Georgia Books

I really wish that some pepole out there would focus more on Mr. Toomer's writing talents and not on this whole "was he or was'nt he" about his racial background. I believe that Jean Toomer's words are powerful and universal for all people! His imagery is so amazing it's almost visual, and he is able to make the political deeply personal and not preachy. The works of this brilliant writer is far more important to me than the tiresome, trivial, and unfortunate pettiness of some individuals who want to argue about a subject that is designed to be derisive and distracting in a time when "Rome is Burning!"

This book is greatly recommened! Please add it to your library.

Jean Toomer should not be classified as "African American." He rejected that racist "one drop" classification and deserves praise and admiration for doing so. Toomer's parents and grandparents were not "black middle class" but looked whiter than many Americans who call themselves "white."Passing for Who You Really Are

This publication provides a pictorial history of African Americans in Columbus, Georgia. It is one of the first publications of its kind, pertaining to African Americans in Columbus, Georgia. It is comprised of photographs depicting the history of a people and the places where historical events occurred. This document places emphapsis on a racial group that had not been depicted as an intregal part of the history of Columbus nor the history of Georgia.
The information contained in this publication can be used as a supplement to the study of Georgia History, African American History, Social Studies and or Cultural Studies.

The Black American Series- Columbus Ga. is an excellent source of information regarding life for the African American in the rural south.I am from Columbus,Ga. and thought that I knew a lot regarding the African Americans history in this city.Judith Grants book makes you cry,laugh and at the same time do alot of soul searching about a people who's history is so rich but yet still ignored.It challenges you to examine futher the lives of people like Dr.Thomas Brewer and Elizabeth Lunsford who were champions in the struggle for their people but unknown to many today.I highly recomend this work to all people but especially to young African Americans who need to see how their ancestor struggled and still suceeded despite all the odds stacked against them.

Coming Home opens with informative introductory essays which discuss firstly the inspiration for the collection, and subsequently the art of the period 1930-1950 and the conditions under which it was produced and the attitudes which prevailed at the time. Following the catalogue the book concludes with an extensive artist specific bibliography.

The bulk of the volume, from page 41 to page 319 comprises the catalogue. Each painting is allotted a double page spread, the image on the left hand page with a brief biography of the artist and comments about the painting on the facing page. Occasionally the comments extend to two pages followed by a full page bleed illustration of a detail of the painting. There are about one hundred and forty full colour plates in all.

This is a well produced work, with an attractive page layout and imaginative typography. While I have not seen the original works in flesh the colour reproduction here seems to be a little subdued, an impression not helped (or perhaps created by) by the large amount of white space surrounding each image. It is perhaps unfortunate that the bulk of the pictures here are landscape in format whilst the book itself is portrait, combined with the wide side margins this results in the image occupying less than half the total page area, sometimes considerably less than that; by contrast the few full page bleed illustrations appear bright and vibrant.

The Schoen Collection contains a fascinating and varied selection of paintings, and this handsome volume, which despite being a paperback has a feeling of quality, is well worth having.

This is a beautiful, large-ish, soft-cover book. I ordered it online and was surpised at it's oversize (sorry...no ruler handy for that info). It's an acceptable size for display and browse, even though I bought it thinking it would be more in-depth and textbook sized.

The choice of realist artists was diverse yet kept to a very American mid-century view. I particularly found the African-American imagery compelling. These are the children of the Ashcan school artists, and some of the works (and accompanying short-page, but concise explanations)are generally unknown. Many are of stiking social commentary.

If you are ready to go beyond Edward Hopper for mid-century American Realism you will greatly enjoy this book. It's really lovely and has drawn some comment and interest even with some teens who paged through it.

This is a most worthy men-at-arms series; like the book's description says, it shows the much more colorful side to the uniforms of the Confederate Army. One man depicted in the color plates for Volume One that I found particularly interesting was a soldier in the Union Light Infantry, a SC unit based on the British Black Watch (42nd Royal Highlanders).
The plates are pretty much the highlight of this series, and show realistic looking soldiers surrounded by beautiful women and scenery, and baring all their various weapons. The text, nonetheless, reveals numerous interesting details. This is an excellent source on the uniforms and appearances of the soldiers of the Confederacy.

Osprey Publishing has issued Volume 5 of their popular book, The Confederate Army 1861-65. A part of their sprawling Men-at-Arms series (this is book #441 in that series), this one covers the uniforms and arms of troops from Tennessee and North Carolina. Written by Ron Field and lavishly illustrated with Richard Hook's watercolors, this book is a worthy addition to the Osprey family. Retailing for $15.95 here in the USA ($21 in Canada), the book has 48 pages, nearly all of them with period photographs or full color drawings.

The new book focuses on each state's antebellum militia and the hastily organized volunteer regiments that were pressed into Confederate service in the initial stages of the war. Using contemporary newspaper accounts, letters, state and local records, and early photographs, Ron Field presents an extensive array of early war military units, their uniforms and accoutrements, drawing heavily upon primary descriptions. He also takes a cursory, but interesting look at how the transition occurred from locally supplied clothing and equipment (which often varied widely from company to company) to state-issued regulation Confederate uniforms, particularly in North Carolina, where, by the end of the war, the term "ragged Rebel" would be made obsolete from the vast stores of supplies held by the state.



Field starts with Tennessee, looking at the outfitting of the militia and early volunteers in 1861, and examines the role various ladies aid societies played in clothing the soldiers of the Volunteer State. He then discusses the role of the state's Military and Financial Board in taking over the administration and logistics of supplying the troops. Field then shifts his focus to North Carolina, again discussing and characterizing the antebellum militia and contrasting them to how the state later took charge and made its forces appear more uniform in appearance. He also briefly compares winter clothing to summer issue for troops from both states.



The book includes a select bibliography for readers wanting to dive a little deeper into the outfitting of Confederate troops from Tennessee and North Carolina. The index is comprehensive, as is the discussion that accompanies the Richard Hook's illustrations. All in all, The Confederate Army 1861-85 (5) Tennessee and North Carolina (ISBN: 9781846031878) maintains the tradition of excellence we have come to expect from Osprey, and is well worth the modest investment.

Mr. Caldwell, an "independent" historian, has provided us an exaustive and accurate compendium of the architectural and social history of Georgia in the 19th century. He has reviewed and cross-referenced the hundreds of sketchy local histories in Georgia and has noted the background and history of the creation of every Georgia county and railroad from 1800-1911, and how the railroad shaped the aspirations or distrust of Georgia's communities.

He notes how the influence of Northern "carpetbaggers" led to the development of many of Ga's reconstruction railroads and the erection of its many distinctive high-style courthouses. The influence of Bostonian H.H. Richardson on Georgia architects Gloucke and Bruce & Morgan is prevalent as well.

Interestingly, Mr. Caldwell is intent on revealing what he sees as the truth behind the "myths" of the Old and New South and how those myths are related through railroad development (the equivalent of a 19th century interstate highway) and public architecture. His conclusion that the creation of post-civil war railroads and the promise of Northern investment was nothing more than a sham in most cases is very unique and interesting and deserves further study.

This book is less about the specifics of architecture but basically provides a clearer view of rural southern history, and provides a useful collection of the local history of 159+ counties in Georgia. There are a few spelling errors, and could have used a few color plates, but the book is well made.

This book is a must for any Georgia architect, landscape architect, and historic preservationist. It also could be of use to a few politicians in order for them to better understand the background of thier own GA communities. Of course, armchair historians and lovers of southern history will enjoy it as well.

The Courthouse And The Depot: A Narrative Guide To Railroad Expansion And Its Impact On Public Architecture In Georgia 1833-1910 by Wilber W. Caldwell is an exhaustive catalogue of 19th century public architecture in Georgia and all the railroad lines that criss-crossed the state during this period. A wealth of Deep South history illustrated throughout with black and white photographs. The Courthouse And The Depot uses the unique framework of architecture to substantially narrate a significant stretch of Georgian state history, and how the coming of the railroad changed everything for the future. A fascinating and superbly presented wealth of information about changing times over a century ago, The Courthouse And The Depot is highly recommended reading for American history, architecture, and railroading reading lists and reference collections.

"Antebellum social reform movements, especially antislavery and women's rights, shaped public discourse in ways that still define the manner in which Americans deal with divisive issues." The truth of this becomes readily evident when one compares the social activism of recent decades with that of the early decades of the 1800s as studied here by Garvey. There's the same similarities of committed individuals stepping out to define issues and urge ways of coming to grips with them; the same patterns of publicity, persuasion, and growth; the same sorts of contests to move government to deal with issues; the same adaptability to changing regional and political conditions; internal debates and rivalries; and responses to widening public notice both favorable and oppositional. Garvey studies the major social movements of early nineteenth-century America by focusing on their intellectual progenitors and prominent public figures such as William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Angelina Grimke and the effects of their activism. The changes in the "structure of public discourse" brought about by the strategies of publicizing important social issues and the formation and growth of related movements "in turn instantiate forms of publicity implicit in liberal selfhood." In pursuing this, the author turns to Emerson, a leading intellectual and moral figure of this era who also sought out a public role. Garvey is the editor of a book on Emerson. By positioning the antebellum "culture of reform [within] the broader utopian rhetoric of consensus...," Emerson enabled this culture "to emerge as a progressive force and continue to legitimize it as a vehicle of social progress rather than a threat to civil order." And so with such beginnings, reform has been a regular and acceptable part of American society.

Excellent explanation as to how ideas now considered "liberal" actually evolved in the 19th century. Well written, exciting history of American ideas.

Although the storyline is somewhat tragic, the storytelling was exceptional, and the theme was clearly communicated across characters and timeperiods. As a psychologist, I thought the author did a fine job of characterizing the psychological impact of slavery and racism on family dynamics across generations.

I thought this was a good book to read. It gave a lot of insight into the troubles african american women of past generations faced through the life of Story. She was scared to love and be loved. Only through Story's death was her daughter Hermine able to break through her mothers wall and love her.

This short read is an excellent, concise book answering "twenty" common questions regarding curriculum integration. It explains terms such as curriculum integration, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary education, which are commonly confused by even the most forward thinking educators.
If you wanted one book to use as a basis for a staff development workshop on integrated curriculum education (which may not be what you presently think it is according to the authors' definitions), this is it.
Curriculum integration as described by Nesin & Loundsbury also fits beautifully with classroom computer iniatives such as the Maine State laptop in initiative, for those educators seriously interested in democratic classrooms (Beane), or for those educators hoping to develope self directed learners. A gem.

This short read is an excellent, concise book answering "twenty" common questions regarding curriculum integration. It explains terms such as curriculum integration, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary education, which are commonly confused by even the most forward thinking educators.
If you wanted one book to use as a basis for a staff development workshop on integrated curriculum education (which may not be what you presently think it is according to the authors' definitions), this is it.
Curriculum integration as described by Nesin & Loundsbury also fits beautifully with classroom computer iniatives such as the Maine State laptop in initiative, for those educators seriously interested in democratic classrooms (Beane), or for those educators hoping to develope self directed learners. A gem.

Judge Frank M. Johnson achieved national recognition for his decisions that supported Martin Luther King and other leaders of the civil rights movement, and for his defense of the individual rights of women, students, prisoners, mental health patients, and poor criminal defendants. Because these decisions expanded the scope of those Constitutional amendments that assert individual liberties and proclaim the equality of all citizens, Judge Johnson is often viewed as one of the great liberal judges of the Twentieth Century. On the contrary, as Tony Freyer convincingly demonstrates in his analytical introduction and conclusion to this selective collection of Judge Johnson's writings and public statements, Johnson's core values were fundamentally conservative, in that they were "based on individual freedom defined in terms of equal opportunity and equality under law."
The law, of course, is the U.S. Constitution, and Johnson's decisions, as his essays indicate, were informed and circumscribed by a profound understanding of the mechanics of the law. As Johnson told Bill Moyers in a 1980 public television interview, the transcript of which is published for the first time in this book, Johnson realized certain limitations when he opposed busing as a tool of desegregation because "when you make a child, or children, get up at five o'clock in the morning and wait for a bus to haul them 10 or 15 miles, past schools to which they were formerly eligible to go, then I think you are doing tremendous damage". Striving for judicial clarity above and beyond moral fervor, Johnson also said that he had never been inside of a prison or a mental facility because he "needed not to go there," but to make his decisions on "the basis of evidence that's presented during the adversary proceeding."
Judge Johnson's momentous injunction in Williams v. Wallace that ordered Governor George Wallace to allow a four-day civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery (from March 21 to March 25, 1965), led by Dr. King along Highway 80, was rendered in a carefully crafted opinion based on the principle that the right to protest on public property should be "commensurate with the enormity of the wrongs that are being protested and petitioned against."
As these essays make clear, Judge Johnson believed that the role of the American judiciary and of the entire legal profession should be one of activism, not on the side of morality, but to maintain the supremacy of the law. Johnson wrote that " the lawyer should remember that a disrespect or disregard for law is always the first sign of a disintegrating society."Throughout his forty-one years on the bench, Judge Johnson sought to decide the cases that came before him solely on their particular merits. His injunctive orders that sought to remedy deplorable conditions in prisons and mental health facilities were taken because, in his view, elected officials had failed to discharge their designated and constitutional responsibilities for fair and equitable governance. Judge Johnson clearly believed that all citizens, including the mentally retarded, the insane, and those convicted of felonies, still have certain basic rights to include sanitary living conditions, freedom from unwarranted punishment, and, if feasible, the right to rehabilitation. As he eloquently concluded his essay "Equal Access to Justice," the promise inscribed on the Supreme Court Building of "Equal Justice Under Law" cannot be fulfilled unless there is equal access to justice.
Towards the end of his judicial career, Judge Johnson wrote: "If we abdicate responsibility to address the difficult questions of our time, those in need of refuge from the torrents of political, economic, and religious forces will find no haven in the law and the law will no longer be supreme. . . . A judge must always be consumed by a passion for justice which propels judgment toward the just conclusion." This forceful summation of an American judge's responsibilities is elaborated in this artfully chosen collection of Johnson's insightful and thought-provoking essays. This is a valuable addition to the biographic literature on Frank Johnson that should be welcomed by all students of recent American History.

Federal Judge Frank Johnson achieved national recognition for his decisions that supported Martin Luther King and other leaders of the civil rights movement, and for his defense of the individual rights of women, students, prisoners, mental health patients, and poor criminal defendants. Because these decisions expanded the scope of those Constitutional amendments that assert individual liberties and proclaim the equality of all citizens, Judge Johnson is often viewed as one of the great liberal judges of the Twentieth Century. On the contrary, as Tony Freyer convincingly demonstrates in his analytical introduction and conclusion to this collection of Judge Johnson's writings and public statements, Johnson's core values were fundamentally conservative, in that they were based on individual freedom "defined in terms of equal opportunity and equality under law." The law, of course, is the U.S. Constitution and Johnson's decisions, as his essays indicate, were informed and circumscribed by a profound understanding of what the law does and does not permit. As Johnson told Bill Moyers in a 1980 public television interview, published for the first time in this book, Johnson opposed busing as a tool of desegregation because "when you make a child, or children, get up at five o'clock in the morning and wait for a bus to haul them 10 or 15 miles, past schools to which they were formerly eligible to go, then I think you are doing tremendous damage." Johnson also said that he had never been in a prison or mental institution because he "needed not to go there," but to make his decisions on "the basis of evidence that's presented during the adversary proceeding." This is a valuable addition to the biographic literature on Frank Johnson, that should be welcomed by all students of recent American History.

In a speech before the Organization of American Historians, scholar Jacquelyn Dowd Hall offered a window onto "the long civil rights movement" -- a struggle for human rights, economic and social citizenship, and human dignity that began long before Brown v. Board of Education and continued long after the assassination of Martin Luther King.

In her pathbreaking book, Defying Dixie, professor Glenda Gilmore gives texture and character to the long civil rights movement, using indigenous southern activists, black and white, to give her story shape. These activists, from the fearless and foolhardy Lovett Fort-Whiteman to the brilliant and indomitable Pauli Murray, all faced the demon of American white supremacy and did their best to slay it. They did not always prevail with strategies they dreamed up and pursued, but their vision and dedication bequeathed us a social movement, more expansive than the classic civil rights movement, that still informs drives for justice and equity.

Gilmore's book moves beyond the tired debates of Cold War historiography and the simple hagiography of civil rights heroes to give us a dynamic movement filled with complex characters. In giving these people their due, and rooting them in American soil, Defying Dixie helps us to understand the promise and possibilities of American politics, and to contend with the present in which we live.

Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore's DEFYING DIXIE: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919 - 1950 is the history of the civil rights movement from that time until the early 1950s. It gives inside history, interviews and information on how the Civil Rights movement that we are aware of today, came about. In the beginning, the Communist party was deeply involved. Their plan was to get the workers of America - black and white - to fight for better salaries from the companies they worked for. The only way to accomplish that was to get the two groups to work together. Naturally, the South, with its legacy of slavery, wasn't too happy with the mixing of the races. The companies, to keep their profits high, wanted to continue to pay blacks less than they paid whites and the only way to do that was to keep them separate. Many residents of the South didn't want blacks involved in the job market because they felt it would reduce their ability to have those jobs. There were, however, many people, of both races, who were determined that segregation/Jim Crow, would end. They were brave enough to defy the system and as a result, they frequently ended up in jail or worse.

During the Second World War, as Stalin took power, the involvement of the Communist party began to lose its appeal. The House Un-American Activities became concerned and the FBI spied on Communist and suspects. Any contact with a Communist could cause problems. It didn't stop those who were determined to force America to honor what it claimed it went to war for, from pushing their agenda for social and economic equality for all, even though many of them suffered for it.

Gilmore has written a heart rending account that covers history that is either missing or glossed over in our history books. So often we don't know the brutal history that brought us where we are today and Gilmore lets us know in no uncertain terms. Some of the unfair situations that blacks face will break your heart. It is a book every American should read in order to understand where we have come from and where we are going. It should be required reading for both high school and college students.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers