Arkansas Books

Divided Power: The Presidency, Congress, And The Formation Of American Foreign Policy edited by Donald R. Kelly (Professor of Political Science at Fulbright Institute of International Relations at the University of Arkansas), is an informed and informative collection of scholarly essays written in strict pertinence to the everlasting debate of legislative and executive power in foreign policies, and which branch retains more power. As each of the eight contributors' individual essay delve deeper into the questionability of the issue, Divided Power leaves the reader with a personal question of understanding of pertinent political science issues and national debates. As a well-researched, deftly written study, Divided Power is a strongly recommended book for political science students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject of American foreign policy.

I met some of the fellows starting this comprehensive project in Arkansas and wondered what had ever come of it. Taub takes a very balanced and deep look full of useful lessons, insights, and analyses that would help anyone in economic and community development...I learned quite a bit and have worked with many of the programs Taub looks at in my own state. Taub's genuinely trying to find what worked, what didn't, and why rather than either praise or blame and spends a lot of time interviewing recipients of the services and other parties rather than just program directors, making a much richer look.

It was enjoyable read. I learnt so much about this obscure region of Africa. I look forward to more books by the same author and on similar subjects.

Outdoor cooking was a necessity for colonists newly arrived on America's wilderness shores, pioneers moving west, cowboys working the range, sheep herders up in the hills, buffalo hunters out on the prairie, and anyone else who found themselves far from the villages, towns, and cities of a growing American populace. These folk needed something portable to cook their food in. Iron casters solved their problem with a metal cooking vessel particular suited to cabins, campfires, wagon trains, camping trails, and chuck wagons -- they called it the "Dutch Oven". John G. Ragsdale is an expert on the development, care, and use of Dutch ovens, and in Dutch Oven Chronicled: Their Use In The United States, he lays out a thoroughly "reader friendly" account of the technological advancements that resulted in the creation and wide spread use of this particular cooking vessel. This 112-page condensed history is nicely enhanced with 9 illustrations and 24 b/w photos, several Dutch Oven recipes, observations and recommendations based on the author's personal familiarity with the use of these ovens. Dutch Ovens Chronicled is an informed and informative work that is commended for outdoor cooking enthusiasts, American history buffs in general, and those interested in the culinary history of the United States frontier in particular.

For a poetry buff, I found this work to be quite surprising. The poems were natural and beautiful. Heartfelt.

Sit down in your garden and read this one aloud to yourself. Dannye's voice is both sharp and subtle, laced with the soft, sweet pain of yesterdays that can't be retrieved. And her wry interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve gives fresh perspective to the genesis of tension--sexual and otherwise--between woman and man.

This is one of the best novel that I have read. A very clean and entertaining book. It portrays life in the early 50's in the Arkansas hills.

Ellie Mae is an adorable, impulsive and fun loving Christain girl with a brother named Garrett, who is a typical teenager, active and full of mischief and games.

Their lives are filled with much excitement, such as, rounding up hogs and repairing pigpens in a blinding rainstorms, etc. Then a time when a young handsome minister, Trent Gibson, arrives on the scene, adding chaos and an emotional turmoil.

She comes face to face with carnal passion and true love. How will she cope? Her daily prayers pay off.

Davis shows that Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is not just a celebratory chronicle of Persian monarchy, but an examination of the relationship and duties between ruler and ruled. My first encounter with the Shahnameh was in high school where I was informed that the story of Rostam and Sohrab indicates an Iranian penchant for treachery. A Viking romance with essentially the same story somehow does not indicate the same for Norwegians.

It is hoped that Epic & Sedition will bring more attention to this great piece of world literature or at the very least dispell some of the more extreme Orientalist analyses of the poem.

The book Epperson vs. Arkansas: The Second Monkey Trial is a wonderfully insightful and factually correct book. But above that, Thorndike adds his own style, one above all else. I urge all to buy this book as it is concise, direct, research-oriented and poignant. Run, don't walk, to get this one!

Elizabeth Hadaway's debut is a stunning one, aptly named, as all of these poems seem to be made of fire. She is audacious, but her ability to turn any sort of rancor into a contained rhythm always sees her through. One clear thread running through Fire Baton is the necessity of telling these stories--the plain and real need to set the record straight. In "Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Car, of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona," Hadaway risks tackling a major icon, and succeeds. Although she finds inspiration in artists as varied as Berryman, Shelley, and INXS, Hadaway's strange and remarkable ability to craft these poems is all hers. Lines like "The crunch of bones is what religion thrives on," or "The world is made of math, at which I suck" never fail to delight, and there are plenty of them. Nothing escapes Hadaway's razor-keen vision. We are lucky for it.