North Carolina Books

This book was perhaps overused in my senior thesis for college. The information was highly informational and very sincere. What stories were told in this book hit me like a pile of bricks. If only there were more people dedicated to destroying slavery! I would recommend this book for research or just for anyone interested in what really happened during slavery!

Out of the current collections of the WPA Slave Narratives for laymen, this is one of the best. Miss Hurmence has truly picked the best of the bunch of the North Carolina Narratives to use in this book. For one thing, there is a wide range here. We run the gamut here from slaves who cried when freedom came, such as the young lady who wished to stay with her master in a comfortable house than the shack where her mother lived. And we get Thomas Hall, who unrepentantly rebukes Lincoln, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the interviewer to his face (Malcolm X would have loved him). This collection proves that as foul as it was/is to own another human being, the reality of American slavery was far more complex than we can understand. Plus, they make for good reading. Hopefully, this will encourage more people to read the uncensored WPA Narratives at the Library of Congress' website.

"My Folks Don't Want Me To Talk About Slavery" is a book compiled of condensed life stories from former slaves who were still living in the 1930's.

This is not a book of white people's interpretation of what slaves had to say, rather it is a collection of interviews of former slaves. The interviewers were from the Federal Writers project, and they went around finding these old slaves and put on paper what they had to say!

All the accounts in this book were taken form North Carolina and total twenty one.

There are more than 2000 of these interviews and all can be accessed online (....at the library of congress....)

This book is very good as are all the other interviews that can be found at the above web site.
These interviews are unsophisticated, but do more than enough to let us glimpse, however slightly, what slavery must have been like.

My folks don't want me to talk about slavery is the perfect book to start a new generation reading about slavery.( it has 103 pages) Belinda Hurmences book gives you the real story from all sides. When Thomas Hall says "I dont like Mr. Lincoln and I hate Harriet Beecher Stowe". He is no less intense than Betty Cooper mourning for her Miss Ella for two years. I have collected slave narratives for years and Belinda Hurmence has given me one more reason to continue. The bibliography is helpful to old & new collectors and new readers of this important subject matter.

Being born and reared in NC is the best of all worlds - coast to mtns. This book is a wonderful pictorial glimpse into our State at the holiday season along with good recipes etc. I'm trying to find copies for "all my children". It is a joy at Christmas or anytime to peruse this book.

The best Christmas book I've ever bought. The photos are beautiful, the recipes yummy, and the stories bring back many happy Christmas memories. My family and friends had fun looking at the pictures and saying "I've been there."

With my father as the photographer (David Crosby), I highly suggest this book as a Christmas gift for anyone! I traveled with him on his photography expedition and the sites he captured are as they appear in the book; colorful and very alive! Ms. Kiefer does a wonderful job on books, and this is only one of her three works of art.

This beautiful book is full of the sights (and smells) of North Carolina. If you've never been here before you'll be on the next airplane out. And if you're a native you'll know what you don't want to leave

This beautiful coffeetable book is a work of art in itself! Each page invites you to a unique setting and shares a story about a location in North Carolina. It's the perfect way to travel through the state without ever leaving your home! After reading through it, I realize how much of North Carolina I haven't seen and I'm inspired to visit some of these locations. The artwork is beautiful and it is interesting to hear the stories behind each work. After purchasing a copy for myself, I went back and bought several copies to give as gifts to my clients this holiday season.

This book is beautifully laid-out with wonderful plien air paintings depicting the state of North Carolina from the mountains to the Piedmont to the coast. It is also full of tips and information from each of the talented artists, making it inspiring reading as well as a visual treat.

This is a great gift idea!

Finally a fabulous book on en plein air painters depicting North Carolina. So many talented artists. It is a joy to flip through the pages and view different artist's visual interpretations and read the artist's blurb on each piece and what made the subject matter so special in that painterly moment. A great learning tool for those interested in different artists styles.

Painting North Carolina: Impressions en Plein Air

Painting North Carolina is an incredibly visually pleasing and evocative perspective on art of North Carolina. I felt myself relaxing from my work day just leisurely paging through the many beautiful color images included.

The artists' perspectives attached to their own work provided a unique insight into the message they were trying to convey, and added an extra dimension to this visual appeal. I was able to appreciate each work all the more.

This is an excellent addition to my collection.

Vic

"Perfect for Framing" was a like a trip home to the mountains. Maggie Bishop has created a dude ranch near Boone, North Carolina, and now I wish there really was one there!

The illustrations in the book add a surprisingly nice dimension to the story and an authentic look at the locale. [As a little insider tidbit: the cover photo is a house Maggie knows well -- she and her husband lovingly built it, piece by piece. That's what she does when she's not hiking the mountains or writing murder mysteries.] Maggie knows whereof she writes, and it shows.

Who wouldn't love a book that has folks who go to UFO meetings, vicious battles between property owners, romance, and even Elvis [who is, incidentally, a real person ... but you need to either live in Boone or read the book to know him]? Oh, and don't forget murder. It has all the good stuff!

Maggie Bishop does it again! An excellent read with unforgettable characters and great set-up. A perfect book for someone wanting to curl up and get comfortable. Her homespun voice brings the town of Boone, NC to life and I felt like I was part of the small town while reading Perfect for Framing. A must read!

Perfect for framing has a good plot, and is mixed up enough to sound believeable. Ms. Bishop uses some real characters in her book who make it realistic. Good story

Jemma Chase and Detective Tucker return for another suspense-filled escapade in Perfect for Framing, the latest addition to Maggie Bishop's acclaimed Appalachian Adventure series. With the advent of winter, Jemma turns from helping run Chase's Dude Ranch to utilizing her skills as photographer and wood worker. Jemma is hired by Petula Windsor, president of a local property owners' association, to build cabinets in her guest house, but before Jemma can collect her pay, Petula burns to death in the same house. Jemma, a CSI wannabe, would like nothing more than to be in on the investigation, and Tucker has a hard time trying to keep her interest at bay. But when Petula's husband is found dead and Tucker's life is jeopardized, Jemma won't be stopped until she finds the murderer.

Once more, Maggie Bishop delivers a thrilling whodunit, peppered with lovable characters and set against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains of North Carolina. Packed with breath-taking action and nail-biting suspense, with a twisting plot that guarantees constant speculation, this is one book that will have readers quickly turning pages, eager to find out what happens next. Highly recommended.

Did I say genius? I meant to say she's an artist with words. The photography in this lovely book is truly inspiring, but the writing is really the icing on the cake. (I guess that makes her a baker and a genius!)

Breathtaking, peaceful, extraordinary photography. Makes you feel like you are there. Mr Drapala captures the essence of the Outer Banks. Your experiences are captured through his lens. Heart felt work. Recommended for anyone who has, or wants to experience the ocean, the shoreline, the tranquility.

I live in Pennsylvania but spend one month of every summer in Hatteras, and this book brought me right back there! The photographs are amazing, particularly the full-page color pictures. The book is very well-researched--I didn't know any of the information about Blackbeard until I read the chapter on his exploits on Ocracoke. This book makes me want to go to the Outer Banks right now! I highly recommend it.

I go to the Outer Banks as often as possible, but never often enough. This book takes me there right from my living room. The photography as well as the information contained in the book is outstanding. I found it to be relaxing as well as educational. Because the book has something for everyone, I highly recommend it for all ages.

This is perhaps the most pleasurable "academic" history I have come across. Although it provides an extensive account of life in the Chesapeake through the lives and business dealings - and there are plenty of those enumerated - of the tenacious Carroll family, I was also struck by Ronald Hoffman's major theme of family continuity, of purpose driven by recollection and ambition that the Carrolls had in spades. The very tightly researched accounts of the family history in Ireland, and of all the other families like them in the chaos of the 17th century, is little short of astonishing. I'll admit to an enduring interest in Irish history, but this one illustrates why Carrolls and others left their broken aristocracy. That continuity touches on my own forebearers, one of whom was a first cousin of Charles Carroll of Carrollton's. She married another Irish immigrant Marylander and set out in 1796 to populate the then frontier in Kentucky with other Catholics, I am sure at direction of one of their neighbors in Upper Marlborough, MD, Fr. John Carroll, first Catholic bishop in America and also Charles' first cousin. A great read on many levels.

Ronald Hoffman is an excellent historian who has brought great knowledge of Chesapeake social and cultural history to this biographical work that places three generations of the Carroll family within their colonial context. It is a wonderful biography that gets the reader into the minds and lives of these three Charles Carroll's. But for me the best thing was the number of times it made me think, "Oh, that's how it was." I have read enough colonial history to know that there were lots of tenant laborers and not just slaves in the region, to know that Catholic Maryland quickly became Anglican Maryland, and to know that the Revolution was not just about ideas but also about social change. Ronald Hoffman's narrative, however, really brings these facts home. His book is not about any one of these issues in particular, but in telling the story of three generations of Carroll's in Maryland he brings home the greater circumstances of the colony better than many historians who have set out to make a case for one of the above arguments, or many of the other fascinating takes on early Chesapeake society contained in this highly readable book. I have not read any book lately that I enjoyed more.

Traditional patriotism demands that we believe that the founding fathers of America were all great democratic idealist. Although this may have been true for some, many others had no problem with the idea of an elite ruling class, so long as they were considered the elite. Thus the victory over England can be viewed as less of an American Democratic Revolution and more of a power transition from the English crown to the new American aristocracy.

A primary example of this American elite class was Maryland representative Charles Carroll of Carrollton. A signer of the American Declaration of Independence, Charles of Carrollton was a wealthy planter and businessman who became such not by his own doings but primarily through the inheritance and molding of his father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis. Ever mindful of his Irish and Catholic roots and the persecution therein by English aristocrats, the elder Charles did everything in his power to equip his son to fend off those who would attempt to cripple him politically and economically. In so doing, the elder Charles created a mindset of elitism within his son.

This irony is highlighted by Ronald Hoffman in his book, "Princes of Ireland, Planters of Europe," in which he examines the Carroll family and traces how a persecuted family from Ireland in 1500 came to be one of the prominent families in America by the time of the American Revolution

I was originally attracted to this book out of a simple curiosity about the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence (Charles Carroll outlived Adams and Jefferson by about six years, or about 56 years after 1776!). On a deeper level, I hoped to learn more about the kind of early capitalist that would be attracted to signing on to the American Revolution in general. What this book helped me discover was a family that had over time become focused, almost obsessed, with making a buck under fairly adverse circumstances (namely, continuing in their Roman Catholic faith that made it difficult for them to thrive, even in an enclave as seemingly sympathetic as colonial Maryland, with its relatively large Catholic population). But when the time came for this family to rise above its simple wealth building and to champion the cause of the Revolution, it did indeed rise to the occasion, however brief and painful the process might be. (Hoffman attends to both the private and public lives of the Carrolls.) The history of the Carrolls is a part of the history of the magic that was the American Revolution. It is not surprising that the book ends abruptly with the death of Charles Carroll's father and his wife, about 10 days apart from one another in 1782 (though there is a brief summing up of Carroll's remaining 50 years and the attention attracted by his death in 1832). The story is told, the dynasty pretty much complete.

What's the book like? At times it seems downright willfully prosaic, and the story proceeds much like a carefully written doctoral dissertation - all conclusions fully supported and made in as logical a context as possible, all contentions politically correct for our time. Hoffman's goal is of course to be scholarly and thorough, not to be entertaining or controversial. Thus the sweep of this history must emerge and coalesce in the mind of the reader. Leave being beaten over the head with the broader conclusions inherent in the narrative to more popularly written histories.

Suffice it to say, if you're a municipal library and you need to beef up your Revolutionary War material, this is a prime buy. If you're a true history buff, this would be an excellent choice to work into your reading list. It has the effect of immersing you into the spirit of the times and providing you with detail you could not have imagined you would find interesting (but you do). If you're a casual reader, just be advised - this is heavy stuff. It's not an easy read, but it is ultimately a rewarding one.

This is a superb book. Its very well written and exceptionally well researched and thought through. Anyone who's interested in the work of Springsteen, Guthrie and Whitman or the liberatory potential of popular culture will find this book fascinating. I read it like a thriller - staying up all night.

Garman works from a rigorously principled political position which leads him to be very even handed in his assesment of the achievments and failures of the subjects of his study. This is no hagiography but it also has none of the self righteous contempt for the popular that infects so much cultural studies.

This is exemplary work.

Bryan Garman's book provides an indepth study of those singer-songwriters who, according to the author, follow in Whitman's footsteps. He analyzes Woody Guthrie and Springsteen's work thoroughly. The consideration of Guthrie's "hurt song" is fascinating. The author also makes a good case for expanding our horizons beyond the white male heterosexual dominant order. I was rather taken aback to learn that some of my old favorite English folk club singalong songs smacked of homoeroticism. In particular, we are told that Tom Paxton's "Rambling Boy" is "a love song that contains and expresses a homoeroticism that permeated the work of socially engaged artists from Whitman to Traubel, Hughes to Guthrie" (p 159). Gosh, I wonder what Paxton would say about that! I agree with Mr. Garman, however, that much of this New Left rhetoric marginalizes women. That is why folks like Ani Di Franco seem far more engaging and even revolutionary than Springsteen. A Race of Singers has proved an invaluable book for me as I prepare my PhD dissertation at a Spanish university. I recommend it to anyone studying contemporary folk music and its place in recent history.

Garman's analysis of Springsteen, Dylan, Guthrie, and Whitman is very provocative. Especially his insights into Springsteen and the way in which his music played off against (or was interpreted as being in sync with) Reagan's politics, and pop culture in the 80s, such as Rambo. Definitely a worthwhile read for someone who considers her or himself a fan of any of the aforementioned singers, or someone interested in an in-depth analysis of the politics of these singers.

As a cultural figure of the late 20th century Bruce Springsteen has long been admired as well as the object of derision in some circles. Garman's work places Springsteen in a context far removed from the fickle nature of fame. By linking Springsteen with Guthrie and with Whitman Garman allows us to appreciate Springsteen as far more than his icon status as "the boss", but rather as the latest in a long line of cultural critics who allow us to "hold a mirror up to nature" as Shakespeare had Hamlet say long ago. Garman's book is not just for an admirer of Springsteen, but also for anyone with an appreciation for social commentary and its long rich history in the US.

A very cool appraisal convincingly indicating that Freemasonry provided a social cement for the post-revolutionary era.

Steven Bullock has added a great deal to the study of Masonry with this book. If nothing else were accomplished he makes clear to the Freemason the true difference between ancient and modern Masonry. This book is also a fine study of the social history of the United States in its early years. Often overlooked by historians, the importance of the Freemasons in the early republic is finally looked at in depth.

Freemasonry often claims a large role in the advent of the Revolution which according to Bullock does not seem to be the case. On the other hand its importance to the American cause during the Revolution can hardly be overstated. Southern planters like Washington and Lee had little in common New Englanders such as General Greene, a Quaker from Connecticut. They had even less in common with the likes of Lafayette and von Steuben. Their one common link was Freemasonry. It seems that the officer corps of the American army forged its strong bonds around the fraternity. Not just the generals but many officers of all ranks seem to have bonded through Masonry. Military lodges spread the fraternity through out the army and soon some regiments actually marched with the officers wearing their Masonic badges of office.

Freemasonry as the title of this book suggests seems to have been important in the transformation of the American social order after the war. Masonry acted somewhat as a school for democrats but the fraternity itself began to grow into an elite order of "nobility" that almost became a new aristocracy. This status would help bring on the antimasons as the brotherhood which had helped mold early America's social order failed to change with changing times. The more open democracy brought on by the age of Jackson made a seeming aristocracy like the Masons seem out of place. In an odd twist, the father of this age was himself an active Mason. Jackson in fact served two terms as Grand Master of Tennessee.

There are only two small things about this book that I can fault. The writing style as is often the case with history professors is just a tad dull. The wealth of information to be found tends to make up for the style though. The more serious problem is the manner in which Bullock decides the Masons grew out of the stone masons guilds. There are many ideas about the origins of Masonry that deserve more attention. Bullock may well have taken the true path but he fails to document his conclusion in the way he documents his other insights.

Finally, this book which was written as a history offers important warnings for today's fraternity. As the brotherhood failed to change with the times during the antimasonry frenzy and almost died the changes in society today are also slowly killing Masonry. The fraternity must take the warnings given us in this book and learn from our past mistakes. Change is hard but sometimes necessary.

As the first third party in an American presidential election (1832) the Anti-Masonic Party has usually appeared suddenly in the story of the Jacksonian Era with little explanation except that the Masons were suspected in the murder of one William Morgan, who threatened to reveal their innermost rituals and secrets. The prosecution of the case was hampered by the fact that Masons dominated local and state government, which came to be seen an secret, elitist plot against democratic institutions. Steven C. Bullock traces the history of the Masonic movement from England to America and demonstrates how Masons were critical to the success of the American Revolution and the creation of a new nation under the Constitution of 1789. As such the Masons were not a sudden a aberration in American history but a group central to the early history of the nation. Masonic meetings gave members a place to learn how democratic government worked, how to socialize, how to argue without resorting to force, and how to participate in establishing a concept of national interest, or virtue, in the language of the times. Bullock's volume is one of the most critical interpretations of this period in American History. Do not be put off by its academic style or philosophical tone, especially in the first chapter. It really moves along afterward and demonstrates how an organization that boasted such diverse members as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism), and Andrew Jackson came to be seen as a conspiratorial institution that needed to be curbed for the betterment of an egalitarian American democracy. It also illustrates how the Masons sprang back from near destruction to be the charitable organization better recognized by Americans living today. It's well worth while!

This is a "must have" book for the person wanting to add a solid, well researched, and reliable study of the history and role of Freemasonry in these United States.

A poignant and touching story woven together from journals and notes. It speaks of true Christian faith, love of family and sacrifice for others. It is rich in desription and brings back many memories of living in a small town and attending a local Methodist church.

This book offers the reader hope, understanding, and how the Robertson's faith saw them through so many hardships. The Robertson's suffered pain, sorrow, and adversity, but their steadfast love and abiding faith in the Lord always prevailed throughout the turmoil in their lives. Even though it was a simpler era of time, the hardships that they endured then is still prevelent today. I would strongly suggest that anyone suffering these adversities to read this book in order to gain a stronger appreciation for what we have and to gain faith and understanding for tomorrow.

Shadow Dawn is a one-year diary/journal kept by a pioneer "steel magnolia" during the mid-thirties. Mary Adelaide Webb and her Methodist minister husband, Doctor Webb, take the reader on a journey of faith of the shadows before miracle drugs or bypass surgery as well as the joys of their "holy vow" kept throughout a forty-year Christian marriage. The reader is swept up in the optimism Mrs. Webb exhibits even under dire circumstances and the grace she imparts through her thoughts and actions. I wish I could have known Mary Webb; what an inspiration she is!

This is a truly inspirational book and extremely well written. It focuses on the life of two people after the Civil War and the struggles they endured and gives the reader hope and encouragement for a better tomorrow in the world we live. Those principles applied at that time as well as today. The book is a comfort to the hurting in today's world.

In "Shattering the Glass," Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford explain how women's basketball became one of the most exciting and dynamic sports in America today. They document how the sport first became popular in the late 1800s, leading many high schools and colleges to create teams. The book contains outstanding biographical sketches of the game's early pioneers, many of whom came from rural communities, factory towns, and working class neighborhoods to attract local support to the game. The authors also describe how women's basketball was strongly embraced by black high schools and historically black colleges, long before the civil rights era, as a means to combat racism and demonstrate the courage, determination, and ability that black athletes possessed, following in the footsteps of Jesse Owens and Joe Louis.

Grundy and Shackelford do an excellent job of describing how women's sports have historically been hamstrung by presumptions about women's role in society. In the early 1900s, concerns about female frailty led many communities to ban women from playing. As time progressed and more colleges created teams, administrators feared that women's teams wouldn't bring in enough revenue, or that funding women would draw too much revenue away from men's teams. In the 1950s, rising incomes and the introduction of television loosened local community ties around the nation, forcing the women's game to evolve to appeal to a national audience. Even after Title IX was enacted in the early 1970s, the severe recession forced many colleges to reduce funding for women's programs. Over time, though, women's basketball overcome these obstacles and began to thrive.

The most fascinating parts of "Shattering the Glass" involve debates regarding the future direction that the sport should take. In 1974, a group of female physical education instructors created the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) to govern women's basketball because the NCAA had little interest in supporting it. The AIAW banned athletic scholarships because it wanted to avoid the academic and recruiting scandals that plagued the NCAA. As the AIAW built momentum and achieved success, the NCAA lobbied vigorously against federal enforcement of Title IX. However, when the women's game reached the limits of where the AIAW's limited resources could take it, many women's programs chose to make the transition to the NCAA. Grundy and Shackelford explain that while giving up on the AIAW was agonizing, many women had the foresight to see that working within the confines of the NCAA was necessary to give women's college basketball the exposure it deserved.

This debate played out again in 1996, when conditions became ripe to launch a professional women's league. Once again, women had to choose whether to create their own league and achieve success on their own terms, or to work with the established men's organization, in this case the NBA. Grundy and Shackelford explain how women who wanted to strike out on their own created the American Basketball League (ABL), which played during the winter, sponsored teams in college cities, offered relatively high player salaries, and held games in small arenas. Women who chose to work with the NBA formed the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), which played in the summer, had relatively modest salaries, played in large NBA cities, and used the NBA's large arenas. Although both leagues got off to a good start, the ABL was not able to secure the long-term television contracts and corporate sponsorship necessary to survive. The WNBA went on to become an extraordinarily success, offering exciting games while solving many of the problems that plague men's professional sports leagues.

"Shattering the Glass" is a rewarding account of how women persevered over time to make women's high school, college, and professional basketball as exciting to watch as men's. The book is strongly recommended to WNBA fans who want to learn more about how the league got to where it is today with athletes who demonstrate character and integrity, vibrant franchises in both small and large market cities, strong competitive balance among the teams, and great people working to make the league work behind the scenes. The women who paved the way for the WNBA's stars overcame extraordinary adversity to make women's basketball what it is today, and fans owe it to themselves to read this excellent book and learn more about their stories.

I just purchased two more copies for friends and fellow coaches ... and I'm only halfway through this mesmorizing read. I especially enjoyed the accompanying photographs beginning in the 1890s ... and the timeless, oh-so-familiar looks of intensity, confidence, and joy in the eyes of the players. My own life in sports was incomplete until I was introduced to the women's game through my own daughters. Attention Ken Burns: Here is the script for your next project. Long live Title IX!

I checked this book out from the library after I first got WNBA fever two years ago. Before that, my only experience with women's bball was playing in 7th grade. Although it was the funnest sport I ever tried, I left it completely behind when i became a grungy teen and eschewed all sports. (Blame in on Texas' sports-centric culture y'all, I was just reacting, ha!)

Then WNBA games starting broadcasting regularly on ESPN2. The women's game mesmerized me. I couldn't get enough - which brought me to Shattering the Glass. It's a great overview of the history. If you're new to the scene, it's a fabulous introduction to the stories behind the big names. I didn't know Nancy Lieberman was nicknamed Fire in the 70s, thanks to her showy moves! Too awesome. The cover, showing Chamique Holdsclaw (who recently retired, sadly) and Lisa Leslie, is a great indication of the guts, brawn and glory that is the women's game.

Wow--I can't believe I'm the first person to review this book, given how comprehensive it is and what a great overview it provides for the sport of women's basketball in the United States.

Grundy takes us from the first days of the game itself as developed by James Naismith (what a smart guy he was, to envision this great game) and then quickly adopted by Victorians to allow women to play sports but with all of the quirky Victorian values in place. Readers will learn a little about the first rules for women's basketball, including organization of the court into cells, each one containing a woman who stood within its boundaries to defend her team's basket and pass the ball for offensive plays. Yes, the game was really that slow and inactive back then! But the rules were designed to prevent women from over-exerting themselves and retaining that air of refinement.

Grundy also does a good job of including stories about the key players at the college and professional levels from the 1930s onward. You'll recognize the well known women players and learn about others who, while less well known, were still instrumental in growing the sport. You'll also learn something of the spirit, vision, and character of these physically and psychologically strong women pioneers.

And, because this is a history involving women, you will also learn about the difficulties women, as recently as Pat Summitt (Lady Vols basketball coach--GO VOLS!) and Tara VanDerveer (Stanford women's basketball coach--GO STANFORD!) who went to high school when there was NO basketball team for girls, had in finding places where they could learn to play the game and play with other teams. That's hard (thankfully) for women of the next generations (like me) to imagine, but this was the reality for much of the country until the 1970s. Readers will also learn about the passage of "Title IX" by Congress, legislation that was key to creating greater opportunity in sports, and how it was actually part of a larger piece of legislation that didn't initially actually have a sports/althetics focus. Women's basketball in this country is a fine mirror of the equality, civil rights, and social justice movements that were happening concurrently with the development of the sport.

Grundy also does a good job of including some information about other women's basketball leagues that have been a part of the game's history, including Asian-only leagues. While she only mentions Chinese-American leagues, there were also Japanese-American leagues for children and youth, where many of the players and families were Japanese American. These ethnic-specific leagues were and, for some, continue to be important aspects of ethnic communities and ethnic identities, often being the only time a child or youth from that background would think to play the sport. That Grundy knew about these leagues and included them in her book only adds to the diversity, love, and support this game has had from all groups, but whose stories would otherwise be lost over time.

Grundy's book ends in 2004 and with the story of the successful WNBA (and accompanying demise of the ABL, the other competing women's pro ball league that eventually folded).

The only reason why I gave this book only 4 stars and not all 5 is because the book is too short and I would've enjoyed more details. Still, this is a great book to read if you want to know the comprehensive history of this game for women, be inspired to play the game or support players who do, and understand the evolution of sports and athletics for women. It's an even greater book to read in between the college and pro women's basketball seasons!