Ohio Books

Being new to gardening, this book has been the most valuable tool. Every page has pictures of the plants that are being described and there are symbols to quickly identify plant properties. I would definitely recommend this book for everyone.

This is the book I go back to over and over again. It's organized, well written, and most of all, RIGHT. I've had it for a couple of years. When I picked it up again last night to see which birches will grow well in Ohio, I decided to write a review here on Amazon to encourage others to get this book, too. It's worth every penny.

I have had this book for years, have loaned it so many times it's not funny! Finally, just started ordering several copies at a time to have on hand for gift giving. I have 16 large flower beds, and most of the plants ideas have come directly from the advice I have found in this book. These are also the plants I have the most success with, AND the ones asked most about when people come to visit my garden. Also, for the most part, these selections are relatively easy to find in our nursery's. [Seibentahaler's and Knollwoods are excellent places to look]. I hope he continues his writings, and I will be ordering his new book also. Centerville, Ohio

Ohio is not the most hospitable place for gardening. With cold winters and hot often dry summers, gardening can be a balancing act. This book is a terrific guide for selecting and cultivating plants in this area. This book has helped me improve my black thumb to almost green. Recommended for all Ohio and surrounding areas.

If your grandma were an expert gardener, this is like having all her advice right in one place. I have used this inexpensive, thorough gardening book much more than my expensive hardcover gardening books. This book is great for a novice gardener, and also for more experienced gardeners. He gives a full 2-pages for each plant, telling where to plant, when to trim, when to plant, varieties/cultivars, and much more. He answers pretty much any question you could have about a certain plant. I take this with me when I'm shopping for my plants, because he tells you lots more than the plant tag will. I highly, highly recommend this book for anyone who likes to garden! Too bad he doesn't cover vegetables or herbs, though.

Reading this book was like having dinner with R. L. Stine. I live in Columbus, Ohio and R. L. was raised right outside the city limits.

This book is told through his voice and being the great story teller that he is, he captivated me with even the smallest facts about his career.

He is honest about his downs and ups and is humble about his own success.

I was so sorry when this book ended, it felt like my friend had to leave after sharing such a wonderful visit with me.

This is a great resource for book or oral reports!

It Came From Ohio is a book about Goosebumps author R.L.Stine, and his life from a child to an adult. This book tells many funny and interesting facts about the R.L.Stine that most people do not know. For instance, did you know that before he wrote Goosebumps, he wrote for magazines and a T.V series? Well now you do! If this sounds interesting, or if you've always wanted to know about R.L.Stine than this book is a must-read!

This autobiography is awesome! I am in the middle of it right now and it gives a lot of information about Robert Lawrence Stine's life. I can't wait until the next chapter!

This book is really fun & interesting. R.L. Stine tells about why he likes scary things. You get to see his early works he did as a child. You also get to find out what "R.L." stands for and when his birthday is. Very informative! If your child is an R.L. Stine fan, this is the book for them.

I like this book because it had large type and I found it very easy to read. This would be a good book for readers who are not so advanced yet, because here you don't have to worry about difficult words. It's also funny and the pictures were a great addition to the book. It really stuck to the "My Life as a Writer" part of the title, because it just says how R.L. Stine has been writing all his life, from little comics to magazines and finally to books, and the rest of it, which wasn't all that much, was about his family. This is the perfect book I know about that will help fans learn about R.L. Stine, so I suggest you read it and see what you think.

This is one of my favorite books that I have ever read. Some of the charm it held for me may be that it describes life in towns in the North part of Ohio, and I grew up in Toledo, Ohio. Powell's narrative of events and places made me feel like I could imagine my own ancestors experiences in this part of the country. I think that the times were the times of my grandparents, and great grandparents.

The telling of the sequence of events showed the differences between daily life of the late 1800s-early 1900s and our own time in a way that changed my consciousness of those times, so near, so different, and so expository of the attitudes and personalities of my own grandparents. There is a lot of hardship, by today's standards, but it seemed to be taken as a matter of course in the times.

The personalities and foibles, concerns and coping mechanisms of the characters, at the same time, were so recognizable in the people and lives I know today. Dawn Powell's story, and Dawn Powell's way of telling her story, have stayed with me for many years after having read the book.

Dawn Powell was no whiner- and as this highly autobiographical novel attests, she had plenty of reason to complain! The story of her turn of the century Ohio childhood, is told through the viewpoint of Marcia, the gifted, plain, middle child of three motherless sisters. Despite a neglectful, absent and grandiose father, ( a child himself,) and a host of inadequate relatives, the girls are largely delighted with their world, which by modern standards is one of poverty and neglect. The book is an object lesson in attitudes and expectations that become reality.
This was an era that discouraged pity, and would have been dumbfounded by modern 'confessional' trends. The attitudes toward children, would be barbaric today. The girls remained loyal to their father, even as they grew to understand his weaknesses, and they found delight in characters that would be considered dangerous and forbidden today. Their own grandmother, refusing to attend to fire safety, managed to burn down four houses, including her own, from which weeks before the girls had just been removed. This is a story of a triumph of childhood with nothing of the tone of the adult looking back in a lament. In some ways, it is similar to "Angela's Ashes," another horrible experience of childhood, that uniquely avoids the subject of depression and rage. This even holds true for the archetypical wicked stepmother, an unrelenting, hateful woman who sadistically confiscated or forbade any object or activity of pleasure.
The most amazing part of Marcia, is this 'game' she played, when she was in the midst of an ordeal. She could reach down inside of herself and become the person who was devoid of reactions to the current stress and be completely strong and capable of enduring the trauma through to the end. It is a testimony, spoken by a child, of the human spirit, and the infinite manifestations and sources of power by which mankind survives. I will definitely read this book again, for its fresh outlook and restrained economy.

I finished reading this in one day -- that's how gripping I found it. It's literary in the way that F. Scott Fitzgerald and Willa Cather are literary -- the diction and syntax are polished, the setting is captured with precise details, but the plot comes through clearly -- and it's hard to put this down once you start to read it. This is my first Dawn Powell novel, but I intend to read all of her works after this amazing introduction.

Dawn Powell (1896 -1965) wrote novels about her youth in small town Ohio at the turn of the century and about New York City, where she spent most of her adult life. In general, Powell wrote the New York City novels, such as "Turn Magic Wheel", and "The Locusts Have no King" later in her career. They tend to be sharp satires. Her earlier Ohio novels, such as "Dance Night" and "Come Back to Sorrento", are marked, I think, by a depiction of small town life which is critical and bittersweet, as well as somewhat satirical, and by a restlessness and sense of frustration, ...

Powell worked for three years on "My Home is Far Away" which was published in 1944. She had difficulty with the book, writing and rewriting the various scenes as she tried to fictionalize her biography and turn it into a novel. The book appears in the midst of her New York novels, and it is a throwback in to her earlier books with its setting in Ohio, its focus on childhood, and its bittersweet tone. Powell intended this novel as the first of a three-part trilogy, but the other two volumes never materialized.

Most of Powell's novels seem to me distinctly autobiographical in tone and "My Home is Far away" is particularly so. It tells the story of a family, focusing on three young sisters, Lena, Marcia, and Florrie, their father Harry, their mother Daisy, and, after Daisy's death, their stepmother Idah. There are basiclly three parts to the story: the period leading to the death of Daisy, and intervening period in which the three girls are raised by their father and assorted other relatives, and a the period after their father remarries and the girls are subjected to a cruel stepmother. When they find they can no longer take the abuse, they leave home and come into their own lives.

The title of the novel, "My Home is Far Away" derives from an Irish song that the girls sing with their mother. The title well captures some of the rootlesness of the family as they move from here to there. It also evokes well the longing for a home life and for a stability which the family, and Dawn Powell, never had.

One of the problems with this book is diffentiating the characters of three young girls. On the whole, this is handled effectively. The Dawn Powell character is the middle sister, Marcia, who is plain but highly precocious. The older girl, Lena, is much more sociable and outgoing.

The family moved a great deal from one small Ohio town to another and to different places within various towns. The most effective scenes in the book for me were the pictures of many dingy, run-down hotels and small town back streets during which the girls spent much of their childhood. The father, Harry, was a travelling salesman who, for most of the book, has difficulty holding a job and spending time with his family. He professes to love his family, but doesn't provide well. He spends his time and money hanging around with his friends and, apparently, with women in various towns.

One key moment in the book occurs rather early in it when the girls' mother dies. This scene is beautifully told. Then we see Harry trying to shunt the girls off to various relatives until he finally attempts to care for them himself. The marriage to Idah brings Harry some stability, but at a terrible cost. Idah is a shrewish, jealous stepmother. The two older girls both leave home to get away from her.

This book has some slow moments, but it is a wonderful coming-of-age novel and gives a good picture of the rural midwest. It is good that Dawn Powell's novels are in print and readily accessible. It is intriguing to think how she might have proceeded in the remaining two projected volumes of her autobiographical trilogy.

I have only recently begun to hear about the little-known American author Dawn Powell, and this is the first of her novels that I have read. It is so hard to believe that Ms. Powell's work has been largely ignored for decades--she writes so beautifully, with wit and pathos in equal measures. Dawn Powell's passion for writing comes through on every page, her characters lively and real, their adventures and personalities engaging, and her descriptions of turn-of-the-century Ohio vivid. She captures the points of view and imaginations of her child protagonists (the three sisters, who are central to the story) with complete accuracy--I found myself smiling in recognition at what it was like to think like a child again. And what's more, this is largely a true story--based on Dawn Powell's own sad childhood, when she lost her mother and gained an abusive stepmother (and seemed to be mainly neglected by her ineffectual father). All in all, a moving and enthralling story--the main character reminded me of Little Women's Jo as well as Jane Eyre, at times. Highly recommended.

One of the best fast moving story that I have had the pleasure of reading. From the first page to the last it was hard to put this book down. I would love to see it made into a movie. I highly recommend this book.

"Snake Walkers is a fascinating read that revisits a horrific time in history where the lives of African Americans were tragically taken by those who wanted to suppress them."

"This gripping story begins with Anthony Andrews as a young boy witnessing the heinous hanging of a young boy. A murder that he relives in his nightmares, yet he keeps it a secret. This traumatic event plays a direct part in the path his life takes."

"Years later, Anthony becomes the first African American reporter at the Arkansas Sun. He is given an assignment to investigate the mysterious disappearance of several men in the town of Evesville."

"During the assignment Anthony becomes very close to one of the families linked to the men who disappeared. The closeness he feels towards this family is no coincidence as they share something in common that will bond them together forever."

"As Anthony comes close to finding answers his life is threatened and he comes to the realization that he is being used by those who have a hidden agenda. He is forced to make some difficult decisions in order to protect his life and the lives of those he loves."

"J. Everett Prewitt has created a captivating read that becomes more and more transfixing as this story unfolds. This talented author does an outstanding job with his first release."

Although this book may be a little slow to start, keep reading. Once it grabs you, you'll be glad you stayed. First-time author, J. Everett Prewitt, makes his strong debut with a novel of racial atrocities and civil unjustice. To do this, he introduces Anthony Andrews, a black child, who witnesses a hanging. This incident haunts Anthony and guides him to become a reporter. When Anthony accepts a position a the Arkansas Sun, he believes it is because of his talents and not because he is black.

Investigating the first big assignment he is given takes Anthony to a small town abandoned by its occupants and onto Cleveland, Ohio. Over time, and with the help of the strong characters created by M. Prewitt, Anthony comes to realize how naïve he has been all of his life. There are two points of view and he needs to choose which one is his for himself. When his father confronts him, "So, you go up North, listen the ramblings of some man with a blue-collar job and no education, then come back down here to enlighten me?...I taught you to think for yourself." Anthony replies, "No, Dad. You taught me to think like you."

"Snake Walkers" takes historical facts and characters and interlaces them with fictional ones. Read the book and decide for yourself. As Harriet Tubman is attributed with saying, "I would have freed a thousand more if they knew they were slaves." J. Everett Prewitt is certainly an author to look for. I'm sure he has many more stories to bring to us.

J. Everett Prewitt is a natural story teller. I was drawn right into the story. He captured my attention from the first paragraph. The plot carries with it all the elements of conflict, romance, and intrigue.

The action is heightened by a masterful pacing of conflict and resolution. Throughout the story Prewitt maintains suspense. The story unfolds a haunting theme of mystery.

His descriptive phrases and imagery activate all five senses. I smelled the flowers, heard the twigs crackling, and felt the explosion of a gun blasting nearby. Although often graphic, Prewitt was sensitive as he described the racial tensions of the 1960s and atrocities that often went unacknowledged and unreported.

I was deeply moved by the underlying current of family loyalty, secrecy and tension. The novel gave the author a platform to enlighten in the reader a moral and social responsibility. I was deeply touched and was often struck by an emotional chord as I recognized the impact of environment and family heritage on my own growth and value formation.

The author's sensitive writing and insightful character development creates an empathy for his all his characters, the heroes and the downtrodden. Each was faced with choices based on ritual and tradition that might have an effect on the life and safety of others.

I highly recommend this book anyone consciously trying to bridge the social injustices of the past with the hope of the future. This is a brilliant, penetrating novel.

Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (3/06)

When first approaching "Snake Walkers" I wasn't so sure it was going to be my 'cup of tea'. It seemed to be another one of those stories set back in the days of racial conflict, one we've all heard before... but I quickly realized I have never seen this side of the race wars. Set in the late 1940's through the 1960's the story begins with a young black boy (Anthony) seeing another boy being hung and beaten by a group of 14 white men. Scared to the depths of his soul he holds this vision deep within for decades, allowing it to eat at him until he's finally forced to confront the issues of what he saw.

Anthony vows to make right the wrongs he has seen, if even by making a small difference in the world of blacks but his ways of 'making a difference' seems to differ a lot from what many others are doing during this time of conflict. His father brings him up to believe that the colored folk are in the predicament they're in because of their own ignorance and violence. Anthony follows in his father's way of thinking and feels that he can make a difference by being the best he can be and not making those he's fighting against angry with such 'stupid' actions as marches and out right confrontation. He chooses to ignore the violence involved with often innocent black men and women or at the least, put it in the back of his mind.

Then Anthony lands a job as 'the first negro to write for the Sun'. This position makes him feel as thought this is his chance to make the difference he's always wanted to make. He finds himself working on a story, which soon becomes a much deeper and darker story than he ever thought. Then to complicate matters even more, he seeks some answers from a beautiful, intelligent professor that he instantly has feelings for, but doesn't want to allow those feelings overtake his ability to write a good story. As he uncovers more and more information it becomes less and less clear who is 'on his side' now and he finds danger in every corner.

During his quest, he also finds that perhaps his father's ways aren't the right ways. He finds that family isn't always as cut and dry as he thought, and begins to understand the true meaning of family ties and bonds.

While the beginning of the book was a little slow, a little perseverance will put you deep within the soul of a touching, thrilling story like no other. You've never seen the times of racial wars like this before, I can assure you. It's a wonderful book that will open your eyes to many things, including what true love and family means.

I grew up near Bay Village and always found this subject interesting. How anyone can even think that he is innocent is beyond me! Hopefully Marilyn can rest in peace, now that this book proves her husband murdered her. The author did a great job with details and emotions. I would read it again!!

Yes, if you want the truth --THIS is your book, should be titled "Dr. Sam Sheppard, Guilty as Hates"; which is probably where he resides... And you remember the "clawed" instrument that was such a mystery and they thought it was a medical instrument ? Well doesn't every home in America have a device called a hammer (it has a clawed end.)

The Marilyn Sheppard murder mystery refuses to die. It's a good guess that if her ghost were to rise out of the grave and identify her actual killer, it wouldn't change anyone's settled convictions about the case and the question of who the murderer was. That said, William Mason and Jack P. DeSario's narrative of the third (final?)Sheppard trial three years ago should settle some of the long-standing myths and misconceptions about the case that is believed (erroneously)to have inspired "The Fugitive" television series. This is a detailed, passionately argued and frankly partisan account of prosecutor Mason's successful defense on behalf of the State of Ohio against Sam Reese Sheppard's wrongful imprisonment suit. As such, it offers a blow-by-blow account of the assertions made by Sheppard's attorney Terry Gilbert and how Mason and his staff demolished them during the lengthy civil suit that ended with a decisive verdict for the State on April 20, 2003. It's all here: the obligatory rehashes of the murder, the 1954 trial, the 1966 trial, the decade-long campaign by Sheppard's defenders to finger Richard Eberling as the real killer, and the bizarre legal strategies that culminated in Terry Gilbert's courtroom defeat? Most interestingly, Mason and DeSario's account suggests fascinating questions that it does not answer. Why, for example, did Sam Reese Sheppard and Terry Gilbert insist on presenting the jury with the narrative of a"happy" marriage for Sam and Marilyn Sheppard--an ironic echo of Sam's foolish lies about his marriage during his initial interrogation and inquest? Why did Sam Reese and Gilbert overhype the implications of their much-touted--but ultimately disappointing--DNA evidence? Did they really believe that the evidence in their civil suit was that strong--or did they gamble that the State would fold before or during the trial and reach an out-of-court settlement? Mason and DeSario don't answer these questions but their book effectively recapitulates the relentless evidence that persuaded the 3rd Sheppard jury.
The book might have benefited from a change in tone. Although it is told in the third person, it is clearly from Mason's perspective and might have had a slightly less self-justifying tone if related in the first person. Mason's anger over the tactics and assertions of the plaintiff are evident on almost every page and it would be interesting to more directly encounter the personality muted by the third-person approach here. Bottom line: this book convinced me more than ever that Sam Sheppard was guilty. It's hard to believe, after reading this book, that Same Reese and Gilbert dared to show up in court with such flimsy "new evidence." It probably won't change any minds about the case but it is at least a worthy if lone counter to the seven or so volumes that have trumpeted Sam Sheppard's alleged innocence since 1954.

Several books have been written about the famous Marilyn Sheppard murder case. The great majority of them have been decidedly pro-Dr Sam. Now, at last, the prosecutors have broken their silence as far as books are concerned. This is an extremely interesting account of the third Sheppard trial (the civil suit against the state of Ohio, brought by Sam Reese Sheppard for wrongful imprisonment of his father, Dr Sam Sheppard). The photographic material is outstanding: finally I can see what coroner Gerber meant when he spoke about a surgical instrument having made a bloody imprint on Marilyns pillow case (not that he was right about that, but the strange "instrument-like" impression is clearly visible). The most powerful aspect of this book is that it is completely focused on evidence and facts. There is, for instance, an appendix with the original police report and various statements by Dr Sam. The reader can read, line for line, the cross-examination of Dr Sam Sheppard during the trial in 1954. This emphasis on the facts of the case enables the reader to interpret the available evidence in one or the other direction. My only criticism (and the reason for not giving five stars) is that the focus tends to be so much on the evidence and law aspects that the human beings sometimes get a little lost. Otherwise, an excellent account and probably the last word on the Sheppard case (although this case seems to be a neverending story, so one never knows...).

I have believed that Sam Sheppard was innocent since I first read an article about this case when I was ten years old. I'm from Ohio and felt Dr. Sam was tried and convicted by the press and public.
When I purchased this book, adding it to my Sheppard murder case book colection, I tried not to accept the evidence presented in the book. But there is one piece of information that chilled me to the bone and made me reconsider that Marilyn's killer might very well be Sam. Marilyn's step mother told the prosecutor that when she and her husband, Marilyn's father, went to the Sam parent's home the day the murder occured neither Sam's mother nor father mentioned Marilyn or what had happened. They showed off their new house, offered cookies and tea and acted as though it were just another day. Also there is evidence that Stephen Sheppard might have assisted Sam in covering up the murder. Read the book and when you get to those parts it will creep you out as well.
I feel bad for Sam Reese Sheppard, Sam and Marilyn's son. I know he feels his father is innocent, but he was in the courtroom when this evidence was presented, did it ever cross his mind that his father might have done it? Perhaps not premeditated, but a rage killing that he felt he had to cover up to save his reputation? On the other hand how could anyone carry that burden all those years and never tell anyone? If Sam's family helped didn't it bother them as well to be a part of it?
This is the first book on the Sheppard case told from the prosecution's point of view. In this book Marilyn is the victim and not Sam, although she was always the victim, I really needed to read a book that would speak for Marilyn and this book does just that.
Whether or not Sam Sheppard is guilty he was still not given a fair trial the first time around. This book is a real eye opener about the Sheppard case. Read it, it will make you think and reconsider your own opinion regarding this historic case.

I avoided this book series for years simply because of the price, since most ghost story books tend to be formulaic I just assumed these were the same. Then one day I decided to give them a try, and I have been hooked ever since. It is well worth the price.
This is without doubt one of the scariest compilations ever put together, I can't recommend it enough there a ton of stories in each volume to keep you busy for a while.
More then likely it will leave you wanting more, so don't worry there are plenty of additional books in this series (haunted Ohio addiction is fairly common, Chris Woodyard is the supernatural equivalent of Patrick O'Brian, you can't help but want more.)
I should warn you though, this book may give You a sleeping disorder.
Actually this thing should come with a complementary night light.

During a recent camping trip, we found this book and three others (the fifth one is in hardback and we decided to wait till it was in paperback) at the state park visitor center. My parents have the series and my nieces and nephew absolutely love these books ~~ they would beg my dad to read it to them. So we thought we would introduce a new tradition for our boys. There was a small problem though ~~ the stories in here are just a little bit too advanced for five year olds' comprehension.

But it's perfect for me. I couldn't read it at night though as the stories were spooky. And I had to walk to the bathroom in the dark with only a flashlight to protect me. (The nights before I read this book, I was more worried about bears. After reading this book, I am now more worried about spooks!)

The stories in here are about familiar history pieces that I've heard over the years. I've been to lots of these towns and never realized that they had haunts of their own. I am a skeptic about ghosts since I have never seen one. But the stories in here are thrilling, sad, spooky and sometimes, just plain weird. Some of my favorites are: The Ghostly Girl of Woodland Cemetery (that cemetery is absolutely beautiful ~~ makes me want to go back and see it!); all of the ghost stories of the Victoria Theatre in Dayton (I used to be an usher there and never heard the stories till now); Julia Grant's stories and so on.

This book is a combination of stories and historical bits all tied in together. It is a compilation of stories (and not all that well-written in some cases as I had to re-read several stories again to make sure that I understood them correctly) that Ms. Woodyard collected over the years. These stories are perfect to read over the campfire at night ...

Just be sure to carry a heavy flashlight when you go out for a nightly walk to the bathroom ...

9-11-07

The entire Haunted Ohio series has been excellent. Woodyard has an engaging writing style, unlike a lot of the other dry, sketchy true ghost story collections I've read. There is enough historical background to flesh the stories out without making them read like a textbook. Highly recommended!

I liked Haunted Ohio because it wasn't just a collection of ghost stories put together by an author. It also contains one of Chris Woodyard's personal experiences of living above a haunted store in "The Ghost of Unicorn Vintage Clothing." She also showcases her extensive historical research by bringing out little known paranormal facts, such as due to the high casualty rate in WWI the production of Ouija Boards increased. A reference section is provided that has been divided by chapter so that a reader may look up the original stories. Woodyard's stories are written in a lively style and though short are detailed enough to be wonderfully scary.

Local stories that will keep the lights on....she brings them to life..a great story teller!

i absolutely loved reading this book!!! i felt like i knew the characters. i have read this book more than once! it is one of my favorite books of all time!!

Too many people think a book about African-American families would only be read by African-Americans. With that thought there will be a lot of readers who would miss the opportunity to read a superbly written story about family interactions, modern women, and the unique bond of sisterhood.

Ms. McCarthy Louard has the ability to draw you in immediately and make you feel as if you are part of the Darling family. Her talent brings you into each one of their trials to the point where it is difficult to put the book down. The intensity of the emotions is compelling, but the book is so well-written that you do not experience any drags at all.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well constructed and enjoyable book with individual characters who linger in your memory long after the book is finished.

I enjoyed reading this book. The author touches subjects that haunt many families, and it also shows how families stick together in times of trouble.

I really enjoyed reading Mama's Girls. I had been looking forward to reading this book because I had heard so much about it. Once I got the opportunity to read it I was captivated. It was difficult to put it down because I wanted to get to the end quickly. This book tells the story of family love and what we are all encouraged to do, help one another in times of crises. The Bible tells us to love each other as we love ourselves. Louard illustrated that we should all put a high priority on family. Although, the characters portrayed in this book did not appear to be extremely close in the beginning, their love for each other brought them to a point where they were willing to sacrifice everything for the love of family. I believe the author did an excellent job portraying each character. I am especially drawn to Brynne, the oldest of the three sisters. She is going through a time of renewal and she is willing to take some risks to discover her true self. Grandma Laurel is a lot like many of the West Indian grandmothers and mothers I know. They have a strong resolve and they will go to the ends of the earth for their families. Laurel is further characterized as a strong, independent and feisty woman who took on the tremendous task of raising her three granddaughters. It is Laurel's faith in God that takes her through the ordeal she is confronted with. Congratulations Janette McCathy Louard for penning such a great first novel. I loved the ending and I am looking forward to the sequel.

I read this book in two days. It would've been one but I was quite sick.In fact I know it made me feel better. This book grips you from the fist page. It begins with the death of the girls' parents' in an automobile accident. And they were raised by their maternal grandmother. And loved from far by their paternal grandmother who lived in another state. I loss both my parents' a day apart in 2000. This book made me realize how lucky I was to have my parents for 44 years. These girls were quite young when their parents died.I highly recommend this book to everyone to read. I even recommended it to my online bookclub. All the characters in the book were so realistic and each reader can identify with these women. The storyline was so realistic.Brynne,Camille and Olivia are the three sisters. Mama Laurel and Gram Naomi were the grandmothers. This book is a must read.Pam

Seller was quick and the book was in good condition. I would buy from this seller again.

Book was shipped promptly; generally as described. There was a minor bend in the cover not indicated; but acceptable.

In a biography on Madison I read that every day of his life after the Consitutional Convention he was asked to reveal the notes he had taken of the debates, and not until well after he and every one else present at the convention died, in 1840, did Madison allow these notes to become public. Others had surrepticiuosly taken notes of the procedings, but none were substantial. Everyone knew Madison's notes would reveal the truth about what happened during the Constitutional debates.

I actually didn't have that hard a time reading the text, as I was expecting the worst. Admittedly, I only read the first two hundred pages and scattered sections. The text is over 600 pages long, though it is nicely broken up by days during the four month long marathon.

The text of the debates does have its entertaining moments. It was fascinating to hear the leading men of the day discuss the plusses and minuses of various rules for structuring their nation to be.

My major criticism of this particular edition is that there is no background information given on each of the "combatants" at the debates or explanatory footnotes within the text. The more I read on the founding of the United States, the more I realize that there were many politicians besides Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, etc. These lesser-known men's lives are very relevent and interesting, too, and I felt that I would have gotten more out of the reading if I had known more about the characters and the local background of the issues at that time. I do plan on returning to the Notes of the Debates in the future.

Othewise, the text can only be rated at 5 stars.

add (2/12/06): I would highly suggest reading "Decision in Philadelphia" by Collier and Collier if you are unfamiliar with the participants and issues in the 1787 Consitutional Convention. It is an excellent book and an extremely easy read.

This book is an excellent historical account of the decisive event that created our American form of government-the democratic republic.A complete understanding of the nature of the debate between the conservatives(George Washington,Alexander Hamilton,Thomas Jefferson,James Madison,Benjamin Franklin,John Jay)and the Libertarians(George Mason,William Randolph,Thomas Jefferson,Patrick Henry,Thomas Paine,and,for a time,John Hancock)is necessary in order to fully grasp what was at stake in 1787.A reader who purchases this book is also urged to purchase The Federalist Papers,written by Hamilton,Madison, and Jay.The great and inherently conflicting differences between Conservatism and Libertarianism , given that they are different political and economic philosophies, were put on full display at this convention in 1787.For instance,the conservatives favored a strong central government,strong executive branch,a strong,independent central bank to regulate currency and banking,and the establishment of federal excise taxes in order to fund the federal government.Hamilton later instituted an economic development and industrial-manufacturing growth policy based on high tariffs(import taxes).The Libertarians favored an extremely weak "federal"government, like that established by the Articles of Confederation,a weak executive branch,free banking,no national currency,and no federal government power to tax.This last issue was not decided until Washington ,acting as our first elected president, had to personally lead Federal troops to put down the Libertarian revolt, called the Whiskey rebellion, in Western Pennsylvania in 1793-1794.The revolt was based on the claim that the federal excise tax on whiskey,a tax that had been passed by the first Congress ,was an illegal seizure of private property.This revolt had a number of similarities to the earlier 1786-1787 revolt led by Daniel Shays that had revealed the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.Fortunately,the conservatives(Washington and Hamilton) won the day while the libertarians lost.

~Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 Reported by James Madison~ is an insightful chronicle of the proceedings of the Philadelphia Convention. There is no denying the immense historical value of Madison's notes from the Convention to draft the Constitution. It's an excellent study tool to understand the framing of the United States Constitution, and follow the debates and see how the document was shaped and who influenced it. As a matter of fact, Madison offered a salient defense of the compact nature of the Union, as opposed to the nationalist theory of Joseph Story and Daniel Webster. Among the other note-takers at the Convention (e.g. Robert Yates), James Madison offered the most thorough exposition of the proceedings. He apparently nearly wore his hand ragged transcribing all of this stuff in such detail, but he had an intuitive sense that they were really making history in 1787. The problem I have with modern constitutional historiography is that it does accurately portray the purpose of the Convention or its power and authority. As a result, the ambiguous special pleadings for ratification known as the Federalist Papers are overvalued while the subsequent state ratifying conventions are ignored and marginalized. The fact that the people of the several states never ratified Hamilton's opinions, and the fact that Hamilton had offered a plan for complete consolidation at Philadelphia only to leave that Convention early also discounts the value of his special pleading for adoption of the Constitution as the be-all and end-all summation of original intent. In Federalist #40, Madison accurately stated that the Philadelphia Convention had no authority but to draft a Constitution and its powers were "merely advisory and recommendatory." Madison also disclaimed the value of his notes and contended that we should look for original intent not in the deliberations and proceedings of the convention to draft the Constitution, but in the text itself and in the proceedings of the state ratifying conventions. Madison observed, "...the legitimate meaning of the Instrument must be derived from the text itself; or if a key is to be sought elsewhere, it must be not in the opinions or intentions of the Body which planned & proposed the Constitution, but in the sense attached to it by the people in their respective State Conventions where it received all the authority which it possesses." In point of emphasis, "all the authority which it possesses." John Taylor in the Virginia House of Delegates debates expressed a similar sentiment, noting that the proceedings of the state ratification debates "ought to be looked upon as a contemporaneous exposition... constitution." In other words, Madison's and Yate's notes are helpful, but serious students of the Constitution would gain insight on original intentions by studying the proceedings of the various state ratifying conventions as well. Thankfully, the Wisconsin Historical Society has produced the Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution.

How could you not fall in love with Esther Royer Ayers after reading her stirring life story in "Rolling Down Black Stockings?" I know that my wife and I did. Perhaps it's because Esther and I had strong, dominant mothers who chose non-mainstream religious beliefs and practices over common sense to raise their children. Maybe it's due to the ghosts that haunted both of our adult lives because of how fear trumped love in our parent's decision making skills while we were growing up. Then again, it may be that as an author, I especially enjoy writers with a gift for words, engaging their readers with eloquent prose, poignant metaphors, and down-to-earth analogies.
Richard E. Kelly, Author of "Growing Up In Mama's Club"

Anyone approaching this genre, to either read or write memoir, should begin with this book. Ayers has everything it takes, solid storytelling, subtle humor, an objective approach that doesn't feel like the often used oh-woe-was-me attitude, and a strong premise: You're different--deal with it.

This first-hand account of life in a cloistered community is very moving. What Ms. Ayres experienced growing up and how she was able to enter and adapt to main-stream society is a remarkable story. An enjoyable and amazing read.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rolling Down Black Stockings, Esther Royer Ayers' candid memoir of growing up in the shackles of an Old Order Mennonite Church family.

I delighted at the young Esther's spirit of rebellion, and cringed at some of the humiliations forced upon her and her siblings in the name of religion. At times, I felt that the treatment of the children bordered on child abuse; i.e. forcing a bright, precocious child to "fail" in school in order to comply with church rules.

And although she finally developed the courage to move them all away from the community and the church, Esther's mother was herself unable to cope with life in the outside world without having one after another authoritative church as a crutch, probably because it felt familiar and comfortable to her.

Fortunately, Esther is finally able to throw off the hobbles of her early shame, and live freely and contentedly in the world, although it took a good deal of her adult life to reach that point. This book is not only Esther's personal story, but also a definitive history of a religion that remains a mystery to most of us. It's a story that has probably occurred, and still occurs, many times over.

Before this book, the only experience I have had with the Amish was visiting Lancaster, PA and sampling their crafts and food. It was fascinating to learn about the author's life and growing up in the Amish community. I learned many things from this book, some happy and some sad and think it was very courageous of Esther Royer Ayers to share her story. I think it is a must read for anyone interested in other cultures.

Take a college with under 200 students, a young coach who has as much skill in self-promotion as basketball knowledge and a star player who is a scoring machine, but doesn't have a high-school diploma.

Add in the monolith that is the NCAA and top programs who are getting pushed to the brink of defeat - or are taking big "L's" - to the upstart college, and you have an absolutely wonderful book on a lost history by Kyle Keiderling.

The story centers around Bevo Francis, who scored 116 points in a game, and Rio Grande College & the journey the basketball team took from its band-box of a gym to some of the biggest arenas in the country. It also shows how the NCAA stood in judgment of the small school and ultimately did a masterful job in erasing the records set by Francis and the team from the collegiate books.

As much a history on how an underdog won under the bright lights, it also is a tale how the special interests of the major programs were served by the NCAA.

It is a must read for fans of college basketball or for those who enjoy stories on how - within an even playing field - dreams can come true.

I loved the book and found it very flattering of Bevo! I think that anyone interested in college basketball would find this book highly entertaining and informative! Unfortunately, when I asked Bevo to sign my copy, he refused and said it was unauthorized? Is this another case of someone taking advantage of Bevo?

For fans of traditional basketball -- where the tradition means tiny uniforms, lousy floors, crowded gyms, transport by station wagon, and honing skills in a barn -- this is literally one for the record books. The college with 100 students took on the establishment and won the hearts of America's basketball fans and the general public through the person of one of the sports' most tragic figures. From scoring 116 points in fron of fewer than 200 people to playing to packed arenas from Boston to Kansas City, the ride was short, not always sweet, but memorable.

'Bevo' Francis earned his nickname from his father's taste for a regional soft drink -- Bevo -- and the name passed on to his son, once Little Bevo and, in time, just Bevo. Raised in the Appalachian hills of southern Ohio, Francis was so frail as a child he missed a lot of school time. By the time he arrived at this tiny college (although most people tghink Rio Grande College is along the river in Texas, it is in southeaster Ohio), Bevo would be a married, 21-year old freshman who still hadn't finished high school. A crafty, P.T. Barnum-like coach saw fame and fortune in building a team and a makeshift schedule around a true phenom, and Bevo rewarded his faith with a 116-point performance that season that earned national attention but also caused the NCAA to disown his performances against teams not from four-year colleges.

There is some clear element of the country rube in Francis, but he comes across in this kind treatment as a bright but uneducated, malleable youth. The promotional coach turns out to be interested in showcasing Bevo's talent, at whatever the cost, running a barnstorming-like schedule against all comers. The good news is that the team generated a quarter of the school's operating budget from their appearences; the bad news is that the school turned on the team when it was clear that basketball brought a harsh media spotlight on a woefully underfunded school.

You can't help but like and feel sorry for Bevo; it is almost easier to despise or at least think little of coach Newt Oliver. After a second successful but stormy season, Oliver urges Bevo to sign a terrible contract to play the oafish role to the Harlem Globetrotters, and a life of basketball and career are finsihed before Bevo would have normally finished college.

Bevo Francis caught the nation's attention at a time when college basketball and Madison Square Garden were reeling from the point-shaving and betting scandals of the late 40's and early 50's. Like a shooting star, Francis shone brightly, but only for a very short time. He may have saved the sport and earned some kudos (and built Oliver's ego), but the NCAA, the Globetrotters, Newt Oliver, and Rio Grande treated Bevo poorly.

Times may change, but some things stay the same -- sports have strong grip on the public.

I had never heard of Bevo Francis before, and reading this story makes me wonder why. Truely a remarkable tale of a "superstar" who, along with talented teamates, took the country by storm. His story was covered nationwide, and record crowds gathered to see him.

Bevo Francis was an extremely talented, unassuming, and honest person. His coach, New Oliver, was a promoting promoter who "sold" Francis. Although the team Oliver had assembled was good, they played for a tiny, unknown school - Rio Grande College. Oliver felt that fame would come to the team if ONE player scored a lot of points.

Bevo had his "breakthru" game in Jan 1953. The national scoring mark was 87 points. Bevo had 61 points after 3 periods, when Oliver had the team pass up shots and feed Bevo, as well as foul the opponent as soon as they touched the ball to stop the clock. By the end of the game, Bevo had scored 116 points, and Rio Grande won the game 150-85. Suddenly, all Oliver's efforts to promote the team went from no response to nation-wide acclaim. In a similiar game a year later, he scored 113 points.

Despite these two "contrived" scores, Bevo was a legitimate scorer and all-around skilled player. He averaged almost 50 points a game over two seasons. The second season was entirely road games against top flight competition that Oliver arranged to maximize the exposure of his team and to generate the most income.

Bevo Francis, playing for tiny Rio Grande College in Southern Ohio, was indeed a shooting star. He averaged just under 50 points a game for two seasons and still holds the NCAA record for the most points scored in a college game (116).

As would be expected, the team was built around Francis, and he made all the headlines, as well as the covers of the major sports magazines of the day. Unfortuately, his team did not receive the credit they deserved. In 1954, Rio Grande, with an enrollment of less than 200 students, played some of the nation's best teams: Villanova, Providence, Miami (Fla.), Arizona State, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State. In January of that year, I watched the Redmen beat Butler University in Indianapolis. Bevo, coming off several weeks of appendicitis attacks, scored 48 points. At the end of the game, the Indiana fans, who know their basketball, gave the entire Rio Grande team a standing ovation; something rarely seen in college play.

Two years later, While in the Army, I had the privilge of playing on the same team as Roy Moses, a former Redmen. After listening to some of Roy's stories about touring the country with Bevo and the Redmen, I was hoping that someday somebody would write the definitive history of Rio Grande's two legendary seasons. Kyle Keiderling has done it, and it is an excellent book.