North Carolina Books

I've been frustrated for a while now in trying to find a good tree identification guide. I'm a birder, I do know how to use field guides! --but all the tree guides I've tried had one photograph, or one line drawing, which might have been my leaf or it might not have been... and after staring at a few of these in confusion I'd just give up and decide to enjoy my walk.

This guide is different. First of all, there are both drawn leaf outlines and color photographs (lots of them, quite beautiful) as well as verbal descriptions. And the photographs almost all include MANY leaves of that tree, so you can see how much the leaves actually vary from each other. I thought this was a brilliant idea. Best of all, all of these trees were photographed in the fall, so the color really helps you out too!

This guide only covers some 150 species, but it does that very well. I might have preferred it to be about 1" narrower side to side, but with a bit of care it did fit into my coat pocket. Because of how colorful and easy to use it is, I imagine this guide would be an especially satisfying one to take along on walks with the kids.

Fall Color and Woodland Harvests by Drs. C.R Bell and Anne Lindsey is a comprehensive reference book for the serious naturalist. Stunning color photographs by some of the regions leading nature photographers adds incredible richness and detail to the book. Bell and Lindsey are particulary adept at presenting technical information in an easy to read and very understandable narrative form. The authors have spent years exploring the eastern forests and giving seminars and talks on its flora. Dr. Bell is the Director Emeritus of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Your autumn leaf watching trip will be more enjoyable and more rewarding when you take along this excellent book.

I'm just about a third of the way though the book. It is very informative, but also enjoyable and accessible to one not very knowledgeable about the topic. Browsing though Amazon and the local bookstore a few times in years past, I have looked for broad-based books such as this to help me understand the area I live in. This book does that better than any I've come across.

Field Guide to the Piedmont is a magnificent, vividly described journey through the Piedmont, a unique ecosystem which stretches from the Hudson River Palisades to the Georgia plateau. The theme of succession dominates and illuminates the book, while Godfrey's literary descriptions of the landscapes reads like a Southern, landlocked Melville. I have used this book as my guide to understanding the ecology of where I live - a fundmental gift, and thank you, Michael Godfrey. I write about this at RaleighNaturalist.com. I highly recommend this book.

This book gives anybody doing their Newfoundland family history an in-dept look into the life and times of the Seventeenth Century in the Fisheries Industry in Newfoundland. Well written and entertaining as well as informative.

Peter Pope writes an excellent account of the Newfoundland Plantation in the seventeenth century. Notably, he details the prominent position that the island held in the trans-Atlantic trade during the same period. It's a wonderful and thorough revisionist account that shifts some focus from the more traditional and well documented trading centres of North America. Overall, a stellar analysis of Early Modern Newfoundland!

Nurse Corps Captain Elizabeth Pepperhawk has returned to the states after a tour of duty in Viet Nam. Her latest assignment is at Fort Bragg where she will head up a wing at Womack Army Hospital. However, her stay in guest quarters is SOME WELCOME HOME when she finds a corpse wearing a World War II uniform inside her room. She calls the MPs who inform the Criminal Investigation Division of a possible homicide. All military law enforcement is jittery as the MacDonald fiasco still lingers here at Bragg. MP Captain Avivah Rosen and CID Captain Delaney arrive with other military police.

The case takes a surprise spin when the victim turns out to be Dermid Hagan, who officially died in Nam two years ago. As Avivah and Elizabeth become friends and neighbors along with a third compatriot Benny Kirkpatrick, each has a personal problem to cope with. Elizabeth begins digging into what happened finding a tenuous link to the hospital; this endangers her, her friends, and others from a trained killer who will murder to keep secrets hidden.

This is a superb historical military police procedural that grips the audience from the moment Elizabeth finds a body in her room and never slows down until the final good-byes. Besides a strong murder mystery, the tale provides insight into the minds of career officers struggling at a time when the Viet Nam War has begun to look helpless with no exit strategy (sound familiar?). The key to the tale is three buddies and the support cast that sheds more light on three protagonists. They provide an insightful look 1971 military life inside a terrific who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

SOME WELCOME HOME by Sharon Wildwind puts a face on the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Wildwind writes from experience as an army nurse in Vietnam in the early 1970s and a year as head nurse on an orthopedic unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where this novel is set. Her experiences and insights give the book authenticity. Nothing seems pasted on. It's the real deal.

Opening line: "Through the slit in the closed drapes, a thin bar of afternoon sunlight fell across the soldier's chest, highlighting the dark, small bullet hole."

Such is Captain Elizabeth "Pepper" Pepperhawk's "welcome" to the Transient Officers' Quarters at Fort Bragg. The body is wearing a World War 2 uniform but his hair is long. She thinks: "Maybe he wasn't a soldier; maybe someone dressed him in a uniform. But there was something about him, even in death, that said 'soldier.' He was one of us ..."

I was reminded of Shakespeare's "band of brothers" as I read. This emotional bond, this shared experience, runs through Wildwind's story. It also drives a key character who keeps applying for combat service, convinced that her request is routinely denied because she's a woman.

The story is told through three main characters. There's army nurse Pepperhawk, who survived Vietnam but is troubled by flashbacks. There's Benny Kirkpatrick, a Green Beret just returned from the Panamanian jungle, who wants to chuck it all, get married and raise a family. There's Captain Avivah Rosen of the military police, who envies their bond and wants to share it.

So who is the dead man on Pepper's bed? We get pieces of the puzzle one at a time. The investigation begins with a World War 2 veteran who reports a stolen uniform, and leads to three lifelong friends who served in Vietnam and swore to look after one another, no matter what.

How many of those now stationed at Fort Bragg could have been in a certain location in Saigon on January 20, 1969? Quite a few, as it turns out. A crime committed then and there has finally come to light a world away.

As Pepper, Benny and Avivah track the clues to a small mountain community, Pepper finds herself drawn into the lives of those who thought they had put Vietnam behind them. Wildwind writes with a sure hand of both the military community and the civilian community, and the arrest of a high-ranking, well-connected officer takes this complex mystery to a suspenseful ending.

SOME WELCOME HOME is the first in a planned five-book series. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, and look forward to the next one.

Those who have a passion for understanding the often complex, and sometimes, ambiguous, relationship between slavery and freedom in the colonial world will be pleased to read Anthony Parent's new work - Foul Means. This well written and exhaustively researched work discusses the aforementioned dilemma in Virginia from the mid-seventeenth to the mid-eighteenth century. The central argument is that the planter elite in Virginia, or "great planters," established America's racial dilemma. Modifying traditional colonial arguments, the author advances the thesis that planters were not conscious of their actions. "The analysis," contends Parent, "challenges the generally accepted belief that the shift to racial slavery was an `unthinking decision' on the part of a wide variety of aspiring planters who were responding to market and labor forces." (2) According to Parent, they knew that slavery was a pivotal cog in the colonial power wheel, and they carefully and consciously leveraged all available resources to tilt the balance in their favor. As for motivation, the planters were inspired by the ever shifting economic tides that existed between the New and Old Worlds.

The author emphasizes the importance of labor in the early American south and in England. The crown initially supported servitude in the colonies as means to promote and encourage economic development in the New World, but as Parent carefully articulates, the English economists came to realize the pitfalls of this arrangement. Charles II implemented this philosophy and "promoted the slave trade to preserve English labor for England." (60) The development of the slave trade became, in essence, more economically and lawfully viable for the crown.

Continuing with a tightly weaved chronological narrative, Parent discusses the role of tobacco as an impetus for class divisions in, and outside of, colonial Virginia. The lower prices of tobacco prompted the planters to look elsewhere for economic fervor. In short, they "promoted slavery as a remedy for the troubled tobacco economy." (81) The theme that planters were opportunists who monopolized each, and all, opportunities to suppress threats is well articulated by the author, and it is evident that their calculated manipulations shaped colonial America. Furthermore, their economic well being became a euphemism for freedom and the planters became so enmeshed with "white society in 1705," that they were "prepared to preserve racial slavery to the death." (129)
Highlighting the significance of slave rebellions, Parent is one of the first scholars to illuminate that insurrections "threatened the order of Virginia society." (172) He pays particular attention to the Chesapeake Rebellion and ties it to the dual role Christianity played in the early seventeenth century. Initially viewed as a way of controlling slaves and Indians, it later became a catapult (i.e., rumors of Christianity leading to emancipation) for prompting slaves to rebel against the white Virginia society. This interesting and insightful approach, paints a clear picture of how religion and freedom were interconnected entities in colonial society.

The only somewhat troubling portion of Parent's narrative was his constant referral to the ruling class in Virginia as the "great planters." They were not "great" in the pejorative sense, and perhaps the author struggled to label them. But were they really great at all? These elitist, such as William Byrd, had a large hand in creating an environment which supported and embraced racism. The lasting consequences of their actions have colored and corrupted American society for centuries. Why not assign a more appropriate title to these men, such as "economic tsars," or "colonial corrupters?"

The complexities of Parent's narrative touch on a wide array of facets, and in sum they advance a novel paradigm in colonial history. He convincingly demonstrates how slavery emerged in early Virginia history. Academics and peers should applaud Parent for this highly readable and carefully argued account of colonial history. This work should be required reading for all history students and economic historians.

"Foul Means" is a powerful expose' of the history of slavery in the Virginia Commonwealth. Because of its importance in earlier American history, one can say, "As Virginia goes, so goes America." Thus, in many ways this book traces the course of slavery throughout the thirteen colonies and beyond and provides a moving picture of the ruthlessness involved in the enslavement of an entire race.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction .

Received my book "The French Broad", and I am really pleased with the book. If I find a book that has a hand written message to someone, I am delighted. Really pleased with the book, and the arrival was FAST. Be back to see you...

Wilma Dykeman spent six months in the early 1950's, driving with her husband through the mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee to research this book. She spoke with local farmers and loggers, visited libraries and newspaper offices, and read numerous accounts of the history of the French Broad River bioregion. The result is a very solid history of the region, spiced with plenty of local color. Although her prose is at times dry, and although her attempts to include quotations and jokes from local people sometimes come off as awkward, her fidelity to the people who are the subjects of her book is unwavering, and she makes numerous insights about the region's history and future which remain true today. The chapter, "Who Killed the French Broad?" is particularly prophetic; no doubt Ms. Dykeman must be happy in her Newport, Tennessee, home to see that the river runs cleaner than it did back in 1955, when the book was first published. A classy book by a classy woman.

This is a wonderful little book. It follows the life of a young North Carolina boy in the 1920's and 1930's. This is a very interesting account of that time period in the South. The most interesting part of the book is perhaps the race relations portrayed in this true story. A wonderful read for those interested in Southern history or nostalgia.

This is a feel-good gentle read, the story a boy's life from his earliest memory through high school. From Here to There brims with the innocence and resourcefulness of childhood and with ever-so-daily incidents that impress and astound into lessons to be lived by. The unspoken message calls upon the sensitive reader to hold in full knowledge how much power adult example wields in the presence of a child.

This is a book about the non-lesson "lessons" of the Vietnam War. Published in 1996, it could be considered the most horribly confusing book about political-military strategy ever conceived. Based tightly on articulating research bounded inside a "paradigmatic presupposition," many early readers would venture to believe Lomperis wasted a decade of research to make sense of a society "in the throes of a revolutionary insurgency struggling to form and consolidate an independent and modernizing state." But reading this book in 2005 makes it all relevant. It actually makes perfect sense, so much so that when read and digested properly, it can be used to predict not only how the newly formed Iraqi government will stabilize and prevail, but will also predict when it will happen by month and year, and that will determine the US exit strategy.
Like wine, this book definitely got better with age! Lomperis grew up as a missionary kid in India and, like how most MKs grow up (this reviewer included), become prescient long-range thinkers, groomed by years of thinking multi-culturally, in multiple languages, and knowing multiple theories of what constitutes rebellion and change in non-democratic societies. Using that type of upbringing, Lomperis asks his readers to understand two significant ideas. First, what are the ingredients of a successful insurgency (and, conversely, of a successful counterinsurgency) and second, what is the optimal level of a Western intervention in either thwarting (or aiding) an insurgency?
These two conceivably simple questions form both an empirical question and a policy question in which the United States currently finds itself, again, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lomperis' non-lessons about Vietnam now ring true when overlaid onto our current situation. The empirical question has been answered: Can nations involved in an insurgency conduct free, fair, and competitive elections? Obviously the answer is "yes" since it was so admirably demonstrated in both war-torn nations. Elections are the key non-lesson learned from Vietnam since they were never accomplished correctly, fairly, freely, or even competitively. Lomperis states, then proves conclusively, that elections are the "true Achilles' heal" of the insurgent's strategy to destroy popularly elected government.
As for the concept of involvement, Lomperis demonstrated that once a legitimate government has been empowered, the building of respect for it must be undertaken. From a policy viewpoint, our intervention/involvement with a nation struggling to overcome a fully enveloped insurgency must be a threefold arrangement.
First, Lomperis argues that society's fundamental "constitutional" arrangements and historical traditions must be upheld; second, by being itself duly constituted by these arrangements and performing the group functions prescribed for it; and, finally, by being acceptably competent in the discharge of its duties and policies. An insurgency, which is a challenge to constituted authority, will attempt to undermine the police forces first and foremost because they are the most conspicuous targets. However, the more legitimate the government and the more corrosion that can placed on the insurgent forces, the sooner the insurgency will be broken and stability returns. The summary of this concept is policy in action: belief, opportunity, interest.
To bring about the change of government from turmoil due to insurgency and into a sphere of stability, Chapter 11 is the most interesting and useful because it demonstrates how to create a timeline for an exit strategy. Using lessons from six case studies ranging from Mao's long march in China from 1920-1949, Greece 1941-1949, Philippines 1946-1956, Malaya 1948-1960, Cambodia-Laos 1949-1975, to Sendero Luminoso's Peru 1970-1992, Lomperis benchmarked insurgent successes and defeats in a smartly laid out timeline that identifies factors important to legitimate governments. He then plots categories and possible futures which are laid out for policy analyst to mull over. Lomperis' work shows that from legitimate national elections to victory will take approximately five years to achieve, if, all involved will stay the course.
This book is an important addition to the body of knowledge regarding insurgency in nations that have undergone Western interventions. While the author may have struggled to make sense of the Vietnam War, and couldn't, he definitely makes sense of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would behoove those who quantify and codify "lessons learned" for special warfare instructional purposes to read this book, again, and develop the wherewithal and policies to ensure that Iraq and Afghanistan survive and prosper and that our exit from those nations be seen as a victory over those who believe in anarchy.

While many Americans have their opinions about the Vietnam War, few have taken the time to examine the forces at play in this event as thoroughly and insightfully as Professor Lomperis has in this book. The true genius of "From People's War to People's Rule" lies in his exploration of the war, not as a single isolated chapter in American history, but as a link in an ongoing chain of insurgencies that plagued the tumultuous political terrain of the Cold War. By looking at revolutions and other Cold War insurrections in countries such as China, Greece and Peru, Dr. Lomperis sheds a clear, luminous ray of light on the poltical forces at play, not only in Vietnam, but in the world that surrounded Vietnam. Amidst a sea of confused and conflicting views about Vietnam, this book offers what most Americans can barely imagine - a clear, comprehensive view of a tenuous time that manages to strike a chord of truth among a mass of misinformation. For anyone interested in sorting out the lessons of Vietnam, this book is a must-read.

This beautifully bound masterpiece not only offers fans of Greek mythology an excellent source for information on thousands of figures, major and minor, it also ties information together by showing the genealogical connections between different members of greek myths.
This book is an integral part of the library of anyone interested in Greek mythology, at any level. For an expert, it provides detailed genealogical charts. For those just starting out in their study of Greek mythology, it is an indespensible resource that helps everything make sense. Five stars

The New York Times recently ran a glowing front page story on this work, with almost a page more inside. Having received my copy, it is easy to see why. The book is beautifully produced. A sturdy orange and black hardcover protects 263 pages, each 16 inches long by 10 and a half inches high. This is a big book. The work was begun in 1964 by Harold Newman, an well-known and highly regarded attorney in Connecticut who died in 1993 at the age of 93. His son, Jon O. Newman, then took the book up and finished in it 2002. Jon Newman is one of the greatest jurists of our times, serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His reputation for brilliance and attention to detail are legendary, and are well-reflected in this work. Given that Judge Newman's father hand-lettered the copious charts on large cardboard sheets, the statement in the Preface that "appropriately for a work of genealogy, this has been a father-son project" hits the mark.
But why would a busy, towering figure in law complete a genealogical chart on Greek mythological figures? One answer is that it was a great mitzvah for a son to complete a work his father spent almost 30 years on. A second answer is tradition; in circles of Jewish learning (a circle which certainly includes Judge Newman), there is a Hebrew saying "Lomdei Toratecha Lishmah," loosely translated as "the study of Torah for Torah's sake." One learns because it is one's obligation to. The subject of study may vary, but the obligation is always there. "A Genealogical Chart of Greek Mythology" is an exemplary work of Lomdei Toratecha Lishmah. Only a love of learning could lead to a work so thorough and beautifully presented. But there is a third reason, and one that should commend others to purchase the book. It is a really useful book, for serious and amateur students of Greek mythology, and for crossword puzzle fanatics, such as my wife. One need never miss a question about Greek mythology again.
In an age when books have become a corporate commodity, "A Genealogical Chart of Greek Mythology" reminds of what it was once like, when great scholars labored for love and we the public could soak in that both the love and the learning they poured into their books. It was a mitzvah for Judge Newman to complete the work and it is a mitzvah for the rest of us to buy it support future projects (and five stars for the University of North Carolina Press for undertaking and publishing it): besides, you'll have a great time with it.
William Patry

I just recently moved to Wilmington and was looking for something to give me a little info on the town and a few chills. I was not disappointed.

Ghosts Of Old Wilmington combines a little local history with a little spooky stuff. It is not written in a tongue-and-cheek fashion, nor does it take itself too seriously. Rather, the author (who runs the local Ghost Walk, which was featured on The Travel Channel on one of their Top 10 Best shows)gives a nice history of each haunted place, then tells you about it's ghostly activities in a fun way. great book for a cold winters night or a day at the beach.

What an incredibly frightening book! It reads like Stephen King, only this stuff is real. I couldn't sleep for two days after reading it! I love the fact that the book is so well researched (giving you a good sense of where these ghosts come from), and that each story talks about recent occurrences. The photos are also great. I recommend this book for anyone interested in unusual history or a good scare!