North Carolina Books

Reynolds Price was born in North Carolina. He has lived here his whole life, excluding four years in Europe. He is rooted in Southern ways and Southern life. With Clear Pictures, we understand how his rural beginnings shaped the life that he has made. We begin to understand the basis of all the wonderful characters he has shown us.

OK, this is yet another great autobio by a writer that I admire: it displays a fabulous power of memory - one of the traits that Nabokov said was a sign of creativitiy - and is written in a secure and elegant style. Its portraits are sharp and unlike any that I have ever read, leavened with enormous subtlety and humor. This makes it a truly unique read.

Interestingly, not a whole lot happens in this autobio outside of personal growth, ambition, and his father overcoming alcoholism. Instead, the author muses over a rich life that started with an average family. There are deep relationships and a great deal of love, ruminations over the racism and sensitivity of his southern upbringing, and the outlines of his concerns with art. It is a bit annoying that he plays the pronoun game with those he loved: obviously, they were either men or men and women, so why not say it?

If you like a measured and calm set of vivid recollections by an individual of great literary talent, you enjoy this very much. Very very much.

Reynold's beautiful memoir contains memorable characters that many readers will find perched somewhere in their family tree. The prose pleads to be read aloud.

A very well done guidebook. Location information is especially helpful. Kelley made extraordinary efforts to contact climbers of early routes to obtain accurate historical data. We can only hope Kelley will put together a fourth edition.

This is the third copy of this guide I have owned. I wore out two copies of the 2nd edition. This latest edition is superb in the descriptions, details and advice offered.

This book is must have to anyone climbing in North Carolina. Especially if new to the area. It is a very well thought out and produced book, The Photos and topos are very useful,a nd the line drawings are very clear. It covers all of the good Climbs I know about in the state.

This book, and a traveling exhibit due at Yale this fall and The Smithsonian in early next year, captures the feelings and human aspect of what happens when a family owned furniture factory is closed due to a hostile takeover. The pictures and accompaning text document from an historical and extremely personal perspective the lives of workers in a small town in North Carolina, dependant on each other and the factory, and the devastation that occurs when big city, outside forces make an impersonal decision regarding people 1000 miles away.

a reasonably balanced view of a factory closing that doesn't make the owner out to be a devil (although some former workers clearly feel that way). Shows the human side of what happens when decisions are made based on the aseptic "bottom line". If anything, the book is not hard enough on the original family, the 1st generation that admirably built the company and the second generation that let it deteriorate (the book details how the 2 family members at the top didn't even talk to one another and used separate entrances to the building! Is it any wonder the financials deteriorated and they had to sell?)

The only thing missing is an interview with the capitalist that closed the plant. If they tried and he refused the book ought to say so, otherwise it seems that at least a few pages could have been devoted to his side of the story.

All in all, though, a great book to read, as a counterbalance for all of us that invest thru our 401Ks and retirement accounts expecting great returns and divorced from how those returns are obtained (and at what cost to some people).

This book does an excellent job of demonstrating the effects of a factory closing in a small southern town. As a former resident of the town (childhood home) and a former worker in the machine room and rubbing room of White's Furniture Factory, I was amazed at the depth of analysis and truthfulness in this book. This book demonstrated how the closing of a factory not only affects the workers, but prior workers, and the entire population of the town. I was surprised to see the pictures that were included that told a story all to themselves. This book is highly recommended for college professors wishing to pursue the effects of a factory closing and other downsizing efforts on a small town's population. A great story line supplemented by outstanding pictures as the authors take the reader through the last years of a 100+ year factory that the entire town centered their lives around. Highly recommended for those interested in the effects of a closing on the local population.

A landmark book, Coastal Waters reflects the creative genius of a natural photographer in complete harmony with his world. Not since Ansel Adams's indepth studies of the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of the West has another artist been so in touch with the life and images in his daily world. Please give us more of this talented young man's work.

His best work since "Seashells of North Carolina." A talented photographic tribute to a treasured coastal area.

A "picture book" of the highest calibre. This is one of the most calming and beautiful books I've ever purchased. Mr. Taylor's hauntingly insightful photographs portray the true nature of Coastal Carolina and give the reader/viewer a true insight into the ways of life "Downeast." The Introduction and Forward are as comforting and peaceful as the photos. A book to dream through after a harried day. I'd move there in a minte if it weren't for the fact that (I'm proud to say) I already have. Heaven is truly closer here by North Carolina's "Coastal Waters."

Charles F. Price's "The Cock's Spur" is a fine read. It is so fine, in fact, that I wonder what publishers were thinking when they handed over $8+Million dollars to Charles Frazier (for "Thirteen Moons") who isn't half the writer that Price is. If historical fiction is in fact enjoying a small renaissance, then Charles F. Taylor should be at, or at least near, the top of the list.

The characterizations are vivid, as are the location descriptions, that beautifully rendered sense of place. Price can describe the western North Carolina landscape & terrain in such fine detail that one can smell it as well as see and hear it. The tactile qualities of this book are remarkable. Some of the colorful characters like Hamby McFee or Web Darling, the Moonshine King, are so vivid that you will find yourself thinking about them long after the last page is read. And Hamby, that robustly interesting and prickly person, continues on in Price's next book "Where the Water Dogs Laugh-The Story of the Great Bear", another remarkable story of the late 1800's in the NC mountains.

And having mentioned this last book about the Great Bear, I have to say that the ending of "Where the Water Dogs Laugh" is one of the most luminous & poignant endings I've ever read. It reminded me of Nuala O'Faolain's cerebral in-the-forest ending of her 2002 novel "My Dream of You". Price is such a fine writer that I am constantly amazed at his dexterous use of vocabulary and character dialog. As a writer myself, I can't think of anyone better as a model for carefully crafted stroytelling, right up there with William Styron, et al.

Give "The Cock's Spur" a try; you won't be disappointed. It does have an odd title but don't let that hinder you. It refers to cock fighting, a testosterone-laced sport enjoyed by mountain men who want to play tough...with their birds. Hamby McFee has a special way of communicating with animals, any animal, especially fighting roosters. Very interesting indeed.

Mr. Price makes this history flow with fleshed out characters and inviting narritive. A thoughtful and well written book that you won't put down till it's finished.

Price's multigenerational saga that began with Hiwassee and Freedom's Altar continues in The Cock's Spur as war heroes, thugs, farmers, craftsmen, former slaves, cock fighters, fallen men and women, and moonshine kings interact with a clash of will, purpose, action, and destiny. These books are so rich, so finely textured with all the elements of good historical fiction, and Price engages the reader so completely that he causes you to examine your own need for finding meaning and seeking redemption. Hamby McFee, born into slavery and searching for his place in a post-war life of freedom, is one of the most memorable characters you will ever meet; and his personal journey, his pilgrim's progress toward understanding the meaning of loyalty, friendship, family, home, and love, is remarkably portrayed by Price with emotional depth and sensitivity seldom seen from such a perspective. I recommend you treat yourself to a real feast by reading all four novels in the order they were written: Hiwassee, Freedom's Altar, The Cock's Spur, and Where the Water-Dogs Laughed.

Jacob Klein is often describes as a 'Straussian' - but of course this is perfectly untrue. Leo Strauss and Klein (and perhaps even Alexandre Kojeve too) either stumbled upon the practice of pre-modern philosophic esotericism on their own and/or while in contact with each other. Well, this last is an exaggeration too, it is more likely that Kojeve picked it up from the other two rather than his arriving at it entirely on his own as an original insight. Now, all three of these thinkers had been exposed to the greatest song-and-dance man (i.e., Martin Heidegger) of twentieth century philosophy in their formative periods and thus his maneuvering was a great influence on them all. Besides this, Strauss was deeply influenced by several non-Christian Medieval Philosophers (e.g., Alfarabi, Averroes, Maimonides) while both Klein and Kojeve seem to have been almost entirely innocent of the influence of these Falasifa.

In the letters exchanged between Strauss and Kojeve ('On Tyranny', Revised and Expanded Edition, U. Chi. Pr., 2000) we see the regard and respect these two thinkers had for Klein. For instance, in the letter of 8/22/48 Strauss says of his interpretation of Xenophan that "I know of no one besides yourself [i.e., Kojeve] and Klein who will understand what I am after...' (p. 236). This respect for Klein was shared by Kojeve: in a letter of 3/29/62 Kojeve says, "Except for yourself [i.e., Strauss] and Klein I have not yet found anybody from whom I could learn something." (p. 307). There are, by the way, several amusing asides about Kleins almost legendary indolence. I share one example that might be apropos here: "Klein claims to have finished his book on the Meno -only three more months for checking on the footnotes- but since he has said more or less the same three years ago I believe I shall have to wait another lustrum for its appearance." (Letter of 5/29/1962, Strauss to Kojeve, p. 309).

Well, Klein was, in fact, as Strauss divined only 'about' finished (the published date, 1965, is three years after the amusing remarks of Strauss above) but the result, this book, was well worth waiting for. Now, why has this book been in print for 40 odd years? -Because the 'Meno' dialogue is so popular? To be honest, I rather doubt it! It is because the 'Introductory Remarks' at the beginning of this book contain one of the best brief discussions of how to read Plato -that is, how to take into account Plato's esotericism- that I am aware of. In fact, if a novice were to ask me where to first learn of Plato's art of 'cautious writing' - this is the first book I would send him to.

Why? Because Klein gives an extremely acute explanation (and demonstration) of the ancient way of employing esotericism as a method (and a necessity!) of 'soulcraft'. Klein begins the Introductory Remarks by acclimating the student to the notion that the Platonic dialogues are dramatic encounters and not some sort of failed Aristotelian treatise. (It is shameful how many academics still think that it is a great pity that Plato did not write Treatises!) It is in the intercourse between the actions and speeches of the participants in these dialogues that Plato's meaning and intentions emerge. Klein correctly tells us that the dialogues "intent is to imitate oral instruction." In order to do this Plato writes mini-dramas that subtly indicate more than they say.

A means of doing this is irony. But Socratic Irony was not the same as the older types of irony. "The old Irony of the tragic or comic reversal of fortune they perfectly appreciated. But this new kind, which had a trick of making you uncomfortable if you took it as a joke and of getting you laughed at if you took it seriously? People did not like it, did not know what to make of it. But they were quite sure it was Irony." Socratic Irony, unlike the irony of the theatre, intends to force you to reveal yourself. Uncomfortable? - You should be! Plato is neither simply telling a story nor, less simply, lecturing us on philosophical issues; - Plato is trying to get us, dear readers, to reveal our very souls!

Thus Klein says that for any statement to be ironical in the Socratic sense "there must be someone capable of understanding that it is ironical." Socrates "is not ironical to satisfy himself." We are all called upon to be 'silent participants', not 'indifferent spectators' of these dialogues. Klein correctly adds that, "a (Platonic) dialogue has not taken place if we, the listeners or readers, did not actively participate in it..." The Socratic Dialogue is a form of writing that must be completed by our active, but dialogically silent, participation. But why should we participate?

Klein quotes a scholar, "The dialogues are dramas in which the destiny of the human soul is at stake." But to the scholar Klein here quotes the give and take in the dialogues is only a sport of curious aesthetic appeal. Klein will have none of it: "We have to play our role in them too. We have to be serious about the contention that a Platonic dialogue, being indeed an 'imitation of Socrates,' actually continues Socrates' work." The dialogues are notorious for their many difficulties (aporias) and it often seems Plato had no solution at all. But "we are compelled to admit to ourselves our ignorance, that it is up to us to get out of the impasse and to reach a conclusion, if it is reachable at all. We are one of the elements of the dialogue and perhaps the most important one."

Now, this must not be taken to mean that "the dialogues are void of all 'doctrinal' assertions." But a Platonic doctrine is not a philosophical system in the modern sense. "The dialogues not only embody the famous 'oracular' and 'paradoxical' statements emanating from Socrates ('virtue is knowledge,' 'nobody does evil knowingly,' 'it is better to suffer than commit injustice') and are, to a large extent, protreptic plays based on these, but they also discuss and state, more or less explicitly, the ultimate foundations on which those statements rest and the far-reaching consequences which flow from them. But never is this done with complete clarity." It is we who supply the additional clarity by engaging in philosophy. Thus Klein warns us away from fitting Plato's dialogues into some scholarly developmental scheme or reducing it to some technical vocabulary. These are but shadows that the history of Platonism has thrown. But, as Klein correctly says, "it is the familiar that Plato is bent on exploiting."

But he is exploiting the familiar through written words. And written words are, according to Plato, inherently playful; that is, imitative. (See the Phaedrus, and also Sophist 234b, on this theme.) Written texts "cannot defend themselves against misunderstanding and abuse." They resemble living thought but, like statues, they are dead and do not respond to changing circumstances but always maintain the same stance. This is why Plato wrote dialogues in which it is necessary for us to participate; he hoped that by doing so he could make his dialogues resemble living thought. "In brief: a written text is necessarily incomplete and cannot teach properly." In the Phaedrus we learn, according to Klein, that the best texts, "in addition to being playful, can serve as 'reminders' [...], that is, can remind those 'who know' of what the written words are really about."

"Now, Phaedrus and Socrates agree that spoken words can be clear, complete, and worthy of serious consideration provided they come from one who 'knows' - who knows about things just, noble and good - and who also knows, as Socrates insists, how to 'write' or 'plant' these words in the souls of the learners, that is, possesses the 'dialectical art' as well as the 'art of healing souls' which enables him to deal discriminatingly with those souls and even to remain silent whenever necessary." Now, this last is also why Plato writes in a dialogical manner; not only to engage in the great soul-shaping work of philosophy, but also in order to remain silent when necessary. But how can a dialogue do both? It can't "if the written text is to be taken in its dead rigidity." But it can if "the written text gives rise to 'live' discourse under conditions valid for good speaking." Again, the Platonic dialogues demand our active participation in order to be successful.

As if to underscore the lived, changing nature of well-written philosophical texts Klein reminds us that after the myth of the origin of the cicadas in the Phaedrus "we hear Socrates interpreting freely the speeches he himself made, assuming the role of their 'father', that is, supporting and defending the truth in them, adding to them, omitting the doubtful and changing their wording..." How Socrates treats his earlier speeches is how we are to treat Socratic dialogues, we are to continually interpret and, when necessary, reinterpret them. We are to treat the dialogues as conversations in which we must participate in order to get anything out of them. We are, when properly engaged in a Socratic dialogue, attempting to understand Socrates, Plato, philosophy and ourselves.

This soulcraft that Klein is here, at the beginning of the 'Introductory Remarks' to his 'Meno' book, speaking of has utterly nothing to do with the parroting of some doctrine. "Words can be repeated or imitated; the thoughts conveyed by the words cannot: an 'imitated' thought is not a thought." Indeed, in reading and interpreting a Platonic dialogue we reveal who we are. Treat the dialogues, and yourself, with the thoughtful seriousness they deserve.

So we see that Klein, here in the 'Introductory Remarks', has given us a masterful explication of an ancient esotericism too often today forgotten; an esotericism focused on individual soulcraft and not merely or exclusively on political philosophy. It is important to realize that these two esoteric strategies are not entirely in harmony. But what of Klein and Strauss? Are they in harmony? I think the major difference between the two is the medieval philosophers, especially Farabi. He was the first (see especially his 'Attainment of Happiness' e.g.) to use esotericism almost exclusively to manufacture 'politically useful' philosophical artifacts without (seemingly) even the slightest concern for soulcraft. Strauss follows Farabi in this; also, like Farabi (see the 'Philosophy of Plato', e.g.) Strauss gives an entirely political reading of Plato.

Whenever we see Leo Strauss speak of 'Platonic Political Philosophy' we need to immediately add that this Platonic political philosophy has been filtered through Alfarabi. So then, do Klein and Strauss simply disagree about the Platonic Art of Cautious Writing? No, of course not, that would be an exaggeration. Of this notion of readers of Platonic Dialogues as 'silent participants' in the dialogues Klein says that "it certainly obtains whenever Socrates himself is the narrator of the dialogue." But what of the dialogues (e.g., Sophist, Statesman, Timaeus, Laws) in which Socrates is not the principle speaker? Are the principle speakers (Eleatic Stranger, Timaeus, Athenian Stranger) in these dialogues primarily engaged in the art of soulcraft like Socrates? Or, are they, like Farabi and the medieval falasifa, primarily engaged in what might be called social damage control and 'philosophical' artifact making? Insofar as they are doing the latter one can perhaps be forgiven for saying that the split between Socrates' esoteric Platonic soulcraft and Farabi's esoteric political Platonism was already known to, and anticipated by, Plato himself.

Now, Klein isn't oblivious to the difference between esotericism as politics and esotericism as soulcraft. Indeed, even in the latter part of the 'Introductory Remarks' that we have here only begun to consider, he goes on to broach the subject of political esotericism. For those interested in Klein's take on the latter I can recommend his detailed study 'Plato's Trilogy' which includes a discussion of the Eleatic Stranger in 'The Sophist' and 'The Statesman'. I give 'Plato's Meno' five stars for the discussion, defense and demonstration of the ancient esoteric practice of soulcraft, which today, is too often forgotten.

Klein's approach to Plato is to examine the literary form in relation to the meaning imparted by the dialogue. Very often, the meaning of the dialogue is not made explicit by the content of the discussion between the principal characters. Most Platonic scholars, sadly enough, chalk this up to a deficiency in Plato rather than a deficiency in their own grasp of Plato's literary technique. So they claim that certain of Plato's dialogues are merely logical exercises with no outcome. Plato is far more subtle than that, and his greatness is bound up just as much with his mastery of the dialogue as with his philosophical insights. I have found what I have learned from Klein to be applicable to many of Plato's other works, and it has improved my understanding greatly. I recommend this work as a first rate introduction to reading Plato.

After teaching Plato's Meno several times, I chose to use this text as a commentary for my students. It was an excellent choice--they loved the text and interpretation, as well as Klein detailed exegesis of the argument. Excellent scholarship.

Since I got this for Christmas, I have probably used it several dozen times. I use it mainly to cross reference songs on my Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Americana collections but really it could serve as the bedrock of any thesis on early American music. This is a fine book, put together by Meade and many others.

What a wonderful job Gus Meade in putting this thing together. I wasn't fully sure what to expect, but the organization and thoroughness of the research makes this one of the most accessible books of discographical information ever printed. Yes, there are classification categories that I might have wanted to see used, but this is a minor cavil in the face of the all the ones that are used.

This is one of those books that was a "life's work" for its principal author (Gus Meade), but we never would have seen the fruits of his labor without the help of two colleagues who completed this volume after his death--his son Douglas and leading folk scholar Dick Spottswood. It is the most valuable listing of traditional music I have ever seen, everything from British ballads to topical songs, cowboy songs, minstrel music, sentimental songs, blues and hornpipes! There is a wide range of 19th century music here, and some from the early 1900s. Pre-1942 recordings of the songs are listed (including LP/CD reissues), but the book is also valuable for its citations of early published versions (including songbooks), composer/author credits and commentary on the often-similar songs. For anyone interested in the field of traditional American music, this volume is a must.

I love this book. It's so real as I am from Lumberton and knew Jill before she had published. As I read her work I remember those days and those places and I appreciate how she has given new life to those times and places.
I could not put this book down and I am proud to have met Jill and proud of her wonderful ability as a story teller.

john evers

Do people behave any better than animals? Do they often behave worse? That question underlies Jill McCorkle's latest book, Creatures of Habit, a collection of stories set in the fictional town of Fulton, North Carolina, that explores the vagaries of childhood, love and marriage.

The best stories in this book deal with betrayal. In "Chickens," McCorkle demonstrates her profound ability to report on the intricacies of human psychology. The story tells of a young college graduate, Kim, who always expected to marry Randy, her childhood sweetheart. Toward the end of her college career, however, she learns that Randy has been dating -- and sleeping with -- other girls. When he attempts to patch things up, her pride rebels. Instead of taking him back, she starts dating a divorced man 14 years her senior. Has Kim betrayed her birthright or has she bailed out of a bad situation? McCorkle shows her brilliance as a writer by not telling the reader exactly where to stand on this question.

"Snakes" is another story that deals with the compromises one makes with the romantic ideals of youth. A middle-aged married couple has weathered a dark patch in their relationship. They are enjoying a quiet evening together when the wife learns that her husband had a brief affair during their estrangement. Now she has to decide whether to undo the repairs her marriage has undergone by making an issue of his lapse.

Another powerful story is "Turtles," in which McCorkle draws back the curtain on old age. The central character, Carly, is ending an unloved life in a nursing home that fails to live up to the promises of its brochure. Her son never visits, and she has an unrequited crush on a distinguished old man in another wing. Even the nursing home dog leaves her for another resident who offers better snacks.

McCorkle is a justly beloved author, in part because of her ability to deal a straight hand without bitterness. Though she does not hold back when it comes to capturing the cruelty in life, she doesn't sell short its moments of tenderness, either.

Jill McCorkle has long been one of my favorite writers--the novel "Ferris Beach" and short story collection "Crash Diet" are two of my all-time favorite books. Her writing has a down-to-earth, true quality. Oftentimes, I find myself either identifying with her characters, or at least having known people very much like them. Not only does she have a gift for writing humor (some of the funniest lines I have ever read), but she can just as easily break your heart with a turn of phrase. Although her characters are usually from the South, I don't find myself thinking of them as "Southern characters", but simply PEOPLE. The characters in her latest collection, "Creatures of Habit", are no exception.

Not all the stories are humorous--in some (the opening story, "Billy Goats", "Cats", and the closer, "Fish", for instance) the tone is more poignant and melancholy. However, the stories "Hominids", "Snakes", and "Toads" are hilarious. Using the theme of humans' co-existence with (and likeness to) particular animals, these stories explore such subjects across the entire spectrum of human experience, such as marriage, loneliness, death, childhood, family, and aging.

If you are a fan of Jill McCorkle, you will not be disappointed. If you are new to her writing, this is a wonderful place to start, and representative of some of her best work.

Mr. Young has outdone himself. His book not only offers well-argued insights on the subject matter, but his prose is sharp, funny and beautifully crafted. I recommend this book not only for historians, but for anyone looking to take an adventurous ride through our nation's earliest years. Mr. Young is clearly a young historian on the rise. I eagerly await his next work.

Mr. Young has outdone himself. His book not only offers well-argued insights on the subject matter, but his prose is sharp, funny and beautifully crafted. I recommend this book not only for historians, but for anyone looking to take an adventurous ride through our nation's earliest years. Mr. Young is clearly a young historian on the rise. I eagerly await his next work.

Young has managed to combine many factors in this work. He cogently explains how costal planters could perceive themselves as paternalistic masters protecting their slaves while at the same time literally driving those slaves to death in the name of profit. Even more cleverly, he traces the spread of this paternalistic, anti-capitalist rhetoric of the planters through their growing network of commercial capitalism. A revealing read.

Ella Baker must be the most underrated figure in U.S. history. There are plenty of Presidents who have done less to shape their own times than Ella Baker. She decisively shaped two of the most important national civil rights organizations--the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference--and was the single most decisive figure in a third--the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Only Martin Luther King Jr. can be considered a rival in importance to the African American freedom movement, and yet most Americans have never even heard of Ella Baker. This exhaustively researched and well written biography should go a long way toward filling that gap.

This is a thoughful, analytical, and well-told story about a uniquely important American political life. It is a work of central importance in United States history and especially the history of the African American freedom movement. It is a cutting edge work of black women's history, too. I plan to buy a stack of them for Christmas presents, and to assign this book to my students for many years to come.

This was a great book. Ella Baker was ahead of het time.This is a great read if you like the history of the civil right movement.Ms. Baker I hope to meet you in heaven.

Dr. Ransby provides a well-structured and insightful biography of one of the most important, yet least well-known, leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States. This book is strongly recommended for any student of modern U.S. history.