Georgia Books

While reading Tony Horwitz's recent book, "A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World", about his travels through the Americas to rediscover the early explorers and colonists that preceded Jamestown and Plymouth, I became fascinated with those who came to America a full 100 years before Jamestown, particularly Hernando De Soto's 4 year plunge into the wilderness of America with his 600 man army in 1539. In spite of failures by previous Spanish explorers, including one army that lost all but 4 men, De Soto marches throughout the entire southeast from Florida, as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina to as far west as northeast Texas in a vain search for gold and other precious metals. De Soto's journey is fascinating in that he marches through the wilderness and unknown with an unusual measure of confidence while encountering an amazing society of Indian tribes totally unlike what American's perceive of the Indian culture based on their knowledge of American Indians post Jamestown. These tribes had concentrated villages with advanced agricultural development, a networked culture with a central chief, an upper class and they utilized great mounds for the base of the homes of their chiefs and to a lesser degree, their other important tribal members. Based on eye witness accounts left in chronicles and secondary sources, Hudson, tells the story of De Soto's travels and encounters with the Indians that is even more fascinating by Hudson's ability, aided by archeology, to trace a pretty accurate mapping of De Soto's travels. The cruelty inflicted by De Soto and his followers seems counter productive particularly as they are frequently at war with the various tribes they encounter as they in turn depend on the Indians supplies for survival. Thus 220 years before Sherman's march, De Soto also lived off the land creating even greater devastation in his wake. What is very interesting is the detail about the Indians encountered, the names of the towns, biographies on the various chiefs, the detail of their lifestyle and the intriguing explanations of the built up mounds that are still present throughout southeast America. The initial part of the book provides a good history of the early Spanish explorations before de Soto, the closing chapters explains what may have happened to these advanced Indian cultures that were in apparent decline before de Soto and virtually melted away before the tribes known today became prevalent like the Cherokees, the Creeks, Chickasaws etc. The final section covers the great debate and documentation of De Soto's route that was seemingly well documented through the Smithsonian but has more recently been proven to be less accurate by current scholars such as Hudson. If you are only interested in de Soto's travels, this is the meat of the book and whether you have interest in the final sections, this is still one of the best books on De Soto and those lost American tribes who seem related to the Aztecs without the stone necessary to similar stone structures, they in turned built mounds.

Written by Charles Hudson (Franklin Professor of Anthropology, University of Georgia), Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun is an in-depth scrutiny of Hernando de Soto's history-making mission of exploration between 1539 and 1542. Taking pains to recreate as precise a geographic answer as possible to the question "Where did De Soto go?", Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun retraces De Soto's steps along a map, with supplementary black-and-white photographs and illustrations, recounting De Soto's adventures, perils, and encounters with Native Americans as accurately as possible. Accessible to lay readers and historians alike, Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun is a welcome addition to public and college library world history shelves.

I enjoyed this book immensely. As a guy who can take something as dry as "Darwin's Origin of Species" to the beach for the weekend, this is a real page turner. The author does a wonderful job of assembling journal entries along with well documented historical data, into an enjoyable read for the interested lay person. It reminds me somewhat of "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose in both its well documented historical accuracy, and attention to readability by the consuming public. I bought this book mainly out of a life long interest in Southeastern Indian culture, and an interest in the terrain of the region before European settlement. The book delivered in spades on both accounts. I am surprised Hollywood has left this story alone. There is enough violence, death, greed, deceit and sex for 5 movies in Desoto's story.

K Cook

I probably first read or heard about de Soto in high school, but until recently he was just a name, one of dozens of Spanish Conquistadors. Then in 2002 while traveling through the Tampa, FL area I came across a National Park commemoration where he first landed on a 4,000 mile 3-year trek through North America. Being there in person my imagination was fired and I've been fascinated by de Soto's journey ever since. I can still smell the salt air, hear the surf and see the Spanish horsemen moving through the shadows of the red mangrove forest. In terms of discovery and epic adventure de Soto equals the story of Lewis and Clark.

This is the single best book available about de Soto, representing 20 years of research and incorporating the latest in archaeological evidence. The route is historically a subject of great controversy, each state has commemorative trails and sites that occasionally change with new scholarship.

The books is a masterpiece incorporating details from many layers to create a highly textured and easily imagined vision of the Spainards and Indians. Hudson is an anthropologist and takes a multi-disiplinary approach which creates a much richer work than a straight historical narrative. Hudson used a "braided narrative", inter-twining the chronological history of events with the latest anthropological evidence - the effect works well.

I found this book to be an excellent read. I could almost hear the clanking of armor and smell the smoke of the Indian village cooking fires. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in early Southeastern Indian culture as-well-as sixtenth century Spanish conquest.

I found this book to be good background reading regarding the history of Atlanta's passage through some of the important events in the civil rights turmoil of the 1950s and 1960s. However, it's not really the story of the temple bombing on October 12th, 1958. I think a better title for the book would be "A Biography of Rabbi Jack Rothschild." Rothschild was rabbi of The Temple for 28 years, including the time of the bombing. The book tracks his entire life, starting with the details of his childhood in Pittsburgh, through the story of his army service, the whole history of his leadership of The Temple, and the details of his death and funeral service. He had a great career with many important achievements, and this book describes all of them.
Rothschild was in the vanguard of those working for civil rights reform in the 1950s, and his social activism may well have led to the bombing of The Temple. However, if the goal were really to write a book focusing on the bombing of The Temple, including events leading to the event itself and the trials of the alleged bombers, it would be a very different (and shorter) book. A book truly about the temple bombing would have included a lot less biographical material about Jack Rothschild and more about other bombings and possible perpetrators of the bombing of The Temple.

It's a good book, particularly for those interested in Jack Rothschild's life, and I'm glad I read it. For those of us who were not firsthand witnesses of the overturning of legal segregation in the South, the book provides a rich and detailed timeline of some of the key events of the times. I do think a good editor could have cut the length of the book by a third, which would have given the book more impact in fewer pages.

In 1954 the Supreme Court acted where Congress was afraid and began the process of integrating the races in the United States. It was clearly an idea whose time had come, as proven by the legislation that was passed in the years following the basic decision.

But before that could happen there had to be a spate of violence against the decision. This book describes the bombing of the Temple in Atlanta on Sunday Morning, October 12, 1958. While a horrific incident in its own right, this has not lasted as one of the major icons of the civil rights struggle.

In the hands of Mellissa Fay Green, the incident is the starting point of this book which is a report on the early days of the resistance to the struggle. Her book reads almost like it is a crime novel. It's well written, the characters are developed so that you understand them - not necessarily like them, but understand them.

Recently reprinted this is a book telling a story that is worth understanding today as much as it was back then.

With "The Temple Bombing," Melissa Fay Greene surpasses the accomplishment of "Praying for Sheetrock." Much like that book, "The Temple Bombing" is a microcosm of the Civil Rights Movement. It is the story of the 1958 bombing of the Temple in Atlanta, a synagogue for Reform Jews. Rabbi Rothschild led the Temple during turbulent years in the South, and was an outspoken advocate for the equal rights of Black Americans; furthermore, he believed it was the responsibility of the Jewish people to stand up for these rights. Greene holds that it is this advocacy, combined with anti-semitism, that leads to the Temple becoming a victim of the synagogue bombings that were widespread in the 1950s South.

The story of the bombing itself is compelling and reads like a true crime book. It begins with the emergence of Nazi-like groups in the South, moves to the bombing and search for clues, and ends with a tense courtroom scene. I simply could not put this book down.

But this is more than just the story of the Temple bombing. Greene also tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement, and how in Atlanta it was in a very real way propelled and sustained by the example of Rabbi Rothschild. Atlanta has a unique history of integration as it touted itself as "the city too busy to hate". In other words, if integration was good PR, then Atlanta was going to do it. Hence, the public outcry and huge support for Atlanta's Jewish community after the bombing, and the (relatively) peaceful integration of the Magnolia room and other Atlanta landmarks.

Interspersed with this story are fascinating sidetrips. The best of these are related to Dr. King; we get to see his Nobel prize celebration, his dinner at Rabbi Rothschild's home that is hidden from the Rabbi's neighbors for fear of ridicule, and finally his funeral.

This book grabs onto the reader and doesn't let go. It is compelling and important history; so much so, that one is willing to forgive Greene for making Rothschild more of a god than a man.

I picked this book up in a Boston bookstore a few years ago while attending a National Abortion Federation meeting. The title attracted me, as I was attending my first national abortion rights organization conference of abortion providers and was astounded by the level of fear and anxiety that I sensed among my compatriots. It has been said that the true test of courage is not in doing what needs to be done without fear, but is in continuing to do so even in the face of great fear. If this is in deed true, my colleagues in the National Abortion Federation must be among the most courageous people in the world. Many of those whom I met there had endured years of threat and ostracism, of attacks both verbal and physical, and most knew clinic workers and abortion providers who had been maimed or murdered or whose facilities had been bombed and burned. And they continued their work even in the face of continuing threats to themselves, their families and their coworkers. So Greene's book title was a magnet for me, pulling me in although I had never heard of Ms Greene or the Reform Temple bombing. (I was in the Navy, serving in the Pacific when this incident occured and must never have seen any news reference to it. I was perhaps much more attuned to the events in Arkansas in the 50's, and never had heard of it until I read Ms. Greene's account.) The Temple Bombing is a masterwork by a master story teller, and although the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory in that the perpetrators were never caught and punished for their part in this heinous terrorist act - some of whom probably went on to other deeds even more evil like the the bombing of the Church in Birmingham which killed the four little girls - this is the way history played out in the South. Much as many of us would like to change it. Ms Greene has written a fine book with a truly heroic protagonist sympathetically and sensitively portrayed, and has given us a vision of an Atlanta and a time which long ago ceased to exist. For movie buffs, the temple bombed was that depicted in the wonderful movie, Driving Miss Daisy.

There's been a lot written about the civil rights movement but the Temple Bombing is a real stand-out from the pack. Greene writes a compelling narrative, using the bombing of an Atlanta synagogue in 1958 as a touchstone for an in-depth social history. There's a good overview of Jewish life in the American south, the history of extremist groups in mid-20th century America, and how the bombing of "The Temple" effected so many people in so many ways. Couple that with a lively cast of characters that Greene brings to life through vivid prose and great personal sketches. Well worth reading and passing on to others.

My name is Tammie Paek and I am Kelly's editor. I haven't had a chance to write a review since she had been slammed by someone who, for some reason, has a grudge against her. I am in the process of writing the screenplay for When the Leaves Stop Falling.

I have never read a romance novel quite like Kelly's where most romance books are all about "Let's get to the sex" and no plot, and poorly written characters. Kelly's characters have depth, and sincerity. Leaves has plot and a complex drama.

I confess I don't write reviews, and I've never written one. I don't know if this review will do the book justice but I love the book and I don't care what anyone else thinks. I am impressed with Kelly to be able to get self-published in the first place and to finally find a traditional publisher.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Tammie Paek

I ordered this book from Amazon after reading a review on another website (paperback swap). I read it in about one day. I just could not put it down. The story centered on 4 major characters. Two women who meet by chance while one is traveling home to her brother and grandmother, the other ,a loner living in a small town trying to forget her past.The other 2 characters are one of the girl's brother and the lover she left behind years ago. The girls become friends and continue the journey together. This was not a long, drawn -out novel filled with unecessary dialalog and side-stories that don't matter. It's refreshing and sweet. Sometimes sad , I found myself tearing up at times. This story took me away to a far off place and I thoroughly enjoyed my journey there and back. I hope to read many more books by this author, Kelly Moran.

I give it five stars...

What a wonderful, poignant, and bittersweet story, once you start reading you quickly find yourself totally immersed in the story making it almost impossible to put down until the very end. The authors unique style of writing really brings this story to life in a manner not often seen. Probably the closest comparison to her style of writing would be something by Nicholas Sparks. Ms. Moran is still new in her book writing career but after reading When The Leaves Stop Falling I really expect great things from her in the future.

The main character in "When The Leaves Stop Falling" is Edith Meyers, a
widow who fulfills her dream of owning her own diner. A woman who reached
for the stars, and became successful, but was emotionally distraught from
the loss of her husband as she realized something in her life was missing. Her mission was to share her dream with her husband, but after
his passing, her love for him tormented her day-after-day. She became
bitter, while living a sad, lonely life after his funeral. Edith no longer cared much about anything, and basically survival was the name
of the game as she battled with her own strength to live without him.
Her sweet memories of him filled her mind as she set out one gloomy,
evening in a rain storm, while driving fifty miles out of her town in
her old truck to pick up a juke box for the new diner.She pulled off to
the side of the road, waiting for the pounding rain to subside, where
she suddenly finds Courtney Morgan lying in the street. A helpless young
woman covered in bruises, and blood. Courtney is a sixteen year old
runaway, beaten, and abused for years by her father. As Edith saves
Courtney's life, her own life was about to change at that very traumatic
moment. The story begins as Edith, and Courtney bond, while drama adds to
their lives in the years to come. Within the first two chapters of this
heart-wrenching story, Kelly Moran fills the pages with emotion, and
sorrow. The setting is realistic, the plot is a thought-provoking
masterpiece as the characters come to life. The author created a poignant, bittersweet soap opera, with a blend of romance. "When The Leaves Stop Falling" is a page turner from beginning to end as Kelly
Moran draws the reader in immediately, filling the pages with curiosity,
while daring the reader to find out what happens next. "When The Leaves
Stop Falling" is entertaining, and hauntingly powerful. The story is
as emotional as "STEPMOM" with Julia Roberts, and Susan Sarandon.

Author Geri Ahearn, INC.
Author of 6 books/ Interviewer
A.I.O.M. CCRN
Lifetime Member ABI Women's Review Board

Four lives start down their old roads, and seem to be on a collision course to intertwine once more. "When The Leaves Stop Falling" is their story - Serena seems to be on a course to a morbid outcome, Jake is conflicting with the return of his ex, Courtney deals with the horrible abuse she had experienced earlier in life, and Austin deals with the return of his sister - while having the optimistic look up of who she's bringing with her. "When The Leaves Stop Falling" is a deftly written story, sure to be a great addition to community library literary fiction collections.

Over 20,000 people a year go to Antarctica and only 5400 people went to South Georgia last year. I am going in November and feel this is probably the one book for people to read if they are going there. Everyone I have talked to that has gone to the Antarctic Circle says that South Georgia is a must. Read this book before you book your cruise and if it is in your budget add South Georgia. It is one of the great ecosystems of the world so if you have done Africa and the Galapagos or other A list eco-tours this book will probably convince you to add South Georgia.

It is a wonderful collection of pictures taken by Tim and Pauline Carr, during their long stay in the South Georgia Island. Such remote and unreachable place for normal people as I am, but to dream with.... a land where the human touch almost changed the landscape, but where the nature took over, after the last whalers left the island, with the rebirth of a new natural chain.

Having been to South Georgia and met the Carr's three years ago, I was very excited to see their marvelous habitat so poignantly displayed. It is a world of the crossroads of many ecologic niches, man's tenuous and not always synergistic intersection with it, and and an adventuresome couple's love for the land, sea, and animals. A bit more could have been said about Shackleton and his place in its history, but over-all highly recommended. It only enforced my desire to return.

RB Schoene Seattle, WA

Smitten by South Georgia after 20+ years of sailing the world in a 28' cutter, the Carrs have generously chosen to share the object of their affection through breathtaking photographs and charming text. The reader accompanies them as they explore the coastal bays, ski across glaciers, and wonder at being preened by an albatross. Holding this book in your hands is a reminder of the truth of the definition of work as "love made visible."

Fitting tribute to the sometimes threatened wildlife on this island - South Georgia. Apart from the stunning bird photographs with those amazing snow-capped peaks, there is the effusive commentary, emphasizing the natural moods of the place, with journeys by boat, hiking, on skis, explorations made more meaningful with some of the scientists from their bases. In fact the Carr's are the only permanent residents here, so taken with the wildness of the place, and actually run the Whaling museum. Not the least of characters is the famed one hundred year old Falmouth (England, UK) built cutter with whom we can share it's history in the final chapter of the book. This is no ordinary boat, not for all that the Carr's have taken her through these last 25 years. First hearing of the Carr's exploits in John Ridgeway's 'Then we sailed away', somehow the dangers of their journeys, although not exactly glossed over, are not depicted as felt experience as in the Ridgeway work, feeling more like the safe narrative encountered in a childrens' version of a day at sea. The reader is not aware of the friction and general mayhem that is so well recounted by John. Also there is no sense of the 'burden of the possession of mind', lonely outposts bringing on philosophical musings than is done here, unless of course they were were always an idyllically matched and happy couple. It is not that sort of book, rather allowing the displacement of humanity as much as possible in order to bring out into greatest relief, the exorbitant wildlife.

Bailey provides a compact and highly competent study of the post Atlanta campaign with Hood sparing well with Sherman initially then turning north in his great desperate gamble while Sherman marches through the heart of Georgia virtually unopposed except for Wheeler's undermanned cavalry. Bailey captures the strategy and politics very well with a big picture view of the situation. She captures the odd situation of Hood going in one direction with Sherman in the other. Hood, the great fighter seemingly moves without consultation although Beauregard is placed as the department commander by Davis, which had as much control as Johnson had of Vicksburg in that campaign. Bailey captures the desperation of Hoods movement with failed logistics, supplies and a virtual mythical expectation of troops from the TransMississippi. Bailey covers the hopes and political implications of a Lincoln re-election that is fascinating. She also details, with his movements, Sherman's desire to subjugate the south along with his views on black troops and the infamous desertion of black followers by union Jefferson C. Davis. The controversial failure to close the trap at Spring Hill is well discussed as well as the tragic battle of Franklin and the battles of Nashville where the outnumbered Confederates put up a desperate fight to total collapse redeeming General Thomas. The Nashville desciption of battle is economically told but captures the main aspects particularly recognizing the first use of black union troops in battle who fought bravely but were initially sacraficed in a desperate ill perceived frontal attack. A very well written book that gives a highly competent overview of the final campaign of Hood, Thomas, Sherman and President Davis as far as a real confederate threat in the west. In her efficient writing style, Bailey closes with a very good but brief study of the post war controversies between the generals and politicians.

Anne J. Bailey's The Chessboard of War doesn't break any new ground on the subject that it covers, nor at only 181 pages does it make any attempt at being a comprehensive and detailed campaign study. Joseph T. Glatthaar and Burke Davis have written defining books on Sherman's March to the Sea, and Wiley Sword's The Confederacy's Last Hurrah is the definitive volume on Hood's 1864 fall campaign in Tennessee. So why read this book? In a word: perspective. Bailey has grasped the direct connection of Sherman's historic march through Georgia and Hood's desperate last ditch gamble offensive campaign in Tennessee, and has written about them together, as part of the same piece. Sending General Thomas and a portion of his army back to Tennessee to take care of Hood was a crucial element of Sherman's plan to march on Savannah. Bailey puts the pieces together, and assesses the success and failure of the players involved.
Bailey writes well and her book is a quick and easy read. While Chessboard does not cover its subject in great depth or provide any startling or controversial new takes on any of the commanders involved, it does serve as an excellent introduction to this material. It also provides continuity, allowing the reader to keep track of the two mighty armies that struggled for months over Atlanta, and see how their fates were still connected even after disentangling from each other and moving in separate directions.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in how the Civil War was won in the West. For the novice, it is a quick yet accurate introduction to the subject of Sherman's and Hood's 1864 Autumn campaigns, and for the more serious student it provides an excellent perspective that has not been much explored elsewhere.

Theo Logos

Bailey's Chessboard of War is the best accounting I have read of Sherman and Hood. The book is balanced, well written and objective. Its inclusion of the participation of black soldiers and the Sherman's slave camp followers was particularly welcomed. Although Bailey is from Cleburne TX and is an admirer of Patrick Cleburne she also gives George Thomas his due. Rarely is that done. An impressive piece of work.

A gem -- no other word for it. In more than six decades of Civil War "buffdom," I've never seen a clearer, more complete, more reader-friendly book on any segment of that war. There is not an unnecessary word in it, but it leaves nothing unsaid. Truly a small masterpiece.

This book is a very thorough and detailed account of two of the Civil Wars' most important and consequential campaigns, but sadly two campaigns about which relatively little has been written. Sherman's march to the sea and Hood's campaign into Tennessee destroyed the last hope for the Confederacy in the Deep South, and did much to undermine the confidence of Lee's army. Without Sherman's psychological victory over the Southern psyche, and without Hood's rash attacks on Franklin and Nashville, the war, at least in that theater, would probably have been prolonged for at least another year. Both men, in their own way, contributed to the war's ending, and this is one of Bailey's main focuses.

This book provides a detailed narrative of the operations of both generals, and discusses how the actions of each affected the other, as well as the ramifications of Hood and Sherman's respective movements. Sherman comes off looking quite well, though not perfect, while Hood comes across as a tragic sort of hero who was too impetuous for his own good. Through it all Bailey remains objective and fair, and provides the reader with a very good look at the "chessboard" of the late Civil War.

The front of this book says it is, "A Superb Book" It does not lie. It further states this book should be considered "A Classic of Civil War fiction." It is that. It ranks right up there with "The Black Flower" by Howard Bahr and Cold Mountain," by Charles Frazier. A love story set amidst the ravages of war, it is a masterpiece of emotional reading. for the Civil War buff, a must read, for everyone else, an excellent book to spend some time with. A Hallmark card of 300 pages. Get yourself something to drink and set yourself down in a nice, comfortable chair.

Philip Lee Williams' poignant Civil War novel about the beginning of the 1864 Atlanta campaign is a classic. Charlie Merrill, the central character, is everyman. He is the essence of THE Confederate soldier late in the Civil War when defeat was known to be inevitable yet duty, honor, and country demands to soldier on. Mr. Williams portrayal of the battles are historically accurate and well done, yet he uses his poetic license to examine the psyche of the common confederate soldier in the total context of those horrific times. Sad yes, but oh so glorious in a spiritual sort of way. The horrors that young Merrill sees and experiences are all too graphic yet he continues on wrapped in the friendship of his comrades.
The story is really a 3 part examination of Charlie Merrill's life during those difficult days. Mr. Williams artfully weaves the younger Merrill's life with the horrendous fighting of the 1864 Atlanta campaign, and his older life 50 years later when he is to give a keynote address to his hometown about the Fall of Civil War Atlanta. Charlie Merrill is a complex character that is slowly developed by Mr. Williams. Charlie is everyman of those chaotic times. He loves, cries, grows, and eventually understands the meaning of it all. Times change but memories endure.
Overall an amazing book. Outstanding character development in all respects. The complex relationships between Charlie and others in the book are well developed and although sad represent the circle of life in all its profoundness.
No gratuitous sex, language, or violence. The battle scenes are well done and not too graphic but necessary to the story.
Highly recommended, especially to those interested in the Civil War. A superb novel that anyone would enjoy. Good job Mr. Williams.

A book most readers would enjoy. If your looking for "The Red Badge Of Courage" or "Killer Angels" you may wish to look elsewhere. Not enough battle scenes/army life in this book though.

While young Charlie Merrill can hit a target 2,000 yards away with a Whitlock rifle, he is an unlikely soldier. We see him before the war as a frail, sickly teenager who is well-schooled in poetry and classical literature, living in one of the many North Georgia towns that is not altogether convinced in the wisdom of secession, much less war. We see Charlie Merrill in 1914 as his home town prepares to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the battle of Atlanta, thinking back on the loss and the sacrifice and the love that tied them together. And those of us who have walked the old works of Kennesaw Mountain where hikers now commune with a quiet wood and families spread out blankets and picnics on the warm grass of summer afternoons, see Charlie Merrill in in the contrasting bloody hell of 1864 rendered here in graphic detail. This novel received the Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction in 2004. It is a well-deserved honor, for A Distant Flame stands very near the top of the 80,000 books published about the civil war.

A literary Civil War novel that alternates between Charlie Merrill's grim existence as a sharpshooter in the Army of Tennessee, his sickly but love-touched boyhood and his old age.

I have very mixed feelings about this novel and I note from the other blurbs and reviews it's gotten that my opinion is a somewhat contrarian one.

I certainly have no issue with the research, which appears to have been painstaking. I found, though, that my engagement with the story wavered many times as I read. I honestly can't decide if this is a significant literary work told in a poetic style or if it's essentially sentimental in its themes and given to purple prose in its execution. I had trouble with the narrative's total humorlessness, with the saintly profundity of every character, with the endless repetition of variants on "Slavery was wrong." Yeah, obviously slavery was wrong. Every modern reader, hopefully, realizes that. But I'm not really convinced that the nineteenth-century Georgian character Charlie Merrill would realistically feel so unequivocally about it, and, as ever, the statement would have worked better shown than told. The race relations shown in the novel are all actually idyllic.

And along those same lines, I'm tired of reading about Confederate characters who don't believe in what they're fighting for. I think sophisticated modern readers can deal with protagonists who are fighting for a variety of reasons, some of which we do not consider today to be good. Merrill's lack of commitment to any aspect of his cause (whether resisting invasion or states' rights or his comrades, except for his single companion Duncan, or slavery) actually makes his battlefield actions more, not less, morally questionable for me. It severely undermines the quality of moral spokesmanship that I think the novel is trying to give him.

I was more moved by the failed-romance aspect of the story than I was by the war aspect, which is unusual for me.

I think this would probably appeal to readers who enjoyed books like Cold Mountain more than to readers who enjoy, say, David Poyer's Civil War novels. As for its overall quality, I'm just not sure.

Lauren and Sara are starting their junior year in high school, and the pressure is on. Not only is this the year that grades and test scores count, but juniors must pass muster from the senior girls or face a year of harassment. At the ritual power-puff football game that marks the beginning of the school year, the older girls single out Sara for a little "attitude adjustment." Sara ends up dead, and an autistic young man is jailed for her murder.

Private investigator Georgia Davis knows two things: Cameron Jordon has already been short-changed by the medical and social services systems and, in the wealthy Chicago suburb of North Shore, the police have found a perfect suspect in a young man who can't defend himself. What Georgia doesn't know: the risky business Lauren and Sara have set up for themselves in order to pay for their electronic gadgets, expensive shoes and designer clothes.

This is a gorgeous, tightly-written mystery. The characters are fully developed and the plot has delicious sub-layers running through it. I love the way the superb writing flows. If I had teen-age daughters, this book would make me very concerned about what they might be up to that I didn't know about. Even if you don't have teen-age daughters (or nieces, friends, etc.) I strongly recommended this book. Mysteries don't get any better than this.

by Sharon Wildwind
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Georgia Davis is the protagonist of what appears to be a new series by Libby Fischer Hellmann. A cop for ten years on the North Shore of Chicago, she has been suspended from the force and is now working as a p.i. She has been hired to investigate the death of a 17-year-old girl, a high school student who was murdered in what appears to have started as a hazing, clubbed to death with a baseball bat in a forest preserve. It seems to be a pretty cut and dried affair, with all the evidence pointing to a 35-year-old registered sex offender. The latter's sister, fifteen years his senior, is convinced that despite his history, her brother is incapable of violence.

Although the case is described as a slam dunk, even the dead girl's mother has some doubts, telling Georgia: "Things started moving so fast it made my head spin. Everything all tied up in three or four days. With a big, shiny ribbon on top." Georgia's investigation uncovers up all kinds of unexpected discoveries, all to do with "families and friendships and secrets," some of which put Georgia's life in jeopardy. Georgia is not without conflict on this case: Her former partner on the police force is in charge of the investigation into the teen's death, and his animosity towards her is palpable. Then her path crosses that of her former lover, with whom she broke up two years earlier.

This was a book I could not put down, reading it cover to cover during the course of one day. The reader is drawn into the story immediately, and the wonderful writing makes the characters come alive. The startling turn of events as the book goes on is, on reflection, not all that shocking, but it certainly seems that way at first. I loved that Ellie Foreman, the protag in Ms. Hellmann's prior series, makes a cameo appearance, and that a character is named after Ruth Jordan, she of Crimespree Magazine renown. The suspense is sustained throughout as the search for the real killer goes on, and some unexpected twists as the books races to a conclusion will keep readers off balance to the end. Highly recommended.

The book had a simultaneous release in hardcover and in paperback format.

I just finished Easy Innocence by Libby Fischer Hellmann. This book is the first in a new series about a former cop turned P.I., Georgia Davis. She's hired to look into a murder of a high school girl by the accused murderer's sister and lawyer. They don't think he did it, but the cops are convinced he did. The accused is an autistic guy that sees the murder and is caught bending over the dead body after he picked up the murder weapon. Case closed as far as the cops are concerned, but did he do it? Georgia follows lead after lead that take her in many different directions but she figures it out and the murderer tries to kill her and others in the process. This is a fast paced, exciting book with likeable characters and a protagonist that you want to read about again! Libby is a good writer and this new series should do very well. I look forward to the next in this series. This book will be out as a hardback and trade paper in April. Look for it! You won't be disappointed.

The creator of the award-winning Ellie Foreman mysteries is back. To quote the author, "This is a departure for me." Yes, Easy Innocence is darker, the new protagonist harder, and features a disturbing scenario. But readers will recognize Hellmann's style, including exciting plot development and a strong heroine.

Teenager Sara Long is blonde, beautiful, and intelligent. She's discovered a better way of making the money needed to buy designer clothes, shoes, purses, and the high tech toys craved by her high school peers. Sara's new line of work does not involve working in fast food restaurants or coffee shops for minimum wage. Her job and the money it produces have become an addictive obsession, one that leads to a violent death. When mentally disturbed Cameron Jordan is found holding the murder weapon next to Sara's body, the wheels of justice grind swiftly. Murder is uncommon on Chicago's wealthy North Shore. Jordan is railroaded through the courts without further investigation. Proof against him is what the D.A. calls a "slam dunk." Only Jordan's devoted sister and one suspicious cop doubt his guilt. The cop suggests hiring Private Investigator Georgia Davis to search for clues Chicago P.D. might have overlooked in their haste to convict Cameron Jordan.

Not that long ago, Davis was a cop herself. She chafes over being booted off the force, but handles the investigation in her typical professional style, as if she were still a cop. Each lead takes her deeper into a world she finds hard to accept, where money buys everything from sex to favors in high places to murder. Davis is determined to find the truth, even when clues lead to teenage prostitution and ruthless men who don't mind killing anyone threatening their power. Complicating her investigation is the sympathy this hard-nosed P.I. feels for the teenage friends of Sara Long.

Easy Innocence is an exciting read. Fans will find Hellmann's typically stylish twists and turns of plot and strong characterizations. Georgia Davis is a provocative heroine -- tough, a bit jaded, sometimes vulnerable, but a skilled, intelligent investigator. This latest book is, indeed, a departure from the Ellie Foreman mysteries, but Hellmann fans will find her fingerprints all over it. If you enjoy gritty noir mysteries, this one is highly recommended.

It is easy these days to blame the mentally ill for crimes and there is no doubt that Cameron Jordan is mentally ill. There is no doubt that his finger prints were all over the murder weapon. The weapon was a baseball bat which, like Cameron, is covered in the blood of the deceased Sara Long. It didn't help matters that he was found kneeling over the body holding the bat by her teenage friends.

Georgia Davis, a former Chicago Cop is working these days as a private investigator. While the circumstances of her leaving the force are rather murky, it is clear that she has a number of enemies and few friends among her former colleagues. One friend in particular is concerned about the speed at which Cameron Jordan's case is moving through the system. He quietly refers Cameron Jordan's sister and caretaker, Ruth Jordan, to Georgia Davis for help. Motivated by disgust regarding the cases she has been working and a need to seek justice, Georgia Davis plunges into a world of rich and twisted high school students, their politically connected parents and murder where the odds are stacked against the truth.

This was my first exposure to Libby Fischer Hellman's work and it was quite the mystery ride. Georgia Davis is a multi faceted heroine with many secrets and issues and only a few were somewhat exposed in this novel. Unlike how many female private investigators are portrayed in mysteries where they either out drink and out cuss men or they are bumbling idiots more than ten novels later who still amazingly forget to take their gun to the abandoned warehouse at two in the morning, Georgia Davis is a normally intelligent human being who occasionally gets herself into situations any real person would and could get into while working the case. As such, she and by relation her world, are immensely believable and connect with the reader.

So too are the other characters as well as the descriptions of scenes set in and around the Chicago area. Then there is the interesting and complex case itself. Full of political intrigue, money and privilege as well as the universal problem of parents dealing with teenagers that are often taught by the educational system not to respect the authority of their parents, this novel works on many different levels while providing an entertaining read right to the last page. Much like Reed Farrel Coleman's "Empty Ever After" also due out in April from Bleak House, there is a same powerful poetic imagery at work here and yet the books are very different in style, tone and subject matter.

Hopefully this won't be the last of Georgia Davis because this novel just begins to scratch the surface with her and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. If, like me you are new to this author, it might be well worth looking up some of her other titles. I certainly plan too.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

Georgia Nicholson is SO FUNNY! I recommend these books to anyone who breathes! Is it juvinile? Yes but it is still very funny, and though the titles suggest otherwise, they are quite clean and good books

The funniest books I think I have ever read. I am in my late twenties and have totally annoyed my husband by laughing so hard in bed that I woke him up. I don't want the series to end they are so great, laugh out loud on a crowded plane funny!

I am 37 years old and love this series. I picked it up at work (we have a swapping library in our break room,) because the title piqued my interest. Since that first one I have started to buy them. I have read the first four in the series and plan to read them all. Every one of them has made me laugh out loud. They are quick and light reads, I enjoy them immensely! Great FUNNY escapes for me and in a few years I will introduce my daughter to them.

I first met Georgia when I was a freshman in high school. She was shallow, bubbly, and everything I wasn't--obsessed with boys, looks, and parties. And I absolutely loved her.

got em for her for christmas and she devoured them in just a couple of days!

This book was wonderfully written. It went into great details and sometimes the reader had to be reminded that he or she was not there, that day in 1946. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for civil rights literature.

The term, "Fire in a Canebrake", is a phrase that Walton County, Georgia residents used to describe the sounds of the fatal gunshots that commenced the last mass lynching in America; it is also the title of Laura Wexler's historical account of the Moore's Ford lynching where four blacks were murdered in late July 1946. The novel painstakingly details the "who, what, when, where and why" of the horrific crime and is supported by interviews, FBI reports, and other detailed documentation.

Wexler takes us back to the beginning when a black man, Roger Malcolm, stabs a white man, Barnett Hester, for allegedly having an affair with his common law wife, Dorothy. As Barnett lingers near death, Roger sits in jail counting his days left on earth. Eleven days later when Barnett recovers, Roger is then set free when his bail is posted by Loy Harrison, a wealthy landowner and landlord to George Dorsey (Dorothy's older brother) and his common law wife, Mae Murray. It is returning home from the jail that Roger, Dorothy, George, and Mae are dragged from Loy's car by an angry mob of white men and are murdered in cold blood. Loy claims he did not and could not recognize any of the attackers which was why his life was spared on that fateful day....and so the lying begins and never seems to end.

For years, the NAACP, FBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and local law enforcement conduct their investigations, interrogations, and examinations only to arrive at no convictions. It is only in 1991, when an "eyewitness" steps forward to tell his story that there appears to be a slither of hope for justice. However, hope fades as holes and contradictions run rampant in his testimony as well; and unfortunately by the early 1990's all of the suspected perpetrators and potential corroborating witnesses are deceased. It appears that the leads had literally died out and one wonders if justice will ever be served.

The author does an excellent job of "peeling back the layers" to set the stage for the story and expertly blends in the national and state political agendas that influenced the course of events surrounding the lynching. By doing so, the reader understands the history of the rural Georgian townships where the story plays out, the role of the key witnesses including their family and criminal backgrounds, public displays of bigotry and drunkenness. She also shares the political tactics of the day used to deny blacks of their Civil Rights and protection under Federal law, numerous contradictions in the witness's statements/alibis/affidavits, and lack of follow-up and missed opportunities by law officials. The handling of the case by the investigators from beginning to end is totally unbelievable by today's standards, but what is moreso shocking is the blatant racism, hatred, and wantonness of the townsfolk toward an atrocity such as this.

This reader ran a myriad of emotions while reading the novel -- first, frustration in that no perpetrators were ever brought to justice and nor was anyone ever held accountable for these heinous crimes -- a fact that is unfortunately recurrent in so many lynching cases. Secondly, anger and sadness when reading about the intimidation and threats against local blacks as well as the breakdown and separation of the victim's families in the aftermath of the lynching. The murders only exacerbated their wretched existence as poor, undereducated sharecroppers. The author's skill in conveying their daily living conditions and lifestyle using census statistics and first hand accounts was outstanding and heartbreaking.

This book is a page-turner! Although Oprah, Dateline, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution have covered this story, Wexler adds a twist: her words breathe life into the pages and add color to the black and white photos in the book; she presents the evidence in such a way to allow readers to draw their own conclusions. Hats off to Ms. Wexler for her perseverance and dedication to finding truth. Well done!

Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club

This book is an accurate and detailed historical account of The Morre's Ford Bridge Lynching that took place in Walton County, GA in 1946. For those of you doing the math that's only 57 years ago. Though certainly not the last recorded lynching, it was significant in that it eventually affected the political landscape of the country. The book combines the best of history, politics, race relations, slavery, and good old fashion detective work.

Laura Wexler is an author and researcher extraordinaire. Her talents are unmatched by anything I have read in recent times and certainly on par with American Literary Giants. Ms. Wexler's (a white woman) only shortcoming is that she fails to capture the anger a person of color could have brought to such events. Without saying anything more, yesterday afternoon I gave the book to my wife, by 11:00pm she had read 168 pages.

As you read be mindful of the following. Focus on the dates of those events, how relatively few years have passed between 1946 and 2003. For that matter think about the climate of America back in 1966. Only twenty years removed from the Morre's Ford Bridge lynching and unilaterally all whites would agree times were still overtly oppressive for blacks. With that, think about Affirmative Action and how 1966 represents one generation of blacks, still not fully removed from out right racist attitudes. I also want my friends to consider the prevailing attitude of whites in 1946 and how to this day, or at least 1997-1999 how those attitudes stood the test of time. Consider not just the rural, simplistic, racist cotton farmers, but the complex, covert, economic, and political powers of those white racists in place at the time. What do you think the power elite taught their children? If they taught their children their core values and belief system (which all good parents do), do you think those children (today's white leaders) would act upon their beliefs overtly or covertly? What struggles do you think Blacks might still face today?

As we STRUGGLE to understand and move past our differences, it is imperative that we recognize the RECENT history of overt racial oppression and the healing power of Affirmative Action. Growing up, Black men used the phrase "my brother" as a greeting. In that greeting we recognized not our biological sibling, nor our color, but more deeply our common struggle. To remove it from the vernacular and express it for what we were really trying to say, "my partner in struggle."

Your Brother,
habworks

This is a book about a horrendous assassination of four black residents of a neighboring county of Atlanta in 1946, but it is also a book on Southern culture, as it had existed since the time of the Civil War. The author depicts a close-knit, rural society dominated by white landowners who basically controlled their communities' affairs including the dispensing of justice as they saw fit. Keeping the blacks of the area under a watchful eye and in a subordinate economic position was a huge part of that control. Any deviation from their prescribed roles and permitted behaviors, generally resulted in some form of physical violence being perpetrated upon blacks. Of course, law enforcement personnel, if not assisting in this extra-legal violence, looked the other way.

The assassination of these four individuals screamed across the nation's headlines in the summer of 1946 to the surprise of the local residents. This dispensing of justice, while more egregious than was usually the case, was from the same timeworn mold. The local thought was, Why the clamor? The FBI, the NAACP, and any number of reporters descended on Walton County, Georgia that summer. But all of those parties met with silence, fear, dissembling, conflicting stories, and a decided lack of evidence. Five months of investigation, including the convening of a federal grand jury, yielded only some potential suspects, but the evidence was slight and inconclusive.

The author seemed to have a vague notion that she would be able to sift through the evidence and solve the case, aided by further digging. That thought was fueled by the fact that an alleged first-hand witness to the murders had come forward with his story in the early 1990s. It becomes evident in the course of the book that the new revelation was largely a fabrication, though the motivation remains unclear.

The author's project began in 1997, fifty-one years after the crime. Virtually all of the suspects and witnesses had died by that time. Most of the recapitulation of the days leading to the killings was derived from the extensive interviews conducted by the FBI in 1946. Other sources were newspaper accounts and files from the NAACP. In the beginning, the author attempts to piece together the steps and actions of the principals in the days leading to the murders. Most of the book is devoted to bouncing around the conflicting evidence as it was gathered. Some conclusions can be drawn, but mostly the truth remains obscure.

Of course, anyone reading this book would realize that the crime has not been solved, so that is not a good reason to read the book. And it is a slight criticism of the book that after that much effort, the author does not in the end offer much in the way of speculation as to the perpetrators. The importance of this book is that it lays bare the notion that Southern society treated blacks, though perhaps differently, benignly. Life for blacks in the olden South was nothing short of brutal. One wonders just what it is from the past that Southerners want to defend in the various flag controversies now raging throughout Southern states. This book makes quite clear that atonement for the past should be on the minds of rural Southerners, not preservation.

I live 20 minutes away from where this tragic event occurred. I have lived in this area for over 30 years and just recently became aware that the lynching occurred. I decided to read the book when a friend of mine told me it was out - we had discussed the history of the event a few months earlier as he was raised in Walton County and knew of some of the people mentioned in the book. I have to say that the entire book was very disturbing to me. I cannot in any way imagine an entire community keeping quiet about what happened. I cannot imagine the hate that caused this tragedy. I cannot understand the fear instilled in the black population so that they did not even come forward with information. I am in a interracial marriage and it is amazing to me that a few decades ago this would've caused an uproar that may have lead to murder.
The book is a good one. It will keep you interested throughout. Of course I knew before starting how it would end up - no conclusions on who did it - I learned a great deal about what actually occurred and have drawn my own ideas about what happened and who may have been involved. Knowing the area added to the "enjoyment" for lack of a better word, of reading, but it is definitely not necessary.
I am glad I was disturbed while I read this book. I hope everyone who reads it is as well. Too bad we'll never know what really happened.

Lee Kennett brought the March through Georgia to life with letters by the men in Sherman's Western Army and the civilians in the area. This book even brings some of the Southern conceptions about what had taken place to be more along the lines of true stories being twisted to a point where the truth couldn't be found. Certainly there is some truth to some of the stories, some of the things that would be blamed on Union soldiers was the work of Wheeler's Cavalry and by some Civilians themselves.

This book did very well to keep a neutral tone and to let the reader come up with their own decision on whose side they would agree with, seeing as my father says there is no such thing to stay absolutely neutral on Civil War topics... and he appears to be right... to a degree. I would say this is a must on the shelves of any Civil War Historian or buff.

A very enjoyable book about Sherman's march through Geaorgia. A story of personal experiences of soldiers and civilians of the time.

Lee Kennett has made a major contribution to the literature of "The March." He has drawn from a huge number of little known sources; private correspondence, diaries,and eyewitness accounts. The book has a good "feel" of the history of the period. His writing style is informal and allows the reader to see the events as if through the eyes of the participants.
I have researched & written extensively on the history of Milledgeville, Georgia and can say that Kennett covered the Milledgeville period as well as it has been covered by anyone.

Hugh T. Harrington
author of: "Civil War Milledgeville, Tales From the Confederate Capital of Georgia," "Remembering Milledgeville, Historic Tales From Georgia's Antebellum Capital" and "More Milledgeville Memories."

Lee Kennett's Marching Through Georgia could easily be mistaken for a "popular history", the kind of work that scholars will occasionally endorse, but usually dismiss. Marching Through Georgia is certainly as readable as any so-called popular history but this work is a gem of historical scholarship, to be compared with the studies of such authors as Bell Irvin Wiley, James Robertson, Reid Mitchell, and Earl Hess. The number of primary sources consulted is positively staggering. Kennett understands, and communicates the character of Civil War soldiers and soldiering in the Western Armies (North and South) better than any author I've ever encountered with the possible exception of Larry Daniel. An outstanding book!

If you're looking for a tactical study of Sherman's Atlanta campaign, this isn't it. If you're looking to delve into the human aspects of a massive Civil War campaign, this definitely is it. If you're looking for a well written book of interest to a broad range of readers, this is also it. No need to be a "buff" to enjoy Kennett's fast paced work that is full of interesting stories and insights into a broad range of topics. His writing keeps the pages turning. It is a unique combination of "beach" book and reference. I have two quibbles with Kennett's writing and they are technical: 1) Stop separating full sentences with semi-colons. Use periods. It aids in reading. 2) Stop using French terms where they aren't necessary or translate them. The book is too good for that to matter much.