Virginia Books

As a fan of history and ghosts stories I was excited to read the battlefield stories and experiences from this author. Ms. Brown has a fresh approach to her travels through Virginia's battlefields. I really enjoyed Ms Brown's writing style. She transports the reader right along beside her as she explores each site.

I was surprised and happy to see that this book was packed with pictures. I Love it! I found this book so fascinating that I basically read this book in one sitting.

One of my favorite chapters is about Belle Island. I have been to this site and know that it has quite a "spirited" history. Creepy!

If you like history or you just like a good ghost story then this is a book you will definitely want to read.

Haunted Battlefields: Virginia's Civil War Ghosts

A very engaging narrative, so much so I couldn't put it down. I began reading it just before going on vacation, and then took it with me to the beach so I could finish reading it.

The author details her trips and investigations at historic battlefields throughout Virginia. Often making two and three separate trips to each one in order to acquire conduct additional investigations and acquire more data. Her perseverance and research paid off too. I've been to a few of the locations in the book and Ms. Brown's observations and descriptions of the look and feel of a place are dead on.

The most interesting chapters for me were Cold Harbor and Chimborazo Park. I lived in Richmond for eleven years and I never heard of some of the fascinating history that Ms. Brown reveals to her readers.

It is a great read--both educational and entertaining. Anyone who is interested in Virginia history, the Civil War, or paranormal investigations will enjoy reading this book.

I have been to several of these battlefields and had heard some of the stories before. Beth's writing really makes her research trips come to life. And the results are chilling. I think she could change the mind of skeptics with this book!

I am not Suzy Homemaker, but I like to eat well -- as long as the food preparation doesn't take too much time or effort. The recipes Elliott includes are tasty and just as easy to fix as the title indicates. This lady knows what she's talking about and she makes it easy for domestic duds to eat well yet live a life outside the kitchen. Hooray for Virginia B. Elliott!

Chatty, easy to read. This warm writer/cook talks about her family with love and includes easy receipes that save money and time in the kitchen. Browsing through this book is like having dinner with a woderfully wild family. The author lives in Naples, Florida. The chapter on "Four Legged Chickens and Rabbits With Wings" is a must! After my mom's visit on the 4th of July, I felt compeled to update my review.

Very chatty and easy to read. She is a warm writer/cook. Talks about her family with love and includes easy receipes that do not cost an arm and a leg. It is like having dinner with her and her family and..."here is how to prepare this meal". I ought to know, I am her son, and her meal suggestions when I was in college in Califorina kept me fat and sassy.

This is one of those books that you find laying somewhere burried in the back of the library perhaps covered in dust that has been long forgotten! Nevertheless, this is a little gem of a read! The main reason why I liked it so much was because of the eloquent creative and heartfelt ways in which the Native Americans conveyed all their messages. So genuine, trusting, and true were their words and not conjured up by money or greed.

Thie book Just might have even Americans of today looking at themselves and questioning our seemingly prevailing atrtitudes that "we are the best" and that "more" and "bigger is better"... It will have the reader questioning a Government's activity towards national expansion in the name of freedom, while opressing many others at the very same time. These "others", who, the reader will learn, actually taught settlers how to survive in the new frontier.

Among other reasons I liked this book is that it made me look at myself and learen something in how I live. "I Have Spoken" had me looking at our current lifestyles that we so embrace as "having it so good", as perhaps the total opposite, and that perhaps it is we, the people of today, who struggle more to survive in this convenient lifestyle, more so than ever did the native peoples to sustain their lifestyle!

As many at the time in history which this book covers, looked at Native Americans as "inferior", the reader will learn why many Native Americans began to look at the settlers as inferior. This is a refreshing change of opinions we may have been used to hearing in history, and a welcomed one at that!

Through the many eloquently expressed words of Native Americans the reader will guess that they they viewed our lifestyle as somewhat being "enslaved" by adopting and living in such a system that has us "working for..and oweing money" to be able to sustain ourselves and lifestyle. They recognized a stressful life in this resulting in menatal and physical sickness of which was virtually non-existent in their lives.

This book is a really thought provoking read and at least for me, has left me looking around at all so called "progress" in our culture and questioning whether it is really progress at all if it destroys the very gifts nature "God" or "The Great Spirit" has bestowed upon us to make ALL life possible.

I strongly suggest this read to anybody, especially those who seek to not see the world as something we "own" and can see that this notion is really the root of all humankind conflict with each other.

Another final thought this book inspired in me was perhaps looking at history through the eyes of other cultures around the world, and seeing how they came to be, so we shall better understand each other and accept each other's customs without forcing them to live and think as we do. Maybe this can go a long way in preventing conflicts with other nations. Read the book "I Have Spoken" and this review will then come into perspective for anyone who is reading it now!

We used this text at the University of Minnesota back in 1971 for a Native American History course. The book voices treaty interpretation and words used by Tribal representatives. I won't use the word "Chief's" because the Government did'nt always get the real leadership to sign treaties. But, we noted a lack of aggressive language at the beginning of colonization (east coast), but by the time we read text from treaties from the Plains Natives the verbage used more aggressive and warlike themes. Sum it up! Indians found the need to be aggressive and began to use words to voice their frustrations with negotiations with Government respresentatives.

Any "red blooded" American citizen would surely have a "red face" from embarrassment after reading the compilation of words and speeches from original settlers of our beloved country in "I Have Spoken, American History Through the Voices of the Indians." From those documents so meticulously collected by Virginia Irving Armstrong and introduced in this book for all to read, one concludes that even here in America, an atrocious holocaust took place.

The book tells the truth. It will make you mad. It will make you sad. You will feel ashamed to belong to the culture that was responsible for the near extinction of the once prosperous, peaceful people who just wanted to live life as they had been taught by their ancesters. Simple and earth loving.

"I Have Spoken" should be offered in every school as a learning tool on an important aspect of our American history. We made a mistake. We cannot bring them back, but we can read aloud what they said and feel their spirits.

The photos that were included in the June, 1971 and August, 1972 editions are sadly not included in the most recent copies for sale now. It's more of an impact to see their faces as well as read their words. I hope subsequent issues will reincorporate those photos, especially of the ones of the Wounded Knee massacre. "...I will fight no more forever." Chief Joseph, Nez Perce nation, 1877.

Physically abandoned by his mother, then emotionally abandoned by his father, Ethan thinks he has it all figured out - how not to get hurt. When the tide starts to turn though and he starts to care a little too much - he begins to understand how his parents did what they THOUGHT was best at the time. Luckily there is still time to mend a Father- son relationship and when his mother tries to regain entry to his life - Ethan surprises us all!
I LOVED Righteous Indignation and had a hard time getting to read this without feeling as though I was betraying THAT main man!
Can't wait for the third!

Ethan McBride might be the tragic hero of this novel, but he handles it beautifully. His pseudo-orphaned lifestyle up until the point of the story has created quite a character out of him, a heart-breaker and a talented individual, yet modest and even quite humble. He may be rich, but he proves to us all that money cannot buy happiness, and though he grew up in posh and comfortable surroundings, he was someone I could identify with from the beginning. Virginia Foley hits another home run with this novel, another tear-jerker and powerful book. Buy it today!

After loving Virginia Foley's first book, "Righteous Indignation" I couldn't wait to get the notice that her second book was out. Believe me she didn't disappoint! "I think I hear Sleigh Bells is a great read.

This is the second in a series of 2 books on the Sugarloaf Mountain region in Barnesville, Maryland. A must-have for any local resident to Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia, you will literally feel like you are up on the mountain in the pages of this book, whose gorgeous illustrations and writing bring the mountain to life in any reader's mind as vividly as the real thing! More importantly, the beauty throughout the pages of this book will drive you out Hwy 70 right over to and up the mountain to see it first hand. One of the North-east's best kept treasures, Sugarloaf Mountain was once the runner-up for what became Camp David, this field guide provides readers with a truely tangible appreciation for why it was also among FDR's favorite resting spots! Make it yours too, beginning with this book!

This book is far more detailed than any other wildflower guides I've seen but is written in simple language that I can understand. The illustrations are beautiful and so detailed that it makes it easy to identify wildflowers I find on Sugarloaf Mountain and in walks along the Potomac River. I like learning about medicinal uses of native plants and the book is filled with herbal lore. It's a friendly book that is scientifically accurate and detailed but also contains personal anecdotes in which the author's love of trees and wildflowers comes through. I carry both this book and the companion volume--Sugarloaf: The Mountain's History, Geology and Natural Lore on my hikes.

One of my favorite things about the book is that the plants are organized according to families, with information about each plant family. It's fun to find members of the lily family and the rose family growing in the woods. The book helps you understand relationships between plants in a meaningful way. I like thinking about how this onion that I'm eating is related to the trout lily that grows along Sugarloaf Mountain's streams! Plus, its illustrated glossary is an extremely helpful learning tool.

I recommend this field guide to everyone, from novice to experienced botanists.

This is from the July issue of Pomegranate Seeds
pomegranateseeds@comcast.net

THE GOOD WORD:
A New Field Guide to Eastern
Wildflowers, Trees and Shrubs
by Jeri Metz

I just purchased the most authoritative and readable field guide to wildflowers, herbs, shrubs, vines and trees for the Mid-Eastern United States. An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees by Melanie Choukas-Bradley, illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown, is eminently readable and includes all the local native and naturalized species that grow abundantly here without any help from us. This is the perfect book for anyone who is interested in gardening with Mother Nature, creating a water-wise native plant garden, or just identifying the local plants while out walking and hiking. The author describes the plants with expert plant taxonomy, humor, and personal anecdotes, throwing in folklore and history where appropriate. She includes specifics on habitat and range, as well as bloom time and where the plants can be found when walking the trails of Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland. The illustrations, drawn from life, are simple and beautiful, appropriately delicate when describing fragile spring wildflowers, richly detailed and imposing when capturing the hardier species. They compliment every page they are on.

The book is a love letter from two naturalists to their adored Sugarloaf Mountain, where they spent ten years hiking and painstakingly identifying the plants. They view the mountain as a rare gift and "a learning laboratory." But this guide is so much more than the plants on Sugarloaf Mountain. It covers every plant I could think to look up. It includes a very readable botanical key and a comprehensive illustrated glossary. There are suggested readings. But what makes it unique and exceptional in my library of field guides, is the personal touch in both the writings and drawings. The love that Choukas-Bradley and Brown feel for these plants jumps from the pages and I can feel and see how wondrous and magical each plant is for them. By sharing their reverence and respect for all these plants, they inspire while they educate.

An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees; 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland, by Melanie Choukas-Bradley. Illustrated by Tina Thieme Brown. University of Virginia Press. $39.95 through the Audubon Naturalist Society and bookstores and on www.amazon.com.

Dr. Houck's book, Indian Island is the tale of survival! It is a testament to the Monacan people's triumph over hardship and years of discrimination. A proud, yet gentle and kind people, the Monacans were among the many victims of the eugenics movement. Political powers wanted them to be forgotten and invisible, but Dr. Houck brings them back to the forefront of our collective conscience. As one who is privileged to know and associate with several members of this tribe and who has personally witnessed the discrimination they face still today, I applaud Dr. Houck, this book, and most of all this couragous group of people. Having finally achieved state recognition from Virginia, today they continue their struggle to gain the federal recognition which is long overdue. May America finally recognize the existence of its first residents!

Having been married to one of the Johns decendants (in Amherst County, VA), I must say that this is probably one of the most accurate depictions of life for the Monacan Indians as any I have heard. I would like to add that Dr. Houck was my daughters neo-natologist when she was born very prematurely...24 years ago!! If you enjoy this book, read MATOHE, written by Cathy Smoot Carson.

Peter Houck and Mintcy Maxham do a wonderful job of presenting a generalized history of the Monacan tribe. As with any generalized History study, consisting of one volume, covering centuries of time, and possibly thousands of individuals, the reader should not expect a complete detailed history of the tribe, but rather a jumping off point to further enhance his or her education of the Monacan past. While lots of specific details are missing, the major events are listed. This list of major Monacan occurrences, along with an ample Bibliography, gives everyone from the begining historical student to the advanced researcher many sources and avenues to approach the study of Monacan history and culture.

Paul Longmore's biography of George Washington is a superb book. It portrays Washington as a complex Virginian. Neither a stone-like figure nor an unread hero, Washington becomes an interesting and even vulnerable leader. Well written, Longmore's book is a must for people interested in Washington and in colonial history.

Paul Longmore's book, "The Invention of George Washington" is a wonderful book about the Washington that people have come to know over the years. Longmore looks at Washington's life chronologically and compares it with the image of Washington as the Father of Our Country. Longmore shows that one of the most important people in shaping this image was George Washington himself. Washington was constantly concerned with what others thought of him. He always lived his life as if he were on a stage with the whole world was watching. At many of these points, they were watching. Washington was setting the model for future leaders of the United States as Commander-in-Chief, and ultimately as President. Behind this image of a man doing the best for his country, however, is a man of ambition. Especially as a young man during his days commanding Virginia troops in the French and Indian war, Washington strived for recognition among his fellow colonists and from the British regulars that he was forced to serve under. As Washington matured, he was more successful at curbing this ambition. It was during these years that Washington built his reputation and became known as the Father of Our Country.

Paul Longmore has written an excellent book for the serious George Washington scholar. George Washington is a difficult man to understand. After reading five books on the man, along with several published books and articles on the Revolutionary War, Federalist Period, and biographies of other people who were active in Washington's days, I still have a hard time grasping why such a diverse group of people universally looked up to and respected Washington. Edmund Morgan's book, "The Genius of George Washington" helped me to understand how Washington wielded power once it was attained, and this book helps to fill in the gaps as it describes how George Washington worked his way toward greatness.

Longmore's argument in the book is that George Washington was FAR from a minor player in his rise to fame. It wasn't through a series of coincidences or through fate that Washington became the very embodiment of the American Revolution and Federalist Era. Longmore argues that Washington had, in his youth, an insatiable lust for power...but would only seek to achieve it through socially respectable means (highly developed interpersonal skills didn't hurt, either). It is through an examination of what constitutes "socially respectable," Washington's writings, and examining the change in his tone as he matures that Longmore bases his premise. In my opinion, he does a very good job of it. His arguments are strong and backed up in an extensive end-notes section. The only problem I have with his research is that I would have liked to see Longmore's view on two major incidences that happened in Washington's early life and how they affected his rise to fame: the death of his older brother/patron Lawrence; and his marriage to the filthy rich widow, Martha Custis. In all, Longmore has written an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who would like to begin a serious study of the early life of the "First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of his Countrymen."

By the way, this is not a cradle-to-grave biography of Washington, but follows his life from birth until about the time he takes command of the Continental Army.

I found myself to be on a rollercoaster of emotions while reading about Jim Limber Davis. I was angered by his abuse; I found myself smiling as I read about his adventures with the Davis family and was saddened when he was abducted. The illustrations are incredible and bring the story to life. I look forward to hearing my grandchildrens reviews about the mysterious story of Jim Limber.

Award-winning author Rickey Pittman presents Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House, a children's picturebook revealing the amazing true story of a young black boy rescued from his cruel guardian by Varina Davis, wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Jefferson Davis registered Jim as a free black child and became his guardian; Jim was treated well and enjoyed happy times in the Confederate white house during the civil war. Yet when the Union won, Jefferson Davis was imprisoned and Jim Limber was taken away by Union soldiers. Jim Limber was displayed as a "slave" of Jefferson Davis, though he tried to protest that the scars inflicted upon him were from his first master, not from the former Confederate President. By the time Jefferson Davis was freed from prison, Jim Limber had disappeared, never to be heard from again - what happened to him remains a mystery to this day. Earthy illustrations by arts teacher Judith Hierstein add a complementary touch to this glimpse of a largely unknown and unseen side of the Confederate White House.

It is about time someone wrote about this tragic little boy. I have told this story to incredulous listeners for years. I am overjoyed to think that now more people will know this little boy's name and probable fate. A great Christmas gift with excellent art work and lively, readable text.

Jean Smokey Baker. Words just fail me to tell you how PLEASED I am with the first Volume of the JVFOA. It is soooooo beautifully done...the documentation on the pages is just something very special. I only have a small window to peek into as to all the work that you have accomplished to make this such a special book.

I am overwhelmed. This is such a beautiful book!! I couldn't believe that you all had been able to secure something of this quality for the price at which it was offered. It is obvious that meticulous care was taken to select a fitting presentation for what is found inside.

As I browsed through, I began to realize the many hours that were devoted to the production of such a book. I am in awe that anybody would have the dedication & tenacity to finish a work such as this.

I hold it and feel the family connection. This is truly something you both can be proud of. The entire family owes you a great debt of gratitude. Vickie Campos.

Thank you, thank you for the time, effort and expertise you have exerted to put out this book. It is a wonderful gift to have and to hold, and I shall treasure it, use it, enjoy it, and pass it on to my daughter and granddaughter. This is my legacy to them--our family history as you have compiled it--correct and professional in every way. Lorrayne Vick Donnell

For some reason, my local library had all but this novel in Settle's excellent series. I've read The Beulah Quintet twice now and find the books rich and well written.

Novel set just before the Civil War and tells the tragic tale of Peregrine Catlett and his second son, Johnny. As Peregrine considers freeing his slaves, he realizes all his children have left, and he feels there's no recourse but to remain a slaveholder. Tied by a special bond to the land, Johnny returns, but only until the outbreak of war, when he joins the Confederate forces. But he loses sight of his reasons for joining the war...and ends up fighting both family and friends with disastrous results.

I had vainly considered myself to be fairly knowledgable about current American writers until that beautiful Sunday morning of 7 September 97 when I turned to the Book World section of my Washington Post and read an essay written by a septuagenarian author named Mary Lee Settle. She told it like it is, revealing how the literary marketplace of modern-day America has slid into a disgraceful period of not publishing unless it has a virtual guarantee of profit. Their business theory: only young writers can bring us a long stream of profit. I read her personal revelations with interest, likening them to my own experiences. For I, decades ago, had four hardcover trade books published by three different,notable publishers, and now - after a hiatus self-imposed in order to make myself financially secure - was finding it difficult to get published again. My age?

"Who is this woman?" I asked myself. "Her statements," I know, "are nothing but the truths. She tells it like it is. How refreshing!"

Then, on the subsequent Sunday, I was joyriding around on the net, accessed Amazon.com, and saw that this lady who was apparently considered "over-the-hill" had 39 - yes, 39! - books listed.

How could I not have read her? "I must correct my deficiencies," I told my deficiencies," I told myself. So, I scanned up-and-down, perusing the titles of her 39 entries. So many made the decision hard. Probably because I am, as she, a native Virginian and had just returned from a short vacation exploring the back roads of West Virginia, I chose her "Know Nothing" - a book billed as a novel that is a history of the western part of the State of Virginia, just prior to the Civil War and that land subsequently becoming the State of West Virginia.

I found it to be more than a history. I marveled at its rare eloquence; the conversations of Blacks with Blacks, Blacks with white people, and white people about Blacks. The vernacular and patois were perfect. Except, true to the actual;ity of that era, the term 'Black' was never used. It had not been invented at that time. It was always 'nigger' - a designation then, of itself, mot bearing any rancor or disrespect.

Soon, I was in love again. I saw that there existed out there, somewhere in the netherland of authors personally undiscovered, a will-o'the wosp who eluded me. She piqued my imagination. She of the intriguingly-beguiling persona - a mature person of the same generation as I, who had been blessed with the gift of verbally portraying people and events as they really were. I must meet her, I thought. She lives in Charlottesville, only about a 2-hour drive from my home in Fairfax.

Then, after the impetuosity of initial fascination wore off, I realized I am still in love with love. It would be best for us to never meet. What if a faux pas were to burst my bubble? I have found that the older one gets the more he or she needs a visionary shelter, a person who serves as an icon of one's dreams. That is the raison d'etre' of writers; to be the untouchable cloud in a heaven of imagination.

I recommend this vintage book to any and all, especially the current generation of "people of color."