Ohio Books

I have given this novel to countless friends and relatives, particularly those who say "What should I read?" Beautiful, lyrical prose that still tells a story (sometimes beautiful, lyrical prose doesn't). I love the collective voice of the narrator(s) -- two sets of sisters, all cousins. A masterpiece.

Years ago when I definitely couldn't afford to buy books, much less hard cover books, I bought this book after reading it at the libary. It remains one of my all time favorite books. The characters are unforgettable and the author's style and voice just stunning. I reread it every so often just because it gives me such pleasure and joy. I will always be grateful that Ms. Chase wrote this book.

The Queen of Persia refers to the matriarch of a rural midwest family fifty or so years ago. If you enjoy a book that is at least equally concerned with its moments as it is with where it is going, then this book will probably be good for you. It has been over two years since I read this book and I can still see and feel what Joan Chase wrote ... the overall atmosphere and setting as well as the individuals involved.

When I discovered this book, Professor Dell was suffering from dementia, and did not understand that his manuscript of some 50 years earlier had been published. His daughter discovered it, dust-coverd in the attic. Dr. Dell was best known for his poetry, which like his prose, is clear, true and compelling. He was a man who used simple words to express complex emotions. I have always aspired to follow his lead. George Dell taught forever at Capital University, a small Lutheran college about eight miles from Ohio State in Columbus. Reading The Earth Abideth, you realize you are experiencing the work of a great American writer, who is great at writing about America. In the book's first sentence, his description of the osage orange tree is so well-crafted that you will remember it long after you forget what the trees look like in your own front yard. The story is about a man and his family, not unlike any of us and our families. As you begin to live his life along with Thomas Linthorne, you might as well be in his house, in the barn, in the fields. The events and emotions are basic, raw, believeable. You won't be able to put the book down. Thank you George Dell.

George Dell took me on a a 299-page trip back in Ohio time, and I never wanted to come back. From his no-nonsense introduction to Thomas Linthorne's Sunday afternoon in April, 1866 on page 3, to Thomas' death on another Sunday afternoon in June,about 50 years later, Dell's writing is just right: not too thick, not too thin; just enough to fill you up, and make you wish there was more than just this 1986 story from the 85 year old, smooth-writing Dell.

I started Dell's post-civil War Ohio story of his returning veteran on the Wednesday night after book club, falling asleep around the time the first baby was born. The book called to me at work the next day; I had to leave at noon, taking half a vacation day to finish it. Thomas, wife Kate, and children Hocking, Charlotte, Faith, and Grover are a typical Ohio farm family of the late 19th century - but touched by the same struggles of any family of the this century. Religious faith versus agnosticism, career versus family, and the challenges of neighbors and children all touch the same nerves.

Dell's language has a hint of the Homeric - his "frost-blanched sky" on page 3 signals the epic journey to come. It is a odyssey worth taking, filled with temptations, truth, and consequences. Rnjoy the scenery; the pace is perfect, and the company outstanding. I hope my Ohio ancestors lived lives half as thoughtful, and at least as hopeful, as Dell's Linthorne family.

I have read this book over, and over, and over again, and I never tire of it. It truly is a treasure. By reading it, you absorb a bit of history, and you benefit from experiencing triumph, joy, heartache and sadness, religion, even humor. Almost like 'Little House on The Prairie' with quite a bit of spice.

Don't let the publication date of this book put you off - it is a very well written introduction to (mainly Husserlian) phenomenology. The basic methods and concepts and terms of phenomenology are explained simply and clearly and also carefully put into the larger context of philosophical history. The authors, Stewart and Mickunas, include brief discussions of Heidegger, existentialists such as Satre, Jaspers, and Berdayev, and include chapters on traditional problems in phenomenology, applied phenomenology, and what they call phenomenology's "ongoing tasks." For a more in-depth intro to phenomenology, see Dermot Moran or Robert Sokolowski's books.

Exploring Phenomenology is the best work that I have seen on the market for a general introduction to pure and applied phenomenology. I have authored two technical works in phenomenology, and referred to this book time and again for general reference though it is for the general reader. I highly recommend it for everyone. I look forward to additional works by the co-authors for both general and scholarly readers.
Michael Kazanjian
Phenomenology and Education (1998)
Learning Values Lifelong (Forthcoming)

This is the best text out there for an introduction to Husserl, Heidegger, and the various strands of phenomenology through the first half of the 20th century. Very readable with excellent bibliographies (at least until 1990). Highly recommended for college and graduate students, or anyone interested in continental philosophy.

_Feminism in the Heartland_ will give young women a feel for the joys and sorrows of second wave feminism. As a community activist, I learned a lot from this readable study on how people, with little political clout, came together and built a movement that changed the fabric of American society.

In the fall of 1969, some 20 women from all walks of life gathered in the living room of a middle class family home in Dayton, Ohio, to learn about the birth of a new idea: women's liberation. They ranged in age from 20 to 40. Among them were a minister, a journalist, several stay-at-home moms, a college student, a clerical union organizer, a social worker and a retail clerk. Like the women who initiated the "first wave" of the women's movement when they met in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, many of the Dayton women were first awakened to their own oppression while working for the liberation of others. The Dayton feminists were as inspired by the civil rights and black liberation movements of the 1960s as the 19th century feminists were by abolitionism.

Within a year, the women in that room inspired hundreds of others throughout the city and suburbs of that quintessential Middle American town to reexamine their own lives and communities in small consciousness raising groups. By the end of the 1970s, close to a dozen women's organizations ranging from a socialist feminist collective to a pro-choice coalition had brought profound changes to the lives of thousands of their sisters in Dayton and beyond.

This is the story Judith Ezekiel tells in Feminism in the Heartland. An impeccably researched scholarly work that is must reading for serious students of women's studies, this book also offers a fascinating collection of personal stories told by 58 of the women who were involved. As one of those women, I can attest to the author's fairness, thoroughness and accuracy. The stories are as fresh and inspirational today as they were when they first unfolded.

_Feminism in the Heartland_ will give young women a feel for the joys and sorrows of second wave feminism. As a community activist, I learned a lot from this readable study on how people, with little political clout, came together and built a movement that changed the fabric of American society.

Final Exam is a compelling mystery. It is a brilliant exploration of what drives people with the best-- and worst-- intentions.

While I normally don't pick up mystery-like novels, Final Exam immediately drew me in. Kluge writes a fast-paced, exciting novel that I would recommend to everyone.

Great story, great characters (especially college security guard and investigator Billy Hoover). I really enjoyed this book. I picked this up on a whim, not knowing what to expect, and I have to say, I was really drawn into it and I would highly recommend it.

This book was written by expert professional paleontologists to describe the fossils of one of the most paleontologically-diverse states in the USA. The illustrations are excellent, the systematics are accurate, and the descriptions are succinct and readable. Anyone interested in fossils anywhere will want a copy of this book. The price is extraordinarily low for the value!

This book includes dichotomous keys and full plate photos of all major fossil groups in Ohio--from Ordovician trilobites to Pleistocene mammals. If you are interested in Paleontology in Ohio or nearby states, this book can't be beat. In addition, this book is an amazing VALUE. You can purchase this book directly from the Ohio Geological Survery for $30 + shipping (http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/geosurvey/pub/bulletin/b70/tabid/7329/Default.aspx) . I encourage you to order directly and save yourself tons of money compared to retail dealers.

We hunt fossils all over Ohio. This book is great for identifying the fossils we are finding around Ohio. I would highly recommend this book. It's very educational and has great pictures.

I have been a fan of Gary Bukovnic for years and wanted one of his books to use as a teaching tool for the watercolor classes I teach in my studio. This book was just what I hoped it would be, page after page of full-color, full-page pictures of his flowers both in vases and in exploding bouquets. There is little text as the concentration is on the visual. I was delighted to pour through the book and to share it with my artist friends and students. I hghly recommmend this book to other watercolorists and Bukovnic devotees.

I highly recommend this book. It is a beautiful object to look at and to own. Gary Bukonvnik is a master at capturing the essence of flowers. It is a book I shall keep and look at again and again and always come away feeling happy and inspired.

Gary Bukovnik: Watercolors is a splendidly beautiful full-color collection of watercolor plates, of flowers by contemporary artist Gary Bukovnik. In Gary Bukovnik: Watercolors, the art literally speaks for itself; the only text is a brief caption for each plate describing its size, materials, and the collection that houses the original. A selected bibliography rounds out this art and flower lover's treasury of skillfully and soulfully painted images.

Set in Cincinnati during the summer of 1942, Roger Karshner's splendidly crafted novel, Getting Sentimental Over You, is a nostalgic story of a love found on the top deck of the "Island Queen," an old boat chugging slowly down the Ohio River. Getting Sentimental Over You is a highly recommended and original work of innocence, growth, and unrequited love set against a background of World War II's earliest days.

I couldn't find "Getting Sentimental Over You" in my local bookstores, so I had to order it. It was worth the wait.
The book is a marvellous portrait of a bygone time and the feelings experienced by those who lived it. Not only did the author awaken memories from my very young childhood, but he also created pleasurable experiences for me that might have been. The book is wonderfully "old timey," in the sense that the writing appears to be contemporaneous with the period about which it is written. Every description - music, clothing, behavior, personal insights about well known personalities - seem to be observed in the course of real life experiences.
When "Getting Sentimental Over You" is made into a movie, the filmmakers will have an easy time of it because the author has already created all the images for them.

A beautifully written love story that will take you back to the Big Band days of Tommy Dorsey. This book is a quick read that will fill your heart and soul. I truly enjoyed it and recommend it highly for the romantic in all of us!

I recently read the Great Black Swamp I & II and found both books to be well written with many interesting and often obscure historical accounts. The book is well illustrated with relevant photos. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in early US history, pioneers, Indians, etc.

I just bought these books three days ago and have finished them all. Mollenkopf needs to write more!!! I am from the Black Swamp area of Ohio ~~ and I remember the tales of my childhood when my father told me stories of how big the trees used to be before civilization came along and drained the Black Swamps. However, I have to clarify that I am from the southwestern part of the Black Swamp, which to my disappointment, is not featured very much in his Black Swamp books. Never mind ~~ I live in Defiance now and have traveled back and forth to Toledo ~~ so some of the landmarks he's talking about is in this book and I am familiar with them.

If you are a history buff ~~ this is a great book for you to read about this area of the country. If you like Ohio history or even American history ~~ this book is definitely for you! It starts back in the beginning with Anthony Wayne's fight against the British and the Indians and end with Charles Dicken's visit to Ohio. All these little stories ~~ beautifully written and easy to read ~~ makes you long for more stories. These stories remind me of sitting at my dad's knee and listening to the stories of days yonder. In today's frantic world, it is hard to imagine what the world used to be. This book offers a glimpse of a quieter but harsher life.

I highly recommend this book for any serious reader! It's hard put down!

10-12-05

Being from Northwest Ohio, I liked this book in particular because I could relate to every location Mollenkopf mentioned, although I believe anyone interested in how people lived in early America and dealt with the difficulties of travel will like this book. This book is very well written, not boring like some history books; I couldn't put it down. There are many pictures, old and new, and a tribute to a revolutionary war veteran. I learned many interesting things about the history of the area where I live, many of them just miles from my home. I liked it so much I put three more of Mollenkopf's books on my wish list, I can't wait to read "The Great Black Swamp II".

Chris Holbrook's story collection is full of grit and sardonic humor. His representation of modern Appalachia depicts a region where traditional and modern values conflict---a place where Hell and Ohio are as foreign as a month without its "first" holiday. HELL AND OHIO continues a rich tradition of Appalachian storytelling at its finest.

This book is a masterful portrayal of the hill people of Eastern Kentucky. Holbrook's characters are real people who live in the hills and hollows of this region. This book has it all: hardworking and content people who are going to be forced from their home by the construction of a road; a young man who is forced to leave a home that was spoiled by the death of a brother; an alcoholic who is cast out into the world after his parents die and struggles with himself to correct his erring ways. These stories are all too common in real life and it's about time that someone put them on paper.

I wish more people would discover this talented author. Because his publisher had limited distribution power, this book got lost in the shuffle and it's just not fair. This is one of the best short story collections of recent years, full of powerful plots and prose so beautiful that it practically drips from the page. Holbrook does not bow to stereotype or hide the truth about Appalachia: he simply writes what he knows. A classic in the genre, as every bit as good as the better known work of fellow Kyian Chris Offutt. if you like quality short fiction, this is a terrific book.