Illinois Books

I bought this book for my boyfriend for Christmas, because he loves the Southern Illinois region. This book was all I hoped for and more. The pages are filled with page after page of lush scenery taken by a gifted photographer. This is more than just a coffee table book. The pages could be removed and framed, and not a soul would guess that the beautiful photos on the wall were pages from a book. Truly a work of art.

I recieved a copy of this book a few years ago. I still love to pull this book out from time to time to rediscover the beautiful landscapes of Southern Illinois through Ned's eyes. Ned Trovillion was a wonderful man, gentle nature, kind to everyone, and one of the best photographers in the country. He truly captures the natural beauty and historic charm of this part of the country. I recommend this book to anyone who has a heart for Southern Illinois.

Long before the civil rights movements of the 1950s, black industrial workers in the 1930s and '40s set the stage in the South for social change movements. Labor organizers, wary of the racially-exclusive AFL, began organizing for the CIO, with significant support from the organization. Their participation in union politics, elections and organizing "profoundly unsettled the segregation system."

It also confronted trade unions with whether they were concerned simply with wages and working conditions or with larger social goals. While civil rights movements of the era were wholly defeated, the success of the CIO in the 1940s arose largely from the civil rights organizing, and they laid the groundwork for the movements of the '50s and '60s. For instance, racial segregation under local political boss Edward H. Crump extinguished many civil rights for working-class whites as well as blacks, and organizing for civil rights and labor rights became intertwined.

Michael Honey does a fantastic job in explaining the CIO's contribution to the Struggle for Civil Rights. The Left-Led CIO Unions, most of all FTA Local 19, prepared a cadre of African-American working class leaders in Memphis, who were, in fact, the precursors to those of the 1960s. A must for anyone interested in the study of the Labor role in Civil Rights History in Memphis and the South in the 1930s-1950s.

Can't understand how this country works if you don't see how racism has been used, especially to divide workers. Honey writes about a pivotal time in American history when the working class was organizing and had the potential to transform the South for workers and African-Americans. The lessons are no less true today. A must read for organizers of any persuasion.

I loved the book! Both of my parents and grandparents moved to "DEEtroit" from Kentucky to work in the car factories. I saw a great deal of my family and self in the pages of this book. The personal accounts of the "hillbillies" jumped off of the page at me! Sounds corney....but "this book spoke to me!" I never knew that such a massive amount of people (hillbillies) came north to escape the poverty of the south and how they struggled in the north. I grew-up thinking it was something unique to my family. My family came from Clay and Knox counties KY! The south did rise again...and no one noticed! Thank you for writing this book!

This book is designed for the scholar, the student and the discriminating, intellectually curious reader. The oral histories which Berry has recorded and published bring these people seeking a better life into sharp focus. He couples their stories with exhaustive research and statistics to give a well-rounded view of the white migration from the south to the more industrialized (and more upwardly mobile) north and midwest. This book counters some of the myths surrounding these southerners. They are definitely not lazy, shiftless, stupid or immoral. They simply are seeking the "American dream." In the process they helped transform this nation.

One of my main historical interests is the Spanish Civil War and the role played in it by the International Brigades to combat Franco's Nationalist forces. I read "Spain's Cause Was Mine" a couple of years ago, but I recently revisited it and was once again struck by the humanity, nobility and idealism of Hank Rubin. Any historian of the International Brigades will tell you, that a good number of volunteers were college students. Rubin begins his account by retelling how, while sitting on the steps of the UCLA library, someone approached him and asked him if he would like to fight in Spain. He replied 'yes.' So begins his journey from college student to volunteer, to medic, to casualty, and cecoming ultimately, survivor. Rubin provides a simple yet poignant narrative of what went through his mind and what all the volunteers had to face in combat. While initally, disappointed that he was not assigned to front-line duty, he came to appreciate his role behind the scenes. This actually, allowed him to absorb it all and put down his thoughts in writing.

Rubin writes about some of the brutal campaigns from Brunete to Teruel and Grañen. He also places the Spanish Civil War in an international context, noting Germany and Italy's aid to Franco's troops and the US position of maintaining an embargo against the Spanish Second Republic. To anyone knowledgeable about the Spanish Civil War, this isn't anything new. However, coming from an actual participant, who was fully aware of his own government's indirect complicity in causing the demise of the Spanish Second Republic, it is worth reading.

I was touched by a poem written by Rubin following the death of a comrade at arms, who he was unable to save in the medic tent. It captures fear, hesitation and pain that too often accompanies any soldier who goes off to war. I quote it here: "From far away, from Everett on the Puget Sound with the peace of its water the serenty of its green hlls you came from so far to a dusty plain, to mountains without peace. You expected to fly to strike the enemy boldly from the sky, guns roaring your strong hands guiding your plane, triggering your guns. Instead you had to fight on foot, did you ever expect to die? To have a bullet in your head? To suffer your guts torn apart? And was it worth it? Was the pain too much? Was there even pain for you? Was the cost of death too high?

This is an excellent memoir from someone who participated in an event that far too many Americans are unaware of. I recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about the Spanish Civil War. Other recommended books along this vein: Peter Carroll's "The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade," and "American Commander in Spain," by Marion Merriman and Warren Lerude.

"Spain's Cause Was Mine: A Memoir of an American Medic in the Spanish Civil War," by Hank Rubin, is a well-written and enlightening narrative. A large chunk of the book details the long odyssey that took him from Los Angeles and through France enroute to service in Spain--a quest taken in defiance of an international non-intervention pact. This section of the book is a real adventure story with an almost dystopian flavor.

Equally fascinating is the portion of the book detailing his actual time with the Spanish army, during which he served in a machine gun squad and as a medical laboratory technician. Rubin explores the unique challenges in putting together a multinational, multiethnic, and multilingual fighting force. He details the illness, discomfort, and deprivations that the troops endured in order to uphold their ideals.

In addition to covering such down-to-earth issues as mail call and footgear, Rubin also offers some potent reflections on wartime morality and medical ethics. Particularly interesting are his thoughts on the impact of his Jewish identity on his decision to enlist. His writing style is largely straightforward, but graced with occasional passages of great beauty and power.

Rubin's narrative really educated me about the unique place of Spanish Civil War veterans in the United States. This book is a valuable and enjoyable addition to the canon of American military memoirs.

The Spiritual Traveler is a 'must' read for anyone traveling in Chicago and Illinois, and a definitely 'should' read for anyone interested in the development of spiritual life in the heartland of the United States. Dr. Chiat guides her readers flawlessly through the complicated historical events that produced diverse faiths in Illinois. She succinctly summarizes 20 faiths in 32 pages before inviting the reader to follow her down various pathways to sacred sites and peaceful places, all of which are brought vividly to life with her descriptions of architectural developments. Her catalog includes cathedrals, churches, synagogues, museums, parks, mosques, historical sites, shrines, natural areas, graves and temples--each carefully chosen for its significance. The context provided by Dr. Chiat makes a visit to any of the places she recommends a wonderful opportunity to learn while her unobtrusive guidance affords those interested an opportunity for a profound spiritual experience.

This is not your ordinary guide to sacred places. Rather than focusing exclusively on the multitude of buildings erected by religious groups in the state of Illinois, this book broadens the definition of spiritual places to include a variety of sites that encourage reflection on historical events, settlement, human rights, conflict, peace, and nature; that is, places that spark spiritual (and intellectual) reflection within the visitor. Thus, while a host of churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques merit succinct entries packed with descriptions, directions, and contact information, so do such sites as Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Rockford, the site of the start of the Black Hawk War in 1832, the Trail of Tears State Forest, the confederate cemetery in Alton, which is home to a monument memorializing abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy, and the Cave-in-Rock cavern on the Ohio River, which served, successively, Native Americans, French explorers, and river pirates.

The emphasis throughout the book is on the diverse, multicultural character of religious and spiritual observance in the state. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Native American traditions are all well-represented. Elegantly written essays on the historical development of these groups in the state and on what to look for within their religious buildings provide context for the places listed in the logically organized and easy-to-use guidebook section. In addition, sidebars provide useful historical information on specific events and individuals. While the Chicago area boasts the most thorough treatment, with close to one hundred entries, the rest of the state receives close attention as well.

In sum, this enjoyable and informative book is perfect for avowed spiritual travelers seeking uniquely meaningful places as well as for readers interested in Illinois and Midwestern history and religious diversity.

This book was recently recommended to me. I read it on the plane as I journeyed to meetings. I found it to be a wealth of information and insights. While not surprised at much of what I was reading, I found the statistics, resources, insights and information not readily found in news reports to be extremely helpful to me.

For anyone who wants a better understanding of the problems affecting not just the Catholic Church, but churches and institutions across the board, this is a must-read.

I intend to use insights I gleaned from this book in future workshops I am doing on these issues.

Shupe has written about clergy malfeasance before. His first book, "In the Name of All That's Holy" proved to be a brilliant and easily understood analysis of clergy abuse with emphasis on clergy sexual abuse. His latest book is his best yet. It takes the reader even deeper into the mystery of why a Church would allow unspeakable abuse of its own members. Shupe cuts to the heart of the nature of organized religion and shows how it can be at odds with its spiritual roots. Anyone who seeks to comprehend the reasons behind clergy abuse especially Catholic clergy abuse must read this book.

This fourth volume of Dr.Ekberg's series of books on Colonial Ste. Genevieve, the oldest settlement on the west bank of the Mississippi, is full of surprises. Indian slavery is not a topic with which many readers are familiar but Indian women slaves loomed large in pioneer Ste. Genevieve. They ranged from housekeepers to concubines and wives of colonists. Moreover, some Indian women slaves, either widows of French mates or free in their own right, had the same civil right as white women.
Another surprise is the amount of intercourse between the west bank and the east bank of the Mississippi recently occupied by the British victors of the French-Indian war. This is accented by Dr. Eckberg's assertion that "the preferred venue for a good debauch was on the east side of the Mississippi, the British side." Hence would be revelers from the French village braved the currents of the river by means of pirogues to reach the English settlement. Such a hedonistic venture led to the dramatic events of March, 1773, to which a large portion of Ecberg's book is devoted. What the author terms "the Celedon Affair" is sufficiently theatrical to provide a movie script. It involves kidnapping of an Indian slave woman from the British colony by a half-breed French woodsman, her subsequent death either by murder or accident, the futile search for the suspected killer, and climaxed by the fugitive's successful kidnapping of a second Indian woman slave. Amid all ths exciting narrative the author scores keen insights into the wide scope of French frontier culture and the easy social relations between classes and races, free and slave, officials and residents. This volume is based upon sound research of archival documents on two continents and backed by the author's record as a prize-winning historian. This opus more than lives up to its subtitle by covering the history of Indian slavery under French and Spanish regimes. Thanks to Ekberg;s supple style the book provides an unusual and interesting view of Colonian history and a good read.

"Stealing Indian Women" is a remarkable piece of academic work, and I have to say it has made me a fan of not only Dr. Ekberg, but of Ste. Genevieve.

I didn't realize initially how strongly I felt about the book until after I began reading Shirley Christian's "Before Lewis and Clark: The Story of the Chouteaus". Though Christian's book is well documented, it has been nothing but a slog. And despite the detail with which she has written about Auguste and others, I don't feel any particular attachment to their characters, nor do I feel like I understand their motivations. Which is entirely unlike the experience I had reading "Stealing Indian Women". Once I started it, I could hardly put it down. And the pictures of the community was so well composed, and enthusiastically presented, that I have to say that I was left caring about the people I was introduced to -- something that doesn't often happen with an academic book.

Structurally the book falls into two sections. The first lays out the background for the development of French relations with the Indian tribes of the Upper Louisiana Territory -- commonly called the Illinois Country. These discussions cover personal relationships, such as the many forms of 'marriage' that existed between French men and Indian women, as well as general politics. And there is also quite a bit of interesting material that pertains directly to the Indian notion of slavery and how the Indians worked over time to pressure and finagle the French to bend and accept the practice.

The second half of the book focuses on what the author calls "The Celadon Affair". Leaving behind all general discussions of the Illinois Country, Dr. Ekberg plunges the reader into the midst of one of Ste. Genevieve's few serious crimes. The story begins when a party of young people, some of whom are free and some of whom are slaves, cross the river to get drunk with some friends on the British side of the Mississippi. Celadon is amongst them. A metis, he's somewhat of a bold character, and one prone to thumb his nose at authority. In any case, at some point, he and and a young female slave get separated from the rest of their party, and somehow in a botched effort to escape with Celadon, or else return home, she is shot.

The question is was it accidental or deliberate? In most cases the historian would be left with only scanty evidence on which to surmise. But the records of Ste. Genevieve are hardly sparse and Dr. Ekberg is able to fit together a scenario based on the numerous depositions that were taken at that time.

Besides being entertaining, Ekberg deftly handles this material and uses it to draw together all the previous threads of discussion --slavery, gender relations, politics -- so that you are left with a vivid sense of how these factors affected the lives of ordinary people on the frontier.

SUMMARY :::
I had a marvelous time reading this book. Dr. Ekberg certainly turned quite a few of my historical notions on their head. It was absolutely fascinating to read about how the Indians worked to modifying French politics, as well how Indian/French slavery was very much different than that practiced in the American South.

For those who have read Ekberg's "Colonial Ste. Genevieve" and wonder what this new book has to offer, I would say that it provides a refinement on Ekberg's previous research. One thing that I noticed, for example, was that his population figures have been tweaked.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in the earliest European settlements/settlers along the Mississippi, especially if you are interested in a different sort of cultural interface between Europeans and Indians.

Pam T.

This wonderful book showcases one of the world's best collections of 20th. century art. Of special fascination are the works of American artist Joseph Cornell. The Bergmans are the pre-eminent Cornell collectors as the breadth and unsurpassed quality of his work showcased herein demonstrates. The photographs are exquisitely rendered and Ades' commentary is incisive. This book stands as a worthy complement to the collection housed in the Art Institute of Chicago

This beautiful book offers large, generous reproductions, many in color, and expert commentary on an impressive surrealist art collection. It has the best presentation of Joseph Cornell's work among art books I have seen-- even among those devoted entirely to the artist. Of course, several other greats are featured, including Miro, Dali, Brauner, Ernst, Magritte, Breton, Lam.... If you like this kind of art, do yourself a favor: buy the book and take a trip to downtown Chicago and the Art Institute.

This is a wonderful reference. It is quite readable and presents good useful material in succint fashion. A great graduate-level textbook.

This is a book that does exactly what it sets out to do: it is a comprehensive look at how to teach the knotty subject of music theory, particularly the beginning stages, which the author rightly regards as most crucial. Rogers, who obviously brings a great deal of experience to bear on his topic, is not shy about expressing his opinions; though he does allow for different paths to reach the same goal, he is uncompromising about what he thinks must happen in the mind of a music theory student. Beginning with an overview of different philosophical and pedagogical approaches to the subject, Rogers then addresses teaching in more specific areas, fundamentals, counterpoint, analysis and ear training, concluding by returning to more general advice on teaching strategies and curriculum construction. The book is at times dry and, rather like in an actual music theory class, one may bridle at times at being crammed with so much information in so little space. But there is certainly a wealth of useful and thought-provoking information to be gleaned here.

I had Dr. Kroll for this class at IU, and some of my journal entries are used in his book. This class had a tremendous effect on me, having grown up without any understanding of the Vietnam War. It was one of those classes that has had a lifetime effect on its students. For anyone interested in teaching about Vietnam, Dr. Kroll's approach is a great model

In this book, Dr. Kroll takes us inside his class on Vietnam War literature in order to show how a teacher can use the richness of the material to engage students and to help them develop crucial critical thinking skills. Dr. Kroll gives a useful overview to the structure of his class, whereby the literature and assignments form a meaningful progression that continually challenges students to respond, analyze, rethink, and write. The book includes a detailed list of readings and, most helpfully, models for assignments. What comes through most in this book, however, is Dr. Kroll's commitment to both the material and his students. He pays careful attention to their writing and their responses to material that can be very disturbing on a number of levels. When I was a graduate student at Indiana University, I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Kroll when he taught this course there. This experience was easily the most significant one I have had in my teaching career; I have never witnessed a higher level of commitment on the part of a teacher nor a more favorable and affectionate response to a teacher from his students. If you are at all interested in using Vietnam War writing in your classroom, you must read this book.