Virginia Books

Realmente este libro es una joya, es un libro impertible para todos aquellos amantes de la literatura borgeana

Realmente este libro es una joya, para todos aquellos amantes de la literatura argentina y de la obra de Jorge Luis Borges, es imperdible

This book truly changed my life when I enrolled at the University of Virginia during the civil rights years of the 1960s. It was in many ways a roadmap for me during those contentious times. Nowadays whenever I see an old copy at a booksale, I buy it and pass it on. If only there had been hundreds, thousands, like it, the history of the south might have been so much better in the twentieth century. I remember hearing Sarah Patton Boyle speak on campus, and sitting next to her at a church service after President Kennedy was assassinated. I guess what I want to say is that so many books are paper and ink (and some of them tragic wastes of good trees)--and then there are the others. This is one of the others. I recommend it highly. In fact, I have recommended it to the Modern Library for their list of the hundred most important nonfiction books of the century.

Sarah Patton Boyle was a white person born into one of Virginia's "best families." During the 1950s and 60s Boyle became an activist for African American Civil Rights in Virginia. This book beautifully narrates Boyle's awakening to the plight of African Americans, and her response. An honest and forthright account, Boyle details the inner anxieties of a person moving from one world view to another. She chronicles her childhood and indoctrination with the repressive "Southern Code" that guided race relations in the South. According to Boyle, the Southern Code allowed whites to think of themselves as gracious and generous paternalists while economically exploiting African Americans. Not until the 1950s did she see how racist and dehumanizing the whole scheme was. When she did she became an activist in the Civil Rights movement. In the process she lost her belief not only in the goodness of white southerners, but in the goodness of humanity in general. She moved more towards an orthodox Christian worldview that stressed on the one hand the sinfulness of mankind and on the other the need for a strong commitment to love. This book definitely deserves to be considered a signigicant piece of Southern literature and a valuable resource for those interested in understanding the complex history of southern race relations. -Vernon Horn

Very thorough guide. Need to have a good grasp of nutrition concepts before tempting to read. Very helpful with up to date information any dietitian can appreciate.

Messina is a well-known name to vegetarians through her cookbooks, and to the science of nutrition through her scholarly articles. This book, though erudite and intended for dietitians, is valuable to everyone interested in vegetarian nutrition. I would recommend it to physicians, owners of diet salons, nurses, as well as every vegan who wants to understand the value of full nutrition. Great job!

I enjoyed and appreciated the book on several levels:
-It was a trip through technical nostalgia for me from my first encounter with a Bendix digital computer in 1956, to the hand calculating machines, early computers with limited memories and speed, the KayPro Computer, the SOSUS system, use of statistics, and on.
-It was also a trip through management and management systems including the increasing recognition of the equality of women. I also recall the various methods we tried to manage people and projects.
-She certainly made excellent use of her intelligence and capabilities. The author also demonstrated that "variety is the spice of life" with her many positions and her energetic drive. Her foray into the horse racing business was surprising and amusing.
-The fact that she was involved in so many important events and knew important people also makes her sort of a "Forest Gump". Of course this analogy doesn't hold for long since she never wore braces or mentioned that she could run fast.

The lively author keeps us guessing what she'll be up to next! She has had a wonderful variety of experiences with computers over her 50 year career. I'm so used to the PC that it was good to read about what it was like in the early days. I liked her sense of humor.

This book presents a charming look at some important historical dollhouses in the Rockefeller Folk Art Center. Good pictures and texts. Not useful if you are looking for realistic projects for your own dollhouse crafting hobby, but for the historian, this is a wonderful look at historical dolls, dollhouses, and furnishings that were used over generations as toys and learning devices for girls. For extravagant historical dollhouse rooms created by and for an adult collector (that you would perhaps want to emulate in your own hobby), see another book, Miniature Rooms, about the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago.

I consider this book to be one of the best dollhouse references out there. Every page has color photos. Many of the furniture pieces are photographed individually. Each photograph is clear and detailed. The author is careful to note when a piece is original, antique, or modern. Everything in this book is well-researched and documented. You could carve replica furniture pieces from the photographs in here, they are that good!

Needless to say, the houses featured in here are gorgeous in their own right. My favorite part of this book are the great photos of the Grodnertal peg-wooden dolls. This book contains some of the best Grodnertal photos I've ever seen!

Jefferson was a giant, and this book chronicles his extraordinary life through his letters and the letters of others, lovingly assembled and edited by his great-granddaughter. At various points, it is moving and tearful; elsewhere it is joyous and humorous. At all times, Jefferson's seemingly-unlimited talents and brilliance, as well as his qualities as a decent human being and his erudition, shine forth.

The greats of American history come alive through their correspondence and Jefferson's letters to others: Washington, Franklin, Adams, Madison, Monroe, Henry and Hamilton, to name just a few. Also, Lafayette and Bonaparte of France. We witness firsthand the American Revolution, this nation's founding, Jefferson's years in Paris, the French Revolution, and his presidency.

However, perhaps three things stand out most of all: the depth of his love for his family and the meticulous care with which he nurtured each family member; his love for Monticello and his desire to return there and be rid of the burdens of public office; and his relationship with John Adams that, once breached, is finally restored at the end of their lives.

Remarkably, both presidents died on the 4th of July, 1826. To paraphrase the words of Jefferson, two "Argonauts" sailed on, leaving this country forever changed and better because they had passed here. "I steer my bark with Hope in the head, leaving Fear astern," Jefferson wrote to Adams in 1816. From being Secretary of State and Vice President to two terms in the presidency, involving the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Jefferson never lost his love for or his belief in this great country.

He was a farmer; he was a scholar; he was a scientist; he was a diplomat; he was a leader and a politician; he was an accomplished horseman who was faithful to his belief in the need for at least two hours of exercise each day; he was a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather; and he loved music, birds and his gardens in Albemarle County, Virginia. And he was an American.

This biography was written by Jefferson's grandaughter to show "the beauties and charms of his domestic character." It is primarily through using his letters, which include over the years, those to his daughters, grandchildren, his sons-in-law, Layfayette, John Adams, Madison, lady friends in France, and others. The circumstances under which these were written are described.

Interesting to me were new insights into why Jefferson continued to serve in politics when he found it repugnant, his observations about the the French Revolution and Napolean, and his great affection and fatherly advice on health, education, and character building found in the letters to his daughters, and some grandchildren. In one instance, he discusses raising chickens. He also describes the pain of losing his wife and child, and a grandchild, to Abigail Adams.

Puts a little more flesh on the events, and on a giant of the 19th century. Good book to read in spirts.

This is not a work of fiction, though Paul Dellinger has had fiction published in various magazines. Paul is a hard nosed newspaper reporter for the Roanoke Times, in Virginia, and has been a nominee for a Pulitzer Prize. He is not one who can be easily fooled and he is a keen observer of facts. This is one book on UFOs that I find both more convincing and more compelling than most in this genre'.

Paul Dellinger's years of reportorial skills allowed him to do a most excellent job detailing the UFO events in this book, events that were eventually aired on the TV Show UNSOLVED Mysteries. Paul is detailed oriented writer as is his partner Danny Gordon. I was one of the speakers at the public gathering in Rural Retreat, and they got the details of what I said with very little error. That alone is hard to do in this day and age of the soundbite. The events detailed in the book happened as outlined. The mystery of what really happened remains like all UFO events thus far-unsolved. Unknown to Danny and Paul, after the talk at the Community College, many lcally prominent citizens contacted me privately and related suspected abduction experiences to me. I did not follow up as at that time I did not give much credibility to abductions. But the book is well done and a good addition to the research library of anyone interested in the subject of UFO's.

This is a genre-busting book: it is a lecture series adapted and expanded into book form, an analysis and response to William James and that leaves James behind, a critique of theism, a positive portrayal of Schleiermacher, an introduction to the thought of von Hügel, and so much more.

There is a lot he covers, but Lash retraces his steps plenty of times to keep your head strait and the argument going.

I am still kind of stunned by it overall and amazed that it is not more well known. I suppose it is a little too extended and extensive for popular consumption, but that is just kind of sad. May be it is a little old and everyone has already read and I'm just getting on the bandwagon, but I doubt it.

Oh well, read the book, it is far better than whatever hesitations you might have to the contrary.

Buy this book!

It is not written in an overly accessible style. When I say--truthfully--that it will enrich your spiritual life, I do not mean that Lash has written a set of meditations on which it would be easy to focus in worship or prayer. I mean that the ideas he elaborates are profoundly important. Drawing on the thought of Karl Rahner, he offers a powerful critique of dualistic spiritualities--he focuses on William James in particular--that equate "experience of God" with a particular range of conscious feelings. He rejects the view that God can be isolated to a narrow district of experience, suggesting instead that Easter happens in the ordinary. The book is a marvelous trip through recent theology, full of useful insights. (Because it isn't especially reader-friendly, it might be worth spending time with the parallel essay in the author's 1986 collection, Theology on the Way to Emmaus.)

Buy this book!

I am a psychologist working with adolescent girls. I also have a 12 year old daughter, and I have been in the field of adolescent psychology for the past 20 years. This is one of the best books writen for mothers and daughters. This book breaks the false belief that mothers and daughters must have conflict. Embracing Persephone illustrates the depth and spirituality of the mother daughter relationship while interweaving sound psychological advice through many vibrant examples. Rutter is a very possitive author with hope and faith in the mother duaghter relationship. This book also reveals the strength in girls. One of the most satisfying books to read about possitive deep relationships between mothers and daughters. I have recommended it to many friends and clients.

In a time long ago and far away, the god of the Underworld, Hades, abducted Persephone, daughter of the goddess Demeter. Demeter grieved so deeply that the lush vegetation of Earth died. Hades eventually returned Persephone for six months of every year. During this time, Demeter's joy allows the plants to again grow. Traditionally, this has been the story of why we have winter and summer seasons.

Virginia Beane Rutter has another interpretation of the ancient story. She says "this myth directly invokes your relationship with your adolescent daughter as you brave her exciting but terribly risky passage to becoming a woman." Rutter is psychotherapist and Jungian analyst, with two children of her own. Embracing Persephone is her third book.

In it, she provides a wealth of advice, strategies, and wisdom for coping with the critical adolescent years. Rutter emphasizes throughout that mothers must grow along with their daughters. Mothers dealing with their daughters' issues often find themselves dealing with their own issues as well. She offers lots of encouragement, saying that "being aware of yourself and your daughter does not mean that you will handle every situation perfectly." Her focus is on establishing and keeping an ongoing relationship with daughters.

She says that "to have any influence over your daughter, you must value your relationship more than your need to control her." This can sometimes mean permitting her to do things you'd prefer she'd not do. The key is teaching daughters to accept responsibility for their choices.

Rutter discusses issues such connecting, even when conflicts seem unresolvable, body image, sexual exploration, and drugs and alcohol. Each section includes examples from real teenage girls and their mothers of how they handled some of their expectations and conflicts.

Adolescent girls face monumental challenges. Because of the way in which the world has changed, many of these challenges are different than those experienced by their parents. Embracing Persephone "will help you identify the issues that trigger conflict with your daughter [and] provide you with strategies for keeping your relationship open." It's a book that belongs in every household with a teenage girl.

Very fascinating book that kept my attention from start to finish. John Sergent Wise was born at the perfect time and the son of a future Gov. of Virgina and then Confederate General to see first hand so many amazing events of the time.

He was a VMI cadet who fought at New Market. He met and knew such men as President Jefferson Davis, Gen.Jubal Early,Gen. William Mahone, as well as Robert E. Lee and he gives a lot of detail in his relationships with these great men.

He gives his account of the sentiments and feelings of the people and places during these turbulent times during the Southern war for independence.

Great book and the best I've read since I read Edward Porter Alexanders Fighting For The Confederacy. Highly recommend!

My Great Grandfather John S. Wise died well before I was born. He lives on for me in his autobiographical book The End of an Era. His sense of humor, his foibles come through in his fantastic description and attention to details of the era.

He was son of a Confederate War General and nephew to a famous Union War General.

He chronicles his life from his birth in Brazil when his father was ambassador from the U.S., to his upbringing on the Eastern shore of Virginia (describing his father's election process), then on to living in Richmond when his father was governor. His tells of how he tried to get in on the action when John Brown stormed the armory at Harpers Ferry, (Opening scene of the book Cold Mountain when the governor is told of the invasion) through his schooling, entering V.M.I., leaving to fight in the war and to the surrender at Appomattox.

I was named after his wife Eva Douglas.

First published in 1899, this book has just as much appeal as the many editions published then.