Ohio Books

Hi, just wanted to let you know that bill wrote a very good book, i don't necessary agree with some of the things he wrote about because i know the person that killed milo and i know dear. he wanted to write another book but the person who killed milo wanted to just let it go. he was a very young man at the time and has served his time.with out his help there would not have been a solved muder.with out him the people involved would not have been brought to justice, this is why i loved the book, bill did all he could to write about the truth and the muder happen just as he wrote but the results were much more dramatic.

If true murder mysteries are your thing, this book may well become one of your favorites. I literally had to read the entire book the very day I purchased it, trying more than once to put it down. Having lived within 20 miles of the actual murder scene while attending college in the late 90's, I was drawn into the mystery like none other. Worth every penny!

One of _Power Play_'s unique features is its CD-ROM,
which includes an interactive introduction to wayang golek
that covers wayang history, puppets, and performance practice.
The book's text focuses on the many layers of political maneuvering
that make Sundanese wayang golek such a vibrant cultural production.

The CD-ROM, with mp3 files (oops, should have been OGG/
VORBIS, I suppose), lots of photographs and video clips,
as well as an authoritative text, makes for a much more
entertaining introduction to wayang than any introductory chapter
ever could, and is worth the price of the book all by itself.
Which is not to say the book part isn't good, too -- lots
of ethnographic and biographic information and keen cultural
analysis.

You can see Andrew's book's blurb at

http://www.ohiou.edu/oupress/FW2004/weintraub/

by the way, you can take a (very limited) e-book tour of
_Gamelan: The Traditional Sounds of Indonesia_ at

http://ebookpreview.abc-clio.com/?185109511X

Cheers,
--Henry Spiller

I think Power Plays is a very good book. What I most like bout it is the way the book unfolds -- Weintraub seems to lead the reader slowly into the different modes of being of wayang golek and gets across a sensation of the density and depth of the genre and its practice. One of the manners in which this is done is the way the content is presented, slowly building the density of multiple forms of significance of Wayang. I also like the way the humor of the performances is actually presented in the book.

To me this is an ethnography in a very deep sense of the word -- the time the author spent there permeates the book and the fact that he has multiple entry points into the subject-- performance practices, structure of sound, discourses on wayang, changing policy attitudes throughout different historical moments, characters and their roles--- is something that one can only learn or perceive with a thorough understanding of the genre. The book covers the politization of entertainment, the discussion of the relation between policy and performance; the fun people have perofmring or listening to Wayang Golek and the significance of that. I also found the discussion of sound structure and changing tuning of instruments and their social signification a crucial contribution of the book.

I think this is a really good book that can stand as an excellent example of how ethnography is done in a globalized world.

A book I come back to again and again for its photographs of beautiful quilts. The beautiful applique quilt on its cover is worth the price of the book. Also a good source of dating fabric. Very inspirational book. It's interesting to read about the quilters and see their photographs alongside of their quilts.

When one sees the history and artistry behind the antique and vintage Ohio quilts, she/he is encouraged and amazed at the "UN-covering" (no pun intended) of the gone, but not forgotten artist's tricks of the trade.

The authors have uncovered an incredible amount of information regarding the quilters, textiles, history of quilt patterns, history of Ohio and various counties and cities....but most charming to me is the discovery of antique recipes for various dyes and incredibly, the recipe for the indelible ink, which was used to write on quilts.

There is not only a vast amount of information, but some of the lovliest quilts ever photographed, in my opinion.

As a quilter, who has won blue ribbons for reproducing antique quilts, I am thrilled to have this delicious potpourri of Ohio history and artistry. It makes me proud to be an Ohio quilter.

This historical work is truly skillful because it focuses on female leaders in reproductive rights and health other than Margaret Sanger. Before reading this book, I was unaware of the many other figures in reproductive health's history, but Rosen uncovers these figures and illustrates why their lives and actions were so important to this historical topic. A must read for women's studies' classes and any person who is interested in this aspect of women's (and society's) history.

Robyn Rosen explores this topic masterfully. This book is sure to be a must read for women's history classes everywhere. Rosen is an academic historian with a dramatic and dynamic writing style. I highly recommend this book.

From "Late-19th-Century Literature" by John Clendenning

Without doubt, the most important study of late-19th-century American literature is Donna M. Campbell's Resisting Regionalism, a book that studies the rise of naturalism as a gender-based reaction to female-dominated local-color writing. Defined in terms of nostalgic themes--e.g., self-denial, absence, loss, endurance, limitation, loyalty, and compassion--the local-color movement appealed especially to female readers. Against this, the naturalists--mainly Frederic, Norris, Dreiser, Crane, and London--rebelled. Campbell shows, point by point, that the naturalists opposed--and even parodied--the values and narrative strategies of the local colorists. In this literary gender war the men were clearly the victors. Campbell's book is balanced, judicious, and insightful; the scholarship is impeccable. Highlights include analyses of The Damnation of Theron Ware, Vandover and the Brute, "The Monster," and Ethan Frome.

This meticulously researched and annotated book traces numerous themes in the American novel and short story. . . . The author considers the "displacement of the local color movement" and its female writers "part of a broader shift from realism to naturalism," signaling the replacement "of a nineteenth-century sensibility" by "a twentieth-century one." . . . Campbell includes an extended treatment of Wharton, viewed as having blended local color and naturalism. Highly recommended, this is a valuable resource for scholars and students at all levels.

A Simpler Time is one of the best books I have read about a youngster's experiences growing up during the distant past. Author Youngquist does a great job of creating his world for the reader. His writing is clear and concise, and he helps me live his experiences along with him. I'm anxious to read what he has written about his life in the Foreign Service!

I read this book (advertised as excellent for young boys) as a young girl of probably 12 to 13, around 1948 or 1950. This series as well as the Civil War series by the same author were invitingly dusty volumes with old-fashioned type that spoke to me somehow of forgotten knowledge and great adventure. The protagonist, Henry Ware, was a character that could be described as a young Indiana Jones, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone. The books described the great and vanished Indian tribes of the old Northwest Territory, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan. I have held these stories of brave young men, frontier settlers,and indigenous Indian tribes in my mind for nearly 50 years and hold them in great respect and esteem.

Normally I am not big on poetry but Larry Smith has the ability to grab and hold my attention with his poetry and I am thoroughly enjoying reading this book. It was also quite a pleasant surprise to receive this book with the author's signature inside.

Larry Smith (no relation, though we have the same rare last name) is an honest observer of life. His poetry provides a window on life, work, family, and the passage of time. As with any collection of poetry, certain poems strike more of a chord in me more than others. There is a lot of food for thought and opportunity for reflection. A River Remains is a place to return to over and over again.

Checked this book out from my library just by chance --- so glad I did. She writes so well!!! Can't believe she is not more well known. Do hope she is working on a novel...the emotional depth of characters and the lovely thoughtful intelligent writing...talented author.

I'm generally not an avid reader of short fiction, so I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this collection. Welch has an extraordinary eye for the subtleties of human interaction and motivation. The stories are clearly political in their incisive examination of the destabilization of working class lives with the flight of capital, investment, and stable work from Rust Belt American communities. Yet the stories are often as funny as they are poignant. Throughout Welch shows a keen understanding of the stories that we tell ourselves to make sense of our lives and to make life bearable. Highly recommended.

I just started collecting Royal Ruby glass, and this book has been a tremendous help to me. The pictures are wonderful, as well as the descriptions and information about various pieces. The occasional comparisons of similar pieces were very helpful to me in finding exactly what I was looking for. I am very glad that I bought this book, and I recommend it highly.

Finally, a glass book where you don't have to guess what the picture is!!!! Each illustration has a caption, telling what the item is, along with the vital statistics. No more flipping from page to page to find out what it is, or worse yet, a picture full of glass and no list or caption. The illustrations are incredible. Not only has the author researched his subject thoroughly, the photography will dazzle you. Thank you Philip Hopper for one of the best depression glass books I've seen yet!!!! I sincerely hope you will write more of these high quality glassware books!!

First, read this:

I think the dogwood sprays are antenna dishes,

they are receiving something in the coming dark.

- and this -

blanching like the nausea

when you see the smile

of the wound, your blood spurting

to the rhythm of your hard-working, imbecile heart,

beating itself to death.

- - -

These are two selections from a single poem, chosen more or less at random from this collection. This is the first collection from Michael Chitwood and it shows the power that's exhibited in his second book, The Weave Room.

There is a sense of the Virginias and the Carolinas here that will seem obvious to those who live there, but the settings will not seem strange to others. The book contains some good prose poetry in addition to free verse and both hold the clarity of the author's images, presented in plain language that suddenly seems to have much more power and life than we might normally consider it to have.

First, read this:

I think the dogwood sprays are antenna dishes,

they are receiving something in the coming dark.

- and this -

blanching like the nausea

when you see the smile

of the wound, your blood spurting

to the rhythm of your hard-working, imbecile heart,

beating itself to death.

- - -

These are two selections from a single poem, chosen more or less at random from this collection. This is the first collection from Michael Chitwood and it shows the power that's exhibited in his second book, The Weave Room.

There is a sense of the Virginias and the Carolinas here that will seem obvious to those who live there, but the settings will not seem strange to others. The book contains some good prose poetry in addition to free verse and both hold the clarity of the author's images, presented in plain language that suddenly seems to have much more power and life than we might normally consider it to have.