Arkansas Books

I have never read a Western that presented so many well-fleshed characters. You could "feel" their every emotion; "laugh" with them; "cry" with them; "hate and applaud" with them. This is a powerful story of human emotions presented within a classic Western tale. The story takes the reader through a precarious ride of brutality, revenge, and redemption. Long after the last page the images and personalities of the characters stayed with me. Most have become good friends. When will the sequel come out? The villain Six Claws needs a good and swift pay-back, and how! If you want more of the characters until then, look in the Amazon Shorts area for two great Short Stories by author John Heird where the characters continue their marvelous adventures in the Indian Territory and Old Fort Smith.Men of Blood: McSweeney - Part 1Men of Blood: McSweeney - Part 2
John Robert Young - Kansas City.

Books this good are hazardous to your sleep. I couldn't put it down and couldn't stop till I finished it. Then was disappointed that I would have to wait for the sequel.
What a ride! I felt like I had jumped on a new roller coaster with a historical theme. The first three chapters were the trip to the top, with each page I couldn't believe how high it was taking me and what it implied about the rest of the book. I couldn't help thinking that with this start it was going to be a wild ride. From then on it was a thrill a minute, with twist and turns, that caught my breath, plots and characters within a historical background that made me realize that I wanted to experience more and wondered where facts ended and the fiction began. John Heird has done for Fort Smith Territory what Tony Hillerman has done for the Southwest, and more. Wow!!! As I came back to the landing, I wanted to get back on and re-read it and read the next one. Thanks, John Heird, for creating a new western family that feels so real I want to go visit them.

What a great story! I would normally never read a western (horror is more my genre), but this story really kept my interest. A little violent in places, but only what was necessary to maintain historical reality. Very well-written and very believable. A++! Anxious to read the sequel.

Every gun and weapon in 1875 was being used in this book and I asked myself: "Where's the dynamite?" And sure enough, it showed up!
What a wild ride through the Old West!
I was a bit skeptical during the first three chapters. It had the feel of each chapter being a short story-well written and entertaining, but disconnected somehow-I thought.
But then, hold on to your hats from Chapter 4 through the breathless ride to the very last word of Chapter 30. Those three introductory chapters started the engine and gave it an amazing plot!
Exciting, spellbinding, breathless, tear-jerking, humorous, entertaining, and very well written. I'll add one more description: disappointing. I was disappointed that it ended so soon. I wanted more! It made me proud to be a Texan. Hurry up with the sequel.

As a graphic artist I bought the book seeing the beautiful, well designed cover. But after reading it, I now know that I would have bought it even if it had a plain white cover. The action, character development, and powerful, masterful writing has made me a fan of the writer. I am single and I wish I could find a woman like the heroine. I would marry her in a heartbeat!

I had the chance to meet Joe the Autumn before his death in a classroom at Western Kentucky University. He had the amazing gift of seducing an entire room with his reading, and helping the rest of us become better poets. Breckenridge County Suite hit the nail so clearly on the head of what it was to grow up in the South, that despite the construction, remains partially frozen in memory. I wonder, mostly for selfish reasons, what greatness he could have achieved were he still alive.

What is so notable about Joe Bolton is the superb level of craft, style and especially intensity - which he wrote by the age of 28. In a style close to, but not mimicking, James Wright, he looked at his place of birth and every place he ever lived (which included Miami, Houston and Tuscon) and drew out all the despair and futility. It is as if his poems soaked all the dread and death and took ownership of it, not simply writing about such subjects, but being them.

The work is haunting and beautiful. This is an essential book for poets/readers who love the harsh and beautiful light of Raymond Carver or the lyric beauty of classic poetry. A tragedy he's not here to write more. I attended the same MFA program as the writer. He had an affect on the entire program for years.

This is how words should be used. Beautiful. Seductive. Lyrical. Bleak, and underneathh all that, a celebration of (or a yearning for) simplicity. A numinousity emanates from Bolton's work. His verse is intimate, intensely beautiful, whole -- and yes, it will last. He was by far the best of the young poets of his time.

Whenever I think I don't have any more poems to write, I turn to Joe. He found the rational in the irrational, the sane in the insane. He made everything real. Every normalcy was overturned for me because of him. His need to examine what is right in front of our eyes was extremely... EXTREME. I'm just so sad I never had the opportunity to meet him.

This is one of those rare treasures that anyone who has ever studied piano will enjoy immensely. It is a quiet story of a sweet little old lady who teaches piano in a town in Arkansas, and the week of the Guild Auditions, when a tornado touches down and changes her life for the second time. Imbragulio is insightful and writes with love, clarity and delicious turns of phrase. You cannot but be touched by Miss Etta. I certainly was.

This is the tender story of a mature woman who is very much alone and of her struggle to learn to accept the proffered love of the endearing cast of characters around her. The well paced plot zips along with several contrasting lines of development (including the threat of an approaching tornado) which hold the reader's interest from start to finish. The author has a masterful command of language and it is a joy to read the work of this articulate storyteller.

Miss Etta's Arkansas Spring is a beautiful story. Anyone interested in Southern culture or music would enjoy this book. Dr. Imbragulio captures the true spirit of the smalltown music teacher in his wonderful character development. The greater themes of aloneness and terror are also explored. His descriptions of the piano students, teachers and friends of Miss Etta's are remarkable. This book reminded me of some of the extended short stories of Eudora Welty in the way the tension builds throughout the work and the wonderful use of the language. I will not soon forget Miss Etta and highly recommend this moving book.

This is a delightful book for anyone who loves life and loves to read. It is a moving story of a lonely piano teacher and the struggles she faces in her life. The author's descriptions of the characters and their diverse personalities are so typical of real life, that it seemed to me I had met some of them before. One of the main characters resembled a professor I had in college. The life-changing circumstances of the book and the way in which it is presented make this book a winner in my opinion!

MISS ETTA'S ARKANSAS SPRING shines as one of the most charming books I have read in this decade. In his novel, Mr. Imbragulio dances through the dialogue among these engaging Arkansans displaying a writing style with a sweet, lyrical flow. He describes scenes of nature in sensual imagery and deeply engages the reader to enter into the lives of these downhome, folksy characters whom he has created. His characters are vividly developed and real and it seems obvious that he has drawn them from his own life experience in his field as a pianist, jurist and as a keen life-observer. The story, woven around Miss Etta, a local piano teacher, the regional Piano Guild auditions in her district of Arkansas and the visiting judge from Louisiana who befriends her, keeps one's attention riveted to the pages. An underlying tension prevails throughout regarding the impending tornado and how that event becomes a turning point in resolving Miss Etta's lifelong fears bringing her closer to those who love her.

Mr. Imbragulio shows a remarkable sensitivity toward the human condition of loneliness, valuing highly the individual spirit and its need to rise above itself and go beyond its barriers and boundaries. Anne Nunnally

Nazareth's Song is a historical fiction tale with a touch of romance. The novel is set in the depression era. This is the second book of The Millwood Hollow Series with the first being "Fallen Angels". But don't let the series fool you. This book stands on its own merits, as it is well written. It is an easy read with more of an interest to teen girls starting at age 16 to adult. The message is very inspirational. Yes it takes place during the depression in Nazareth, Arkansas but its message is clearly for today. And yes it is a page-turner for a fiction novel but take it slow and grasp the underlying message. In fact this is clearly a novel you may want to read more than once.

The main character is Jeb Nubey the banjo playing, ex-convict turned preacher. Who under the mentoring eye of Reverend Gracie is taught well the studies of the cloth. But even Reverend Gracie's teachings could not prepare Jeb for the things of life. When Reverend Gracie becomes ill and has to leave town, it's up to Jeb to run the church. He has his hands full raising the 3 Welby children, trying to run the church and keeping the family from starving. His choice of second job only adds to his problems and his heart is torn between Fern, the schoolteacher and the advances of Winona the banker's daughter. In the end his only choice is turning to God to lead and guide in all things, and regaining the belief that if he does the right thing all will be right with his world. See how Jeb makes the choices and decisions that untimely lead him to the right path.

I believe reading Nazareth's Song will make you hungry to read the entire series!

I fell in love with Patrica Hickman's writings after Katrina's Wings. Her characters are believeable, especially Jeb, who battles his own insecurities while tending three castaway children and trying to win the affections of the schoolteacher in the town of Nazareth, Arkansas. I can't wait for the next in the series!

In this book, Jeb is raising the 3 kids that were abandoned in Book 1 of this series. After studying under Gracie, he becomes the Church in the Dell's minister. Jeb is really struggling to put food on his table. Jeb is also struggling with Angel and her rebelliousness, probably stemming from her mom being mentally ill and in a hospital. And Jeb is also struggling with being a "delivery boy" for Horace, since Jeb is unknowingly doing some dirty work for Horace and Ace Lumber.

I thought the book portrayed the Great Depression well. Everybody was struggling so much and it appeared that some people really went off the deep end during that time. I thought Jeb was portrayed well. He is struggling with his conscience as he is making his deliveries for Horace. You can also see this as Jeb tries to decide whether to continue raising the Welby kids or if they would be better off with someone else.

I look forward to the next book in this series. I hope we find out more of Angel and if she overcomes her rebelliousness, and what happens with Jeb and Fern. Also, I would be interested in finding out about the Welby's older sibling, Claudia. She was mentioned in book 1, but not in this book.

Wow, I enjoyed this installment of the series more than the first one. The writing captivated you and kept you wanting more. I could not put it down and read it in one day. When a book keeps one that captivated, the very least you can give it is 5 stars. I loved the way the story kept you hooked and the characters all were so well written. I am looking forward to the next one in the series. Well done!!!

During the Depression, criminal Jeb Nubey and his three-abandoned FALLEN ANGELS reached Nazareth, Arkansas where he posed as a preacher and they as his children until they were caught. To his shock Jeb likes the town, adores his "children" and loves schoolteacher Fern Coulter, who he wants to marry. Surprisingly, Jeb enjoys preaching and he is studying to become a minister.

When the highly regarded Reverend Gracie becomes ill, Jeb takes over as Minister of the Church in the Dell. However, faking the role vs. living the post proves quite different even with the encouragement of his loved ones and Reverend Gracie. Jeb wonders if he has the faith to perform the job. Due to a lack of funds he takes a second job, but that adds to his woes with the congregation and worse with his oldest child teenage Angel hanging out with a bad element. He cannot turn to Fern for comfort as she has become aloof towards him, but there is Winona who makes him feel more like Jeb than Job.

At times the poetic language slows down the deep inspirational story line, but fans of a pleasant well-written tale with a message will appreciate this soothing novel. The character driven plot grips readers as Jeb struggles with setbacks with the woman he loves, his adopted family, the townsfolk, and his faith. To succeed in his endeavors he must regain his belief that if he does the right thing all will be right in his world. Simple philosophy that make for a fine look back at the 1930s Deep South at a time when many only had faith to hold onto.

Harriet Klausner

Professor Harington is an excellent author who is consistently able to bring alive his characters with fantasy and reality without making everything hokey.

My favorite ghost story is SOME OTHER PLACE, THE RIGHT PLACE. It is sexy, funny, sad, and wise. The story is about a college girl who happens reads a newspaper story about high school boy who, under hypnosis, has been channeling a ghost -- the ghost of her grandfather! She and the boy begin an odyssey, visiting all the ghost towns where the ghost used to live. Naturally the boy falls in love with the girl -- but she falls in love with the ghost who emerges in the boy when he is under hypnosis, so this becomes one strange love triangle. This book and THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE ARKANSAS OZARKS by the same author are the two books I most often give away to my friends.

I read this book way back in the seventies when it first came out. It was one of my all time favorites. Now that I know it is still in print, I am going to order it and read it again.

I completely agree with the other reviewers. This is the most fascinating book I've ever read. Mr. Harington is an unsung genius. He should be picked by Oprah and then he might get the kudos he richly deserves. His writing is so beautiful, stories so imaginative,etc. etc. etc. Hard to believe one person could write so well.

There are two subjects that particularly fascinate. One is "things para-normal" and the other is "sexuality." Harington's book explores both with such stunning originality and skill that I can hardly finish the book!

Let me explain. Usually when I'm reading I will dog-ear a page that I know I will want to return to some day. In this case, I have marked so many pages and individualy sections--even sentences--and I continue to return to many of them so frequently, that after three months I still haven't finished it! Oh, yes, I have actually read all the pages, including the last, but there remains so much wonder in this story and the telling of it that I really can't (if you'll excuse the cliche) put it down.

I cannot imagine how, or from what source, the author received his inspiration or research for this book. And how can he know that much about what goes on inside the human head, whether it be the characters' heads or our own?

I don't want to overdo it, and I know nothing else about the author except the fact of this book, but I am in awe of his insights and ability to express them in this way. The title, alone, is absolutely brilliant!

This was a beautiful story of love and loss, and of holding onto a child who has left this life and gone on to the next. It was a touching biography, a thought-provoking and in-depth description of what heaven might be like, and an educational text for an introduction to spiritualism. I read this and then passed it on to my mother, who read it and passed it along to my grandmother. We all enjoyed it from it different angles and from the perspectives of our different points in life.

I read metaphysical books in hopes of learning something. However, when I can learn something and be entertained at the same time, as was the case with this book, it's a real treat. Reading this book was like watching a good movie. I could picture the characters, their homes, and their environment as the story unfolded. I'd have to rank it as one of the two most entertaining metaphysical books I have read - right up there with "The Boy Who Saw True."

This 2005 book is based on a 1926 book, "Leslie's Letters to His Mother," by Alice Stringfellow. That book resulted from afterlife communication received from Leslie Stringfellow, who had died in 1886, at age 19. The "letters" came by means of automatic writing through a planchette to Leslie's parents, Alice and Henry Stringfellow. Although the communications began soon after his death and continued for some 15 years, Alice's book was not published until 1926, as she did not think it would be of interest to anyone. As it was, only a hundred or so copies were published, mostly for family members.

Henry and Alice Stringfellow were no country bumpkins. Henry was a world-renowned horticulturist, having graduated from the College of William and Mary before earning graduate degrees in both theology and law. Alice was a graduate of Hunter College in New York. Leslie's death hit them hard. While visiting a medium in Galveston, they were directed by spirit to invest in a planchette - a device that holds a pencil and is moved by the communicating spirit as the hands of the two sitters rest on it. "Neither Alice nor Henry believed they had any control over the movement of the instrument," author Stephen Chism offers. "The Stringfellow's letter-writing sessions were to become a secret family ritual which lasted for over 15 years."

Chism, a librarian at the University of Arkansas, tells of the synchronistic events that led to the discovery of the 1926 book and then details his research into the history of the Stringfellow family. "As he was dying, Leslie claimed he could see light from Heaven," Chism writes. "He promised Alice that he would contact her `if such a thing were possible.'"

In 1897, Leslie encouraged his parents to adopt a child, a distant relative who had been orphaned at age two, as he felt they were too dependent on hearing from him. He wanted them to concentrate on living this life rather than constantly thinking about joining him in the next one. The child would be renamed "Lessie" and would go on to become a reporter and editor in Fayetville, Arkansas. It was Lessie who helped her mother put together their many letters into a book.

In his "letters" Leslie tells of his active life on his side of the veil. He states that he was weak when he first arrived on the other side, but he quickly regained his strength. "Here every man's home is an index of his character [on the material plane]" he informs them, pointing out that a large number of souls are stuck in the lower planes of existence. However, while he realized that there were many spheres or planes above him he informed them that he was very content. "Never doubt for a moment that this world is a thousand time better in every way than yours," Leslie continues. "When I compare even my happy life on earth with what I now have, I can but see the contrast."

Leslie's messages are consistent with messages received by other credible mediums, pointing to an evolution of the spirit through higher and higher spheres rather than a humdrum heaven and horrific hell.

It is a fascinating and captivating read. Every hospice should have several copies of this book available for its residents.

The Afterlife of Leslie Stringfellow: A Nineteenth-Century Southern Family's Experiences with Spiritualism is the true story of a well-educated, nineteenth-century family's contact with their deceased son Leslie Stringfellow. Over the course of fifteen years, their connection to the beyond through seance messages and "automatic writing" guided their actions in the recovery of an inheritance and the adoption of an orphan girl who grew up to be an active suffragist and newspaper editor. Stringfellow also described his personal afterlife and a detailed survey of the geography of paradise. In 191, Stringfellow's mother and her adopted daughter contacted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who urged them to publish their manuscript and even proposed and experiment concerning his own deceased son, Kingsley Doyle, who was killed in World War I. A handful of vintage black-and-white photographs round out this compilation of extensive research including some letters published for the first time. A "must-have" for metaphysical studies shelves concerned with what comes after death.

The phenomenon known as the Spiritualist movement that sprang out of the finger lake district of New York state from the area historians call the "burned over" district due to the variety of spiritual/religious epiphanies that swept the area, beginning with the Shakers, Jemima Wilkinson, Mormons and the Fox sisters among other evangelical social outbursts. What made Spiritualism the more attractive of these spiritual expressions was the progressive mindset the movement enunciated, which included abolition, feminism, humane childhood education, and dietary reform among others.
Perhaps the most significant innovation was the elevation of women within spiritialism to positions of authority, spiritual as well as temporal. This along with the Shaker movement was the first time in centuries that women held positions of power equal to that of men within a religious movement.
The other innovation with the advent of spiritualism was the shift from the "church" being a special building for religious endeavors to the American home as church. It was not unintentional that many spiritualists refer to their activities within a "home circle" down to this day. Spiritualism provided for the first democraticization of religion that appealed to the sensibilities of Jeffersonian democracy from which it sprang.
Mr. Chism has provided a great insight into this with the discovery of a family's documented automatic writing sessions initially, used to make contact with the son of the family, Leslie Stringfellow and the subsequent psychonautic communiques within the family that provided comfort, solace and intellectual stimulation on the nature of the soul and the afterlife through these alleged communications for the family.
For students of 19th century religious movements, spiritualists or students of parapsychology this book is a gift to treasure.

I could not put this book down. Having family that fought on both sides in Southeast Missouri during the Civil War this book gave insights to the thinking on both sides.

Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand: The Renowned Missouri Bushwhacker, deftly edited by journalist and historian Kirby Ross offers an insightful look into the conflicted life of the Civil War guerrilla fighter Samuel S. Hidebrand. As an informative and ably researched interpretation and competently editing of the original memoir, Kirby Ross variably adds key bits of information relevant to our understanding of a Civil War soldier's intricate life. The Autobiography of Samuel S. Hildebrand is highly recommended reading for scholars, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Civil War Studies.

A reprint of the original 1870 Autobiography, it has been reproduced in various formats the last couple decades. Ross has however, for the first time, edited the work that was written for Sam Hildebrand by boyhood friends, James W. Evans and A. Wendell Keith. For the most part, the 172 pages of text is as it was originally compiled. This is followed by endnotes of 90 pages with a bibliography and index. The true value of the book is in the endnotes.

Ross has skillfully researched and compared Hildebrand's claimed exploits with actual military data to prove statements in the Autobigraphy. He has used many obscure sources and obviously contributed much thought into proving the bushwhacker's tales written five years after the War. Hildebrand was not shy in his statements regarding the men he killed and why they met such a fate. Credit is due the author for his research into Missouri's Enrolled Militia units, Hildebrand's most frequent foe, as most writers do not have the tenacity to tackle this very difficult research.

A less researched area is the genealogy aspects of the story. Unfortunately, Hildebrand was not more candid about his family history while it has always held an interest to the genealogist
and casual reader who may claim a kinship to him. The author could have explored Hildebrand and others' genealogy without too much trouble. Some errors exist in not thoroughly scouring local probate, census and land records. Another drawback is the criticism of others' research, which may be valid but takes away from the main theme of the book---that is editing Hildebrand's version of his Civil War.

In conclusion, a very desirable book for the history on Southeast Missouri during the Civil War.

Although figures such as William C. Quantrill and Bill Anderson are better known today, Sam Hildebrand was an equally notorious Missouri bushwhacker in the southeast region of the state. Operating with a small group of followers (and often by himself), Hildebrand and his rifle "Kill-Devil" were a terror to local Unionist civilians, Vigilance Committee members, and pro-Union Missouri militiamen. Interesingly, some of his ops seem more akin to a Marine scout sniper (albeit alone rather than with a spotter) than a CW bushwhacker. He often scouted alone far from friendly refuge, lying in the woods for days seeking an opportunity to bag his quarry. Hildebrand managed to survive the war only to be killed attempting to escape from court officers holding him on assault charges.

Most 'authors' of edited memoirs simply add background information or short chapters intended to place the memoir in its proper historical context. Here, Kirby Ross has gone far beyond this and has created a book that should be a model for others to follow. It is really two books in one--the memoir and the notes. What makes this new edition important to the study of the Civil War in SE Missouri are the exhaustive notes researched and compiled by Ross. In his notes (which comprise nearly half the book) he takes the claims made by Hildebrand in his book and examines their validity using evidence from all available viewpoints. It is not unusual to see the author spend several pages on a single citation, providing extensive background context and excerpting articles, military reports, and letters from all sides that either support or contradict Hildebrand's story.

It is an impressive effort and is an exceptional addition to the literature of the war in SE Missouri, a place that today carries the deserved reputation of being associated with a dearth of serious scholarship. Ross is certainly doing his part to reverse this unfortunate trend. Highly recommended.

This is the story of the first African World Boxing Champion, Battling Siki.

In the 1920's, a World Title was an honor reserved for the very few. Most fighters would toil at their craft for seventy five to eighty fights before even getting an opportunity to fight for a title. There were only eight weight classifications, and only one title holder per weight class. A world title meant instant fame, adoration and an opportunity for long lasting wealth.

Battling Siki was a Sengelese National when he received a crack at the Frenchman Georges Carpentier's light-heavyweight title. Ostensibly, this fight was to be a fix in which the Frenchman was scripted to retain his title via knockout. However, Carpentier began firing some of his punches in earnest, angering Siki, who began punishing the Frenchman, until he knocked him out.

Thus began an oddysey for Siki, who lost his title in a dubious decision, and came to America to earn his living.

One of the beautiful things about boxing is how great fighters become trainers, and pass the lore on for generations and keep stories alive. Champions like Joe Gans and Archie Moore, and as of late, Buddy McGirt impart history to their protege's and keep the memory of boxings greats fresh.

Here, the author actually lived in West Africa, and began his research there. This is a well researched, documented and chronicled book, and a subject in which the author has developed a great passion.

I remember reading about Siki in a Ring magazine story as a teenager, and seeing a picture of a well built black man in a top hat with a cane strolling down a Manhattan boulevard. The story spoke of how the media conspired to turn his legacy into a joke.

The author flushes out a story of a man who was a fierce warrior in the ring, and a happy-go-lucky man outside of it. Revisionist history has brought Siki to light in a different way as Light-Heavyweight champion as a man to be respected and revered. Had his career been managed differently, he may have been regarded in the second tier of the elite in the division, behind such greats as Gene Tunney, Billy Conn, Archie Moore, Bob Foster,
Michael Spinks and Roy Jones (not necessarily in any order).

This is a story any true boxing history fan should read for a more thorough understanding of boxing's dark side. Through it all, Siki's courage, and buoyance shines through.

After over 25 years of reading boxing books, especially about the "old school" guys, it is refreshing, even startling, to read such a detailed and captivating book on a fighter we all know so little about. Siki has been branded through the ages by so many as a barely literate 'child of the jungle" who had poor judgement in picking opponents and came to a predictable end on a New York street. The entire short but epic life of Louis Fall is presented here in the well-detailed context of his times and turns out to be not what we had believed at all. But even if you are not a fight fan or had never heard of Battling Siki, the rich description of the times Siki lived in and the forces he endured until one day he didn't, is well worth the read. Bravo.

Don Scott

Professor Peter Benson is a former boxer himself who came up the hard way, his father a Marine boxing coach who had his own son in the ring from the time he was a teen. "I dreaded those time when my dad would come home and suddenly sprung on me that some friend of his had a PAL or YMCA tournament lined up in a nearby town, and wouldn't I like to fill in for some kind who was sick (yeah, sick my @ss, I thought--try afraid)?" Stationed in Dakar (Senegal) on a Fulbright teaching gig, Benson noticed a pasteboard poster of a fierce African fighter, and learned that in Senegal they still idolize their homeboy, "Battling Siki," who had left Senegal and gone to Europe and beat Georges Charpentier, who was sort of the Maurice Chevalier of boxing.

This set Benson into asking himself why in the name of forgotten history had he never heard of Battling Siki, for he was a boy he grew up cutting his teeth on Bill Stern and his books for boys on famous boxing stories. When he returned to Stern's dog eared book he found out that, yes, Siki was in it for sure, but portrayed as a combination of a ninny and a savage. The present biography is a noble attempt to restore the real Battling Siki and to combat the legends and the misinformation inculcated around his name.

Nothing is too petty for Benson to dispute, for example, he launches immediately into refuting the idea that Siki was too ignorant to have heard of St. Patrick's Day. Benson shows us that racist promoters and an upset French boxing fraternity (aghast that their white boy had been beaten by an African athlete) had threatened to strip Siki of his precious boxing license, and that Dublin, on St. Patrick's Day, was the only place left to him to fight. He had indeed been backed into a corner. As we know from studying the career of Jack Johnson (whose reign preceded Siki's by perhaps 12-15 years), the white infrastructure of pugilism did not like seeing a black man smile in the ring.

And Siki, like Johnson, compounded his sins by marrying a white woman and in general carrying on as though he was the champion of the world. Benson compares his unsettling appearance to the "menace" claimed by many when Sonny Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson. And a "gangsta" image comparable to Mike Tyson's was foisted on him by the popular press. Benson puts it all in context, showing, for example, that his ownership of two cute little lion cubs was not all that unusual at the time, for it had become an affectation of many boxers, not just black ones, to parade unusual pets. (Siki's cute little cubs ate a dog during boxing practice one day at the ring. Oops!)

Benson is a vivid writer and brings you right back into the roaring twenties with a powerful wit and a knack for research that hits home every time. You'll learn not only about Siki but a whole host of other great personalities of the day, from Jack Dempsey to Kid Norfolk. And beyond the ring, you'll encounter the predominant culture from new angles. You'll see why some people of color preferred if at all possible to "pass," and you'll see the American South through the eyes of a king in slow motion decline. Even the sympathetic seemed to see Siki in terms of "gratuitous animal analogies: Siki as ape, Siki as peacock--creatures embodying rage, lust, sexual display." Funny to never have heard of a man, and then to find out that he was the key that opens up vast occluded regions of the early 20th Century. Good work, Professor Benson. It was worth it, all that early boxing training by your dad.

An oftentimes flamboyant light-heavyweight boxer has waited years for a title shot. Of Senegalese heritage, he had his ring career interrupted by World War I, where he earned honors in a unit that was used mostly as fodder by the French generals. His opponent is also a decorated veteran and - if not for the war - may have been the "Great White Hope" in the apartheid-game to dethrone heavyweight great Jack Johnson.

But the match has a twist from a proposed fix. The challenger, Battling Siki, is supposed to take a dive, actually suffering a "knockout" by falling to the canvas and thrusting his arms out as if he was crucified. Siki tries hard to fake the match, but pride takes over and he floors Georges Carpentier to win the title - the first world title by an African fighter - in a decision wracked with controversy and gamblers screaming about being double-crossed.

Author Peter Benson takes the reader on a journey into alphabet-soup boxing organizations in Europe, American mob-backed fighters, trainers, promoters and sportswriters, a contender with ties to the KKK, overt racism, the art of the fix and the battle waged by a great athlete in a blood-sport that was not only in the ring.

Within months after winning the title, Battling Siki loses a title defense in a decison to a white fighter in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day during the Irish Civil War and then traveled to the United States in pursuit of another world title match. And what he got was an inept manager, no trainer, many brutal fights and his indelible pride not letting him take a seat on the canvas. And because of that, Battling Siki was gunned down on a street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City.

Benson brings to life a fighter who has had his life defined by the racist disinformation campaign that did not rest upon his death. It is not solely a boxing biography, though Benson's descriptions of several matches literally places the reader in the ring, feeling the shots and tasting the blood from the open cuts.

Battling Siki fought many forces that were evil and though many may say he ultimately lost in the end, Benson shows a man who stared down these cowards and could only be cut down with bullets through his back.

The images on the site of the illustrations don't come close to the actual quality of the artwork.

This book gives children something that is not only wonderful to look at, but relates to a real-world event about conserving our natural resources.

Good for bird lovers and young children!

We bought this book at a birding festival recently. It is now my 4 year old daughter's favorite book. The pictures are beautiful and the rhyme is very engaging. Our very favorite part is the last page where my daughter exclaims "But it isn't really extinct any more". What a happy ending for a truly magnificent bird.

This book captures the spirit of the quest for the ivory-billed woodpecker: the hope, the faith, the love of nature. It delighted my daughter with its stunning art depicting the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas, catchy rhythm, beautiful descriptions, and especially its teasing way of letting the reader catch glimpses of this bird, until quite recently considered extinct, while the bird seeker in the story looks the other way. The author is truly the one to write such a book, married as she is to David Luneau, the scientist who finally caught the woodpecker on tape, putting the entire team of skilled ivory bill searchers center stage in the news April 2005. I especially liked the fascinating notes and gorgeous photos in the end pages, and think they could easily be developed into a second book for older children!

This is an excellent Children's book. It is well written and wonderfully illustrated.

I first read The Black Lights soon after its publication in the mid-80s. I felt then that it was as good if not better than any non-fiction examination of boxing. Rereading it recently, I was still impressed by its thoroughness, insight and candor. Sadly, the same characters who held a stranglehold on boxing then are still in charge - King, Sulaiman, Arum. The only new player is HBO, which has replaced the three networks as the major bankroller of big fights. The fighters are still used for all they are worth and then tossed aside.
Billy Costello, whose Nov. 1984 title defense is the book's focus, had a distinguished ring career. Fortunately, he also had Thomas Hauser to record his grace under pressure. You cannot help but admire Costello for his dedication and decency amid the scoundrels who flock to the sport. Readers are sure to come away from The Black Lights with the feelings of true boxing fans - a mixture of fascination, admiration and revulsion.

This is a great book by a writer I truly admire. Thomas Hauser wrote an incredible biography of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, and in this book he really gives the reader an inside look at boxing.

Focusing in the career of former champ Billy Costello, the author provides an interesting view about promoters (Don King included, of course), managers and the terrible agony of the fighter and his fears, in and out of the ring.

Really recommended!

The Black Lights

It's no wonder that after reading this Muhammad Ali chose Thomas Hauser to write his story.

How this book got it's name is another great example of what Hauser can do with just one paragraph!

I had assumed that this would be somewhat of a dry read or just not as good as Hauser's other books on boxing and the world of boxing. I had thought that since it's Hauser's first attempt at writing about boxing that it would be just ok - maaaan was I wrong - THIS is a fantastic book!

Hauser is an amazing writer and is exceptional in all his writings about the sweet science.

This is a great example of a book successfully covering and achieving what it set out to do. You get educated on the inside story of professional boxing and get a great and personal insight into the world of Billy Costello.

I was caught up in every chapter and did not want to put this book down. I've never heard of Billy Costello before this book and found myself being nervous for him, being excited for him, cheering for him and feeling now like I was there with him.

Great book for anyone.

This is a nice quick read that gives a behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to put together a world championship fight. The book follows the career of former Superlightweight champion Billy Costello and the individuals that comprise help him reach the top. Interspersed throughout the book are anectdotes regarding the promoters, trainers, televison execs, and boxers who all want a piece of Costello.

The book really takes off when Costello's camp tries to set up a title defense for the champ. From the stuggles to find an opponent who won't pose much of a risk to Costello's crown, to the virtual soul-selling that occurs to get the fight broadcast, to the fight itself, you feel the turmoil that Costello, his trainer and manager all go through. The description of the actual fight is written so vividly you feel like you're the one in the ring.

This true story makes you sorry you never followed Costello's career as it was happenng in the early 1980's. And as an added bonus, the author gives you one more reason (as if you needed another) to despise Don King.