Florida Books

If you are interested in enjoyable reading and learning about diverse cultures, Joseph Lerner's COAL FIRE is for you. Cultural diversity has blended so well into functioning communities, that, in order to see that diversity we must look at the community using the eyes from the other culture. COLD FIRE gives an entertaining and informative insight into the lives of a Jewish family living in the predominately Christian coal mining area of Pennsylvania in the 1950's.

It's a coming of age story seen from the eyes of Sidney Gerstein. The narrative is reminiscent of the psychological passage of Holden Caulfield from Catcher In The Rye. Outwardly Sidney is bright, inquisitive, and aims to please, but inwardly he questions the world around him and his place in that world, but in more socially acceptable manner than Holden. Sidney tries to understand the Jewish culture and religion from a matter-of-fact point of view. When he encounters anti-Semitism, he doesn't seethe with anger, but approaches his relatives and a Rabbi to understand the reasoning behind the bigotry. With his child-like questioning, Sidney explores the philosophical and theological basis of Judaism and incorporates them into an understanding of who he is.

Sidney's growth comes not from one major conflict in his life, but from a series of seemingly ordinary life experiences. Many of the incidents in the novel, could stand on their own as short stories. In addition to the philosophy, I enjoyed the detailed accounts of the day to day living in a mining community, seeing how the Christian and Jewish communities interacted and the interactions of the Jewish community within itself. The weaving of these stories gives a very rich picture of the mind and soul of Sidney Gerstein.

Besides being pleasurable reading, I believe COAL FIRE would make a good suggested reading for classes on Cultural Diversity.

Joseph Lerner's COAL FIRE is an endearing debut novel. Set in a town in the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania, it recalls episodes from the narrator's childhood during the 1950s. The story is framed by the life-threatening illness of the narrator, Sidney Gerstein, and the attendant anxiety and depression that impel him to write the story of his childhood as a means of recovery. For the most part Sidney's is a happy childhood, his close-knit family consisting of his parents, sister, and grandparents, all of them living together in the building that is also the grocery store that provides their livelihood. The Huck Finn-like freedom that Sidney enjoys in this more innocent time, nearly inconceivable for present-day children, allows his involvement in various ultimately harmless scrapes and adventures.
But the story is more than a childhood idyll, as Sidney confronts a number of crises. Some of these are typical adolescent crises associated with sex and finding one's place in the world. Other major issues relate to religious belief, ethnic identity, a family financial crisis, the serious illness of loved ones, and the deaths of friends and his grandfather. Sidney is characterized most of all by his curiosity: he wants to understand everything, from how coal mines work to how the universe works, from the economic and sociological implications of the coal industry's decline to the nature of God and the meaning of death.
The Gersteins are a Jewish family in a predominantly Christian world, and thereby hangs much of the story's interest. We follow the young Sidney's development as he negotiates the difficult business of maintaining his identity in the face of slights and taunts, while at the same time sustaining relationships outside his ethnic and religious tradition. His triumph is that he is able to do both without hypocrisy and without bitterness.
COAL FIRE is a good story, its time and place--and especially the coal industry in that time and place--carefully researched by the author. Sidney Gerstein, sensitive and precocious, is a character not easily forgotten. I recommend this novel heartily.

One of the attributes setting fine writing apart from mediocre hacking is the ability of the novel to create its own world, to take the reader away to a new, wholly unique, and unforgettable place. Joseph Lerner's Coal Fire does exactly that. I was able to see life and a slice of recent history (the mellow 50s in a small Pennsylvania mining town) through an entirely different perspective and believe my understanding of varying world views has been enriched by the experience. The work probes deeply into life's essential meanings; but it does so with a light touch, an often humorous tone, endearing and well-rounded characters, and a colorful, nostalgic setting that seems almost to breathe. I recommend this wonderful book with all my heart.

Dee's book is wonderfully written. It is hard to put it down. The book is filled with helpful instruction to new preachers. I use it almost every time I prepare a lesson. He gives basic outlines for different types of sermons. I have found these outlines very beneficial when observing my own outlines. It also gives young men, like my self, a little more confidence in our ability, since the book offers ways to find your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as how to continually improve both areas. Dee's book would benefit all readers, since in some aspect of our lives all christians need to be spreading the message of Christ.

Brother Bowman has an accurate understanding of what preaching is and offers a well-balanced, well-rounded approach. The guidelines he presents wisely avoid forcing all preachers into a single mold and instead will help any preacher--young or old, new or experienced--be the best preacher he can be. We have long needed a book like this.

Brother Bowman is uniquely qualified to write a book on the art of preaching. He has been for a number of yearas one of the most effective preachers among our brethren (churches of Christ), traveling throughout the U.S. and always in great demand for meetings and lectures. He has also, for the past 14 years, been conducting a special class on the art of preaching each spring at Florida College (Temple Terrace, Florida). This book is a compilation of the material he has used in that class, along with a special "preacher training program" that he has conducted for a number of years in Pasadena, Texas.

I just finished reading the book myself, and I highly recommend it to all preachers, young and old, who are interested in improving their sermon preperation and presentation skills. Chapter titles include:

1. In The Beginning 2. Who Is Qualified To Preach? 3. Types of Sermons 4. Preparing the Sermon 5. Style and Personality 6. The Preacher and His Audience 7. Rhetoric: The Power of Persuasive Speaking 8. Preaching In This Age

Here is a quotation from the "Foreward" written by another man I consider to be a great preacher, Melvin Curry:

"Now, thanks to Dee Bowman's book ... preachers young and old are blessed with a practical handbook that guides us through the thrilling process of sermon preparation and delivery. It is a book that teaches us how to balance form and substance."

I was getting so tired of stories on Miami. I had almost decided that Florida was now permanently off my personal "place to visit" list. That was before this delightful story, TRUE story, THE CONCH THAT ROARED arrived at my place. The well researched (and well illustrated) book took me on a magical if not bizarre journey to the end of Highway 1 in an explanation of how Key West became the Conch Republic and proceeded to seceed from the Union. Obviously author Gregory King is not only well verse with the place but also a most erudite interpretor of its story. He has made me want to drive (at least once) to Key West and experience what makes these folks so special. A word of warning though: you might have to use the recipe in the back of the book for Key Lime Pie to munch while reading this story. Or maybe drinking the Cuba Libre would be more appropriate?

The Conch That Roared is a must-read book if you're traveling to the Florida Keys or are just an armchair reader! Why? This is the only book available which gives the visitor/reader a taste of the real flavor of Key West...and I'm not talking just key lime pie and conch fritters (both recipes and more are included in the back of the book).

Author Gregory King must have visited every bar up and down the the scenic area... from Key West, past Key Largo and to the Last Chance Saloon as well as the politico's to write with such flair and flavor. He captured the essence...the soul and spirits of those citizens who declared war on the United States.

This is a great gift to give to someone visiting the Key West. Include a bottle of Cuban rum (which presently is illegal), two cheap glasses, and Coke, as well as Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice. 1/2 pund of minced conch, or an equal amount of clams. This will make a great going-away gift as well as provide ingredients for wonderful Key West entertaining when your friends return.

Put on your favorite Jimmy Buffett album and read the book.The characters in King's book are delightful and colorful enough to make a movie. King did a wonderful writing job of introducing them all to the rest of us! Thanks for taking a bit of history and bringing it to life for the rest of us conch-heads!

Key West secedes from the Union, declares its independence -- and it's not fiction, it's history. King captures the quirky heart and spirit of Key West and reports from the insider's view the events that led to revolution. I was in Key West to celebrate the secession anniversary a few years ago. This book brings the story to life with a lot grins along the way. It is fun to learn the strategic thinking and ingenuity that went into the battle with the US government -- a credit to Key West islanders and a tribute to the American way! Pick it up, put on Jimmy Buffet and enjoy the ride.

Several sketches of colorful, eccentric Floridians. Maid, prisoner, store clerk, Seminole Indian, schizophrenic, etc.

The writing is excellent, the vernacular dialect is authentic, the scenes are familiar from my childhood.

What's marvelous about this book is the subjects have lots of dignity. It's not a collection of carnival freaks with tattoos and addictions and senses of entitlement.

Ray Washington treats his subjects with care and love. His love for language, too, is evident.

Everyone has a story, it is said. Washington shows us the stories of his subjects in a way that makes us understand, sympathize, and even, perhaps, like a group of people as varied as ranchers and murderers, ecologists and battered wives.

Although these short (2-4 page) studies are wonderfully crafted, they might be a bit too rich for steady reading, like a dinner of chocolates. Better to keep this book by your bedside, or even in your glove compartment, for a little treat when you grow weary of this get-ahead-kindness-be-damned world with which it is all too easy to get entangled.

These stories are hysterical. This guy has quite a gift for boiling down the human essence of the south in a funny sweet and painfully honest way. great book.

While waiting to tug a boat filled with Haitian refugees, Seychelle notices another vessel out in the gulf and takes her ship the Garda there. She finds a young dehydrated girl named Solange with a dead woman. She rescues the girl and tugs the boat containing the deceased to the dock. Seychelle immediately forms a bond with the Haitian refugee, who says that her father lives in the United States. Seychelle intends to find him so that Solange will not be deported.

There has been a recent increase in the smuggling of Haitians into America. Seychelle believes that Solange and the dead woman were on a boat that capsized with fifty Haitians aboard. Solange is not safe as thugs try to kidnap her although neither Seychelle nor she can determine why. Those Haitians that survive have been sold into slavery making it even more difficult for Seychelle to gain their trust so that she can locate Solange's father. Kidnappers abduct Seychelle and Solange taking them to Bimini where they meet the smugglers' mastermind. The criminal tosses Seychelle overboard expecting her to die while he carries out his plansfor Solange.

Christine King is a very visual writer who makes the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast come alive to readers. The heroine breaks laws to keep Solange safe from a monster, who sees the child as merchandise. There is a lot of action in CROSS CURRENT, but it is the characters who turn this novel into a superb thriller as Solange is at the mercy of adults with only Seychelle apparently caring what happens to her. Ms. King is a rising queen in the suspense genre.

Harriet Klausner

As Seychelle Sullivan and her sometime mechanic and deckhand, B.J. were towing in the Bahamian cruiser, Miss Agnes to Port Everglades, they discussed the incomprehensible conditions and desparation that made 50 people jam into a small boat, with the hope of building a new life for themselves. They risked everything, despite all odds, not caring whether it was legal or illegal, desiring nothing more than to start a new life. Seychelle had no clue how she would be entangled in the lives of these desparate people ... and their community. She did not know what lay in store for her, in the very near future, when she responded to a call from Mike Beesting, a former Ft. Lauderdale police officer. He had a dead starting battery and was stranded six to eight miles from Pompano Beach after taking a good buddy out fishing. While on the way out to rescue Mike and his pal, Seychelle spotted what she thought was dark debris in the water. This awakened her instincts for a possible rescue, that someone may be in trouble, so she went in for a closer look. What she saw astounded her: an emaciated Haitian girl of about 10 years old, who was dazed and dehydrated, sitting next to the bloated dead body of a lady wearing a torn brightly colored dress. Seychelle did not immediately notice the head wound, a huge gash in her skull ... most likley the cause of her death.

Seychelle debated whether or not to call the Coast Guard immediately, as required by law, or delay. She recalled the media circus after the rescue of the Cuban boy, Elian Gonzalez and decided to assess the situation first, call later. The little girl knew a bit of English and spoke haltingly and shyly with Seychelle. Unexpectedly, she grabbed Seychelle's hand and asked plaintively, "You help me?" Seychelle quickly made other arrangements to rescue Mike and his pal, Joe, while she pondered the ramifications of her heartfelt committment to save the life of this homeless little girl. After reporting her discovery to the Coast Guard and port authorities, both Border Patrol and Fort Lauderdale Police Department sent representatives to investigate the scene.

Seychelle found herself in the middle of a controversial territorial dispute where even the legal authorities were unsure who had jurisdiction over many aspects of the rescue. Seychelle right then and there felt how utterly important it was to save the life of this little girl, who claimed she had an American father whose name and address she did not know. Seychelle vowed to do everything within her power to help this little girl remain in the USA and reunite with her father.

The author creates hairpin turns and unusual loop to loop twists in the plot as she builds suspense and uncovers an underground money-making industry which deals in trading human lives, mostly that of children and teenagers. The author did a superb job of researching Voo Doo customs and religious beliefs. They play a large role in the lives of the Haitian community into which Seychelle must delve to help Solange, her young charge. Each chapter reveals a new depth and revelation about complex customs and the social milieu of the Haitian immigrants. Seychelle discovers horrible truths about the living conditions and underground slave trade which is being conducted by unscrupulous individuals who care only about making money. Seychelle gives no thought to her own safety or the risks she is taking to make good her promise to help this little girl achieve her dream. This reader was glued to every page, wanting to learn more as new details and clues surfaced. Erzulie, the lady who accompanied Solange, had indeed been murdered, she died of blows to the head from a machete. The book comes to a gut-wrenching climax which takes Seychelle to the Andros Islands in the Bahamas ... where her own life is at serious risk of permanent injury and death. She discovers who the ring-leaders of the slave trade are and solves the mysteries associated with this case. Just like, "Surface Tension, the first book by this author, I read the second book in one sitting. I had to connect all the dots to the very end. This book receives my highest endorsement and recommendations.
Erika Borsos (erikab93)

This is an exciting and moving story, well written, with a social conscious. Christine Kling knows her Florida, knows her boats, and knows how to build a story to a satisfying climax. Her research and knowledge of the plight of Haitian immigrants tells a horror story of the shameful way this country treats desperate children and it should be required reading for members of Congress. But don't let the social message fool you--this is one great read and one great thriller/mystery. You do not have to be a fan of Florida thrillers to enjoy this book-and to appreciate the message in the mystery. Her descriptive passages are excellent-so much it makes me want to explore the east coast of Florida with a new eye-and a good boat captain. Maybe her BJ is available?

I read this book to my children all under 12 and it was great. We enjoyed the insight to what vietnam was like after studing the vietnam war this past summer. We also loved the feeling of being on the hunt for the panther. For all outdoors men/women this is a must. It is also a must for anyone who really wants to know what living with vietnam is really like.

It is no wonder that "Cry of the Panther" by James P. McMullen has been issued in three separate printings since its debut, for it truly is a remarkable book. First pubished in 1984 as a hard cover version by Pineapple Press, it was picked up the next year by McGraw-Hill for the paperback edition, which became a New York Times best seller. Then, in 1996, Pineapple Press reissued "Cry" in soft cover, which developed a whole new following that continues to this day.

Perhaps it also no wonder, then, that this outstanding example of poetical true-story telling, which the late James Dickey called genius, would have its imitators; all great artists must suffer that indignity, it seems, if they live long enough. The incredible thing, though, is that a foreign author has curiously taken McMullen's title for a very different, fictional story that actually cries out for a more appropriate appellation. Indeed, the name "Cry of the Panther" seems to have been dragged in by the hind legs; surely, it's a long reach even for a metaphor here.

Now, while titles themselves cannot be copyrighted, what would motivate an author/publisher to choose an extant title and an ill-fitting one, at that--book sales by association? Just coincidence, some might allow. But is "Books in Print" unavailable in Scotland?

Undoubtedly, author McMullen will take no comfort in the oft-quoted words of Charles Caleb Colton, "Imitation is the sicerest of flattery." For mistaken identity among the book-buying public, especially on the internet, can be harmful to any author. And another hard fact in this computer age of easy access is that we see more and more irresponsible writers "borrowing" other authors' works with impunity, not to mention out-and-out plagiarism. Often, if they are challenged, they merely explain away their behavior with pathetic emanations, like the recent ones we've heard from big-name authors.

So just what is it about good books, then, that prompts some writers to appropriate them or their parts with such indifference? Why, it is the same as for any pirate--easy gold. Gold like the 14-karat threads that weave McMullen's odyssey into a most compelling narrataive of good vs. evil. Gold that shines like a beacon, revealing man's clumsy efforts to manage our planet's resources. Gold like the timeliness and timelessness that bind the pages of "Cry of the Panther" into our hearts and minds. Irresistible stuff, indeed--the kind of thing writers wish they'd said themselves, and which some would like to believe they have, if only by some feeble connection.

This time, fortunately, it's not that easy; McMullen's book is imcomparable. Set in the great but rapidly shrinking expanse of wilderness known as the Florida Everglades, the story unfolds in brillant depictions of the swamps blended with flashbacks from this Vietnam veteran's mind as he sets out, using his U.S. Marine training and experience, to track the disappearing Florida panther. How can this majestic animal not be surviving? he wonders. So begins this man's hopeful quest for traces of a species, the disappearance of which could be a prescient signal of our own demise. And the cry he hears in that wilderness is surely for all of us.

McMullen's book is also about the experience of self-discovery, not only for himself but the reader as well: he takes you with him through the labyrinth of jungle, natural and man-made, over barriers that can hide from us our real purpose for being. If you read James P. McMullen's "Cry of the Panther," you will certainly participate in his epiphany, albeit vicariously. But you can't take it away from him nor make it yours, for it is uniquely his alone. All of it.

--H. D. Rudenshiold

I found the story very haunting and important, important because it saved two lives, the cats and Jim Mcmullens. His is more important to me than the Florida cat. I'm sure he has more inside him than the story of the cat. He has family that had to put up with him on his trek into the wilderness and his life in Nam was the breaking point and starting point of the guy I once called "Muck". Really, a gentle person and someone I did not know well enough to call a true friend but well enough to say I knew him and trusted him. His story is real.

I keep picking up this book and findng different worlds and moods . . . some evoking realistic scenes, snippets of conversation, documentations of events. And then in the next poem the mood will shift. Although I know that the author is describing scenes from his life, the poems trigger memories of my own.
William Hollis seems to find inspiration everywhere, in mundane events, in nature, in momories from his past, in the news of the day.
The striking black and white photographs throughout the book add a mysterious and eeire dimension.

Where has this poet been? He gives words to feeling I've not been able to articulate. He makes me see people and things I've noticed, but not really seen. The poems are elegant and structured, but do not feel formal. They go to the deepest emotions and memories, but are not sentimental. The language is absolutely beautiful, but never pretentious. We have a great new poet on the scene.

Enhanced with the photography of Andrea Baldeck, Dark Encounters In Mid Air: New Poems by William Hollis is a marriage of free-verse original poetry and starkly gripping black-and-white images, that combine to bring a human insight into aspects of life, twists of memory, legends, ordinary comforts and the thrill of discovery through such activities as reading or sharing. Drawing upon common shared experience with a literary twist and a flare for insight, Dark Encounters In Mid Air is a soulful, reflective, and inspirational portrait of life itself. Pilgrimage: If I listen I can hear a voice from there, / a wind, a song that linger among dry walls, / that makes me wonder if it's broken breath / or just a wind through broken windows, / a panting from years it takes to climb / a trail where blood has stained the rocks...

This is a marvellous compendium of useful facts about the world's largest theme park. I found it highly illuminating - it has profoundly altered the way I percieve Walt Disney World and its manifold attractions. Since I first tried it a few years ago, I've been using this book to guide my various trips to Disney World ever since.

I had a great vacation with this book

Since the choices in the field of Disney-related guides are vast, I was amazed that one should rise so far to the top of the class. The work is informative and wittily written. Fenster's humor will keep you rolling and his completeness smokes the competition. This ought to be the bible for any family or individual planning a Central Florida vacation. A really fabulous resource which directed my family's vacation and will do so again.

Great volume, combining the most desirable aspects of a non-fiction account of Life Magazine's "Man of the Millenium," with the precise information normally found only in a credible academic research volume. This book brings an important segment of history alive, in an interesting, unique and intriguing way. Excellent book!

Any student of Edison ought to read this well-researched and carefully detailed description of his days in Fort Myers. This book, drawn from exacting investigation by a lawyer who grew up near Edison's home, is full of minute details that bring Edison alive in a new way. It shows his leisure time activities, and is particularly interesting in describing his inter-action with the 'locals' in this then-remote location. It's a perfect book to read if you plan to visit the Edison-Fort Winter Estates in Fort Myers.

I have always enjoyed the rich history of the great state of Florida. Mr. Smoot captures a wealth of this rich history in his book about Thomas Edison and his time spent in, and getting to, Fort Myers, FL. In carefully crafted detail he gives a sense of what Florida was like at the turn of the century and of the colorful characters who lived here. He also provides a wealth of detail regarding Thomas Edison and his second wife Mina. This book is packed with interesting excerpts from the Edisons' personal letters, diary entries and archives from the Edison Estate. If you enjoy Florida history and want to learn about the private life of one the great figures of American invention you will love this book.

After almost a decade, Earle Bowden returned to writing about
rural Northwest Florida. "Embrace an Autumnal Heart" begins with
nostalgic rememberances of the author's childhood in the 30s and
40s in the community of Altha 16 miles south of Marianna, Florida.

His series of stories under the caption Fiction have some
factual basises.My two favorites areThe murder of federal revenue agent "Pistol Pete" Bowden (no relation to the author)and the story of the truck driver whose load was a coffin with a newly executed prisoner being transported to his home town for burial is a classic as the driver is arrested because the sheriff figured the coffin was loaded with moonshine whisky. It took the
Governor and a future Governor to come up with a solution.

Bowden is a master when it comes to simplifing complicated
Civil War Battles. Here he reviews Gettysburg and Chickamauga
not only from an overall perspective but also from a regimental
and ordinary soldier's view. Three of his ancestors had served in Alabama units in both battles.

Naturally he could not neglect the Battle of Santa
Rosa island. Ft Pickens is on Sanata Rosa Island and may have been the location where the war actually began. It is a cause celebre in Pensacola and since Hurricane Kathina will not be visted by car for a long time.

Other articles deal with memorable local people: historian EW Carswell, Pensacolia born General Danial (Chappie)
James and western singer Hank Locklin.

Other articles are entaining,either evoking a belly laugh,nostalgia or sadness. All are a social commentary on
Northwest Florida from Pensacola to Madison County and all from
the pen of an author who knows and is proud of his heritage.

Jesse Earle Bowden's latest book, EMBRACE AN AUTUMNAL HEART, is his bet yet. With the precision of the poet's quill, he captures the essence of life as seen from the J.W. Bowden Grocery Story in Chipola Country of Northwest Florida. He shares his memories of the down-home folks who always have time to invite you in to set a spell. From the backwoods gopher puller who catches land turtles for food, to the picutesque icehouse that provides 50-pound blocks of ice for those who don't have refrigerators, life flows like the currents of the Chipola and Apalachicola Rivers that run through the county.

His recollections of World War II from the vantage point of a country boy on the edge of his teens, will trigger your own long forgotten memories of that era.

In the historical section titled "Fatal Shadows" he writes from his lifelong study and knowledge of the Civil War. He mined the documented records to trace the lives of his three Alabama grandsires in the Gettysburg and Chickamunga battles. Using tools of fiction to resurrect the torment of the 1860s, he parallels novelist Shelby Foote's masterpiece, THE CIVIL WAR: A NARRATIVE. Bowden's account is a concise presentation of the Civil War that will intrigue history buffs of all ages. In writing nonfiction, he paints picture-making immediacy, and employs tools of fiction to good advantage in crafting nostalgic stories resonating with heart, spirit and universal remembrance.

You will chuckle as he reveals the foibles of real Cracker politics, including little known facts about Florida governors of the past half century, many of whom he knew personally.

He writes of the horror and anguish of a family member's murder, from the wife discovering her husband's butchered body, to capture and trial of the guilty perpetrators, and be haunted by the callous disregard for human life.

EMBRACE AN AUTUMNAL HEART has wide appeal because of its many facets, including nostalgia, the Civil War, Florida politics and murder, all presented in Bowden's distinctive style. The book is a literary enrichent and well worth your time spent reading it.

I am a great fan of J. Earle Bowden and have five of his books in my library. I feel that he has reached his writing pinnacle in his latest work, "Embrace an Autumnal Heart."
The 448 page novels starts with the excitement of a 13 year-old boy on December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and changed, forever, the world, awakening a sleeping giant and bringing the U.S. onto the worled stage as a super power.
The first seven chapters of the book tell of quickening changes in the life of a boy coming of age in a bucolic setting in Northwest Florida.
Then Bowden does some of his best fiction writing. He begins with a realistic rural hanging, tells of some of the Great Depression hardships, the story of a soon-to-be, Florida governor's part in getting the body of an electrocuted criminal's body home to his grieving mother.
He tells of now-gone Panhandle leaders such as Judge J.W. Carswell, General Daniel (Chappie) James, country music star, Hank Locklin and others whom Bowden knew personally.
The language of the book is classic Bowden, with descriptions and situations written so brilliently that you are actually transported there by the power of sentence structure that can only come from the pen of a master story teller.
I highly recommend this book to those who love history and especially those who lived during the last half of the 20th Century.