alone).

This series is a delight! For those who like mysteries that are lively, colorful, and witty - but low on the grimmer aspects of death, this is your cup of tea. This time the real-life, identical twin sisters have written a mystery involving an Internet dating service and their series' characters, identical twin sisters Bert and Nan. The twin's love lives, always an interesting feature of previous mysteries, are highlighted in this one. A trail of deaths follow the twins into the cyber world of dating. The dynamics between Bert, the traditional sister, and Nan, the nontraditional sister, are great fun. With this entry, the writers have continued their development of the intricacies of a twin relationship, as well as a sister relationship. The creative use of each twin's point of view in alternating chapters allows the reader to understand the motivation of each - but it also gives the reader an often amusing peek into how each twin views the other one! Louisville, Kentucky, is the interesting setting for these mysteries. More Bert and Nan!

Will they ever learn? These twins get into more trouble than playful kittens! It's a good mystery, with interesting twists. Bert and Nan get mixed up with murder and their attempts to solve it are hilarious and adventurous. A good story to spend quiet time with.

Nan and Bert Tatum are back in their fifth mystery. So far their story lines have been contemporary in content, and what's more contemporary then love on the Internet.

Nan is the disc jockey for WCKI-FM country radio, never been married, had bad luck with men, and looking for love. Bert is working for Office Temps, is divorced, and dating Detective Hank Goetzmann. Nan lists both herself and Bert on an Internet dating service (mysoulmate.com), but Nan plans to keep any successful connections for herself because she knows Bert is happy with Hank. When Nan does get a keeper, it leads to heart beating murder, confusion, and mayhem.

The ladies have out done themselves again. It's a great mystery. The twin authors switch writing voices with each chapter. I'm use to this so it didn't bother me. The mystery was set up and handled very well. The twists were smart and surprising, and as always, the ending is done with humor and leaves their personal lives on going giving the reader a desire to look them up with the next mystery.

Near Louisville, popular disc jockey Nan Tatum wonders why she cannot meet a decent man. Desperate and at the encouragement of her niece, Nan signs onto an internet dating service using her own name and profile as well as that of her identical twin Bert. However, when Bert learns what Nan did, she is livid because she is already exclusively dating a police detective and they are talking marriage.

Bert demands that Nan erase her name from the website. Before she bows to her sibling's demand, Nan opens a letter from hunky Derrick, who sounds perfect. Nan and Bert go to check out Derrick at his place of business, but notice he wears a wedding ring. Nan is hurt and disappointed. She decides to tell Derrick's wife that her mate may be cheating on her. When she arrives at his home, Nan finds Derrick dead with his head bludgeoned. However, before Nan can call the police the body vanities. Everyone believes Derrick still lives, but Nan, who drags Bert on an investigation to find the lost corpse.

This amateur sleuth series seems to get better with each newly published book. The story line, told in the first person alternating between Bert and Nan, allows the audience to know what each of the key protagonists is thinking. The mystery is enjoyable, but the villain is very easy to spot. The subplot starring Bert and her honey adds a touch of romance. It looks like nuptials will occur in a future book. Fans will relish this tale and want future stories soonest.

Harriet Klausner

Nan Tatum is tired of the single life. Deciding to try a new way to meet men, she signs herself and her twin sister Bert up for MySoulMate.org, an internet dating service. Soon, she thinks Mr. Right has replied to Bert's posting. Posing as Bert, Nan soon finds out that Mr. Right is Mr. Wrong. The next time she sees him, he's Mr. Dead. But when the body disappears, she can't get anyone to believe her. Dragging Bert along, she tries to prove she's right. Meanwhile, Bert is more concerned about patching things up with her boyfriend, Hank, who believes Bert signed herself up for the dating service.

This book takes the mystery solving twins through yet another harrowing adventure. The twin authors have once again provided plenty of suspense and laughs, and I could hardly put the book down. The alternating narration continues to be an asset, helping with both character and plot development. This is the fifth book in the series, and it shows no sign of slowing down at all.

Fans of the series will enjoy this book immensely, and I'm already looking forward to Nan and Bert's sixth outing. If you've never read these books, do yourself a favor and get the first one (DOUBLE MURDER) today.

John Yount is a former teacher of mine. Hardcastle is, in my opinion, his best work, a writer working at his peak. The story has an original southern voice, with unique language and not a wasted word. Few contemporary southern novels are written as well. Yount treats the subject matter of Hardcastle, coal miners, with great sensitivity and care; the characters are more real than most books you will ever pick up. Yount's other works include Wolf At The Door, The Trapper's Last Shot, Toots in Solitude, and Thief of Dreams. Read them all, but if you can only read one, purchase Hardcastle.

The setting for Hardcastle is a small mining town during the Depression. Yount brings the characters to life and does an incredible job of developing the life-long friendship between two men. The ending is surprising and emotional. It's on my list of all time favorites.

The book has been compared to The Grapes of Wrath for its portrayal of life during the depression. It should be. Yount is one of the few living American writers who can combine power and grace in his prose, all while weaving a tense, extraordinarily powerful narrative. It's a shame that his other books - The Trapper's Last Shot and Wolf at the Door - aren't in print any longer.

Raymond Carver loved this book, and after you read the first three pages, you will see why. This is a superb novel about the friendship of two men during the Depression. The men work as guards against union organizers at a Kentucky coal mine. Their dilemma is whether to turn away from the abuses of the coal miners or to join their struggle. In swiftly moving chapters that snowball into an unforgettable climax, Yount tells how the men are tested. You will be tested too.

Hardcastle is a book that was meant to be talked about, and if you're in a reading group, it would be an excellent choice. I have not read a more human and moving novel in several years. And not only that: Yount's writing crackles and sings with local color, feel, and humor. A brilliant novel!

I'd never heard of John Yount before I picked up Hardcastle, but from the first page, I knew I could be in the grip of a special writer. Hardcastle is a simple but dramatic story, a sort of morality play, set in an rough Kentucky coal mining town during the Depression. The writing is also simple, but in the best sense, the way that the novels of some of the best American writers, like Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Elmore Leanord, are written simply. Every page rings with honesty and Yount offers some startling insights. The ending is strong and haunting. I was disappointed when it was over.

Karolyn Smardz Frost's tale of the exodus of the Blackburns from America to Canada via the Underground Railroad is incredibly moving and brutal. Moving, because these people, and their mostly-unknown helpers and friends, risked everything for freedom. They found it in the Glory Land, Canada. But they didn't stop there. Thornton Blackburn actually returned to Hell to free his mother, and he and wife Lucy helped other refugee families settle in Toronto.

It was no bed of roses for them in Canada, but it wasn't slavery. Any nostalgia for 'gone with the wind' depictions of antebellum Southern life is put to rest forever when you read of this brutal system that measured degrees of freedom (free blacks lived alongside slaves; slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for census purposes, giving the South more voting clout than it deserved since the '3/5 men' weren't allowed to vote; slaves could be 'hired out' to companies and taught a trade, but their wages were paid to their masters; women were raped by slavers before being sold down the river as concubines.)

The book has its weaknesses. I could have done without the endless geneologies of inbred Southern planters and instead read quotes from the defense speech given by Blackburn's lawyer after the first Detroit Riot ("The Blackburn Riot") in 1833; surely that must have been printed somewhere? I'd have liked it if there were more direct quotes from the principals. And there is a bit too much of 'they might have' 'they must have' and other vagaries. True, the Blackburns could not read or write and many details of their story were not written down, but other people who traveled North could and did write about their experiences in their own words.

The book will leave a bad taste in your mouth if you are from the USA. The 'peculiar institution' was a perversion in every sense of the word, and this book shows how courageous people escaped it and made their own lives in spite of all obstacles in their path.

And their secrecy was so good, we don't really know the names of the people who helped the Blackburns and the others who made it to the Glory Land, these many long years later.

I couldn't put this book down. It's a fascinating window into the times and I came away with a much better understanding of it. Some of it was shocking, to be honest. I highly recommend this book.

One would have to read this book several times to completely absorb its multifarious layers, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

First and foremost, it is the compelling life story of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn. They escaped from slavery boldly using forged documents to travel by steamboat to Cincinnati (appropriately arriving on July 4) then settled in Detroit and were subsequently incarcerated under the Fugitive Slave Law. The community (white and black) rose up in their defense, sparking what history records as "The Blackburn Riots of 1833." After their hair raising escape to Canada and subsequent incarceration while appealing extradition under provisions of the Fugitive Offenders Act, they finally settled in Toronto, where Blackburn established the first cab company. The couple acquired affluence and influence - though they always lived modestly - and assisted many other refugees escaping slavery and intolerance before, during and after the Civil War.

Equally fascinating is the process by which their life story was reconstructed. Both Thornton and Lucie remained illiterate, and no one recorded their memoirs. This book is the result of over 20 years of painstaking research and - as the author states in the introduction - no small amount of "historical coalescence." It perfectly illustrates the creative approach historians must take when attempting to break through what genealogists call "The Wall of Slavery." The author relies on everything from Bibles to court documents to glean information and put all the pieces together, and her extensive bibliography alone is worth the price of the book.

While detailing the Blackburn's encounters with the legal system of the time, the author explores the evolution of jurisprudence in both countries: to maintain the Peculiar Institution in the states, and to guarantee civil liberties (and in no small part, autonomy from the U.S.) in Canada. Some slave owners doggedly expended inordinate amounts of time and money to retrieve their "property" and to punish anyone who might have aided their escape. Consequently, there are voluminous court documents related to the Blackburns as their owners pursued them here and abroad, and legal precedents were set which still have impact today. For example, people are often surprised to learn the Ohio River is actually part of Kentucky - that boundary was established to ensure this particular "highway to freedom" remained "slave territory" and this decision was relevant in the lawsuit filed against the steamboat captain and his company.

For American readers, the fact that this book is written from a Canadian's perspective adds yet another interesting layer. (Oh, to see ourselves as others see us!) Yet while pointing out the obvious hypocrisy inherent in U.S. "freedom," Frost does not turn a blind eye to racism and hypocrisy among Canadians. She notes that while Toronto harbored fugitive slaves, it also welcomed slaveholders and Confederate soldiers seeking asylum during the Civil War. Doubly mind boggling is the fact that the Blackburns had personal connections with some of them...and a few of them probably rode in his cab.

In the standard American narrative, slaves escape to Canada and vanish from our story. While many - heartened by the promise of Reconstruction - returned to the United States to reunite with family after the war (only to migrate north again as Jim Crow and sharecropping reinstated the antebellum power structure) the Blackburns lived three-quarters of their highly productive lives as African-Canadians. This book and the work which went into creating it are welcome revelations. I hope they inspire further research into the lives of those who crossed over into Canaan Land.

NB The book describes the role played by the Blackburns in the development of the Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission, a colony for fugitive slaves south of Chatham. The modern village of North Buxton is still home to about 200 descendants. Several years ago I visited the Buxton Historic Site and Museum and highly recommend it...plan to spend several hours! BuxtonMuseum dot com

Canada's role relative to slavery in the United States - little-known by Americans - is excellently told through the life story of a couple born in slavery. The Blackburns' escape from slavery calls out for dramatization in a movie or at least on PBS' "American Experience." It would also make a fine children's book.

I cannot overstate the importance of this book. It is a moving, heart-wrenching story. Additionally the Kentucky material was of particular interest to me since my own ancestors were in Mason COunty, KY for a good portion of the story of Thornton Blackburn. I have not finished reading it as of this writing.

This is a great book for anyone that enjoys reading about some of the folklore and ghost stories from our great state. I especially enjoyed reading the ghost stories from my hometown of Richmond in Madison County. Great book!

With a keen eye for what makes a good story, Keven McQueen uses his ready wit to tell each one with humor. These are sometimes morbid tales but told in such a way that the reader is entertained by them. "Kentucky Book of the Dead" amuses and sometimes fascinates.

THIS BOOK IS EXTREMELY ENTERTAINING AND WOULD MAKE AN EXCELLENT GIFT! I TOOK IT TO WORK WITH ME AND ALL MY CO-WORKERS PASSED IT AROUND AND READ ALOUD AND TO THEMSELVES VARIOUS PARTS OF IT! THEY ALL ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS I DO!

Keven McQueen has the potential to be the Stephen King of non-fiction! Like King he relies on the most horrific material to entertain the reader. The difference is McQueen uses the reality of the human condition to cause nightmares!!!!! "The Kentucky Book of the Dead" will leave the reader in a dilemma.............Should one be embalmed or risk being buried alive??

It takes a consummate master of the written word to make typically unsavory topics such as death by cesspool and olden embalming techniques come across as hilarious and not just plain morbid. Keven Mcqueen is a master, as proven by his latest book, The Kentucky Book of the Dead. He's got it in spades. He'll waste no time for the reader, offering up concise yet enthralling bits of death and factoids on the mayhem wreaked by the unlucky, uncaring, and just plain not so bright among us. He gives us a lagniappe of amusing tombstone headings as a little gift to the reader, which I consider a fantastic way of ending the book. Also, Kyle McQueen's illustrations help spotlight all the humor and pathos. Don't miss out on this one!

West did a fine job with his book and has a real sense of capturing both King Kelly and the state tournament (I played in two). But more than that, he captured the sadness and the loss of what King Kelly could have been. As good as King Kelly was, we never got to see him mature as a player beyond Wayland.

In 1956 I was fortunate to have been to the Kentucky high school basketball tournament and witnessed the amazing King Kelly Coleman. He scored 68 points against Shelbyville. This book is great and a fitting tribute to a true legend. This guy is without a doubt the greatest basketball player to ever walk in a pair of shoes. He could move like Michael Jordan, rebound and block shots like Bill Russell, handle the ball like Pete Maravitch, and dribble like Marques Haynes. And those are the things never mentioned because they are dwarfed by his uncanny shooting ability. The only times he ever missed a shot were when he had two or three guys all over him, but that didn't matter because when he did miss he would get his own rebound and put it back in. His personal story is fascinating. He played a short time in the NBA but they say he quit because pro basketball didn't pay well in those days. After 50 years I got to meet him at a book signing. He deserves the title of "King of Basketball".

I found this book fascinating - even though I didn't grow up in Kentucky hearing the King Kelly Coleman stories. This book is more than a one dimensional basketball book. It offers an insight into the cultural aspects of Eastern Kentucky as well as the rich tradition of basketball throughout the state.

King Kelly Coleman is a very good read about a legend in Kentucky Basketball history and the area of our Commonwealth where he grew up. Fascinating to see how choices made change an entire lifetime.

This is a fun Read. Gary P. West did a great job.

King Kelly Coleman..Kentucky's Greatest Basketball Legend, written by Gary P. West, is a story about a man who played basketball, not necessarily about a basketball player.

It's about a youngster, the son of a coal miner, with 10 brothers and sisters, who became the biggest high school legend in the history of basketball-crazy Kentucky.

The footprint he left and the records he set are still being talked about some 50 years later.

His more than 4,000 career points, and 68 points and 28 rebounds in the 1956 high school state tournament have withstood the assault of some of Kentucky's greatest basketball players.

In 1956 he was considered the best high school basketball player in the nation, ranking ahead of Oscar Robertson and Jerry West. He had just broken Wilt Chamberlain's national record for most points scored in a career, and University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp publicly called the King from Wayland perhaps the best basketball player of all-time.

You can read Gary P. West's take on it all as he reveals for the first time what is fact and what is fiction in "King Kelly Coleman.. Kentucky's Greatest Basketball Legend".