Kentucky Books

A historical, enlightening, and sweet rendition of what basketball can do to the spirit of individuals, families, and a small town, this one in Kentucky.

Great book. My great uncle is Howard Crittenden and my second cousin is Jimmy Webb. I just saw Uncle Howard on Saturday and he looks great. I got pictures of him at our family reunion.

The author, a junior college professoress, is a good writer, but her knowledge of basketball, and the absence of a proof reader, makes this otherwise neat book sometimes excruciating. The faux pas range from some gratuitious editorializing to innocent, perhaps, but nevertheless excruciating misobservations, e.g., e., she thinks that a basketball backboard, sometimes bankboard, or the area of the net, basket, or goal, is properly described as "goalposts." Her efforts to be adjectivially writerish are sometimes downright absurd, i.e., Doodle Floyd's shooting "lighting" up the scoreboard with "windmill" hookshots from all parts of the floor. Nonsense, he may have shot them from all around what used to be shaped as a key, but not all over the floor, for crying out loud ! Sheeeeeeeeeeeeesh -- betcha none of them were from behind the ten second line! In numerous little ways the authoress gnashes a minimally knowledable person of era basketball. e.g., at the time the ball could be taken out rather than a freeshot taken when a foul was committed, at least in, I think it was the last two minutes of a game or half. In a game in which Cuba was behind, the author seems surprised that the opponents took the ball out of bounds rather than shoot free throws when fouled. Of course they did ! The reason they were fouled was to obtain a turnover. If the team fouled missed a free throw there was a chance for a turnover. A team ahead likely would be interested in freezing the ball. Of course, for crying out loud, they would take the ball out of bounds rather than shoot a free shot. Several times the authoress comments on players shooting a "jump shot". No, not likely. They may not have shoved it up two handed from the waist or chest, and they may have shot running one hand shots, or one hand set shots, maybe be from the waist, and maybe with a pumping motion, but if she thinks they were shooting "jump" shots in the form of modern jump shots, that notion is almost as erroneous as that of players posting themselves under the "goalposts". Describing the Cuba gym, she mentions a "box" office adjoining the coach's office. A what ? Was this an office for boxes ? It would hardly have been a press box one wouldn't think. And then there was a player who drove for lay up and missed although he "tossed" it up. And, a shot is a shot, not a throw, unless someone throws it instead of shooting it. I wonder if there are some films somewhere which show these boys of the mid-century as they were. playing as they did ? Or if the authoress has any idea of how the game looked then ? Aside from not knowing what game must have appeared like, the authoress has produced a neat book in which one can grasp the tenor of life as experienced by its participants. Yet, I hungered for more of the very genre of insights she provided, such as pictures, verbally and actual pictures, of the participants away from the court. I would like to have seen more of this, the front of Harper's, a picture of the ball court there, the community as it was. And I searched the pictures that were vainly trying to grasp the Cuba gym. And I wonder if they dressed in a dressing room with showers, or in a class room ? Did they have JV preliminary games ? Or junior high games ? They gym was suggested by the authoress to be under regulation dimensions. Personally, the smallest gym I ever seen (not saw) was a junior high gym at Flint in Morgan County Alabama, the ceiling was in play and was just a few feet higher than the top of the wooden backboard, the end boundaries were painted half on the court and half on the wall at one end and on the stage at the other, and at the stage end the out of bounds line actually went up the steps on one side. Basketball courts vary in width and length, but the foul line is always ten feet from the goal (not the "goalpost"). Courts vary in length and width. I don't think there was any such animal as an unoffical court. Nevertheless, the authoress has provided a good story and an absorbing read about a happy collection, a synchronicity of capable youths and a coach who both taught and allowed the ablity of these boys of the mid-century to flow out of them. A remarkable story.

This is an excellent, easy to read, true heart warming story that is a real inspiration. It is a classic, a book that every parent, teacher, coach and team player will enjoy and learn from.

Basketball was a passion in Kentucky & every highschool, no matter its size, organized a team to play game after game, traveling miles in all sorts of vehicles & weather. In Cuba, Kentucky, an isolated rural town around which three rivers poured & flooded, a group of rambunctious 8th grade boys became inspired by Coach Jack Story's dream of winning the 1952 state basketball championship & the American Dream.

To a lesser degree yet with as much passion, the girls in the school fought & conspired to form a cheer leading troupe. In their long skirts & neck high Peter Pan blouses, they added their energy to the fever pitch.

Marianne Walker has told their stories with enthusiasm including insights from a time before over-the-counter medicines; when most everyone raised their own food; many were share-croppers & there were no funded school programs; school bussing & television. In a time when radio was king, not everyone had telephones & sports writers were the revered messengers of the marathon games for which just about every person would turn out. Fascinating read! Do check out my full review.

This book must be considered as the ultimate anathema to the "science-myth" debunker crowd. Written by a man of science as well as imagination, it tells the story of what really happened to a historical figure - a man named Captain William Morgan, who was "apparently" murdered by freemasons in 1826. This act itself sparked a noteworthy social movement. It was the author's intent that this book would spark a different kind of movement - away from blind faith in orthodoxy and a rekindling of thirst for pure knowledge and discovery. Sadly, that has not happened as yet. Witness the iron grip of secrecy surrounding government research projects in general and the facts about UFOs in particular. Forced ignorance of the population at large is the order of the day. But if you can put aside your prejudices, read this book in one sitting, and reflect on the changes it has made in you. Consider the challenge it poses to the materialist view of reality, and the cohesive theory of its own it presents, by implication. Mere fantasy? Think again. Also read "Moongate" by William Brian, and reconsider the finality of current theories on the morphology of the Earth and the planets. You will be at once surprised, amazed, piqued and outraged, but not in the way you thought you would be. Highly recommended reading from one of the most gifted minds in scientific American history.

I loaned my copy of this book to my best college buddy 24 years ago and have never seen it since...it is absolutely a wonderful book in any genre...a must read...and if you see D*** D***** from Jacksonville Beach Florida, tell him I still want it back!

I saw a movie called The Descent recently about some cavers who enter unmapped caves and discover pale, hairless humanoid creatures who set about gobbling them up. Well, this book tells the tale of a man who is led into a huge cave system in Kentucky by a pale, hairless humanoid creature. The man (supposedly one Captain William Morgan, author of Exposition of Freemasonry) is led by the creature into the bowels of the earth, ending up on the alleged concave surface on the inside of the 800 mile thick earth's crust. He doesn't get gobbled up by any creature, but has a couple of hair raising encounters.

I found this quite entertaining, but ultimately disappointing. Just as things are getting interesting the story ends! I felt cheated. The "being" seems a bit of a know-it-all. OK, 19th century science had its obvious failings and there are still many unanswered questions today, but there didn't seem much point to the scientific lectures delivered to Capt Morgan by the "being" during their long trudge through the earth's crust.

Some fair points are made about the state of Western civilization, e.g. the parallels with the last days of the Roman Empire with regards to excessive abuse of alcohol, also the wastefulness of advancing research into human biology. On the down side, the book seems suspiciously pro-Freemasonry to me, portraying it as a benevolent, occult organisation concerned with advancing the interests of humanity. The "being" at one point announces that at some point in the future a happily united humanity will be led in Capt Morgan's footsteps into the earth. He doesn't state what will await humanity on the other side though. For an alternative perspective on Freemasonry see books such as The Brotherhood, Inside the Brotherhood and Darkness Visible.

I assigned this book 4 stars to reward it for its outre, transgressive subject matter, all too rare in this world of orthodox thinking. That said, I found it a laborious read and possessing a bit too much of a religious overtone for my taste. For a rather more pleasurable trip down a similar rabbit hole I recommend Vril: The Coming Race.

This is an extremely odd book. It was written by a well-respected pharmacist from Cincinnatti (whose reference works are still consulted and who created a pharmaceutical library that is still in use today), but the subject matter is not only fantastic but prescient.

The cover story that Lloyd presents is that he was given a manuscript whose author (Llewellyn Drury) was unable to publish, so Lloyd made arrangements to publish it himself. It concerns a man (Drury) who received a supernatural visitation from "The-Man-Who-Did-It" or "I-Am-The-Man", a renegade Mason interested in alchemy who transcended the Masonic system and was initiated into a deeper organization-- one that has contacts with the inhabitants of the Hollow Earth.

The details of "I-Am-The-Man'"s abduction coincide with the story of the possible murder of Captain William Morgan, a Mason who wrote a book 'exposing' the Masonic ceremonies and whose drowned body was found afterwards in Lake Ontario. "Etidorhpa" maintains (fictionally) that his drowning was faked and that Morgan went on to be initiated into a deeper (in every way) organization.

Most of the book deals with "I-Am-The-Man"'s experiences underground with his mentor, an eyeless human/amphibian creature, and their journey to the center of the Earth. It seems that at every turn, "I-Am-The-Man" comes across something he can't comprehend and his mentor helps him through his episode of cognitive dissonance. This sort of situation repeats itself when "I-Am-The-Man" has to explain things to Drury. I was especially interested in the chapter that deals with General Relativity-- which, if the book's chronology is correct, predates Einstein.

"Etidorhpa" had some resonance with H.P. Lovecraft, but Lovecraft's subterranean fantasies were scary-- while Lloyd/Drury's story is ultimately benign. "Etidorhpa" is "Aphrodite" spelled backwards, and Aphrodite is the goddess of love.

(P.S.: Drury/Lloyd left such a detailed description of his trip to the entrance to his mysterious cavern (near Mammoth Cave) that people have made field trips to the general area. This is getting interesting.)

(P.P.S.: Beware the Science of Man.)

What a great book,easy reading,insightful,she puts forth such a warm ,honest,sincere feeling. Another book you can't put down, it just draws you into it.

it was with trepidation that i bought this book in the first place.But being a skeeter fan i had to check it out.Am so glad i did .what a wonderfull and moving story of one of the great icons of country mucic.the reader is taken on a journy through the life and times of this lady and we get to see and feel how she lived.

This book is a five-star winner all the way.I read this book years ago but lost it during one of my many moves.I came across it here on Amazon and couldn't wait to read it again.It's a true grit kind of book and Skeeter tells it like it is.She had an amazing career and life and she will always be fondly remembered.

I received this book as a gift simply because my family knows that I am hooked on music & biographies. I'm not what I would consider country music fan, nor have I ever even heard of Skeeter or the Davis Sisters. Nevertheless, this was one of the best books I've ever read. This is an incredible journey of triumph over tragedy, more tragedy and yet more tragedy (most of it attributable to Skeeter's naivety and her desire to please everyone). Skeeter kept an incredibly positive point of view throughout all the adversity her life threw at her, which is astounding considering all that she endured. In the end it gets a little too "Jesus Saves" for me, but that did not take away from her story or this woman's incredible struggle just to give her voice to her fans. I couldn't put it down and finished it in 3 days.

Skeeter Davis was one of a kind! You never had to worry about where you stood with her because she stood her ground and stuck to her principles! This autobiography ranks among the best and I, like many have read many great Country Music Autobiographies, some great like Loretta Lynn's, Tammy Wynette's, Jeannie C. Riley's, Jan Howard's, Brenda Lee's and some downright stinkers and self promotion like Reba's and Barbara Mandrell's. Only Loretta's comes close to matching Skeeters point for point. Skeeter's story is moving and poignant without being overly sentimental and syrupy. I was riveted to her story from page one living her life with her as she rose from the depths of Kentucky poverty to Country and Pop stardom of the highest magnitude. She weathered many, many storms along the way, most particularly the loss of her dear friend and blood sister, Betty Jack Davis and her disastrous marriage to "devil incarnate" Ralph Emery. Her final battle was lost to cancer last September and the heaven gained a new angel for its angel band. Betty Jack and Skeeter are at last reunited in Hillbilly Heaven. Through it all Skeeter never waivered in her faith and she received the ultimate reward. The one reviewer who posted a one star review here obviously missed so much of Skeeter's witness that one has to wonder if he/she even read the book at all. Skeeter was truly one of a kind and this autobiography will make you laugh, cry, and rejoice all at the same time. Skeeter's music still stands the test of time and her autobiography should be updated by someone who knew her during the last few years of her life. I am sure there are many who were close to this loving, caring and god-fearing woman. We are richer for having had her with us!

Freedom's Wings gives the reader some indication of life as it existed during the 1850's. The book focuses on a family and the individual member's quest for freedom from slavery. The almost daily entries by Corey Birdsong in his dairy tells the story of his father's fight against slavery to obtain his freedom, how he learns to read and write, and how his family made it to Canada after escaping and being separated on occasions. The book is exciting, and takes the reader on an adventure through swamps, caves and other places with assistance from the Underground Railroad. Other books to read: "Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul" which includes the new Epulaeryu Poetry, "Everyday Miracles" by Okubo, and "The Language of Poetry Forms" by Tree Good..

This book is about a slave boy who has horid owners. His father teaches him how to read and write.His father and his father's friend leave and his friend gets captuered and gets a really bad beating.Corey has a friend named Mingo. Corey teaches him how to write but he can not tell.It must of been hard back then.This book was really good. I hope you read it and like it to.

This is one of the best book!!!! It's about a slave named Corey who wants to be free. He keeps a secret notebook about how cruel they were to him.You shoud buy this book.

Freedom wings is about a slave boy named Corey and his family that try to escape the Harts. That is the family that owns the boy and his family. His dad is a blacksmith and his mom is a gardener for the Harts.

This story takes place in the 1857 and 1858. This story is about a boy and his family that escape from the Harts and go to the under ground railroad. I'll leave the rest for you to find out.

I would recommend this book to third grade to 5th grade readers. I think a lot of kids should read this book to because it is a good book, and it has a good author. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend because it is an amazing book. So read this book!

This book is about i a little boy named freedom that was sold to these people with his family. Well that family treated them very badly, so they had to find a way to get to the underground railroad. The first person that escaped from freedom's family was his father. Then freedom and his mother ran off becasue they wanted to find his father. Read on to find out if they find his father or not. If not they will get beaten badly or even killed by there owners becasue they found out freedom had left.

This book is packed with information about early settlers and explorers in Kentucky, but that's THE problem, too. Here's a sentence (on p. 51) that illustrates the vast amount of information he tries to pack in ONE sentence: "This Shawnee capital had its origins in 1729, the year Chillicothes and Thawikilas--weary of William Penn's lying sons and the rum trade, vanishing game, diminishing land, a buzzel of towns, and haughty Iroquois chiefs who castrated the Leni-Lenapis' manhood, deeming them 'Petticoat Indians'--began a Algonquin hajj to their homeland." Each phrase could have been an entire sentence, and then each sentence could have been explained better [i.e. William Penn's lying sons never appeared in the rest of the book, yet their behavior was apparently significant enough to run off the Indians].
You need to have plenty of patience and background knowledge to wade through this. That's a shame, because there probably is much information after the reader mentally sorts out the chaff from the wheat.

I am far more used to academic works and prefer them, rarely read fiction and have little use for "creative" esoteric historial approaches offered by trade presses, wanting the real thing, not its 2nd cousin, nor some romanticized faldoral.

Well...on a hunch I bought this HUNTERS OF KY after seeing long-haired, bolo-tyed Belue the author on THE HISTORY CHANNEL, and bought HUNTERS not so much of his tv delivery, which was a little rambling though often jocular and witty--mostly due to his inexperience, one might think, giving him the benefit of the doubt--but because of the strength of such venerable subject matter.

Well, I have no idea who TFB is, but he is, first, one hell of a writer (yet undiscovered, and will of course most likely remain that way); and, second, after twice reading HUNTERS concur with my fellow reviewers that his is a singular talent exhibiting scholarship blended with literary art, and, finally, his book a fine book that takes a reader out of the classroom and into the woods.

Heartily commended and a signal contribution to the Kentucky frontier destined to stand the test of time. His research and interpretion thereof,incidentally, is impeccable, though some of the words he uses I can't find in the dictionary. If you are a student of pre-statehood Kentucky, buy this book, and his first three titles. Dr. Ed Clark

First, this is a singularly different American frontier book than any ofher KY book out there, bar none. Belue takes an inconoclastic approach, much no doubt to the dismay of pendant critics/academics who revel in the predictable, the mundain, the banal, prosaic, lockstep line up with the 18th century living-histry clones bedecked in walnut dyed. Belue writes like a vigorous Abbey, Twain (see Interlude V), and Mattheissen, all though distilled and rendered through Belue's rather novel sense pf vision. Like any artist, he writes for the grave, knowing its own inherent good, not giving a damn though if anyone agrees. Often every paragraph takes the form of a sonnet, with impressive voice switches between Belue's chapters and interludes. Belue is a concise, eonomic writer and purely American--pure bones, sinew, muscle, sans fat and gristle, but roughed up prose where needs be --and so his writing (rather retro, and I mean that in a good +way)--hearkens more to the old masters (Steinbeck, EH), rather than the deconstructionist ideologes currently in vogue that can criticize EH with impunity, but can't write three words sequentially like him. But Belue can and does so routinely.

Ted Franklin Belue knows well the colorful history of the Trans-Appalachian region, a fact that is fully evident in his recently published The Hunters of Kentucky, (Stackpole Books, 315 pages, $29.95). This excellent book will be of interest to a wide spectrum of readers. Those not familiar with the Kentucky backcountry will learn a lot. Those already knowledgeable about the facts will come away with a heightened appreciation for the unique character of the Kentucky frontier. Belue's approach differs from the usual form of narrative employed by most historians. Rather than include all the players and events in the drama, the author has selected certain personalities and subjects to emphasize, weaving an intriguing tapestry of the Kentucky frontier-in effect a backwoods mood piece. By employing this technique, Belue exhibits a much more distinctive style of writing than was evident in his equally valuable earlier book, The Long Hunt.
Following a prologue, The Hunters of Kentucky is divided into ten chapters. Each chapter is followed by a shorter exposition, termed an interlude. Among the major figures featured are Dr. Thomas Walker, Christopher Gist, Thomas Bullitt, Daniel Boone, Nicholas Cresswell, Daniel Trabue, James Estill, Pompey, George Michael Bedinger, and Spencer Records. Subjects covered include exploration, surveying, warfare, buffalo, clothing, long hunters, and weapons. A helpful chronology appears in an appendix. The maps and illustrations are first-rate .
One of the most interesting sections of The Hunters of Kentucky describes how the long rifle came to be identified specifically with Kentucky. When readers finish this segment, they will feel as if they were actually in the New Orleans audience as Noah Ludlow first sang the newly written ballad, "The Hunters of Kentucky" one night in May 1822. Only seven years earlier, Kentuckians had joined Andrew Jackson's other backwoodsmen to devastatingly defeat the British forces attempting to invade New Orleans. Many of the half-drunken frontier rivermen in the audience that May evening had been with Jackson at that incredible triumph, which became instant hallowed history. Dressed in a hastily acquired backwoodsman's outfit, with a long rifle by his side, Ludlow launched into the first verse ending with "O Kentucky, the Hunters of Kentucky; O Kentucky, the hunters of Kentucky!" The crowd showed great excitement. As he finished the second verse that referred to Kentuckians as a "hardy freeborn race" and "alligator horses," the audience was losing control. Ludlow sang the third verse, "But Jackson he was wide-awake, And wasn't scared at trifles, For well he knew what aim we'd take With our Kentucky rifles; So he marched us down to Cypress Swamp, The ground was low and mucky, There stood John Bull in martial pomp, But here was old Kentucky." Ludlow immediately dropped to one knee, leveled his rifle, and took imaginary aim. Then it happened. Pandemonium reigned. The ballad, "The Hunters of Kentucky," had captured the essence of the Kentucky backwoods ethos. Two centuries later Belue has done it again with his book, The Hunters of Kentucky.

Get ready to head down the trail towards to cane breaks!
Ted Belue's 4th offering "The Hunters Of Kentucky" will
set you directly in the middle of the wilds of that unexplored
hunters paradise called KANTA-KE! Belue's "Hunters" is a fantastic
read, chronicling the early exploration of Kentucky, including
the original native inhabitants, gentlemen explorers, itinerant hunters,
and the early settlers who dared to make this wooded eden their home.

Belue neatly and expertly seperates mythic fact and romance from meaty fact,
delivering up the rich and detailed history of the Kanta-Ke territory. From the
migration of the "Shawanoe" peoplesto the impact of the beaver wars between
the French & English as they grapple control of a continent away from
the Spanish and Dutch. Included are narratives and biographic sketches
of some of the early explorers, traders and hunters. Follow Dr, Thomas Walkers
four month, 1750 exploration of the Kentucky country, as well as Christopher
Gist's and Nicholas Cresswell's tour of the of the Kentucky lands.
Belue details the incurssion of the of the buckskin clad "shirtmen" who
came following the red deer, foreshadowing the first tendrils of an
unstoppable tide of settlers, and the resultant decades of war and strife between the anglo invaders and the native peoples, including the brutal
aftermath of frontier warfare and an end to a way of life for the native peoples.
Belue weaves a rich colorful tapestry of mostly forgotten frontier personalities
including Andrew Montour, Monk Estill and pompey the black Shawnee, as
well as the more well known personalities of Boone, Kenton, Girty and others.
"Hunters Of Kentucky" is lavishly illustrated with photos and art, and is set
off by an extensive appendix and chronology of events.
In the end, "Hunters of Kentucky" will definately leave you wanting more.
A must have book!<

This book is well researched and well written. It is very informative and very entertaining. I highly recommend this to any Bela fan or fan of the horror genre.

I loved this book.I read the first addition originally published in 1973.This revised edition is even better,with more photos.HOWEVER, I really am sick and tired of all of the Bela Jr. bashing in THIS edition.Mr. Lenning gives a very ONE SIDED account of the court battles that ensued after Lugosi's death between Bela Lugosi Jr.and his fathers widow, Hope.Aside from that, I recommend this book highly to fans of Lugosi's and those new to his work.

What can I say, this book is a great followup expansion of Lennig's earlier biography, which has been my favorite books since I purchased it in the early 1970s. Informative and loaded with pictures, you can tell the author idolizes the subject and won't skimp on the details. This book shows why Lugosi should be considered to be more than just a ham actor from the golden age of Hollywood which many reviewers do, but a bonifided talented star.

By now, everyone knows that Arthur Lennig has reworked his 1974 mini-cult classic THE COUNT. What I didn't know was the extent to which he did.

THE COUNT was tough to come by when I was a kid trying to read about Lugosi, Karloff, and Chaney Jr. My public library had it, and my brother and I would check it out on alternative weeks to keep it in our possession (seemingly, no one else was clamoring for it). When Lennig released the rewrite, I kept waiting for the price to fall (it never really did), so a year later, I caved in and bought it.

I'm glad I did. Lennig has expanded the book beautifully, utilizing the latest scholarship and revising entire chunks. He's also re-evaluated the credibility of some of his sources (Caroll Borland among them), and integrated some of the opinions of Gregory William Mank. The new book also softens some of the pot-shots he took at Karloff in 1974, and casts Chaney Jr. in a far less unfavorable light. The Epilogue is really interesting and up to date. In fact, the one fault is that Lennig may still have too much affection for Lugosi to be truly objective--but that's a "fault" easily excused if you have the same "fault" yourself!

In all, THE IMMORTAL COUNT is a terrific read, nicely updated, and a great addition to your library.

First off, I admit that it pains me to find fault in such an obvious labor of love. Mr. Lennig must certainly be the Greatest Living Bela Lugosi Fan, and it shows. The Immortal Count is painstakingly detailed in its accounts of both the content and construction of Lugosi's films. But for all its technical prowess, Lennig's writing vacilates between professional criticism and amateurish defensivness.

For example: The author laments the he himself was maligned in another book, Universal Horrors. Like a child who's just been called a bad name, Lennig makes reference to "smart-ass critics." Does anyone reading this book CARE what other critics think of the author? It's a moment of self-indulgence that does not belong in what should be--by virute of volume alone--the definitive study of the films of Bela Lugosi.

There is much concensus among film critics that Lugosi himself often bended the truth to his will, especially in interviews conducted during his final years. Reading THE IMMORTAL COUNT, one suspects Arthur Lenning has, himself, succumbed to the same malady. He appears ready to defend his subject's shortcomings at every turn. While such hero worship can be charming, in this context it seems unprofessional.

The other, somewhat lesser, problem I found with the book is that the author often feels it necessary to give virtually shot-by-shot descriptions of the films. Lennig has many "behind-the-scenes" tales to tell, and these should make up the bulk of the material.

If the film descriptions could be trimmed, and the irrelevant asides excised, I believe THE IMMORTAL COUNT would be very close to the defintive Lugosi history we fans have been waiting for. As it stands, it's a lovingly-crafted but highly-flawed work.

The story "Aunt Granny Lith" alone justifies purchase of this book. These stories of rural Appalachia should connect with any reader who grew up far from the city. It's a swath of America that gets too little literary treatment. The characters are coarse, ignorant, and petty, and Offutt succeeds all the more by making them thoroughly human and winning the reader's empathy.

The descriptions of wooded hills, dilapidated shacks, and rutted roads, are piercing and mesmerizing.

A great collection of backwoods Americana. What gets me about some of these stories by Offutt/Brown/Woodrell, et al, is how much more hardboiled they ultimately are than the so-called "bad streets of the city". What makes them more important is how real they all taste (and probably are). The other half not only lives, it will survive.

A well written short story is my favorite thing to read. Mr. Offutt's book "Kentucky Straight" is full of ones that more than suffice. I enjoy his honesty. He allows the reader to objectively peak around a hickory tree and truly see Appalachia. His stories ring so true, that i would not be surprised if someone from his holler might mistaken them to be fact. Mr. Offutt vividly brings the woods to the reader. I suggest that anyone reading these stories for the first time read them outside, under a shade tree. Xer...

This remarkable collection of stories is well named; it is, indeed, Kentucky, straight. No frills, no gimmicks, no adornment, just a clear voice telling stories that draw a reader in from the first paragraph. "Old of the Moon" took my breath away. "Smokehouse" should be required reading for any boomer tempted to whine their way through mid-life. "Nine-Ball" makes you look at gun racks in pick-up trucks in an entirely new light. In his pure voice, this writer leaves us with extraordinary images: bills of cash twisted around barbs in a stretch of fence; splitting a wooden match and saving half for later; roads not good for hauling things in, but only for taking coal out. Each of the stories in this collection is a gem and this reader found herself thinking about them long after they'd been read.

These stories literally broke my heart....then made it sing. Chris Offutt is a word magician, pure and simple. I loved his memoir, "The Same River Twice" and this collection of stories is as good or better. I can't remember when I've loved an entire collection of short stories more than these. I checked this book out at the library, but will definitely buy a copy for my permanent, never-loan-out collection. This book is a treasure!

This is a book that reads almost like poetry. I found myself slowing down and re-reading for the pleasure of the words and the strong sense of place that the author is able to create. I found the characters believable and admirable - doing the best they can as the war takes their sons and husbands- trying to hold on to life at home so that their war veterans will have the home that they left recognizable when they return to it. A powerful and realistic blending and interweaving of the lives of members of a small southern community - I highly recommend this book.

Wonderful! Our library didn't have this early book by Wendell Berry. It arrived in perfect shape and quickly, and I couldn't have found fault with your service if I'd been trying to.

"A Place on Earth" is the second novel of the Port William Membership that I have read; the first being "Jayber Crow". Berry proves himself to be yet again a master storyteller with the power to weave prose into beautiful and sometimes elegaic poetry. "A Place on Earth" is an incredible tribute to the power of loss, love, family and community.

Rather than focusing on one character, or one cohesive story, Berry chooses to tell about the daily life of various town members. Readers feel as though they are members of the community as well and have known these characters and their comings and goings for years. There are several main characters, such as the Feltner family, who have received news that their son is missing in action and must come to terms with the fact that he may never come home. Since Port William is a small town, the lives of every townperson is interweaved with that of their neighbors. Everyone knows everyone, and knows their joys and sufferings almost as immediately as they do.

A long time fan of Berry's poetry, I have loved the discovery of these two novels, and look forward to reading the rest of the Port William stories. Wendell Berry paints his characters so vividly, and sometimes so heartbreakingly real, that we come away from the story shocked back into reality. Berry knows the true nature of loss, the grief that accompanies it, and the hope that can be found in the most hopeless situations. Through all the trials and tribulations of the town and its members, hope persistently prevades and will, in the end, erase the pain that has been caused.

mr berry is my favorite author when it comes to writing about rural america. I've enjoyed each novel that i've read by him so far, but this one is my absolute favorite. this is a great american classic that has been sadly under the radar for too long. the writing is exquisite and the book is filled with wonderfully memorable characters that make each page pulse with life. my highest recommendations go out to this great work of art.

Wendell Berry's wonderful and beautifully written novel brings us back to a beautiful place on earth, Port William. The time is 1945, and the backdrop is the ending of World War II, and how is affects the lives of the farmers and people of this little and beloved town. Here we see our friends from Berry's other novels about Port William: Jayber Crow, Hannah Coulter, Old Jack, Burley, Mat, and others we have come to love. We feel the poignancy and despair: we see the inadequacy of platitudes in the face of loss and grief. We also meet new characters whose lives are also incised by tragedy, such as a terrible flood. Through this, though, Berry also gives us hope, and at times, even humor, such as through the character of Uncle Stanley. We live with these character and we love them, and Berry's writing, simple and elegant, brings us closer to the experience of what it is to be human. His book evokes a great poem by jani johe webster, "a place called earth" (from her book "silhouette of a soul"): "if you live here/these space miles/from the moon/ a place called earth/ turn the page / make the music change from sorrow to harmony / let the geese come home / across the miles / the trees bud / into spring / and the day open itself." In Berry's novel, the geese do, in a sense come home again: the war ends and we celebrate with these characters. And the many of characters do change the music of their lives from sorrow to harmony: and we see the quiet heroism in their souls. Along with "Jayber Crow", "Hannah Coulter", and "The Memory of Old Jack," this is one of Berry's greatest and most sensitive works.

I was a close friend of Billy Jr. for many years, and knew his father, the immortal William S. Burroughs, when I founded the Santa Cruz Poetry Festival in the 1970's. The son was no mere imitation of the father, though the subject of these books, drug addiction, would lead you toward that conclusion. Billy was one of the saddest, most tragic figures I had ever known, and also one of the kindest, most entertaining and charming. He is testimony to the "offspring of greatness", syndrome: the curse of trying to emulate and duplicate the father. These are remarkable books, perhaps as relevent to the insanity of the 60's and 70's, the self indulgent, self-destructive underbelly of all that hope and optimism and freedom that Naked Lunch and Howl and Dharma Bums had represented to the 50's. Billy Jr. could write, Billy was a human yo-yo, full of pain and rage, resistant to society's conventions and ultimately his own worst enemey. I belive he had two liver transplants before he was 32. He told us on numerous occasions that he was present when his father shot his mother during an infamous, abortive game of "William Tell" in Mexico. I have never been able to verify that, as I never had the courage to ask Wiliam Sr. on the rare occasions I was with him. Anyway, very few writers are inseparable from their work. There was nothing fabricated in either Speed or Kentucky Ham: this is Billy Burroughs, Jr., son of a legend, a modest legend in his own right, and I don't think a study of the 60's would be complete without seeing this dark, painful, resilient, hopeful, despairing, all-too-brief mini-body of work left behind by Billy. It is almost a litmus test for which path you took at a very young age. If life was too painful to be lived, Billy took the right one. I"m not sure that's what he wanted, he just didn't know how to step outside himself for very long. I loved these books, and I loved Billy JR. James Dalessandro, author, Canary In A Coal Mine, Citizen Jane, Bohemian Heart and 1906

I love and have loved these two books by Billy Jr for years. I have read them 3-4 times and swear they only get better w/each re-read. When you finish the last page of Kentucky Ham (having read Speed first and the second book subsequently) you feel like you and Billy had just hung out together for a little while. And it feels like that evey time you read his stuff. How sad that he was indeed "cursed from birth" and had such a short sad life but how intruiging it was!

Yes, Billy Junior was not his father: read this thinking of him as his own person with his own habit. That said, I was surprised how much impression this duo-novel had on me. For one thing, it's authentic. This guy knew his drugs and how to talk candidly about them. I found myself laughing with him, rooting for him when he started to get in trouble.

Another value this book has, especially the Kentucky Ham segment, is a crash course (no pun intended) on what can make a drug rehabilitation program actually have the effect that such things so seldom do: Bill Jr. suggests that addicts need the chance to "put in a new brain" and do it for themselves, without all the BS and indoctriation that come with most drug treatment facilities. The program Billy was involved with helped small groups of addicts to travel to Alaska and join fishing crews. While playing Eskimo for months he learned to re-acquaint himself with the rhythms of his body, the demands of surviving, and learn what the unpretentious life close to nature can often offer people who have forgotten the basics. (I wonder if programs like this still exist sometimes, ones without any of that "faith based" nonsense.) All told, a great book that any lover of drugs should have a gander at. It is, to my great delight, completely unjudgmental about drugs and their users: he simply decided enough was enough when it was time to.

I never tire of reading these books and have read them over and over again. This book touches you especially if you have had an addiction to anything like drugs. William Jr can make you laugh and weep in the same chapter. These books leave you with a profound sadness but they stay with you even after you are done reading them. The thing is you are never done because I have returned to them over and over again. This is an honest look into the world of addiction. It's not a pretty picture but it is not a preachy book on the " evils " of drugs. It just describes the author's experience with speed. A terrific read. I know it will touch you as it has touched me. It is a shame that William Jr left us so early.

Two books by the son of William S. Burroughs. Soul crushing sadness. While the Elder Burroughs' writing has an almost scriptural cadence to it, (Bill Jr, says "Naked Lunch" was transcribed), the Junior Burroughs writing is page after page of unrelenting despair and self-pity; well-written, yes, but Darker-than-Dark...In his afterword to the book the Elder Burroughs' describes his son's writing as illustrative of the Cultural Revolution and Dream that was the 60's. Bill Jr's writing shows the 60's as a nightmare and you may feel fortunate to wake from it after finishing the book. And, as so many "Revolutions" of the 20th century abysmally failed, perhaps this was one more revolution we can thankfully see fizzle and fade. In "Speed" Bill Jr. confidently predicts that the long-hair revolutionaries he sees are gonna shake up the world and never sell out...well... Fascinating book, well-written, haunting and exasperating, important addition for folks who collect the Elder Burroughs stuff. Just don't read this book with any sharp objects nearby...

As a Kentuckian who followed the UK football program during the Bradshaw years, I found much of the "unknown" material from that era very interesting. I only wish Mr. Ragland could have done the research, then put his findings in the hands of a competent author (or found a good proofreader). I do not believe I have ever seen worse writing in a published book. Apparently he has no acquaintance with elementary rules of grammar.

Mr. Ragland deserves credit for finding the individuals with whom he talked and for making the information public. But he went too far when he stated, as a fact, that UK threw the Xavier game, even going so far as to infer the identity of the guilty players, without naming them explicitly. A careful reading, however, shows that he has no proof whatsoever that the fix was in. This is unconscionable.

I played for Bradshaw 65'-69'. The book was accurate but the indoor conditioning and tough style of coaching continued through till his departure in 69'.

The five stars are only valid if you are a UK fan and know the history of the Thin Thirty. It was a great book as I knew a lot of people mentioned.
If you don't know the people and the history of that era then this book might not be for you.

Having been a product of southern football in the early 60s (a successful HS program, though, not college), I recognize many of the brutalization tactics employeed by Bradshaw and his staff. So traumatized by practices were we that we looked upon actual games as fun times off. No wonder we did so well and our opponents hated to play us. No comment about the fixing allegation, as I've no knowledge of that. But, the gay sex thing rang true, also. It's hard today to realize just how naive young men were in that age. That robust, hetero young men could have partaken in such without any stigma says a lot about how far we've come in the politization of all things sexual in the last half of the 20th century.

As to the artifact itself (the book). This is one of the worst production jobs I've ever seen. Was there no editor or proof-reader available? Grammatical mistakes and typos abound. And the binding did not survive a first reading. Even opening the book flat on my lap loosened the pages, so poorly were they glued in.

But, the information in this book is a vital link to a time gone forever, and should be part of any historical survey of college football in the south. Not for everyone, but a must read for anyone wondering how football came to be a religion in the south.

Who among the male sports fans reading this has not at some time subscribed to the Bear Bryant/Vince Lombardi school of coaching, or thinking? We have all done it.

It goes something like this:

Part One - Be tough on the kids, break em down physically and mentally.
Part Two - Build them back up as a team, encourage them, reward them.

Ever wondered what would happen if Part One was overdone, and Part Two was ignored?

Well, that's exactly what occurred at Kentucky University in 1962, and that is what The Thin Thirty is about.

The book gets its name from the fact that in the winter of 1961 KU had 88 men out for football, but after the brutality of the "conditioning program," spring practice, and finally fall practice, when the first game rolled around in 1962 only 30 players were left on the team.

The "thin" part of the title refers to the fact that among the 30 survivors most had gone from hefty guys down to scrawny, thin, weakened young men.

And the abuse did not stop there. Scholarship players who quit because of the insanity and physical abuse (wait till you read about the coach that slugged a player, knocked a tooth out and then demanded he continue with no interruption) were badgered into signing a waiver giving up their scholarships - a clear violation of the scholarship contract.

This is about a coaching staff and supportive administration that ran amok. And more importantly it is about dozens of young men who were forced to choose to endure the label of quitter for finally throwing in the towel on the KU version of the Bataan Death March.

Richly researched and told in a vivid style of writing, this is a book about what was nothing less than a concentration camp masquerading as a football program. And the stories of how the survivors eventually built solid lives for themselves in spite of the experience will bring tears to your eyes.

Bryant and Lombardi were masters. But they remembered Part Two of their formula. The "Bryant wannabees" at KU in 1962 forgot Part Two and became sadists in classic Lord Of The Flies fashion.

There is a message there for all of us.

PS This book deserved to be printed and distributed by a large publisher. Instead it seems to have been printed by a vanity press - so be prepared for some typos and errors in grammar - but don't let that put you off - this is a great book and we hope to hear more from this author.