Kentucky Books

From beginning to end I was drawn into the lives of all the caratures. Being from Kentucky and visiting Shakertown, I was able to use my imagination and see different sides of how they lived. It brought out both the pros and cons to their living. I also liked how a woman in that time was able to be strong and go with her "beliefs".

I have read many of Ms. Giles books and this one is by far my favorite! She truly reached out to me and because of her book I am contemplating converting to Shakerism! She makes the characters come alive, feel their feelings, and even though she shares it from a point of view against Shakers, she lets you form your own opinion. I worked at a Shakertown but nothing was as moving to me as this book!

I found this book in the attic covered under piles of dust. I did not know what it was about as it did not have a cover or anything telling what the book was about. I decided to give it a try and was immediatly submersed in the world of the 1800's. I could not put the book down after the first page. it took me about 2 days to complete the whole book. The author, Giles, is very descriptive and exciting writer. Usually i do not like to read books set in the 1800's, but this book is excellent. It is about the life of Rebecca Fowler. It starts with her early life chasing the man she loves and evovles as Rebecca does into her life story. It talks of life in the wilderness and then life while she is involved in a Shaker community and life thereafter. This is an excellent book and i cannot wait to read more book written by Giles.

I read this as a child, and again as an adult. I re-read it after I went to the Shaker community in Northern Kentucky and enjoyed it much more, but give me "Hannah Fowler," "Six Horse Hitch" or "Johnny Osage" (all by Janice Holt Giles) anytime! She is a terrific author who has done better than this effort. But, it is still a good story...worth the read.

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"!.

Blind Switch is worth the read! A lively book with full blown interesting, and some despicable characters, this book kept me going. McEvoy makes the world of horse breeding and racing a seductive one and one I would like to visit again. He blends the good guys with the bad guys as the story weaves from Chicago to Kentucky and en route we watch the main character grow and ultimately flourish.
A fast and refreshing story!

Blind Switch is a great ride - lots of unusual and goofy characters - some are people you'd like to know, including Jack Doyle, the main character. He starts out in a "blind switch", essentially boxed in by life, though in part by his own doing. He evolves and revolves through the world of thoroughbred horse racing. You will too. Great suspense, life lessons, and peripheral romance. You'll hate the bad guys and enjoy the good guys, with lots of laughs. The Chicago references are fun for us Chicagoans. Ever wonder why horse racing is actually a clean sport? Because the FBI, the mob, and the industry itself need and want it to be. It's a great read! I didn't want it to end. I'm waiting for McEvoy's next move.

When Jack Doyle is downsized from his corporate Chicago job, a friend tells him he can make an easy $25,000 on a horse race. He accepts the job and the fix is totally successful but the FBI has an idea what he did even though they have no evidence to convict. The agents "convince" him to gather evidence that rich and powerful Harvey Rexroth is having his horses killed for the insurance money. One of Rexroth's employees, manager Aldous Bolger reports his suspicions to the FBI

Bolger agrees to help Jack get hired by Rexroth and Doyle but finds he likes and respects the man who loves the horses as if they were his own. The FBI believes the leader of the horse killing ring is former jockey Ronald Montvedt, a stone cold killer who will do anything for money. When Bolger catches him trying to kill a stallion, the ex-jockey maims Bolger. Doyle is now determined to take Montvedt and Rexroth down, no matter what methods he has to use.

Fans of books of the late Dick Francis will thoroughly enjoy BLIND SWITCH, a novel about horses and people who care for them. The protagonist undergoes a metamorphosis as he stays in contact with the beautiful animals and goes from being a shady character to a person who wants to see justice done. John McEvoy has a unique voice that will win him a place with many fans and BLIND SWITCH deserves to win an award for best new talent.

Harriet Klausner

I love books that deal with horses. I especially look forward to those which deal with horse racing. Add to that setting a hero with some serious defects in his character, an interesting scenario which puts him on the side of the angels, several villians whom you will love to hate, some people you will genuinely care about and a generous sprinkling of serious nut cases and you have a very readable, thoroughly enjoyable first novel by John McEvoy. I have read most of the writings of the late, great Dick Francis and in my judgment, references to his writings in comparison to this story is comparing apples to oranges. Both authors have an interesting way of telling their story, but there is little comparison to how they go about it. This is a story that will hold your interest, tickle your funny bone and satisfy your sense of justice. That's a trifecta worth betting on!!

Blue Moon Rising

Blue Moon Rising is a "must read" for women's studies classes and for anyone interested in how women rise above sexism, poverty, racial prejudice, and poor educational backgrounds to build satisfying lives for themselves and for their children. This compilation of seventeen narratives is subtitled "Kentucky Women in Transition." Jennie Brown, who teaches writing at the Western Kentucky University's Community College gathered theses stories by traveling around Kentucky and listening to women who had "overcome tragedy, misfortune, or seemingly insurmountable odds.... to make a positive transition in their lives." Most of the women have struggled to rise above difficult or impossible backgrounds and have managed to either begin or finish a college education. Any professional interested in helping women leave the welfare rolls or interested in preventing women from ending up on welfare roll will find insights into the factors that made it possible for these women to turn their lives around. Often this difference came in the form of a mentor, a loving grandmother or neighbor, or a caring teacher or fellow worker. If we need any reminders of the sexism, the abuse, or the disdain that many working-class women face, Blue Moon Rising provides exactly that. If we have any questions about the ability of women to rise above impossible circumstances, Blue Moon Rising will answer those questions. If we have doubts that many ordinary women live extraordinary lives, Blue Moon Rising will erase those doubts forever.

--- Angela Tehaan Leone, writer and teacher

After reading Blue Moon Rising: Kentucky Women in Transition, I understood two things that I thought I knew already. All my schooling and life experience have not taught me what this collection of women's stories has-in a way that goes beyond words on a page or statistics in a column. First, that sexual trauma is pervasive and soul-killing, yet healing is possible and a victim is not doomed to perpetuate her abuse on others. Second, that the greatest courage and heroism may not be found on the battlefields of war or the sites of natural catastrophes, but in the homes of everyday people, in the struggles of girls and boys, adolescents, and young mothers.
Jennie Brown used her sabbatical from Bowling Green Community College to travel around Kentucky listening to women's life stories and collecting them in this beautiful, eloquent book. Inspired by her students' writing yet troubled by the absence of published stories about "ordinary women who have achieved-and overcome-obstacles and plain `hard times,'" Brown was determined to "bear witness to their courage, their determination, and the faith that sustained them."
Aside from the introduction, Brown refrains from changing the women's words. This editorial strategy puts the power of telling in their hands, respecting their telling and lending it credence. In language that varies from person to person, so that the collection speaks in many voices, the women trace their journeys, often taking us to low points too grim to contemplate for long, then naming the turning points that allowed them to emerge and to seek emotional and physical health-for themselves and their children or parents. Although sexual trauma is the common experience of many of these women, other forms of discrimination and suffering took their toll, from physical wounding to racism to hunger, despair, and illness.
Brown's second most significant editorial decision was to weave poems by Trish Lindsey Jaggers and one by Patti Lynn Henry between each woman's account. These poems, beautiful in themselves, provide a moving commentary on the inner life of seekers after truth. They were not written expressly for the collection, so it's uncanny at times how the poems reach out to the different narrators. In "Cracks," for instance, Jaggers seems to speak to the others about what they, too, have found: "Water / finds the smallest / crack through which / to seep / in the most dense / of dams." Another poem, "The Trip," speaks to the urge to share and in that sharing to move beyond numbness: "I / want you to know / what it has taken / for me to get / this far-- / much lost / to time, / lonely days / spent sitting / in a hard chair / trying to recall / why / I am / so numb."
One of the contributors describes the path that led her from a relentlessly violent home to her closing resolution: "For my future, I want to help any kid that I can. That's my goal, to make a difference in kids' lives, to change them when they're at the point I was." Ordered by an older brother to take turns beating each other with a plastic bat, her siblings turned on each other. After being beaten and bruised herself she was forced to turn on her younger brother: "I just remember the pain in his face. I thought, I know what you're going through, but I can't stop it. I can't help it. This is what we have to do." How does one undo such messages of hate? For this young woman, a loving couple at Potter Children's Home made the difference: "They had one child of their own, and adopted three others. So when we saw they loved children who didn't belong to them, we could believe they loved us, too."
Her story is followed by "My Turn" a poem that tells us: "Wipe my tears from your eyes; sympathy is not what I want. / . . . / It's my turn / to judge / what size shoes fit my feet, / or whether I'm tough enough to run / barefoot through snow." The message of this difficult, rewarding book affirms that the most painful life experiences need not destroy the self or deny the person a place in the world.

Jane Olmsted, Director of Women's Studies Program
Western Kentucky University

Reading Blue Moon Rising: Kentucky Women in Transition reminded me of a phrase found in a 1998 document, "The President's Commission on Women in American History," which read: heroism should be understood "as extraordinary responses to extraordinary circumstances by ordinary people." Editor Jennie L. Brown (Bowling Green Community College) has collected stories from 17 Kentucky women who, by that definition, are heroes. She lets them tell their stories without editorial interference and thus bears "witness to their courage, their determination, and the faith that sustained them." These women's lives, their stories, detail a tangle of woes and troubles (there is never just one problem!), ranging from sexual trauma to racism to hunger to illness to despair, and tell the reader far more than any sociological study or statistical analysis.

Jennie Brown made two significant editorial decisions. First, she neither edited nor changed in any way the wording of these stories which came to her either in written form or on audio tape. That clearly empowered those telling the stories. Second, Brown chose to insert poems by Trish Lindsey Jaggers (and one by Patti Lynn Henry) between the individual accounts.

While the poems were not written specifically for this volume, they beautifully connect with the prose. Jaggers, a brilliant young poet, wrote "In My Attic," printed on page 132:

In my attic/there is a book/of poems/I have been meaning to write/if only I could find the nerve./There is a page/from a chapter/I have been meaning to/finish/if only I could find the strength./There is a story/I have been meaning to/tell/if only I could find the will./There is a person/I have been meaning to be/behind my attic door/if only I could find the/key.

Jaggers' beautiful words remind us that there are innumerable stories yet to be heard and that we should be thankful that the 17 women in this volume found the courage leave the attic and "find the key." This eloquent book is an affirmation of life, an affirmation of the power to overcome pain and oppression, an affirmation of lifetelling, an affirmation of hope. It is, in other words, redemptive.

charles j. bussey
history professor
western ky. university
bowling green, ky 42101

Having the privilege of editing Jennie's book is one of the best experiences of my life. Working with her was a pleasure and I am thankful that our paths crossed in this way.

The stories in Blue Moon Rising are incredible. These are amazing women who have overcome so much. But they are women just like you and me. It takes courage to share your story. It is my hope that all of these women will continue in the direction of their dreams and find serenity in God. I also hope that abused women who read this book will find strength to make the changes in their lives to take care of themselves and their children and that women who have been through similar trials will realize that they are not alone. --Dayna Spear (Williams), editor

I finished reading this at the Falls of the Ohio, where a statue of Lewis and Clark overlook the Ohio. Meanwhile across the river in Louisville, there is Ed Hamilton's statue of York, not as prominently displayed but present. Perhaps we'd like to tell ourselves that we have gone a long way, and York too came a long way on the voyageur of discovery. But to go from a voting member of the expedition ("That winter, he give me my own proxy // say my word count too, /// but I knows not to get too full a myself ") to return to "revisionist history" and ill treatment ("I don't know what get in Massa's head // an have him think a generous whip // make me a better slave"). York left no notes, so Walker makes appealing conjectures about York's inner thoughts during the voyage .. "When I be my best self, I be all buffalo", of dreaming of his wife, or of vision quests. Thought provoking poetry!

A fabulous book, given to me as a gift from my parents, who heard him speak. They said he was a fantastic speaker. Well, I can say Mr. Walker is a fantastic writer.

In this collection he goes into the soul of York, the guide for Lewis & Clark. He doesn't gloss over anything, carefully critiquing York's observations and feelings, including those of the racism dished his way before, during, and after the journey. Walker's keen eye and lyrical voice give York himself a voice.

Whether one likes poetry, history, good writing -- or all three -- this is a must-get.

I can only hope Mr. Walker speaks in my town soon.

Walker is the rare poet (like Ron Rash or Mary Oliver) who can be overwhelming without being intimidating. The latest collection is wonderful. Each individual poem is a jewel, but the collection as a whole reads like a wonderful novel, and I stayed awake late into the night, reading and savoring each poem because I could not put in down. In York, Walker creates a vision that is honest about both the world he lived in and the one his readers find ourselves inhabiting, with all theglorious and saddening connections between the two. Thanks, Frank.

I have read many of these poems along with many other of Mr. Walkers and I am amazed with his voice and vision that he puts into words. I was also privileged to be in a creative writing session that he taught. Not only is he a gifted writer, but an excellent teacher as well.
Read this book, read Affrilacha, and look for his new collection coming in October 2004.

PLEASE GIVE CHAPTER AND VERSE FOR YOUR PENTECOST AND YOUR RESTORATION

History is. This book is about history. Few people (let alone christians) know the history of christian religious experience in the United States. This book provides a detailed and rare scholarly description of what happened during the August 1801 revival in Kentucky which has come to be known as the Cane Ridge revival. This book makes no attempt to provide a theological framework for revival, either for or against, nor the many experiences which may occur during and after revival. Rather, it is an honest and unbiased effort to give you a window to the past so you can see what happened and come to your own conclusions. I wish all books on revival were this well written!

Coming from a background that is neither of the Restoration Movement, nor of the Holiness movements that came from the Cane Ridge American revival period, I still found this book to be objective and interesting. Conkin, as previously stated by other reviewers, does an excellent job of presenting the materials in a way that is neither flattering, nor insulting to the frontier's people. Instead, he gives rational explanation for why they behave how they do and a peek into the 17th century religious mindset that would prompt the religious exercising. This is a book worth checking out, even according to this 20-something Bible College student.

Much has been written about the "objectivity question" in history. Can a historian put his biases aside and write an objective account of an historical event? Conkin's Cane Ridge demonstrates with what dignity and power a historian is able to treat a religious movement to which he has little spiritual or emotional attachment. Conkin has written a first-rate intellectual history that includes the best delineation of biblical Christianity by a non-believer that I've ever read.

Conkin's careful examination of the 1801 Kentucky revival demonstrates that the religious changes which began there had roots deep in devout, but staid, Presbyterianism. Conkin rejects the notion that the revival was simply an example of frontier backwardness and downplays the swooning and "barking" that continue to be the staple of college lecturers.

Brandilyn Collins, perhaps best known for her suspenseful thrillers
(all with an underlying Christian foundation), in this series, ending with "Capture the Wind for Me," turned her talents to life in Bradleyville, a small Kentucky town; with a strong emphasis on characterizations. As was true in the first two installments--"Cast a Road Before Me" and "Color the Sidewalk for Me"--Ms. Collins' truly fine writing style breathes life into the people of this small southern town...people whose everyday lives generate interest and empathy. I've not read a Brandilyn Collins' book--including those in this series--which are undeserving of a five-star rating. This three-volume series is a welcome slice of Americana. Highly recommended!
--R.C. Howe (aka Toby Martin II)/ Erskine, Minnesota

This book was very enjoyable to read. This book was about a teenage girl who struggles with feelings from her mother's death and helping out with her family, when both she and her father fall in love. Then Jackie struggles with feelings of distrust for Katherine (her father's new love) and the long distance relationship with a rock star, Greg.

This book was very interesting to read. Character development was great. I liked how Collins brought in the past relationship between Celia, Danny, and Bobby, and how that still had an effect on everyone today. I liked the theme "Keep your eyes on God", like in the "Color the Sidewalk" book. There was also some humor in the book, like with the fight between Clarissa and Alma Sue. I was also amused at the idea of half the town traveling 4 hours to Lexington to get Katherine to come back to Bradleyville when she ran away.

I know that Jackie struggled with Celia and Celia's relationship with her father. But I would have also liked to see some dialog developed between Celia and Jackie on that time period, especially since there was some resentfulness on Jackie's part toward Celia. Also, I thought that the ending and getting Katherine to come back to Bradleyville happened a little quickly. I would have liked to see how Katherine and Bobby ended up compromising on some of their issues. Do Bobby and Katherine travel to Lexington from time to time, to account for Katherine's desire of big city life? Do they agree to stay in Bradleyville and allow Katherine to work in Lex once a month? Plus, I thought that at times, Bobby and Jackie seemed a little too judgmental, and that drove me nuts at times.

Again, I enjoyed this book as I did the whole series. I did like the "Color the Sidewalk" book the best, but this was a very enjoyable book as well.

Classic B. Collins psychologically deep, intimate style snatches the reader into the story like strong wind steals your breath.

Teenage Jackie Delham has lost her mother to cancer. Now she must be the adolescent Mom to her two younger siblings, somehow holding the household together while searching for her own independence in the rubble of her once secure life.

When Katherine King blows into town, literally in the vanguard of a tornado, even the small semblance of normalcy in the Delham household is torn away. Jackie can hardly believe her dad would be interested in someone as flamboyant and unstable as Katherine King, especially after the perfect love he shared with Jackie's mother.

The wierdness escalates for Jackie when she meets Katherine King's distant relative, the lead singer in an up-and-coming boy band, and they begin to date. How can she trust her feelings for this young man when ancient history revives, and she discovers her parent's romance may not have been all she had believed?

If you missed the first two in the Bradleyville series, you've missed rare treats, but don't let that cause you to miss this one, too. Capture the Wind for Me stands on its own two feet just fine.

I couldn't put this book down! It entangles you in its web of family ties, small-town life, hidden secrets, newfound love, grief and loss.... It's just a delicious book.

The basic gist of the plot is that teen Jackie's mother died a few years ago, and her father has found someone new. While dealing with her feelings of anger and hurt over this knowledge, Jackie meets a famous foreign singer who wins her heart. But she constantly worries that her dad's new love---and for that matter, her own new love---will break promises and leave them. Then a sudden twist in the plot causes all the characters to second-guess themselves and those they formerly trusted.

Granted, some parts seem melodramatic...and even though I'm a sixteen-year-old myself, this book's sixteen-year-old narrator can seem juvenile at times. (Who still calls their dad "daddy" and refers to their mom as "mama"? Maybe it's just the town she grew up in or something.)

The book stresses good morals and keeping God in control of your life---a phenomenal concept in this day and age. I would recommend it to any female (regardless of whether they're a Christian or not) ages 14 and up.

Oh, and F.Y.I.: the author has a talent for employing impressive vocabulary (among her talent as an exquisite story-teller). I'd have a dictionary neraby just in case.

Though he hasn't made a movie since the 1950s, CB DeMille is still a name that says "Hollywood" to anyone who hears it. But, aside from The Ten Commandments, it's possible that most people today don't know who he was or what he did. Robert Birchard's book, written in a blithe, easy-going style -- as if you're talking to him -- reminds us who CB was and how important he was to the history of film. Using original sources as much as possible (rather than second and third hand accounts) Mr. Birchard has traced DeMille's career through his films, in the process seeing as many as are still available (sadly not all are). In doing so, he manages to trace much of DeMille's life and the life and history of Hollywood as it grows and learns to use new and better technology to tell its stories. This book is both easy to read, fun to read, and even (gasp!) informative! But don't let stop you from buying and enjoying it!

Mention Cecil B. DeMille to many serious film fans, and they might snicker. DeMille has a reputation for corny, big-budget epics like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS or THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. DeMille also has a reputation as a dictatorial director whose politics were extremely conservative.

DeMille was not really that simple of a person. He made some very personal films, some really entertaining films, and even some daring films for the time. Although he was politically conservative, several of his films preached the dangers of religious intolerance. His battle with the Radio performer's union was a matter of principle, and not money. And while the stereotypical Hollywood director was modeled on him, part of it was an act. DeMille had a great respect for his actors, as long as they were professional. DeMille also had a sense of humor, as some of his cameo appearances in films show.

Robert Birchard has assembled an incredible history of DeMille's film and radio work. DeMille was around during the birth of Paramount in 1915, and he was still a successful director all of the way through the 1950s. Using DeMille's original papers, telegrams from studio moguls like Jesse Lasky, and other direct sources of information.

You will read about DeMille's struggles with technical issues like poorly perforated film stock, cameramen, good and difficult actors, and pressure from management to get his films completed on time and under budget. Mr. Birchard has viewed all of DeMille's films that still exist, and he gives a candid review of all of them. The book also contains very detailed cast and crew listings, a list of DeMille's many cameo appearances, and everything is painstakingly documented in the end notes.

I can guarantee you that after reading this book, you will be very tempted to rent or buy a Cecil B. DeMille film and rediscover this master director yourself.

Before David Lean, before Michael Curtiz, and waaay before Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg, there was Cecil B. DeMille, the creator of gargantuan epics from Hollywood's Golden Age. C.B. started making movies the year that D.W. Griffith shot "The Birth of a Nation" and died when Steven Spielberg was a kid in Arizona, shooting home movies. In between, he wrote, produced, directed and acted in close to a hundred films

Today, of course, DeMille is remembered for "The Ten Commandments" and "The Greatest Show on Earth," but Demille was far more than that. The Great Man directed westerns and bedroom comedies, time travel adventures (in the silent days, no less), and even a musical.

Remarkably, most of Cecil B. DeMille's five decades of film work survive, and Robert Birchard has seen all fifty years worth, and written about each film in a lucid, graceful prose; Birchard has delivered a feast of information for anyone who's interested in the history of Hollywood. (Did you know that Charlton Heston, the star of "The Ten Commandments," was making less than Yul Brynner? Did you know that during the filming of C.B.'s FIRST "Ten Commandments" (a gargantuan hit in 1923) that the slaves who were supposedly sweltering in the Egyptian desert were actually extras on the central California coast FREEZING in chilly Spring weather, and who bundled themselves into coats as soon as the director yelled "Cut"? Mr. Birchard lets us in on the behind-the-scenes action on each of C.B's films (each movie has its own individual chapter), as well as when the films were shot, when they were released, what they cost and what they made at the box office.

This is a book for anyone who wants to know where American films have been...and how we got to where we are today.

This excellent book rates 5 stars for a very factual, no-nonsense in-depth research job on the work of famous director/producer, Cecil B. DeMille. And the emphasis is on his work in Hollywood (hence the title) not on DeMille himself as a person, although quite a few passages throughout this book do shed light on his character and mentality. Rather than a biography-style work with speculation, rumour and gossip, the author of this book has painstakingly searched for, found and quoted all kinds of correspondence and other written records to tell the story of DeMille's career. At times it was quite fascinating to read telegrams and other notes between DeMille and producers or other co-workers, for instance, and while explaining certain events or procedures in the film industry, these letters also reveal a lot about DeMille's thoughts and ways of doing business.

Another highlight for me personally is how the book goes through DeMille's films chronologically, with a chapter on almost every film he directed (and he produced many more) often giving a summary of the plot, which is especially interesting in the case of his early silent films which are not readily available at present. Besides details of cast, crew and plot, many business aspects of the film industry are related, giving an overall comprehensive story of the course of DeMille's career such as how he moved from one type of film to another, or from one studio to another when circumstances changed. Even though this book deals with hard facts only, it is easy and enjoyable to read, and does not get bogged down with too much detail. As a bonus, there are sections of many good photos, further notes and information in the appendixes for anyone who is looking for more in-depth material. For anyone interested in DeMille's work and getting a realistic look into the film industry from the early 1910s onwards, this book will definitely fit the bill.

This poem is simple enough for young readers, but does so much to bring into suburbia the very spirit of the forest via the good counting skills and the gorgeous photographs. Everything is arranged beautifully and it is a book at which one care for hours.

This is a very special book. Our 15 month old has enjoyed it practically since birth. He sees something new in this book every time we read it together. The photography is stunning - like you are there in person. The prose are beautifully simple, but grab all ages by making you think on the last page. Not only does this book help teach counting, but appreciation of the natural beauty around us and the importance of preserving it.

We now give as a gift to every newborn we know, and hope you will enjoy as much as we do.

This is a unique counting book (numbers 1-10) written by Kentucky author George Ella Lyon with beautiful close-up photographs taken in a forest in Kentucky by Ann W. Olson. At first glance this may appear to be just an interesting counting book. Upon further investigation it becomes clear that this book is that and much more. It is also a wonderful book to use with students of all ages when studying science. Children are naturally curious and the crisp colorful photos of bugs, nests, and wildflowers will surely spark many scientific questions. The photos complement the brief poetic text. I think that the text describing the number 10 ("Ten trees whose innumerable leaves / clean the air/ for everything / that breathes") will heighten even the youngest readers' interest in trees and their role in preserving our environment. This book will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

This book offers a marvelous and unique way to teach young children how to count. The photographs of Cave Run Lake and the Clark State Fish Hatchery offer children opportunities to feel as though they are actually there where the poem takes place. It is a great book to use in introducing forest animals and habitats of various forest animals. I was very impressed with this book. The rhyming nature of the text and the breathtaking photographs make it very easy for young readers to get "lost" in the woods while learning to count to 10. Excellent resource for teachers! (Especially KY teachers)

This one-volume encyclopedia not only covers Jefferson County, but also Bullitt County, Oldham County, Clark County, Floyd County, Harrison County, and Scott County, making it in actuality an Encyclopedia of Kentuckiana. Subjects range from big topics, to the history of various subjects in Louisville (railroads, blacks), to even the mundane (hot browns) and the trivial (when certain famous people visited Louisville). If you want a single resource for object related to the Louisville area, this is the book to obtain.

While growing up in Louisville, I did not have any interest in my "little hick town". I dreamt of leaving for the big city. At 22 I left, for the west coast, eventually hitting the big cities of Dallas and Detroit, on my way back home. Now here, I find this the perfect place for raising my children. This book completes my journey, and brings me home. This is the most interesting book I have ready in years!

The Encyclopedia of Louisville is an incredible reference guide and history of the city from its beginnings to the year 2000.The information on African-American life in Louisville is vast and interesting.I encourage anyone who loves or lives in the city to purchase this book. You will not be disspointed.

This wonderful volume covers people, places, events and things in the Louisville metropolitan area from a historical and cultural perspective in encyclopedia style entries written by Louivillians. As a native Louivillian I am finding it a delight to browse thru the entries learning delightful details about my birthplace and its history. It takes many more universal topics and relates how they have impacted the city and its people. A must for Louisvillians that want to learn more about our rich history and cultural legacy.