Illinois Books

I grew up in San Pedro California and anyone listening at that time can remember the shout "burn baby burn" (even before the riots)or "give me four and a half more bars" where Magnificent would put the needle back on the record randomly and extend the record another 3-4 minutes. This brother is and was as much a part of the fabric of American radio as any other person as Dick Clark and Alan Freed (without the payola charge). A Berry Gordy ,Smokey Robinson,Gamble and Huff of the radio, a
true radio Giant that set the stage for many, many ,many others to follow in his large footsteps.
MagnificentMontague, you will always be.. the man..!!

Dr. Kathleen Waters Sander (Ph.D. - History, U. of MD.) has written an extremely valuable book centered on the women's industrial exchange movement of the 19th century. Ruthless 19th century capitalism (also known as "capitalism at its finest") was not controlled or regulated by government, and offered no "safety nets" or benefits. Many individuals and families lived the "genteel life" during the 19th century for temporary periods, then were unceremoniously tossed off of the gravy train into the world of poverty.....a world for which they were often tragically unsuited, often even than those impoverished their entire lives.

The women's exchange movement provided relief for previously "genteel" women suddenly or gradually reduced to circumstances bordering on desperation. In more than 70 American cities, a system of consignment retail shops was set up in which
"consignors" (previously genteel but subsequently impoverished women) could offer domestic products (mostly sewing and needlework items) for sales anonymously. The "shame" of impoverishment was hidden, capitalism's sins were uncomplained about, and some income for desperate women and their dependents was achieved. The brutal policing visited on those who complained about expoitation by the capitalist system was escaped.

The women's industrial exchange movement was remarkable for its ingenuity and its imagination, and also for its longevity. Today, women's industrial exchange tea rooms and other facilities still operate and function, in some situations (as in Baltimore, Maryland) in facilities more than a century old.

At the dawn of the 21st century, the model and mentality of the women's industrial movement, described well by Dr. Sander, is a shining light of hope for impoverished people in a world where protections against capitalistic rapacity and greed are clearly disappearing completely. Neither government nor disappearing "benefits" (retirement pensions, health insurance, etc.) offered by companies to gullible employees seem likely to protect vulnerable people any longer. The loss of government promised "benefits" in all catagories seems very likely for the great majority of citizens as the new century progresses.

Self-help actions independent of government and employers alike seem the best hope. The women's industrial exchange movement of the 19th century is a splendid model of how independent self-help action can work. It's truly inspiring, and a detailed history of its origins, successes, problems, and management such as that offered by Dr. Kathleen Sander is worth reading.

David M. Emmons, in The Butte Irish, examines the development of Butte, Montana, as an Irish town, tracing the story from the Potato Famine to about 1925. He focuses on two major questions: (a) What made Butte such a popular destination for Irish immigrants, both directly from Ireland and from other Irish areas of the US? and, (b) How did the development of an Irish enclave in Butte affect the development of the city? He goes on to examine the evolution of class relations within the Irish in Butte. Emmons describes Butte as a unique location in America for the study of an ethnic community. He argues that the town developed in such a way and at such a time that it was one of the only towns in the country to have a strong working-class, immigrant community in a position of major influence and power. There were several keys that made this path of city evolution possible. The first was the switch from silver and gold mining to copper production in the 1870's. This is key for Butte's "Irishness" on several levels. First, because of the large capital investment required for copper mining, Butte was forced to industrialize to a much greater extent than other major gold and silver mining camps of the West. Thus, Butte was the only one of these mining camps to become a major city. Immigrants from many of these camps came to Butte in large numbers. The timing of the beginning of Butte's copper era is a second major factor. The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's caused huge numbers of Irish to immigrate to America. In the years immediately following the famine, the Irish were nearly forty percent of those immigrating to the United States. Large numbers of Irish continued to immigrate in the next thirty years, supplying the US with many unskilled workers. Many of these Irish went to the mining camps of the west, the coal mines of Pennsylvania, or the copper mines of Michigan, because mining was one of the only industries they were familiar with. As many of the western mining camps became "played out," or ran out of viable ore, in the late nineteenth century, the Irish looked to the developing Butte. Because Butte was becoming an established city only when the Irish started going there, it did not have a previously existing community of entrenched middle class Americans, nor did it have a prior political structure. This is another key difference between Butte and other towns with sizable Irish populations such as Boston or San Francisco. In pre-existing towns and cities, the middle class often looked down on those of the working class, or at least had control of the political and social structure of the area. It is a well-known fact that Marcus Daly was one of the main reasons so many Irish came to Butte. Daly was the owner of the Anaconda Mining Company, and a strong Irish nationalist. His hiring policies were famous throughout the West, and even in Ireland, as being very generous to the Irish. Emmons lays out these reasons, detailing them extensively. His research was thorough, utilizing "two full carloads" of primary materials including records of Butte churches and Irish social organizations, letters, newspapers. Also cited in Emmons' bibliography are extensive interviews and secondary sources. Emmons is just as thorough in his treatment of the second question. He considers the miners of Butte on many levels. One of the more interesting themes of the book is the discussion of conflicting loyalties within the Irish enclave of the Mining City. The author frames this as the question of whether the people considered themselves "working Irish-Americans" or "Irish-American workers." He examines the politics of the struggling Ireland and its relationship with England, the structure of the Butte social organizations and the way their roles and importances, both absolute and relative to one another, changed and grew during this period, and changing demographics within the Irish and the rest of Butte-Silver Bow. The only complaint to be lodged against The Butte Irish is the author's occasional use of difficult sentence structure. I can't find the quote I was going to use here, but there were a few to choose from. The Butte Irish is a well-written and well-executed account of the development of a town and community, offering many insights into working class ethnography, labor relations, Montana history, and Irish history, among others. Emmons has managed to cover aspects of all these areas, even while maintaining a strong focus and cohesiveness throughout the book.

First, let me say that I'm not much of a history reader, no matter what the subject matter. And war stories really isn't my thing either. So how was it that I got into reading "The Butternut Guerillas" by Larry Underwood? Rather easily, if I do say so myself. Early one morning (like 5:00 A.M.) I was into my early morning 2-mile walk on the bike path with my two walking buddies, and one of them is a history nut. By chance, he got to talking about the Civil War and mentioned this book to me. He talked about the story and how these men that were Yankee soldiers and called the Butternut Guerillas played a major part in the Civil War, under the leadership of Benjamin Grierson. And their company was mostly from southern Illinois. Now he had my attention. The first thing I asked was if the non-fiction story was boring, because if it didn't grab my attention right off the bat, I wasn't going to waste my time. "Not at all. In fact, I think you'll enjoy the heck out of that book. I did," Big Ed replied. Then I asked if he thought the local library had the book, and of course, he knew that it did. Later that day, I found myself in the library, picking up the small hardback. I'm the world's worst about thumbing through a book, looking at introductions, prologues, dedications, and even to the end of the book for final words. Needless to say, at the end of this little book was a roster of the Sixth & Seventh Cavalry Regiments from Illinois. Men's names from Hardin County, White County, Saline County, Pope County, and names that were familiar to the area, even names from different towns. And you must remember, this was in 1863-65. I was amazed at the names, so I read nearly every one of the field and staff members, when I ran across the name John W. Rogers, Saline County, Illinois. And I immediately knew this was my grandfather's brother. My very own great-uncle John W. Rogers. Little was said about this man while I was a young girl growing up, and when I tried to ask, I was simply told that "Uncle John was kind of the black sheep of the family". I guess everybody has one of some kind or the other. Regardless, Uncle John is buried in the family's cemetery plot and I put flowers on his grave every Memorial Day, even though I never knew him. He didn't play a big part in the book because he was simply a Yankee soldier, not one of the Butternut Guerillas, but now I couldn't put the book down. And believe me, without a doubt this is one of the best-written Civil War stories that has probably ever been told. I was totally amazed at the dialogue and how well Underwood told the events that transpired. In fact, I almost felt like I was there with those guys. This book is EXCELLENT. I can't believe that it hasn't been reviewed before. If you're a history nut and like to know how the events of the war transpired, this book is a great insight. The next time I'm honored with Big Ed's presence on the bike path, I'll have to tell him so.

In this first comprehensive analysis of several recently uncovered sites in the American Bottom region, Mehrer focuses on household archaeology to shed light on the daily lives of the Mississippian people. He examines the objects of daily use - domestic and ceremonial buildings, storage and processing pits, mundane and exotic artifacts - to reconstruct the framework of everyday life and to show how the routines of early native people changed with time. New findings reveal the changing roles of households in their communities, exposing a social order more complex than previously thought.

This is an amazing book, the result of many years of paddling places no one else does, as well as all of the better known paddles in Northern Illinois. It will become the Illinois Paddler's bible.
Not only does it give details on over eighty possible paddles, but there is a tremendous wealth of historical information. There will never be another book like this. Buy it!

This is the definitive look at the last year of General Grant. Pitkin writes well and the book is well-researched, factual and reliable. The narrative begins when Grant bites into a peach in the summer of 1884 and thinks an insect has stung him in the throat. In fact this was the first signal that he was suffering from throat cancer. Pitkin guides the reader through the maze of pain and suffering Grant endured while writing his magnificent memoirs. You will learn about his near-death episode in April, 1885 when the doctors believed he was about to die. Instead Grant miraculously ralied and lived another three months, enough time to complete his book.

Also included are descriptions of the important personal relationships in Grant's life. You will meet his four children, his devoted wife, and Mark Twain, the man who adored Grant and who became his publisher. Anyone who reads this book will come away with a renewed appreciation for Grant's valor, courage and tremendous ability to withstand pain in order to provide a financial legacy to his destitute family. I highly recommend this book, it's exceptional.

Carl Ruggles was an crusty ol' opininated prejudiced, cantankerous, stubborn man. Most of his durationally short sculpted-like music reflects this. The overwhelmingly powerful symphonic poems, The Sun Treader or Men and Mountains. There you will find large robust,full-bodied brass and lyrical lines,in octaves and unisons to enhance their sheer power. Yet Ruggles has miniatures, his Portals a mere 63 odd measures for strings alone, or his mysterious Angels for muted trumpets and trombones is even shorter than that. He has only one single work for the piano, Evocations, which he revised his entire life. Marilyn Ziffrin was quite brave searching for Ruggles alone in retirement, barely able to hear at his home,she found him eating,crumbs falling on his sweater in the clapboard Cut Leaf Maples Motel in Arlington Vermont. He wouldn't allow her a tape recorder so she took copious notes. But it wasn't until a full year later returning from work at The University of Chicago that her story begins of one of our most fascinating American pioneers. Ziffrin tells a good story following the Ruggles throughout there lives in various places, New York, Winona, Minneapolis, Florida,and Arlington. She captures the details of the everyday, Carl chomping on his cigar while searching for dissonant tones and resonance on his rented piano. Harmonies we learn were incidental, Ruggles was a contrapuntal composer who wrote in his own invented atonal language. He had distinguished friends as well, Robert Frost, Charles Ives, Leopold Stokowski, and the pianist John Kirkpatrick who became the executor of his Estate.In reading this comprehensive work, we learn of American history as well, and how one coped with the Depression years. Ruggles was a consummate painter with over 300 paintings which are part of museaum collections in Detroit, but primarily privatly owned. The two disciplines fused together for Ruggles, he said he "painted" music, as well as supporting himself with its sale.

Linda and Raymond (her husband?) explore the beauty and history of the historic Carnegie library in Rural, Central Illinois. This book is the definitive source of its kind. Linda is to be commended! Bravo! A must read for the library enthusiast.

Casing the Promised Land by H.L. Goodall, Jr. (the first in an ethnographic trilogy) is an interpretive ethnography that consists of a collection of stories over the course of eight years (and written up in two) that seeks to construct a perspective (not to be confused with Truth) in a larger effort to encourage discussion and debate (particularly) among academics who usually have clear ideas about what `science' is or should be (e.g. this debate is especially apparent among the quantitative/qualitative divide).

This collection of essays frames ethnographic organizational `mysteries' focusing on communication scholarship within the context of personal experience as researcher. Goodall weaves together a strand of multiple narratives as researcher and ethnographer, husband, professor, etc., that collectively constitute an `experience,' albeit an experience that in its totality can never actually be fully understood or even known (which is precisely the point). The experiences chronicled in this text spotlight the poetics of humans communicating but also highlight the space outside where meaningful communication takes place that cannot necessarily be accounted for.

Here Goodall, an authority on rhetoric and communication, seeks to complicate our thinking about organizational communication and technology especially in the rural South as well as make a case for the importance of interpretive ethnography in the academy. Goodall makes no qualms about his general dissatisfaction with the social sciences and much to his credit this book highlights through storytelling the great necessity for ethnographic research as well as noting the limitations and shortcomings that often result, a point few positivists are willing to concede. It is within this space that we can learn to be better researchers, writers, intellectuals and human beings so to test the general shortcomings of growth and creativity that we all no doubt experience. Stated otherwise, we as academics are not nor should be confined by the limits of a particular research design or methodology that all too often seems to thwart our creativity (although not our promotion to tenure) in so many ways.

This text provides the researcher with yet another way of doing research differently outside of the constraints of the establishment. This book was very entertaining and highly recommended for both the novice and the seasoned researcher.