Missouri Books

Off The Rim is, in my opinion, better than last years's "To Hate Like This Is To Love Forever." Both the author and I grew up in small towns in North Carolina in the fifties, and I could see my town and my friends on every page.

I recommend this book to anyone who grew up playing basketball in the 1950s and 1960s. This is a fascinating story of the rural south and the fervent culture that developed around college basketball.

Is there anything stranger than the psychology of the sports fan? Are there human beings other than religious martyrs that endure more suffering for such ephemeral, fleeting rewards? Before we had Nick Hornsby's Fever Pitch; now, in Fred Hobson's immensely entertaining new memoir, we have an American version of the lifelong sports fan. Even Hobson's title, Off the Rim, suggests the pain of it all - the near-miss that in the end may count more than the perfect shot, the swish. This is truly a guy's book--a book by and about a guy. Indeed, allow me to confess that, in this age of gender equality, I for one find it difficult to imagine a female version of the inveterate, die-hard fan that Hobson so painstakingly paints, maybe because I think too highly of women. Nonetheless, this is also a tale for women readers--a cautionary tale in which they can gain a glimpse into the interior life of the men in their lives, those fans whose love of sports is part of an elaborate strategy to protect their inner boy. It also seems not to matter that Hobson has been a lifelong fan of a team, the University of North Carolina Tarheels, with an incredible winning record. Maybe that's why Cubs fans seem so patient--do they already know the evanescent nature of the pleasure of victory, compared to the deep, lingering angst (the joy?) of losing?

Hobson's book is a great read, even in the middle of summer and hence as far from the winter season of college basketball as one can get, for as Hobson informs us, for the true fan, there is no off-season, no time without dread. Basketball, like life, is all about getting ready as a youngster . . . and then enjoying a lifetime of reminiscing. Put a stethoscope to Hobson's heart, and what would one expect to hear if not the echoing bounce of a basketball in a musty summer gym?

I bought this book because I was taking my son to St. Louis, a town I lived in for seven years. but I had no idea St. louis had so much to offer for kids (I didn't have children when I lived there). This book shows you thngs that are not just the zoo and museums. It also shows factories, historical places and kids friendly restraunts. And gives age recommendations so the whole family can enjoy the trip. I highly recommend this book if you are planning a trip with children of any age.

This book is for anyone who is living in or visiting the St. Louis area. It is like a guided tour without even being there. The book is very well organized, with loads of personal anecdotes that make the reader feel like he or she is visitng the area with someone. You really get a feel for the diversity and culture of the area. Information is clear, directions help with planning, and the reader will be prepared for all that St. Louis has to offer. To tell you the truth, the book is great fun even if you never visit St. Louis.

I'm the Office Manager of our facility and it's my job to make sure our new employees receive a warm welcome. We recently had a manager and his wife move here from Wisconsin with their twin 12-year-old sons, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to give them a book about the area. I almost didn't buy this particular book, because it only had one previous review; but it seemed interesting, so I thought, "Why Not" and went ahead with the purchase.

Several months later, after settling in to the neighborhood (and me forgetting about the book altogether!), the manager approached me to express how much him and his wife had enjoyed reading through the book. He said it was very interesting, packed full of information and extremely helpful for them as newcomers to the St. Louis area. I am pleased to hear how much the book was appreciated and I will definitely be adding it to my "Must Give" list of gifts.

I did not grow up in the 1950's (1970's/80's) nor did I grow up in Kansas City, although I lived there for two years. I randomly picked up this book and thought it was excellent. I don't think you need to have any connection to Kansas City or grow up in the time period covered to enjoy this book. I still read it every now and then; it is very good.

Once I began the book I never put it down. Bruce lived five blocks away from me in the same era. I especially remember Shortcake and Roy Beatty. They were friends of mine too. Bruce's recollection of Frank's restaurant was poignant although I didn't remember the dirt, just the heavenly(?) taste of a tenderloin sandwich. As to Old man Pierce, I too was chased from the premises, albeit not for the same reasons. My home was across from Scarrit grade school. Bruce no doubt played baseball there too. I do remember Lykins Square where we played the kids from "south of Independence Avenue" on many occasion, probably losing more than we won. This was a great step back to my own childhood. NE grad 1954.

This memoir of growing up in Kansas City in the 1950s is much more than nostalgia. It is an evocation of the importance of baseball in a young person's life, the ambitions of youth, and the impact of family, friends and neighbors. The characters are wonderful, and the whole book is beautifully written. It's a good read, humorous and poignant.

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Roy J. Harris Jr. presents Pulitzer's Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism, an in-depth account of the ninety-year history of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, especially the most exalted prize of the Joseph Pulitzer Gold Medal. From accountings of the distinguished journalistic coverage that exposed sexual predators among Catholic priests, to the New York Times' role in helping the community cope after the September 11th attacks, to the Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's uncovering of the Watergate scandal, to the Boston Post's revelation of swindling schemes hatched by Charles Ponzi and much more, Pulitzer's Gold takes the reader on a one-of-a-kind historical tour. A distinguished tribute to the journalists who labored to bring the truth to light and help make America better place to live, as well as a studious history of journalism's most prestigious award.

Pure Gold---Five Shining Stars for "Pulitizer's Gold"

"river run, past Eve and Adam's," so begins Joyce's "Finnegans Wake" that boisterous tale tracing through time and space the story of Anna Livia Plurabelle, the Liffey, and her people. As we reach the sea, the last words of the last chapter, ("A way a lone a last a loved a long the") return to the first. "Pulitzer's Gold" has that grand cycling sweep. Beginning in Chapter 1 with the heart-holding, eye-catching stories of the two 2006 prizes (for coverage of Hurricane Katrina by the Sun Herald and the Times Picayune), the book's close celebrates the 200l award to the Oregonian for uncovering U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service abuses.

The 21 glorious chapters interweave three eternal golden braids, as intricate as any described by Hofstadter in Escher, Gödel, and Bach. These are (1) the story of the Pulitzer Prize itself, a story of growth, change, challenges, and evolution, (2) the individual stories of the newspapers, publishers, editors, and investigative reporters on whose walls shine the gold medals, and (3) the winning stories themselves, an archive of democracy in America, 1917 to the present.

Written tautly, wittily, masterfully, Pulitzer's Gold represents in itself a monumental investigative expedition. Archival research, yes, but also years of meetings, interviews, conversations, verifying and expanding what was being discovered. As good a read as a novel, this is equally a work of scholarship, each chapter detailing the sources, and illuminated by a comprehensive appendix of all the Pulitzer journal awards.

The bigger story is told through the individual stories, an approach that is endlessly fascinating. This is, in a way, the Vietnam Memorial Wall of courageous, high risk, public service journalism. The names and to a good extent the personalities whose best and brightest work may have gone into each Gold Medal award live again in this book. They are spoken of with the respect, honor, and appreciation that one outstanding journalist---Harris--- can give to another, a discerning, differentiating, discriminating honor someone outside of journalism probably could not fully catch with a guide such as Harris.

Equally valuable is the mother lode of information most of us may not know about the prizes: for example, that the applicants self-nominate and have to prepare portfolios showing why the story they propose should be recognized. For example, that consequences---results, impacts, actions---are one of the three criteria for the award, anticipating by many years the expectation that claims for merit have to be backed up by evidence of good effects.

Indeed, this book had its beginning in a presentation given by author Roy J. Harris Jr. on the one hundredth birthday of his father, Roy J. Harris Sr, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. In this presentation, Harris Jr. not only honored his award-winning father but also reflected on the newspaper's then unique record of receiving five Pulitzer Gold awards. "What," he asked then, "was happening in this paper, at this time, that raised the St. Louis Post Dispatch to such a level of achievement?" The St. Louis Post Dispatch was among the journalistic homes of the Pulitzer family, but there was more happening---actually, the procedures of the award intended to reduce favoritism may have acted against specific recognition. What was that "more? Harris shared with us in this presentation what he learned about the way in which courageous public service journalism is created.

Now, seven years later, we are fortunate to have a full picture, across all the winners, that offers a basis in evidence for consideration of the organizational qualities and the individual qualities encouraging the risks of public service investigations. Pulitzer's Gold is a grand panoramic picture, a grand book to study, and a grand book to read.

If there is a "but" to this marvelous book, it may be a yearning for a closing chapter tracing the meaning of the strands and putting together an initial overall answer to what makes for a great newspaper (by Pulitzer standards) and where we are today. For example, the Pulitzer strand shows many changes: are the forces that drove these needed changes still vital? What may be ahead for the Pulitzer Board (and committees) in the changing future?

In contrast, there is splendid detail about each winning story but less sense of growth and more sense of a stasis in that the stories are mostly about: corruption and catastrophes. Some hard-hitting, exceptionally courageous stories about the Ku Klux Klan helped do their good work, and the Klan has disappeared in gold award winners in the last decades. Environmental issues can be seen expanding in passion and depth. Bad government is an enduring topic. Few investigative, award-winning stories seem to honor what works. Is this apparent pattern because public service journalism as anticipated in the Freedom of Speech clauses is essential to telling truths to power, particularly its inconvenient, bad, and ugly sides? Having worked for the U.S. General Accountability Office, I fully appreciate the need for as many trust-worthy feet as possible to jump into that scale of justice, but a last chapter really getting into Harris's ideas about the grand themes would be, well, grand.

The "but" is minor relative to all that is excellent in "Pulitzer's Gold." From the
elegant, appropriate cover designed by Kristie Lee, to the beautifully typography and layout, to the superb contents, this book is highly recommended. Applause to RJH, Jr., who has continued the noble legacy of the "century of those who mined the gold" and in doing so, help us honor the courage of those who are writing next year's award winning story.

Roy Harris has done a tremendous job bringing much forgotten history alive with his eloquent book Pulitzer's Gold. In the tradition of great historical writers like Barbara Tuchman, Harris weaves together rich strands of narrative to tell the compelling stories behind the most influential journalism of our times like the publishing of the Pentagon Papers, the year-long investigation into the Watergate break-in by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and the outing of the Boston Diocese's shocking cover-up of the sexual predators in its midst. These stories and others are already familiar to us but what's not familiar are the stories behind the stories, and by filling in these details, Harris does a tremendous service not only to journalists but to anyone for whom history is a dynamic, urgent teacher. In reading Harris' gripping accounts of how these stories unfolded, I was reminded how vital good historical writing is to our understanding of what's going on today. This book is sure to attract a readership outside the communities of journalists and historians for whom these stories will be engrossing; I suspect anyone with a thirst for understanding our contemporary culture will find his writing invaluable. Maybe even more importantly, they'll find the stories just a good read. After all, how many of us knew that both the New York Times and the Washington Post were almost bypassed for the Public Service gold medal by the Pulitzer committee for their respective work on the Pentagon Papers and Watergate? And for the Watergate affecianado, Harris' interviews with Bob Woodward and others provides entirely fresh accounts of those pivotal events from the people that were there.That's living history.

Want to find a great guide for an enjoyable cycling adventure on the Katy Trail across Missouri? While this "escape" is only one of many covered in Gustafson & Jarrett's "Great Escapes from St. Louis", it is worth the price of the book alone. My husband and I have enjoyed several weekend bicycle trips along the trail made more enjoyable by their recommendations for historic sites, restaurants and our favorite experience; staying in a bed & breakfast. Pick up this book if you want to plan a bike trip from beginning to end! It is enjoyable reading while you locate valuable information that takes the guess work out of your travel planning. The authors convince you to travel our part of the country and experience the fun they obviously had while researching this book.

I have lived in Kansas City area for 15 years and had no idea there was so much too see and do here. I had heard about these attractions, but the authors really captured their character and liveliness. Seeing our city through another's eyes made us realize how much we have to offer. We also went to St. Joseph and enjoyed seeing the museums described in the book. We definitely plan on using this book for more "Escapes," especially those to the east. These authors obviously put a lot of time and work into this publication.

I have lived in Kansas City area for 15 years and had no idea there was so much too see and do here. I had heard about these attractions, but the authors really captured their character and liveliness. Seeing our city through another's eyes made us realize how much we have to offer. We also went to St. Joseph and enjoyed seeing the museums described in the book. We definitely plan on using this book for more "Escapes," especially those to the east. These authors obviously put a lot of time and work into this publication.

I'm a hypnotherapist and was just reading this great book when a client told me about rushing her 46 year old husband to the emergency room -- with a heart attack! If she'd read Dr. Turneer's book beforehand, she might have saved her husband the crazed ER visit, and had a better outcome.

Dr. Turner's brain and life saving advice can help everyone!

Most deaths by heart attacks can be prevented with proper medical treatment - but all too often that treatment is not administered in time. "Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes: Lifesaving Advice You Need Now" is a compilation of invaluable and vital information for those who are in serious danger of heart attack. Claiming that if one acts on the early signs of the disease, one may escape the heart attack with no long lasting damage, "Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes: Lifesaving Advice You Need Now" is a must for anyone in danger and for community library health collections.

Having survived a heart attack in 1998 I must admit that had I read Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks and Strokes by Glen O. Turner, Tim Bade and Mark Bruce Rosin before the event I might have avoided the event altogether. As pointed out, there are significant warning signs well in advance of the attack or stroke that the informed individual can heed and avoid possible death or disability.

Recognizing and Surviving Heart Attacks is written for the layman. Organized with short chapters, the book is easily scanned for specific information. Chapters such as What is a Heart Attack; How a Heart Attack is Treated; Coronary Artery Surgery; Heart Attack Early Warning Signs, You Key to Survival; How to Recognize and Respond to the Early Warning Signs of a Stroke or "Brain Attack"; Brain Hemorrhage Strokes; and the list goes on. Many chapters are only three pages long making the information easy to get at and not overwhelming. "Doctor speak" is kept to a minimum and definitions and illustrations are provided.

If coronary artery disease runs in your family you must check this book out. Ask you library to buy it.

Peace and good luck.

Rose Wilder is the daughter of Laura Ingalles Wilder. Since of the Harsh droughts in South Dakota the family desides to move to Missouri, or the Land of the Bigh Red apples. Crossing the long and lonesome PRAIRE the make it to Missouri and face the hardships of starting a new life. Building all sorts of things this family struggles to make the best living ever. This book is a great one, and is good for everyone. Just buy all the LITTLE HOUSE series and never put one down! =)

This book was so exciting and easy to read. I loved the pictures which are done just like in Laura's books. I liked this book even better than Rose #1.

Rose and her family move to there new house. There Rose helps clean the house , get the hens in the new henhouse, put brown clay into the log house coners intill Papa says Rose is as dirty as mud fence after a rain. Then Rose gets a Rabbit for supper and then the whole family has a barn raising .

It's 1898 and Gwen Barlow's mother, Lillian, has just inherited her brother Eli Willoughby's showboat, the Jubilee Palace. Lillian, Gwen and Gwen's younger brother Preston, leave Ohio for the Mississippi River to live on and run the showboat. Once they arrive, they find out that many called it Eli's Folly. It is best described as a "wedding cake with a pilot house."

Marianne Dresden, Dickey Squires, Anabel Whitedove, Sir Clyde Peacock, and Jason DeVane live on the showboat and are in the show Belle of the Ozarks. Gwen is unsure of what role Travis Veazey plays in the workings of the showboat. His appearance shows he has an aversion to soap and barber shops. He also lives on the showboat. Phineas Johnson, his wife Peaches, and their daughter Danita also live on the showboat as the hired help. The Barlows quickly find out that no one has been paid for a couple of months.

After they arrive, they find out that the showboat is not allowed to leave Hickory Bend until Eli's murder is solved. They also find out that Eli left debts around town. Gwen and Preston begin meeting with his creditors but soon find out that Eli wasn't well liked.

Gwen begins looking into solving her uncle's murder to help get the showboat on its way and making money to begin paying everyone.

This is a terrific story. Usually I don't like stories set back in time, but this one is a great exception. The characters and setting are so well written. I found it difficult to put the book down. I wanted to find out who did it and why. It is a very well written story with enough twists and turns that you don't figure it out ahead of time.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to more in this series!

Stagestruck is a clever turn-of-the-century cozy mystery. Readers will enjoy details of life aboard a showboat. There are enough quirky characters among the actors and musicians to keep the reader guessing, and a second murder which was a complete surprise. I hope this continues as a series. The heroine, Gwen, is bright and practical, a woman who must step out of typical Victorian morals to get the job done and solve the crime.

In 1898 Apple Creek, Ohio, Lillian Barlow learns that her brother Eli died in a freak accident on his showboat, the Jubilee Palace. Eli's lawyer informs Lillian that she inherited the showboat. The showboat is deep in debt. Still Lillian persuades her reluctant adult children, college librarian Gwen Barlow and hard good store worker Preston, that they need to move to Hickory Bend, Missouri to manage the boat.

In Hickory Bend, Gwen ends up taking charge of the showboat as her mother cannot handle anything negative and her brother is Stagestruck with one of the performers. Gwen quickly realizes that several people had the motive to murder Eli as she agrees with the constable that a homicide occurred. Gwen wonders if one of the performers, the workers, the townsfolk, or the handsome captain she just hired to run "Eli's Folly" killed her uncle.

Readers will enjoy this engaging historical amateur sleuth tale that emphasizes the Mississippi River at the end of the nineteenth century. The who-done-it is cleverly worked to the pleasure of mystery readers. The strong characters whether the troupe or the townsfolk are a delight especially the embattled Gwen. However, STAGESTRUCK is a winner due to Cynthia Thomason making 1898 Missouri seems vividly alive.

Harriet Klausner

I was first introduced to the 1960's version in a local flora class as a major requirement. Used as the 'bible' in our plant class, we learned how to key any native plant in the state of Missouri. As soon as I learned that the book was being reissued in two volumes, I immediately went out and bought the first volume. I'm anxiously awaiting the second to be released so I can add that to my collection as well. This a must have book for anyone who is interested in the plants of this area or students of botany.

I was first introduced to the 1960's version in a local flora class as a major requirement. Used as the 'bible' in our plant class, we learned how to key any native plant in the state of Missouri. As soon as I learned that the book was being reissued in two volumes, I immediately went out and bought the first volume. I'm anxiously awaiting the second to be released so I can add that to my collection as well. This a must have book for anyone who is interested in the plants of this area or students of botany.

Volume One covers ferns, fern allies, conifers and the monocots; that is grasses, sedges, rushes, lilies, orchids, spiderworts, yuccas, irises and the like. This text is the first in a series of what will likely be the most comprehensive treatment of a flora in the Central United States. This first volume boasts 194 full-page plates of brand-new black and white illustrations for nearly all the species. There are distribution maps along with the text. One major improvement is that the family and genus descriptions are longer and more detailed than in Julian A. Steyermark's original flora. Introductory chapters provide in-depth, well-researched information on the history of floristic botany, geography, geology, climate and vegetation of Missouri. If you are a naturalist and you frequent Missouri or any of the eight states touching its borders you will find this large, inexpensive volume a MUST for your explorations.

Harte's book has a unique structure for a cookbook: The collected columns take up the front half of the book and the recipes are then found in the back half. Each column ends by refering to one or more recipes by name and page number, and the columns are so inviting that each time I finished one I immediately flipped to the associated recipes (even the twinkie recipes, and I hate twinkies).

Lots of the recipes are very appealing, and they'll probably pull you toward the kitchen whether you're an experienced cook or not. Want to know how to make a REAL Danish? Harte will tell you how -- and then will offer a much easier version, in case you want a dessert with a lot of the same appeal but aren't feeling ambitious enough to tackle the real thing. (I've GOT to try the cheese blinz casserole at the earliest opportunity! And I'm definitely going to make his sushi salad, which is much less intimidating than trying to make actual sushi.) It's clear where Harte's own preferences lie: there are a few recipes for soups, for example, a few more for salads -- and a LOT for desserts! His story about judging a pie eating contest made me laugh out loud.

It's obvious that plenty of research has gone into each column -- the author clearly has a taste for history (and a certain low talent for punning is also evident). This book reminds me of "The Man Who Ate Everything," by Jeffrey Steingarten, only the essays are shorter and there are a whole lot more recipes.

Rachel

A delightful collection of curious food facts and history backed by delicious recipes from a first-class chef. The short stories contain fascinating facts about the origins of many foods and their historical presence, peppered by Harte's spontaneous humor and many personal experiences. Each narrative is brought to life by one or more heavenly recipes created or adapted (and some even beautifully photographed) by the author. Even if you don't get to replicate his delicious dishes anytime soon (real hard to resist, though), the culinary facts he researched and compiled will make you look at some foods in a different way and keep you entertained for long, satisfying hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful collection of articles, recipes, and photographs. An entertaining book to read as well as an indispensable source of unique recipes that will surely become family traditions.