North Carolina Books

William Bosch offers a unique study of the Nuremberg Trial. He examines the attitudes of various groups in America regarding such subjects as the legality of the trial, its purpose, and its predicted legacy. The book includes a tremendous amount of research with many lengthy footnotes and an exhaustive bibliography of books, periodicals, newspapers, documents, and letters. The groups considered were: American policy makers, international and domestic attorneys, congressional leaders, religious leaders, historians, foreign affairs writers, military officers, behavioral scientists, and the American public at large. His results are valuable albeit not terribly surprising.

In addition, Bosch also extends his research to the Vietnam war. He examines whether or not Nuremberg principles should be used in the trials of Vietnam soldiers who disobey supreme commands or if two American pilots captured in northern Vietnam should be tried for war crimes by Ho Chi Minh's court. By noting the relationship between Nuremberg and Vietnam, Bosch demonstrates that the Nuremberg Trial was not just an event left to the past but is an event that has a significant influence on present and future issues regarding international military law.

If you are interested in this subject, I highly recommend seeking out this book. It is very well written and contains a mountain of valuable information on American attitudes toward the Nuremberg Trial (the trial being undoubtedly dominated by American ideals). I have written several college papers on the Nuremberg Trial and this book has proved an invaluable source.

This is an excellent book for anyone searching their geneology for connections to American Indian Nations in North Carolina. It is a well written history book that is interesting to read. I have trouble putting it down and wait anxiously to pick it up again.

Mr.Dorfner took the time,energy and patience to retrace Jack Kerouac's footprints left in North Carolina and the result is a VERY imformative and enjoyable book. For me,it has answered ALL the impending questions regarding Jack's journey/stay's with his sister(Nin). Once I closed the last page, I found myself aching to head out to North Carolina to find a little piece of Jack left behind by someone who had no idea of the mark he has left for us all. One of the best parts is where Mr.Dorfner actually locates the famous trees/woods Jack spoke so fondly of in his masterpiece, "The dharma bum's". If you are a SERIOUS fan of Kerouac then this book is DEFINITELY worth reading.Congrat's goes out to Mr. Dorfner for his research in finding out Jack's life in North Carolina.

This is really a fascinating and well written book. Oriard looks at every angle in deconstructing how and why football became America's Game by 1960. Great illustrations accompany very readable text. It's a social history as much as a football history, but it speaks volumes about the sporting heritage of America and how race, class, and ethnicity are reflected in the game - and indeed how the game has forced us to confront some of the less savory facets of American society, particularly race. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of football and American popular culture.

H. Trevor Colbourn writes that the college-educated colonists received a heavy dose of the Greek and Roman classics. This classical education would make it easy for them to assimilate into their own character the virtues embodied in Cato the Younger. Many of these men, such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Nathan Hale, and others, would quote from the play in many of their writings and speeches. Colbourn asserts that in the years leading up to the American Revolution, and especially after the Stamp Act crisis in 1765, the play "Cato" served as the epitome of resistance to tyrannical British rule for many colonists.

It is indicative of the Age of Enlightenment, which educated leaders such as America's Founding Fathers, to select their models of heroic virtue from Greco-Roman history instead of from the Bible. Plays, such as Addison's "Cato" social and philosophical message was clear to any Enlightenment audience because it was Roman moral virtues and not Christian morality that Enlightenment audiences most embraced. Cato's self-reliance caused his actions; not his reliance on God. This notion of men acting outside the sphere of religious bonds was an important lesson that was certainly not lost on our Founders, especially since many of them were such devoted disciples to Enlightenment ideals. In fact, one could stipulate that "Cato" is part of a genre of plays that replaced the Christian morality plays that had been so popular for centuries in Europe.

The revolutionary generation immersed themselves in the classics, which enabled them to be on the look out for examples of distant tyrannical rule. The Founding Fathers believed that in order for a new nation to survive as a republic, they would need to remake men in the mold of Cato as portrayed in Addison's play, and as other heroic men found in "Plutarch's Lives." Cato was first and foremost a patriot. He would not have sullied himself by becoming embroiled in party politics. Thus, the Founders learned from his example and understood that they too had to be especially diligent in guarding against men forming political factions and the misuse of political power for their own self-interest. This is why Founders, such as Thomas Jefferson, placed such high hopes for raising a virtuous body of citizens through education, which became one of his motivating factors for founding the University of Virginia. Aside from Addison's flowery prose and powerful imagery on stage, "Cato's" most important and enduring role in the American colonies was its political message; fighting to the death, if necessary, for freedom from tyranny.


I read this book for a graduate Humanities class. Recommended for people interested in literature, history, philosophy, and the founding of America.

Beautifully written and wonderfully detailed, this book looks at literature by women who, in different ways, make "the West" their home. But Comer overturns defintions of the West as simply the old frontier and "the big sky." The West is black women in LA and Asian women in San Fransisco and Native Indian women writing about their modern lives. The book has very interesting interpretations of contempory women's literature, but the best part is the way it makes you re-think what you thought you knew about the "West." Put away your cowboy images, this book shows the West as a diverse region that has produced some of the best fiction writers in the nation.

This anthology could have included a lot more than fifteen poets: North Carolina is for some reason full of remarkable writers, many poets among them. But by limiting the number of authors represented, Michael McFee is able to offer us a significant profile of each. Would that more anthologists took this approach! And this is a pretty varied crowd. There's A.R. Ammons, two-time winner of the National Book Award, and Maya Angelou, known to practically everyone after her appearance at the 1992 Presidential Inauguration--and then there's little-known Jonathan Williams, whose whimsical, often outrageous poems have usually been published by small presses. There's Robert Morgan, who writes of Appalachian life, and James Applewhite, who writes about the tobacco country down east. Some of these writers, such as Angelou, James Seay, and Betty Adcock, grew up in other parts of the South, and virtually all of them have traveled widely; despite its subtitle, this collection is anything but provincial. It's a must-have for those interested in North Carolina writing, but anyone who appreciates good poetry will enjoy this book.

Many people who have discovered the hermit through the years have become infected with "hermit fever". THey wanted to know what it would be like to BE a hermit. Therefore, the latest edition comes with an entrance exam along with information on how to become an "Official" hermit, a title given through The Hermit Society--which was registered in 1993 in New Hanover County (Wilmington), North Carolina. New members will receive a Certificate proclaiming them an official hermit (see photo on these pages) and a graduate of The School of Common Sense. All that is necessary to pass the exam is to read the book and pay a nominal entrance fee!
Anyone who cherishes independence and loves Nature will be thrilled with a membership!

I read this book as an introduction to this author. It was a fun read that took me back to when I was a child. The characters are written with wit and great characterizations. Kids and adults alike with love this one.

Lee's Tar Heels is a superb narrative of one of North Carolina's premier brigades in the Civil War. Author Earl Hess delivers a very readable and interesting account of the brigade, which included the 11th, 26th, 44th, 47th, and 52nd NC regiments. Hess draws on a large number of period resources, including some priceless accounts from brigade members, some of whom did not survive to see the war's end.

The book basically covers the entire history of the brigade, from its early days participating in the relatively small skirmishes and battles of Eastern NC, until its true baptism of fire at Gettysburg, in which it suffered appalling casualties and gained immortal glory. One thing I liked about the book is the consistency with which he covers all the regiments of the brigade, and not just the more famous 26th NC. It would be easy to have written a book on the 26th, with scant reference to the other equally deserving member regiments, but Hess never fails to present the brigade as a whole.

He also tells of a number of interesting side stories, including devoting much space to the famous Moravian band which travelled with the regiment. He talks about the Quaker members of the brigade, who were caught up in a situation they hated, yet earned the sympathy of their fellow soldiers. Each aspect of the brigade history is presented in a readable way, including discussions on desertion, camp life, and politics.
He also talks a great deal about the three leaders of the brigade; Pettigrew, Kirkland, and McRae. He is candid about each of their leadership styles, including any blunders they may have perpetrated, but he is quick to come to their defense when he feels it is warranted. One thing I was impressed with was the natural talent that the last commander, William McRae, exhibited. If not for the end of the war, he surely would have gone on to be a fine division commander.

Hess also addresses the post-war controversy over the blame for the failure of Pickett's charge between North Carolina and Virginia. Several prominent Virginia newspapers printed accounts of the Tarheel's actions at Gettysburg that were biased and inaccurate. There is a whole chapter on "After the War", which deals with the efforts of various members of the brigade to rectify the incorrect accusations of the Virginians, and to accord the brigade the credit it was due. He also writes about the eventual fate of many of the soldiers you come to know through the reading of the book, some of whose stories are absolutely fascinating.

This brigade was present at pretty much every large battle of the ANV from Gettysburg until the end of the war, including a number of smaller engagements which are generally overlooked. It gained a reputation for hard fighting, and was often used in situations where extreme measures were called for. Hess writes about them with an obvious enthusiasm, but never loses his objectivity. I will have to admit, this is the first brigade history I have ever read, but I cannot imagine it gets much better than this. If you enjoyed the book he co-wrote on Pea Ridge, I think you will find this one just as good, maybe even better. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.