Missouri Books

I am listed as a co-author of this book. I helped with the study of the Minnesota Legislature that engendered this book. The study took place from 1984-1986, and was commissioned by the Minnesota Legislature.

The study was a rich and layered look at the Minnesota Legislature, and at how state legislatures have changed over time. If there is an animating finding in this book, it is a working hypothesis that state government has grown complex, and that therefore state legislatures need to professionalize.

This belief gives rise to a call for higher pay for legislators, for annual budgeting periods, and for unicameralism. Many of these reform suggestions are animated by a concern for the increasing empowerment of the executive branch, at the expense of legislative powers and governance.

Twenty years later, the book is still quite good. Some details need to be brushed up, yet the sections of the book charting the changes from the non-partisan legislatures of the middle twentieth century to the more partisan era today are decent and have held the test of time.

I admit to a bias in favor of this book, which I helped research and in a very small sense write. It would not be of interest to any who is not a lover of state legislatures, or of the Minnesota legislature, or both.

The Truth Will Set You Free is Samuel L. Hoard's autobiography. Beginning with his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, going on to his college years in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and continuing with his service to people from all walks life as a pastor and military chaplin, this personal memoir is laced with anecdotes revealing the subtleties and cruelties of racism both with society and withing the church. The Truth Will Set You Free is an account of an enduring passion for communicating the Gospel despite social, cultural, and racial roadblocks. The life story of Pastor Samuel L. Hoard is strongly recommended reading, especially for those engaged in their own struggle against injustice and discrimination both within the Christian community and the broader secular society.

Words cannot express how grateful I am that Cornell University saw fit to republish these two papers. You read about points of view from a variety of historians, but there is nothing like the words directly from those living the lives and voicing their beliefs in their own words. I will never again look at this period of our nation's history in the same way. Anyone trying to understand that period of our nation's history and trying to understand how we ended up fighting amongst ourselves should read this. Thank you Cornell.

I love the blunt honesty of the student voices in this guide. It really makes you feel like you're talking directly to a student instead of reading something wholly technical. There are sections on everything from diversity to nightlife, to academics of course. Everyone thinking about University of Missouri should get this Prowler book.

This book was extremely helpful for our family trip to Branson. The information is excellent and surprisingly on-the-dot correct. We stayed in this great bed & breakfast that was highly recommended and could not have had a better stay. The information on picking shows and times to attempt driving through town made everything so much easier than we could have imagined. Anyone traveling to Branson should definitely get this book and plan for a wonderful time! You will love it!

A compelling story from a family's records and letters about the slave markets of Maryland and their escape to professional careers over three generations.

A fascinating look at life in the 1930's, the 60's and the St. Louis social scene. Sure to please!

In this work, L. Gluck shows the reader her true strong emotion, and the enthalpy of love. Her images are gripping -- sometimes stark and at other times lush and vibrant. Common to all her pieces is the ability to move the reader to feel emotion. Maybe it is a sudden gasp of revelation of connection or perhaps the moment comes later, when the poetry resurfaces from deep in memory. Beware, emotions will be evoked.

This is NOT a feel good book. It is an excellent account of a young man with great ambition and served the Marines well while in Vietnam. While completing his stateside tour he was required to deliver the death notices to those communities he covered. When I picked it up the text, I could not put it down. Even my 12 year old son stated "I am really getting into this book." Spillers accounts are precise, detailed and emotional. This is the most accurate book I have found written on the emotional impact of the Vietnam War to date. You will not feel good when you finish, but it will make you think about all the young men who served in similar roles.

Howard's Vine and Fig Tree is reminiscent of other regional authors such as David Ebershoff (Pasadena)or John Berendt (Midnight in The Garden...)whose books, while thouroughly grounded in place are oddly familiar. We know these people or would like to.
Vine and Fig Tree, is full of the same wise, everyday humor fans loved so much in the work of James Harriot. Small tales,lovingly told with an unsparing eye for the little ironies of everyday life.
A small gem - sure to be a keeper. Not just for those from Missouri, book clubs will enjoy its universal appeal.