Mississippi Books

This impressive, enjoyable volume represents an ambitious undertaking, as it chronicles the national history of the local kiddie shows that once thrived in every major American television market. Of course, an overview such as this has to cover a lot of ground within certain editorial limits, and various programs, individuals, and cities are dealt with summarily. Many of these subjects also deserve separate, in-depth book-length studies of their own, and perhaps other regional historians will tackle these specific topics in future volumes. However, you can't go wrong with HI THERE, BOYS AND GIRLS! -- the author does an expert, entertaining job of closely examining a form of local TV programming that has regrettably disappeared from the landscape.

Wow! Tim Hollis has created a one-of-a-kind gem. While researching local children's television programs, I stumbled upon this time capsule of lost, but loved local television hosts. A complete pleasure to read, "Hi There Boys and Girls!" makes you long for the days when Old West Sheriffs and Space Commanders ruled the local airwaves. I couldn't be happier with this lucky find.

Very few tv history books have looked at Local Kids shows as an important part of the genre'.Until now,Birmingham,Al.based kids tv historian:Tim Hollis takes a look at this forgoten aspect of tv history.In his second book:"Hi There!:Boys & Girls!".He covers the history of the many children's programs that have entertained and informed young viewers on many tv stations all over this country.

The book looks at the humble beginngs of kids programs from the latter days of radio.To the period before and following
WWII,when tv broadcasts were limited to the early evening hours.
To the first kids shows that were broadcast during the mid to late 1940's and then into the vintage period of local kids shows:The 1950's into the 1960's.

The story continues into the 1970's.As Mr.Hollis looks at the decline of local kids tv(Which was caused by three factions:The introduction of reruns of cartoons and filmed puppet adventure shows from overseas.Which took over the local

live kids shows timeslots,the complaints from parential pressure
groups and from station execs about certain kids tv comedy performers.Who objected to the humor that these biased censors felt were unacceptable to the young viewers and forced the per-
formers off the air and finally.The ruling by Peggy Charren's ACT and other censor groups to force broadcasters to stop using
their local kids tv hosts/performers from promoting questionable
sponsors on their shows and to create,produce and air educational kids tv shows to the speifications of the tv censors).

Some tv stations were able to weather the storm caused by
Mrs.Charren's ACT and continue to create,produce and air fun kids tv shows:WNEW TV Ch.5 continued to present The Bob McCallister Version of"Wonderama"well into the late 1970's,Chief
Traynor Halftown hosted a Saturday morning version of his popular musical/variety kids show on WFIL TV Ch.6 in Philly,Pa. right up to the end of the 20th century and WGN TV Ch.9 Chicago,
Ill.'s"Bozo Show"remained on the air until the circus closed down for good in the summer of 2001.

The era attempted a comeback in the 1980's with the de-
regulation by The Regan admin.Which allowed Broadcasters to do their own tv shows without any interference from the US Government and from Mrs.Charren.

Some kid tv performers of the past:Chuck McCann,"Casey Jones"(Roger Awsumb) and "Cousin Cliff"Holman were able to make a successful comeback during this time.

While "Hi There!:Boys & Girls"doesn't recall all of the local kids tv shows of the past.It does look back at the programs that were popular with many young people from all over the USA and takes a look at the creation,development and the
successful rapport that these many talented,creative and caring
performers and personalities had with their loyal fans and
studio audiences.

The book also has a bibliography ,listing it's research sources(I was one of the contributors of info about The NYC Kids TV Shows)and a collection of rare photos from the many local kids tv shows of the past.

For anyone,who wants to know more about their favorite local kids tv shows and relive the memories of spending time with:"Happy Herb",Carol Corbett,Sally Starr,Johnny Ginger,Chuck McCann,Paul Tripp,Sandy Becker,Cllelan("Axel")Card,"Officer"/"Police Chief Joe"Bolton,Herb Sheldon,"Bozo","Johnny Jellybean"(Bill Britten And Keith Hefner),"Uncle Joe"Bova,"Uncle Al"Lewis,"Skipper Frank"Herman,"Pandora", "Woodrow The Woodsman"(The Late Clay Conroy),"Harlow Hickenlooper"(Hal Fryer),"Chucko The Clown"(Charlie Runyon)"Andy Starr"(Bob Bell),"Skipper Chuck"Zink,"Capt.Jet"(Stan Sawyer,Joe Silver And Dal McKennon),Sonny Fox,"Carmen The Nurse"(Mary Davies),"Captain Allen"Swift,"The Merry Mailman"(Ray Heatherton)"Cousin Cliff"Holman,Soupy Sales,"DJ Kat"and Ray Forrest?

This is the one book to have this Christmas/Hanakah!

Bravo Tim!

(...)

I cannot understand the sort of reviewers who rush to point out tiny omissions in otherwise exhaustive studies, particularly in the area of popular culture. Some of them apparently are actually paid to do so, and in my view they have watched too much Watergate and Sixty Minutes. For example, Ira Gallen dug up all the old commercials he showed on his retro New York TV show; contrary to the general view, advertisers didn't keep the reels after the commercials ran, and in compiling his collections, Gallen was plowing new territory. Relative to, say, dinosaurs, radio and TV have only been with us for a short while and it's all been about making it up as you go along.

That TV broadcasting began as local programming, and then mostly in New York, is extremely significant but often overlooked by those looking backwards with modern lenses. Shows were owned by ad agencies and developed for sponsors, not networks. Jay Ward's Crusader Rabbit and cliff-hangers like Col. Bleep and Clutch Cargo were the only early TV cartoons before the syndication of Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies and Terrytoons and the entrance of William Hanna and Joe Barbera into TV 'toons with Ruff and Reddy.

Early TV carried over from radio and the triple reel style of the moviehouse, which would generally show a cartoon or short and newsreel along with the featured films. Live hosts were expected to pitch and endorse the sponsor's product and, whether clown, cowboy or cosmic captain, to intersperse the performance and patter with cartoons. The demise of the live host came when the few bad apples began to hold the studios for ransom. Execs soon realized they could order cartoons by the foot to fill the programming blocks. Eventually the insatiable appetite for cartoons ballooned Hanna- Barbera into a behemoth cartoon factory with shows running on all three networks, with a bust following that boom and a decline in quality in the 'seventies and 'eighties, only to be regained after the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the cartoon renaissance of the 'nineties.

TV now is like wallpaper that viewers can change at whim, and animation so ubiquitous, good, bad and ugly, viewed as it is as fodder for kids, or more recently, as an "extreme" way to jazz up overdone to death "adult" programming, that its freshness is nearly gone. The current audience expectation of endless entertainment served up in spoon-sized doses masks for instance, the amount of homework done by Paul Reubens in reviving for Pee-Wee's Playhouse the local feel of live host TV.

Opening with a brief history, Hollis follows with a discussion of shows in every state of the union. Bits may be missing, but the hosts I remember from growing up in Seattle-- J. P. Patches and Stan Boreson-- were among those present. More fascinating is reading about the hosts I didn't see, which cartoons they had in common and the like. Travel back, then, to the days of its inception, when local TV was the only game in town, with live hosts who cared about kids (and some who didn't) making it up as they went along.

This book was so much fun to read! I can't believe all the info Hollis was able to uncover. His passion for the subject of kids shows is obvious, as is his excellent and humorous writing style. The book is a must for every 'kid' over the age of 35 who grew up watching TV. All of us can find a pleasant memory or two here. It's fascinating to read about the origins of these shows, and sadly, their demise. There is something here for either the nostalgia or history buff.

An enjoyable read and journey down the river. Thought it was going to be a day to day river trip but was more. Almost put the book away after first few chapters but am glad I didn't . Enjoyed his look at life, himself and people along the river. Race added another dimension to a tough journey. But i was left with a good feeling when done. Nice life lessons scattered thru-out the book.

This book is a little tedious. Author seems to be caught up in making himself out to be a hero, whereas there is no deep contact with life; with other people. What strives to be insight seems shallow as the main character has rapid, passing interactions with dozens of people; would have you think that in 5 minutes one is able to sum up the character of a person or place. Reflections about self seem like overly self-focused ramblings.

A very relaxing read. Never before have I read a book of true life that was so well-paced and soothing. Harris writes as the river flows: gentle to rough, lucid to terse. With a great sense of personal respect to the reader, "Mississippi Solo" is ther perfect read for anyone who wants to take a vacation in the theatre of the mind. An excellent book for travellers and a must have summer read.

I bought this book to read on a business trip that involved cross country flights. Did not read it on the trip. Started it the night I got back and read half of it when I really should have been sleeping. Finished it the next night. He transforms and you want to see it happen. He has doubts about completing his trip and you want to see if he will finish it. He has his troubles and you want to see if they get worse. You want to know more about the people he meets. Sometimes he says twice things that he could say once, but it's ok because it moves along. There is some historical perspective, some thoughts on racism, not too much. I would have liked to know more about what he brought with him and what he really needed, but he's not that kind of outdoor guy. He says at the end that his back was never the same. Was there something he could have done to avoid that? He does not say. It's ultimately ok because he sticks to the narrative and that holds your interest.

I bought a copy of this book after my own canoe trip down the Mississippi. It was fascinating to compare the experiences of Mr. Harris to my own.

The writing is perceptive, insightful, and entertaining. His observations of the people he met along the river, and himself, come across as very honest. He doesn't portray himself as a hero or an expert, but as the person he really is. His dedication to completing the journey is tenuous, but his appreciation for the lasting value of the experience is sincere.

His perceptions on racial issues were objective and refreshing. Although he had preconceived notions on what he might encounter, (a black man in Nordic northern Minnesota and later in the Deep South) he judged people based on how they treated him, and the vast majority of people treated him with kindness and respect.

His descriptions of the river, towns, weather and scenery are also enjoyable, and the hardships and joys are described with equal eloquence.

I was impressed how such a greenhorn of an outdoorsman would have the boldness to tackle such an adventure. My only disappointment with the book is when he skipped some parts of the river. It was his journey to make, however, and he is honest about any shortcuts he took.

In short, this is a great book. It is worth reading to experience the journey vicariously and for the writing itself. You won't be disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of my hobbies is collecting Disney records, so this was perfect.

This book definetly brings back childhood memories for me.
I used to have a collection of Disneyland book and records.Plus I always wondered what Robie Lester and Lois Lane actually looked like.(And why they each had their own version of Tinker Bell's little bells.)

A must for any nostalgia buff!

The recording end of Walt Disney Productions hasn't really been given the short shrift--in 1997, R. Michael Murray put together a wonderful pricing guide for Disneyland and Buena Vista's musical output that fills in a lot of gaps left behind here. Still, authors Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar do a fine job at bringing forth the personalities and histories of many Disney singers who weren't usually credited on record labels, and these talents are worth re-discovering. Some of the basic information regarding certain albums is treated too blithely (and often, a description or detail seems wrong, as when they say Annette's first solo album was on the Disneyland label...it was if you count "Songs from Annette & The Walt Disney Serials", which wasn't an Annette album per se). And too often the authors write off an album's success by saying "million of copies were sold". How many millions? Did the record chart in Billboard? Did it spawn any singles? Apparently, 45rpm singles were the bane of the early recording industry, and the authors pretty much dismiss their importance; however, that doesn't excuse the omittance of chart information, even on some of the more popular titles. Did any of Annette's albums chart, and, if not, what kept the Disney brass interested in her as an albums artist? There is wonderful background information on unsung heroes such as Bob Grabeau, Teri York, Robie Lester and Ginny Tyler, but the writers couldn't come up with ANYthing substantial on the Sylte Sisters or the Vonnair Sisters? The early Disney recordings via the Hansen label, 78rpm artists like William Lava, the 'Zorro' records and 'The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh', are almost completely forgotten, which makes this NOT the definitive book on the subject. It's a nice beginning, how about a second volume?

This book was as I expected and brings back memories when I used to sell this product in my country and even had the many picture disc LPs issued with soundtracks from the Disney animated features like Snow White. I always like good books about record labels and their product. An unhappy experience was visiting the plant near Disney in Burbank where the records were produced/pressed. The plant was old and interesting but work contracted to them I placed never got done and money lost in 1978-79 and the lies from them and their lawyer were unbelieveable.

This book tells the story of Walt Disney Records, formerly known as Disneyland Records and Buena Vista Records. The record company is one aspect of the Disney empire that hasn't been extensively covered before, so there is a lot of information here that you probably haven't read before. The book does a very good job of telling the record company's story, giving credit to some talented people who deserve to be remembered. Disney fans should read this book.

All the kids were gone and I decided to grab a book and read. Well this is the perfect book for just relaxing and enjoying. The stories were so real that they just took me back to where he was.

It's pouring down rain outside and the house is empty except for the dog and myself. I grabbed this book and didn't stop until I closed the cover. Good passtime. The story is real and the people are personable. This is the kind of story that can take you back to the good ole days.

This is a wonderful book. It is a storyteller's book: handcrafted by the teller to reflect HIS story.

I've read critical comments about the book and Taulbert himself that belittle either or both because they do not decry segregation or prejudice enough. Such commentators miss the major point. I don't see how anyone can read about young Taulbert and the injustices he suffered silently without being outraged and moved to change things. The Mississippi Delta apartheid was not a society Taulbert chose, but one in which he was raised. His story is about his life, not politics per se.

I recently heard Taulbert speak. He is as impressive in person as he is as a youngster in this book.

You will be richer for reading this book. I gave it 4-stars only because it is not intellectual on the surface and in that regard may not fulfill a certain challenge some of us expect in a book. Nonetheless, read this book. It is really a wonderful read that takes you to a past and a geographic spot not often visited.

Clifton Taulbert gives me hope and inspiration as writer -- his words are so carefully crafted, his view of the world is sincere and filled with an uplifting vision. His vivid description leads me to believe that even in the midst of the chaos and destruction we now inhabit, humanity may yet find a path to a better world. He is a truly inspiring writer; this is a truly inspiring book!

Humans have the amazing ability to make any experience mean whatever we want to us. Wether or not an experience is positive or negative, real or imagined, is almost irrelevant to how we perceive that experience. In the book "When We Were Colored", the author proves this assertion. Despite a plethora of dehumanizing situations and experiences, Clifton Taulbert still manages to paint his childhood as a beautiful succession of events teaching him how to reach his dreams and succeed. That his upbringing served him well and Mr. Taulbert succeeded is clear. However, what is not discussed, but is painfully evident, is the real reason for his success. Although Mr. Taulbert's childhood gave him the tools he needed to succeed in life, the main way that it did so was by instructing him in how to be a "good Negroe", also referred to as an "Uncle Tom."

This is the kind of book I used to read in the summer lying on the porch swing. I welcome this book. It's under 300 pages. It's well-edited. It's thoughtful and nicely written.
It takes place in Mississippi in 1943.
It cuts across racial, economic, and political lines.
This is not just about the German prisoners captured in north Africa who are brought in to pick cotton. It is about all the people in this small rural area who, in one way or another, have been deeply affected by the war. Both touching and horrifying, if you allow yourself some introspection, you'll absorb the loneliness, enormous grief, and genuine simplicity of expectation.

I stumbled upon this novel accidentally while I was reading reviews here on Amazon, one of my favorite sources of good "unknowns." This story revolves around a POW camp for German prisoners in the southern U.S. during WWII, but the title really doesn't refer to these foreigners at all. Instead, the "prisoners" are the just-back-from-the-battlefield American soldier who's having difficulty keeping it together, the eager seventeen year old high school boy who isn't allowed to enlist until his 18th birthday, the boy's late father who committed suicide after struggling with his own WWI memories, the African American teenager who's evading the draft because he doesn't want to fight the white man's war, etc. An interesting way to look at war, neither pacifist nor militarist, just the story of how people's lives are impacted by conflict. Mr. Yarbrough's prose has a rhythm that takes a little getting used to, but ultimately a very satisfying read here.

This novel was a quiet pleasure to read. It took me a little while to figure it out, but Yarbrough is an extremely funny writer. He infuses what is a tale of difficult times and a troubling situation with easy wit. It's mostly character-driven. His characters speak with a natural, Southern grace, a sort of self-deprecating humor that also manages to be a tool for character development. Really well done. I think this is one of those books that is a lot better, and probably a lot more difficult to write, than you might think at first glance.

I'm glad to have learned about the POW camps in the South during WWII. I hadn't known about these before, but setting this novel in them allows for a complex examination of race in America. It's also a novel about partriatism, bravery or cowardice, and about how people betray the best and worse in their natures when challenged to do so. But again, Yarbrough doesn't beat you over the head with anything. There are very few cardboard good and bad characters here.

I picked this up because I noticed it was a Pen/Faulkner Award nominee. This is one instance when I was pleasantly surprised. Honestly, I've read most of the other PW nominees for 2004, but this one may be my favorite from that list.

Changes made through the eyes of both white and black doing the war in a small Mississippi town. German prisoners are brought to a small Mississippi town and the events that take place also open some of the eyes in town about black and white. Dan Timms a white man with the same job as L.C. Stevens a black man driving a converted bus that sells a little of this and that, a small store on the move. Dan Yearns also comes into the picture when he joins the army to run away from the memories of his fathers suicide. The book has many small town people and how their lives seem to be changing with the war and in their own home town. A very well written book on the feelings of the south and how events can change thinking along with actions. Larry Hobson -Author- The Day Of The Rose

The wreckage of armed conflict litters the landscape of fictional Loring, Mississippi, in Steve Yarbrough's courageous and cautionary, "Prisoners of War." The novel's title is an apt one, and German POW's are not the only people held captive by the ravages of war. Dan Timms, not quite eighteen and chomping at the bit for his own involvement in World War II, possesses an innocence which shields him not only from the pernicious impact the previous world war had on the town but also inhibits his understanding of the subtle, but pervasive corruption, rampant in his community. Timms' struggle for emotional independence stands in bleak contrast to the ubiquitous pessimism and despair elsewhere.

Yarbrough presents several provocative theses about human behavior in "Prisoners," the most interesting of which posits that people have long outlived the moment of their deaths. Many of Yarbrough's characters are examples of the "living dead," wounded souls going through the motions of life until a climactic moment extinguishes them forever. The belligerent racist, Frank Holder, exemplifies this quality. Angry, bewildered and resentful over his enlisted son's untimely death, Holder's need for vengeance against a nameless, unconquerable force, extinguishes whatever limited capabilities he had to function as a decent man.

Dan's father and uncle fall victim to the same disability, but present different symptoms. World War I devoured Jimmy Del Timms, Dan's father. Cynical, uncommunicative and numbed, Dan's father stumbles through post-traumatic stress and suffers a disintegrating family. Jimmy Del's brother, Alvin, has betrayed conscience and community with his actions; aware of his own decadence, Alvin shrugs his shoulders at his own stench and revels in his role as a war profiteer.

Yarbrough presents the debasement of personality in times of extreme stress as a corollary to his central thesis. Even the German POW's, whose presence as seemingly tractable field laborers mollifies the struggling cotton farmers of the area, display a corrosion of the spirit. They secretively and ineptly plan an escape and turn on one of their own when the plot is foiled. Dan's mother, Shirley, is a ruin as a consequence of her failed marriage and her own moral short-circuiting. His longstanding friend, Marty Stark, has returned from the front torn asunder by moral doubt and loss of ethical standards.

Despite the abundance of evil and indifference in "Prisoners of War," our capacities to endure and be good appear. L. C., Dan's African-American friend, suffers through a horrific beating, forgiving the perpetrator, understanding his "blues." But these illuminating moments of goodness are few and far between. Steve Yarbrough intent is to tear away the veneer of civilization that covers us and to show the true grain of our personality. His novel is a towering success, elegantly crafted, precisely detailed and psychologically valid.

In the year this book was published, one of the main subjects, Cleve McDowell, was murdered. Nadine Cohodas (Thank goodness!) had interviewed McDowell about his treatment at Ole Miss when he became the first African-American admitted there as a law student. Times were difficult, and McDowell was left with absolutely no protection from the Justice Department - on a campus where students still had guns from the James Meredith riot. This is a wonderful history of those moments and provides excellent insight into those times. More is on McDowell at http://uncivilrites.com

In the year this book was published, one of the main subjects, Cleve McDowell, was murdered. Nadine Cohodas (Thank goodness!) had interviewed McDowell about his treatment at Ole Miss when he became the first African-American admitted there as a law student. Times were difficult, and McDowell was left with absolutely no protection from the Justice Department - on a campus where students still had guns from the James Meredith riot. This is a wonderful history of those moments and provides excellent insight into those times. For those interested, I've placed more information on McDowell at http://uncivilrites.com

It is unfortunate that the defenders of white supremacy are panning this book, for it is an excellent review of the post-civil rights era. The author shows that the struggle for racial equality did not end with desegregation. As much as the neo-confederates would claim otherwise, the rebel flag is a symbol of white supremacy - if it was not, then the Dixecrats would not have adopted it in 1948 and the state of Georgia would not have put on their state flag in response to the Brown decision. Defenders of the rebel flag need to recognize those facts, just as they need to remember that Nathan Bedford Forrest massacred prisoners at Fort Pillow (which was corroborated by Confederate officers). That's the "heritage" they so proudly speak of, and Colonel Reb is just a a softer version of it. Read the book, look at the photos, and see for yourself.

As a Southerner, I have always had an awarness and pride in Ole Miss. I love the history, culture and traditions of the South and this university stands out with its southern pride and past reputation of excellence in higher education.
I wasn't aware of all the details of forced integration at Ole Miss. This book takes you through the history of the school reporting on race relations. The discussion on the most part is from the aspect of so called civil rights. This is a necessary view to an understanding but it is mostly a one sided view in the book. I'm not advocating segregation so don't go off there.
It is wrong to eliminate the southern culture of Ole Miss. The song Dixie, the proud Confederate spirit flag, rebel and Colonel mascot are a some of the reasons people love Ole Miss. If it was all so bad then why did people strive to attend. It is the southern traditions and spirit of the South which has strengthened the university. If political correctness is left to fester at Ole Miss then change the name to New Miss. It will no longer be the same great school.
It made me sick to read that Southern University changed their mascot General Nat some years ago. The mascot was named for the great General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Talk about fighting spirit. He was invited to speak at the Independent order of Pole-Beares(predecessor to the NAACP) in 1875. The first white invited to speak about civil rights to the group.
I could go on. Read this book for an understanding of Ole Miss but be sure it isn't the only one as your fed mostly so called civil rights propaganda. Readers need fair and more balanced views.
A friend told me when Ole Miss played a football game at the Independence bowl in Shreveport, La a few years ago the university band played Dixie and it was a thrill he won't forget. God, I hope I get to hear the band play Dixie someday.
Too much south bashing from a yankee lady author for me to rate over two stars.

I used this book as my primary information source during a recent History class research project on the James Meredith affair. Frankly, from reading it, I believe it to be one of the best nonfiction books I have ever encountered. Cohodas really did her homework on this one, and the detail evident the book shows how well she conducted her research. The other aspect of this winning combination is that she possesses a real ability for relating a story-- I have never been so captivated by a nonfiction piece. While part of this is due to the fact that the subject matter (the history of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)) is engrossing, it continues to amaze me that Cohodas has not been more prolific in her documentation of Southern politics, for she certainly does it better than anyone else I have read.

What an interesting look into the history of childbirth through the lens of birth stools as artifacts! I gobbled this book up- mostly because I believe that women have been short-changed in their modern birth experiences. A look back reveals that birth was a normal event, even a social event that was accompanied by female attendants and friends. Today, birth is practically, a medical emergency that entails isolation in a sterile room accompanied by mostly male doctors. Women are stronger than modernity realizes...this book proves that!

This book was a required reading for a program I am in and so otherwise I may never have picked it up. It is very intersting but at times a bit repetitious. I did enjoy the history of the birth chair and seeing how the birth chair itself evolved as childbirth did when it moved from the home with attendance by the neighborhood midwife to the care of a physician and eventually into the hospital. It is definitly not for light reading but very well researched and helpful for the student.

I couldn't get really into this book because as a labor and delivery nurse, I think I expected a less technical book. I do, however, think that for research papers or projects it would be an interesting and important reference book. For my interest though, I wasn't totally happy with it.... Nice piece of history with photos...Not an expecially interesting read from a purely recreational point of view...

You hardly expect that a type of furniture would tell direct stories about medical history and the relationship between the sexes and between doctors and patients through the ages. However, in a surprising book _Birth Chairs, Midwives, and Medicine_ (University Press of Mississippi) by Amanda Carson Banks, we get quite a lesson in history and medical sociology. Some of the lessons don't reflect well on medical practitioners or on societal choice at all.

This well-illustrated book shows birth chairs and stools from many cultures and times. They were low, about ten or thirteen inches, and they had a more or less straight back. They had the simple job of supporting the woman in a squat, a position that allowed her to brace her feet against the ground and that allowed gravity to help. They had a very narrow seat, or a seat that had a horseshoe-shaped cut out, to allow the midwife access to the birth canal and delivery. They came in many styles, because they were generally made or ordered by the midwives that owned them.

Because of the rise of the profession of medicine, and because obstetrics was a source of professional endeavor and income, chairs changed. The seats became higher, allowing the doctor an easier view and more room for manipulation. The attitude seemed to be that midwives could put up with back strain, but doctors wouldn't; it didn't matter that the position of squatting was eliminated, so that the woman could do less to brace herself during contractions. The chairs also became more gadget-ridden, with adjustable backs, seats, arms, and stirrups. The doctor would probably adjust these to his convenience. The innovations of gadgets on what were formerly simple stools started to include chair backs that could descend to the horizontal, making the lithotomy position an option. Increasingly, birth chairs became more like operating tables, and the role of the woman centrally involved became less important than the duties of those conducting the delivery. Birth chairs came into fashion again with the rise of the women's rights movement, but doctors only grudgingly accepted them.

This is a lot of medical history for the lowly birth chair to bear, but Banks has written a thought-provoking summary of just how societies have regarded birth chairs and midwives, and how we got to the current era of continued medical intervention in labor and delivery. To her credit, she has written a history rather than a polemic, but the history cannot help but question whether abandoning birth chairs has been good for mothers or their babies.

This book provides a very interesting and informative detail of the history of birth culture in America as discovered through the study of birth chairs. In incluedes intriguing pictorial documentations of birth chairs and how they evolved into the modern maternity beds in use today.

Byron Curtis is a well-prepared kayaker who paddles down much of the Mississippi. Other than the scale of the trip, he takes few risks. And since he rarely gets out of his boat, and never for any length of time, he relates few interesting experiences. The terrorist attacks which happened while he was on his trip could have provided something to write about, especially later in his trip when people seem increasingly suspicious of him. However, he never explores this or any topic in depth here.

Someone may find the campsite coordinates and packing list useful, however that content itself doesn't seem like enough to justify a full-length book.

If your interested in a Mississippi River trip, Byron Curtis certainly
lends a hand with his book "Bluffs to Bayous". A very good armchair adventure or a motivator to plan your own river trip.

A real life saga of one man's journey down the "Mighty Mississippi". A confirmed river rat, he brings to life the joys and dangers of his solo expedition. Byron did a great job in carrying you along with him every step of the way. I found my heart pounding, muscles aching, stomach cramping but also excited, awed and lifted in spirit. Definitely a must read and would make a great gift for the adventuresome spirit.

This would be a great read for book clubs! The author does a nice job of providing a frank, honest perspective on not only life on the Mississipi, but the personal struggles he faces as well. The narrative style of the journal leaves you peeking around each bend and cautiously navigating through the thick fog right with Curtis. In our fast-paced, rush to get-ahead world, it was refreshing to read about someone who took the time to do something he always wanted to.

This book provides an excellent guide to the Mississippi River, and I liked the list of supplies at the end as well as the daily lat/longs indicating his starting locations. The story itself is a quick read, not very deep, but more of a narrative of simple experiences that occurred on the trip.

I would suggest the book for anybody preparing to canoe or kayak the Mississippi, but not for anybody looking to get a deeper meaning of life on the river.

I agree with the other reviewer in that the lack of color is a huge detriment to an otherwise pretty good book. I grew up in the 1960s and the family traveled to South Florida every year...I mostly remember the Sunshine State amd its attractions to be big and really colorful. Most of the photograghy in this book seems shrunk down and lacks detail. Countless times I found myself squinting and wishing the photos were bigger and in color. The book is informative and there are plenty of illustrations, but alas just "OK" because of all that darn B&W.

This is an excellent resource of information on old roadside attractions but what a disappointment the visuals are. Half of the fun is seeing these places in color yet except for an 8 page section in the center all the rest of the book is small b/w photos of things you know had to be from color sources. It spoils an otherwise excellent resource.

Tim Hollis has done a great job of showcasing the unique, quirky, and sometimes down right bizarre, attractions of the South. I, too, am a Southerner and I miss the days when Gulf Shores was not more than a few cottages on the beach. I enjoyed reading about the places I remember and the ones I never knew. This writer has done a wonderful service by perserving the memories of a bygone era.

To those of us unfortunate enough not to have been alive during the period this book encapsulates, Hollis brings it to life with this thoroughly well researched tome regarding the roadside attractions that littered the South before the Disney Corp came to central Florida.

Pre Disney, pre interstate, pre most things, some of the attractions are cute, some look awful and other just downright bizarre. I wholeheartedly recommed this book for adult readers of any age.

Tim Hollis' book is an entertaining, informative, and evocative tour of the glory days of tourism in the South -- mostly before the arrival of the interstate highway system, but certainly, as the title suggests, before the opening of Walt Disney World in 1965 changed the nature of vacations. A veteran of many of the roads and roadside stops pictured here, Hollis has a real feel ... and a real affection ... for his topic. In these hip days, when so many writers feel the need to ridicule or treat with arched eyebrow anything less sophisticated and post-modern than *right now,* it's very pleasant to read a book about popular culture and "commercial archaeology" that's not encrusted in irony.

This book is also a celebration of Southern culture, especially that part of Southern culture that developed in order to separate visiting Yankees from their money. For, as Hollis notes, it was the arrival in the South of northern vacationers seeking warmer weather that prompted the birth and growth of the attractions listed here. It also promoted a number of important, and lasting, businesses. Among the companies born in the South to capitalize on the tourist trade, KFC (of course), Popeye's Chicken, Long John Silver, Red Lobster, Burger King, Hardee's, and Holiday Inn are just some of the more recognizable names.

From water parks to Wild West shows, Cypress Gardens to Stone Mountain, Dogpatch USA and the Grand Ole Opry to Stuckey's and countless attractions now nearly forgotten, this book is a great nostalgia ride through a largely vanished time. If you were fortunate enough to have seen that time, this book may bring back some happy memories. And if this is your first time through you may find yourself wondering what you're missing as you cruise in air-conditioned comfort on the soulless interstate.

Greg Chenu has put forth a tome that contains very well-crafted sentences about his adventures on the Mississippi. Along the way, the author's sensitive side comes through often in his description of people and things. He reminds me of Emerson, Thoreau, and Twain, not to mention Kerouac. This book will touch you as it has touched me. We rarely find writers willing to be as vulnerable in his or her writing, and in Greg Chenu, we have one. I only hope he puts out a second book of stories.

I didn't know, nor realize, some of the things that go on along the Mississippi, Never really cared would be a good guess. Very interesting book on 'survival'....Locating the proper wood for the seats, and the ensuing business with the Amish, was very well written, and thoroughly educational while being amusing. Good job, Greg Chenu. Keep writing!

Rick

This book is a must read. This book will mesmerize you. The author descriptions are so clear and detailed you find yourself hanging on every word.

What a delight this book is! It is a quick and enjoyable read - beautifully written. A great book club book.

If you ever wondered what it would be like to trace the steps of Mark Twain or Huckleberry Finn this is your chance. This author uses words to paint a picture that is as clear as a if you were there in person. I enjoyed every page.