Arkansas Books

Thirteen original essays provide an in-depth biographical focus on both famous and lesser-known Afro-American athletes from the 19th century to modern times, and is a key pick for college-level collections specializing in Afro-American studies or sports history. Here are surveys that link athletic endeavors to social issues and politics, examining the effects of segregation on ambition and achievement. Contributors are top sports history writers and their essays examine the close connections between race, prejudice, and sport.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A book with interesting outdoor information much like a scout manual! Includes fun and informative information about the Carter family! I enjoyed it greatly!!

I found this book quite by accident several months ago, and since then have given over ten as gifts. I never thought I'd like a book about outhouses, but this one is a real gem. The photos are very creative and evocative: Thomas Harding knows his stuff, as his years with the Bachrach Photographers can attest to. He's paired these lovely photos (of not-so-lovely subjects) with quotes from great literature, pulled out of context in the most hilarious ways. My favorite one is a picture of a "two-holer" paired with a classic Edmund Waller quote: "My joy, my grief, my love,/Did all within this circle move!" Give this book a chance, you'll be glad you did.

First, I must admit to a certain amount of biasness concerning this subject. I have been traveling and photographing old houses and barns in this area, the Ozarks, for over fifty years now. I wish I would have had access to this book in the late 50s and early 60s.

That being said, I can pretty well assure you that this is the best work that I have encountered addressing this subject, i.e. rural home places in the Ozarks of Arkansas. The information contained in this book is quite relevant to the homes found in Southern Missouri also. This work contains over 160 photographs, drawings and locations of home sites located primarily in the Boston Mountain region of N. Arkansas. Some of the photographs are old, some new, all in black and white, which, I feel, make them much more effective than had they been shot in color. Most of the photographs are quite detailed and not only include the subject dwelling, but give a wonderful feeling of setting and cultural impact.

The chapters in the book include an Overview, Ozarks as a Geographical and Cultural Region, State and local history, house types in the Arkansas Ozarks, barns and outbuildings, the house and the Ozark landscape, construction methods and materials, and living in the Ozark house. The text is quite well done and is extremely readable, even the technical portions. The text is very detailed and the footnotes are great, something I personally appreciate. I found not one page in the entire book that was not informative and absolutely fascinating! Of equal importance to the photographs and information on each dwelling featured, the author has stressed, over and over gain, the absolute isolation of many of these homes. One who has not travel the Boston Mountain Region cannot fully understand this, but must realize the fact of this isolation. While this is one of the regions in the U.S. that is not as well know as some other, it is, never-the-less, one of the most beautiful areas in our country, but, my goodness, some of the places are hard to get to. I have spent many hours, indeed days, wondering around, completely clueless as to where I was going and where I had been.

I have had the pleasure of viewing many of the locations, and indeed, many of the homes in this book. These dwellings are quickly vanishing from our landscape, more are gone each year. Many are being replaced by developments and even more by trailers and the like. Much of our heritage is simply either gone, or will be gone within a few years. We are lucky to have works such as Ms. Sizemore's which accurately record how it was, what we had and what we have lost. I cannot recommend this one highly enough. It is one you will want to purchase for your library, if you can find it.

Mr. Ciardi gently and deeply embraces aspects of relationship that are subtle and quiet. He seems to whisper his heart's secrets to his readers. I've owned this book for over ten years and am now giving it as a gift. My copy is tattered around the edges from my frequent readings. It is a book to keep close by, and like a good friend or love, each time you read it, something new is revealed.

"Portrait of America" was a popular video documentary series in the mid-eighties, a product of collaboration between Superstation/Turner Broadcasting Corporation and Ambrose Home Video. Well-researched, each video is divided into 5 segments covering most unique historical, social, and cultural aspects of each state. Watching such an interesting documentary, each being roughly about 50 minutes long, without advertisements and other interruptions seems to be a privilege in these days!

David Fitzgerald is one of Oklahoma's top photographers and this book just makes you want to travel to all the wonderful spots he's captured on film!

One of the best Civil War photographic histories I've seen. Contains hundreds of rare VERY rare Arkansas Civil War era photographs. The photos are explained in detail, not just captions. The quality of the books is excellent with thick glossy paper, clear photos, and well written text

I feel that joint writers Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin did an excellent job with the writing and pictures exhibited in The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine. It's hard to believe that the demand for integrated schools occurred less than a century ago. The novel depicts civil rights activist Daisy Bates and her quest to integrate the public schools of Arkansas during the late 1950s and early 1960s. She stood behind the nine African American students who our nation dubbed the "Little Rock Nine." The book provides pictures of Daisy's life including eye opening shots of the abuse the nine students as well as Diasy herself endured from Little Rock's public just to gain equal opportunity to education. Readers will become inspired by and appreciative of Daisy's work.

This is Clarke's fifth book and certainly one of her best. The Heroic Life of Al Capsella, Clarke's first novel, is probably better known and funnier in style, but shows a real depth and maturity which is missing in that earlier and lighter novel.

This book is filled with many characters and story lines, and each one is interesting in its own right. We meet William, the hopelessly romantic poetry reader, Daz, the no nonsense-hard-headed, school girl, 'winner', Mrs. Sheila Thredlow, the demented occupant of Sunset retirement home, Fat Joanna, the socially tortured school girl, Stan Almond, the boy who came to collect his sister after the dance, Valentine O'Leary, the biggest Pig at Mimosa High, Karen Leonard, the sporty netball player, and still more. We are given portraits of their life in such a way that we quickly know them and are intrigued by them, and gradually, as the novel progresses, each of their separate stories will become knitted together in an artful and informative 'tapestry of life'.

On the surface the novel is about love: romantic love, family love, love between friends. On a deeper level it is about the lies we tell ourselves to make ourselves happy, at least for a little while. The story of Mrs. Thredlow is one of the most charming and sad tales I have read for some time. This story depicts life in its strange ambiguity, full of bitter/sweetness.

Jaz turns out to be the main character so this could be classified as a girl's novel, but there is material in there for boys too. is excellent for teenagers, but adults will find it an interesting read as well.