Illinois Books

Marvelous. Should be required reading for all college and university students.

Much of our common knowledge of U.S. civil rights movement's history comes from books and films portraying the nationally known struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. This book tells a different story - the struggles of the largely African American activists who, working without the benefit of the national spotlight, sought to open up the closed society of Mississippi to equal treatment for its African American citizens. It was a tremendous and extremely dangerous task. Mississippi was the toughest nut to crack among the Southern states. It was the most impoverished state in the union, where subjugation of African Americans was strictly enforced through intimidation, violence, disenfranchisement, job firings and economic ruin. Any sympathetic whites who dared to even question Mississippi justice were financially ruined and all but run out of the state. In this seemingly impossible to change social, political, and economic climate, a movement of local Mississippi African Americans emerged, with the help of activists from other states, who challenged the situation head-on by attempting to empower African Americans through voter registration drives, by attempting to set up cooperatives in order to gain economic power, and through education. The emphasis was not so much on organizing for desegregation of public facilities as it was on changing the power structure of Mississippi, to enfranchise its African American citizens and gain for them political and economic justice. Working from the bottom up, these activists had few allies, were largely ignored by the national media, and faced life threatening dangers on a daily and nightly basis. Many were savagely beaten, shot at, and repeatedly jailed. Several were murdered. They persisted, working diligently and out of the spotlight. Local People details the successes and failures of these every day struggles, and by doing so, lifts this aspect of the movement from obscurity to its rightful place in history. Prof. Dittmer is a first-rate writer - this book is very hard to put down once you start reading it. What emerges is a portrait of some of the most courageous people in our nation's history, such as Fannie Lou Hamer, Amzie Moore, and Bob Moses, and the local people who responded to the activists efforts. Local People is essential reading for any true understanding of the civil rights movement.

In my opinion this work looks at the civil rights movement in a way that all historians shoud take note of. Dittmer's in-depth bottom up look at the way movements happen allows a deeper understanding of the incredible struggles that local Mississippians went through for a few small steps toward racial equality. It also knocks the national leaders (JFK, LBJ, MLK) off the pedestals that mainstream history has placed under them and shows the truly peripheral role that they played in the struggle.

If you have any interest in the civil rights movement in Mississippi, this is the work you should turn to. It has great depth and is written with an enthusiastic flair that is not often found in similar works. I echo the comment....you won't be able to put it down until the last page is read.

This was required reading for a graduate course in American history.

John Dittmer's Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi paints a portrait of one of the most horrendous acts committed in our nation's history. The torture and abuse the black population endured just to be able to vote was unimaginable. Black men from Mississippi fought for our country in World War II but they could not have a voice in who helped run our country. They remained disenfranchised in this state. White supremacy ran rampant in Mississippi for decades.

Trying to keep blacks from voting in the 1940's made headlines in the Jackson Daily News which read: "DON'T TRY IT!": "Don't attempt to participate in the Democratic primaries anywhere in Mississippi on July 2nd* Staying away from the polls on that date will be the best way to prevent unhealthy and unhappy results." (2) Senator Theodore "The Man" Bilbo played a major role in what became known as the "reign of terror" in trying to keep blacks from voting. Although a complaint was filed with the US Senate committee to Investigate Campaign Expenditures claiming Bilbo had something to do with ostracizing blacks he denied all charges of wrongdoing and was exonerated.

The state constitution had been set up in such a manner that made it almost impossible . for any black man or woman to be able to register to vote. The four main criteria were:

1. Prevent them from registering in the first place
2. Two year residency requirement
3. Two dollar poll tax
4. "Understanding clause" which stated that any prospective voter must be able to read any section of the constitution or as an alternative, be able to understand it when read to him, or to give" a reasonable interpretation of it". (6)

The vast majority of white Mississippians believed blacks should not vote. For four decades blacks struggled against forces of white supremacy with limited success. Most of the' power coming from the "Delta Aristocracy" dominated the state politically and economically for almost half the century (10).

Racial violence was a daily reality for blacks in Mississippi. The caste system that existed before World War II still lingered and remained well into the future, After the war black activism began. Efforts began to be made for voter registration. Organizations began to form in order to advance the black population into what should already be theirs, human rights. Many still held jobs associated with slavery. Jim Crow commanded the pace of life in Mississippi. "Keeping the Negro in his place" was the duty of every white citizen (20). The black vote was not progressing the way organizations like the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) wished it would. Three of the factors that accounted for the failure to register large numbers of black votes are as follows:

1. Tactics of intimidation
2. No on to vote for
3. Registration campaigns centered on the small black middle class

Organizations such as the NAACP and the RCNl (Regional Council of Negro leadership) were both working toward the same goal; however, their differences were more territorial than ideological. They had to remember that their common enemy was the same. Mississippi came to be in a class by itself. The philosophy of the white population came to be that it was "open season" on blacks. If any black man ever achieved anything or got
ahead in any way white supremacy out ranked him every time. Voting remained the main objective for blacks for many years. They continued to have many obstacles in which to overcome in order to just get registered. The state kept the difficult tests in place and violence was EVERYWHERE.

By the early 1960's outsiders began to infiltrate the state. Freedom rides began, college students began protesting in different ways, sit-ins and demonstrations started; and during this time President Kennedy's only goal was to avoid violence. Voter registration came to a standstill after the murder of Herbert Lee, a member of the Mississippi state legislature. His murder was sending a message to the black population which was standing up for your rights in southwest Mississippi could get you killed (109). Organizers came to the realization that no progress could be made unless someone was willing to die.

The activist decide to go to the Delta which was the most oppressed and poor area of Mississippi. There they find that the poorest people are the most willing to act because they have nothing to lose. Violence follows them everywhere but patience begins to subside with the black population and they start to fight back.

James Meredith applied to Ole Miss after serving in the military and enrolling in Jackson State in 1960. His main goal was to desegregate Ole Miss. After many appeals, Meredith was admitted and the governor, Ross Barnett, had been in secret negotiations with the Kennedy' son how to keep Ole Miss from becoming integrated. The Kennedy's had trusted Barnett to keep the peace with this matter; however, on September 30, 1962 the Ole Miss riot took place when Meredith entered Oxford with federal Marshalls. When it was over two men were dead and 160 marshals were injured (140).

Hunger, illiteracy and voting were concerns that needed to be addressed immediately. The SNCC(Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) forced the Kennedys to do what they did not want to do, to "be on somebody's side" (153). The black community became excited. They got involved. The Greenwood movement, as it was known, survived the repression it experienced and the SNCC workers returned to their projects once again. However, the federal indifference and the white narrow-mindedness did not put an end to the fight for civil rights. At the same time in Jackson they were getting ready for a campaign against segregated facilities and discriminatory employment practices. They were insisting on the use of courtesy titles, equality in hiring and promotion, and an end to Jim Crow practices (157). After gaining some momentum in their quest the NAACP decided to reverse their direction which is still unclear. In Jackson, the Kennedys' primary objective was to bring an end to violence, which meant getting black people off the streets. They preferred order to justice (169).

Violence, hunger, and hatred continued to ensue throughout the state. Pastors of black churches finally opened their doors to organizations so they would have somewhere to meet. Voting rights were still a primary goal. With more organizations in the middle of things conflicting strategies became a problem. They all wanted the same end result but the ideologies were not the same. Therefore, they each had a different opinion on how things should be done.

Willie Dillon a COFO (Council of Federated Organizations) participant and parent of children, who went to Freedom Schools, had his house bombed in McComb. The police blamed him and arrested him for operating a garage without a license. He pleaded guilty after intimidation and without the guidance of an attorney and was fired from his job. McComb's blacks were consistently bombed by the KKK, if the blacks were active. McComb's white leadership was silent. Black principals and ministers who had not been active in the COFO movement were bombed. Black residents went to the justice department, but to no avail. Eventually the government heard rumors of marshal law and white bombers were eventually arrested and the KKK terror stopped. The bombers were let off with a stern warning. With nationwide media watching, McComb desegregated for the cameras; but returned to the old way of life once the media was gone. Black activists decimated the Klan's authority and won some small battles; and some white moderate voices were beginning to be heard.

In 1964 COFO emerged as a powerful force in the election by trying to get blacks registered and voting. COFO was expanding. Some people returned to school. CORE(Congress of Racial Equality) and SNCC had low morale and few activists signed up in 1964. Women were discriminated against in SNCC as secretaries when they were qualified for much more. The Freedom Democratic Party would be an independent force, the successor to both COFO and SNCC.

Freedom Democrats contested the Mississippi elections of five House representatives. More than a third of the House membership voted to bar the Mississippi members. National publicity and lawyers came to Mississippi because of the contention. COFO and the NAACP could not agree on anything and were increasingly hostile towards each other. COFO was abolished and SNCC went under the FOP. SNCC activists were alienated from mainstream politics. White terror made it so blacks did not want to vote. Natchez was a town of the "Old South". Charles Evers emerged as that section of Mississippi's main leader and played the organizations against each other. The Natchez blacks demanded equality in the police force, government and business or the blacks would boycott white stores. FOP did not agree with Evers, but Evers won with popularity. He was cautious and did not march when the other organizations thought they should. Evers went against FOP thought and ended the boycott to white stores that had compromised. FOP was on the major decline, defeated in Natchez. FOP
money was running tight. New strategies would have to be employed.

In early April 1965 the Mississippi Freedom Labor Union (MFLU) and the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) were created to organize black farm and domestic workers in the Delta region. The MFLU efforts failed not only because the traditional hostility of white Mississippians toward all labor unions, but also because farm workers had no leverage to use against the planters. Efforts to form farmers cooperatives in the region barely made a dent in the problems of black unemployment and poverty. CDGM was one of the nation's pioneer Head Start programs, providing poor children with preschool training, medical care, and two hot meals a day. It also provided employment at decent wages for hundreds of local teachers and paraprofessionals at Head Start centers.

On June 4, 1966, James Meredith began his 220 mile walk from Memphis to Mississippi's state capital of Jackson to challenge the fear that was still dominant among black Mississippians and to convince them it was now safe to register and vote in the Magnolia State. On the second day, Meredith was shot, but while he was recuperating leaders of the national civil rights organizations continued the march. During the first week of the Meredith march there were few white hecklers. Local officials were eager to avoid incidents of violence and the march itself had an informal and relaxed quality. That all changed during the final ten days with familiar tactics of repression and mob violence; but it also became more militant as the ideological and philosophical divisions among its leaders became more apparent (395 & 396). When the march ended anticlimactically on June 26th, and the national civil rights leadership left the state - fighting over who would pay the march's bills - Mississippi was still segregated, black poverty was still getting worse, and local black Mississippians were still left to pick up the pieces.

SNCC as an organization had little impact on the Mississippi movement after 1966; it had become preoccupied with internal problems centering on the definition and implications of black power and it had voted to expel all whites from the organization in December 1966. The local people, who had been the backbone of the old COFO coalition and the Freedom Democratic Party (FOP), faced challenges from black and white political moderates. FOP leaders agreed that the 1967 state and local elections would make or break their party (410). In the face of urban race riots in the North, and calls for revolution among black nationalists, FOP continued to work within the political system and welcomed support from all people who identified with its theme of black empowerment. State legislative strategies conspired to dilute black voting strength(gerrymandering congressional districts, creating multimember legislative districts requiring at-large voting, and increased filing requirements for independent candidates); this, combined with black political infighting and white intimidation limited FOP's achievements (411-415).

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history, civil rights history.

The Longest Cave is a book which will hold you spellbound and wishing it would never end! Roger Brucker and "Red" Watson were young men 50 years ago when they first toured what was then known as Floyd Collin's Crystal Cave. This book is the story of how they and so many others dedicated days, months and years to seek out new passageways deep underground. In the case of Roger and Red, they dedicated decades and continue to work to preserve the very fragile cave environment.

This book has everything that you would want not only in a book but in a feature blockbuster movie! Adventure, Suspense, Humor, Friendship, Excitement, Discovery, Danger, and around every corner lurks the Unknown which would leave any movie-goer on the edge of their seat! All this without the gore and crime which seems to be the standard in so many books and movies today.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone of any age!!! What makes this even more amazing is that this is a true story.

What these men and women accomplished is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest in the DARK and without ever having seen a map of it! This is the American Dream of hard work, dedication, comraderie, and perseverance.

We have movies of Everest and Space Exploration and I look forward to the movie based on this book!
Without a doubt "The Longest Cave" will far surpass any movie on the above-mentioned topics.

Thanks Roger and Red for an AWESOME book!

This book is the best book I've ever came across! Outstanding adventure of how the World's Largest Cave System ever came about. The discoveries in this book are amazing! Suspence to the fullest! The people in this book who made this discovery should be noted as the best exploration team of all time! I can only amagine the feeling they got knowing they had made the biggest connection in cave history to this day. It would be almost impossible for anyone else to top the discovery in this book. An amazing adventure!! I couldn't stop reading this book over and over. The authors of this book should give the story to Hollywood to make into a motion picture. I could imagine this story making the best adventure movie of all time. Ron Howard or Steven Speilburg should be given a copy of this book! It would be a hit! I wish I had the full video tape of this expidition. National Geographic's short segment in "Mysteries Underground" was a tease. If anyone knows where or if there is such a tape, please post it! This is a must read if you like adventure to the fullest!

If you like adventure, if you like caves, if you like drama and suspense, or if you breath in and out regularly and have a pulse, you really ought to read this book. The story of the years it took to connect the Flint Ridge/Mammoth cave systems, it sweeps the reader into the wonderfully obsessive world of the Flint Ridge Cavers. A great book. Strongly reccomended.

I bought this book about 15 years ago while visiting Mammoth Cave National Park. I still enjoy rereading it from time to time. It is the sort of book one hates to see end.

The book narrates the history of the discovery that Kentucky's Flint Ridge-Mammoth Cave system of caves is by far the world's longest known series of continuously-connected caverns. The writers and their many cohorts are not only daring adventurers, but a collection of cavers who deeply appreciate the mystery, beauty and science of caves.

A very interesting part of the book is the well-developed character sketches of the many explorers, a good number of whom participated in parts of the long, arduous struggle to discover the connections between five different large caves so as to make them one.

The overriding star of the show is the cave system itself, and the book contains many facinating portions about the beauty, danger, wonder, and history of the things found there by explorers dating back to prehistoric Native Americans, forward.

After a frustrating series of events, including an initial startling lack of interest/resistance by National Park personnel, progress begins to be made in leaps and bounds. When the Ohio cavers find that the Flint Ridge system is the longest then know, an effort is taken up to connect it with Mammoth Cave.

In a spine-tingling narrative about going past the "Tight Spot", a very small passage, the cavers eventually make the connection by going down in Flint Ridge and emerging in a well-known Mammoth Cave tourist gallery. The sense of truiumph and relief is overwhelming and excellently captured.

My size and age prohibit me from doing the things described in this book, and I have never done them. But I was captivated from start to finish by the story of these brave, resourceful people and the cave system they explored and charted. It is as if I am there myself.

My only quibble is that the photographs are limited and in black and white, but the excellent descriptive writing overcomes this factor. I love the book. Very, very highly recommended.

Caves have been intertwined with Kentucky history since a man named Houchins chased a bear into Mammoth cave in the late 1700s. Later on, the valley north of Mammoth Cave was named after this early settler, and the ridge north of Houchins' Valley was called Flint Ridge. Starting in the early 1950s a group of cavers began a lifelong ambition of connecting the caves on the northern ridge (Flint Ridge) to the caves on the southern ridge (Mammoth Cave Ridge). Their goal was simple: To map the Longest Cave. This book covers that time. Along with 'The Caves Beyond' and 'Trapped', this book constitutes an informal trilogy about Mammoth Cave. It is a story of determination over hardship, of perseverence over fatigue, of triumph over nature. Roger Brucker and Red Watson write this book with the confidence of people that were there. From the very beginning, their influence on the project helped mold it into what it was to become. We see them age, from young men in their ealry twenties, to grizzled Flint Ridge veterans to seeing their children caving alongside them. There is a real sense of the passage of time here; people come, people go, the cave is eternal. Fiction should hope to be so true. Dominating all this is the cave. It is all pervading. Over three hundred miles of passage lies under their feet, and the reader fells as if he is crawling, climbing and squirming along with them. We feel the explorer's chill they wade through Hanson's Lost River, we feel their pain as they crawl through Agony Avenue. We satand alongside them as they are awed by the vastness and remoteness of Unknown Cave. Above all else, it is the story of the people who explore the cave. For fourty years, cavers have been gathering in Central Kentucky to explore this cave. To mankind, the cave is eternal. We may choos to protect it, we may, in our ignorance deface it. Either way, we live our lives by interacting with it. Or to put it in the books words: "That is where life is, that is where your friends are".

Read this b! ook.

This book was a very satisfying and rewarding experience for me. I would put this on my "must read" list if you have not done so.

This book is an incredible journey about the Episcopal Church and the history of our country through the eyes of a truly great disciple, Bishop Noble Powell.

Hein portrays the life of this Bishop in a wonderfully depicted, and accurate manner. He also reveals the discipleship of Powell and the incredible journeys it takes him on. This book is about "love in action". Bishop Powell takes on the "Great Commission" with great pride and passion his entire life. I loved this book and hope you are fortunate to glimpse into the life of Noble Powell, by David Hein.

I loved this book!! To me, someone not raised in the Episcopal church, this book told me so much not only about the twentieth-century history of this important mainline denomination but also about its ethos -- its distinctive approach to spirituality, which combines the mind and the conscience, not just the feelings. Episcopalianism focuses not simply on an emotional conversion experience but, as we see in Powell's life, a rhythm of prayer and praise, repentance and amendment of life, through the liturgical year and the sacraments. This biography is informative on such matters, and yet, what made it a delight to read was feeling the personality of Noble Powell as a constant, comforting presence on every page. The story is beautifully written and told by David Hein, and his choice of material for this book reflects an exquisite sensitivity to the important dimensions of a life lived "in Christ." I felt such admiration when I considered the extraordinary research effort that went into understanding Powell's life and the result produced in this wonderful biography. I hope the author will write more on the history of the Episcopal church.

This is an absolutely top-notch biography of an important (if heretofore little known) American Protestant leader. As Hein convincingly argues, Noble Powell was a representative figure who embodied the essential values of the religious "establishment" in the United States in the mid-twentieth century. I strongly recommend this book both to scholars and to ordinary readers interested in the evolving relationship between mainline Protestantism and American culture from 1920 to 1960.

Who needs to read about an Episcopal bishop who has been dead for 33
years? David Hein of Hood College in Frederick, Maryland persuades
us that anyone interested in the state of Christianity in America
today should know about Noble Cilley Powell, for two reasons: he was a
winsome, self-confident, compassionate leader who presided over a
church which attracted the faith of a generation emerging from the
Depression and World War II; and second, he represented a
turning-point in the role of mainline Protestantism. What Hein calls
"the Episcopal Establishment" had, at its best, a political
and social influence far beyond its numbers. Since his retirement on
Nov. 22, 1963-- the very day Kennedy was shot--the world changed and
so did the churches. In some ways this was a loss, in many ways a
gain, but it must be understood as a major shift. This
well-documented and clearly written biography shows that Noble Powell
represents the best of the old "establishment" and is a
gauge by which to measure what has changed.

This seemingly unassuming book is full of treasures to be discovered. David Hein's biography of Noble Cilley Powell, Episcopal Bishop of the diocese of Maryland from 1943 to 1963, presents so much more than an exact account of the life and works of a well-known and beloved Episcopal bishop. Hein's insightful and clear writing style is very effective at depicting the circumstances of the times in which Bishop Powell lived and how these shaped his character and his actions. The author also has been able to illustrate, through the testimonies of those who knew Bishop Powell at different stages of his life, how his noble and nurturing character influenced others inside and outside the church. But, for me the highest value of this biography is how Hein masterfully brought forth the connecting thread of Bishop Powell's life: a life signaled by love and friendship through Christ's love, or what Powell referred to as "love in action".

"A jolly, laughing lady," those are the opening words of the biography.
The closing words are:
"To be able to share what I have learned with others is a privilege and a joy. Has not this journey been an enviable inheritance in itself?"

In between those personal words, I got the chance to intimately share the life of Winnifred Eaton. Birchall opens the family vaults, secrets and intimacies; shares her deductions and her thoughts about Winnifred with me as reader; and writes in a zesty, tangy language that kept seducing me to read on and on.
The things I learned about the early filmindustry in Hollywood and the look behind the screens, are as fascinating as all the facts about the working conditions for women in the first half of the century in the USA

This biography by Birchall leads me to wonder and think about Winnifred as a human being and also about the culture and times that Winnifred went through in her life and tackled straight on, in her own inimitable style.
What more can a biography do?

Normally I am none too fond of biographies as genre. This one had me enthralled, qua content and style of writing.

Birchall's fascinating and beautifully written account of her grandmother's life is an important work for scholars in women's studies, Asian-American or American studies, Canlit, and the movie industry, and for the general reader seeking a compelling biography.

Other reviewers have mentioned Eaton/Watanna's background. I will stress instead the absorbing interest of Winnifred's successive reinventions of herself in societies that had no ready place for her. Like a brilliant slackrope walker with an increasingly awkward load, Winnifred managed to shift her balance not only to survive, but pulled off one tour de force after another. Her performances as a Japanese-American novelist, as a screenwriter and as a rancher doyenne would win applause from Daniel Defoe.

Eaton/Watanna has become a focal interest of American scholars in recent years. As her granddaughter, Birchall had informaitonal advantages in writing on her. Her graceful, well-considered book shows how glad we should be for Birchall's advantages.

I didn't mean to like Winnifred Eaton. After all, she was a bit of a fanfaronade and very much of a poseur, not at all the sort I wanted in my circle of intimates.

But Diana Birchall's sparkling biography changed my mind. Writing with unblinking honesty, Birchall describes the many lives that her chameleon grandmother lived, from journalist and novelist to story editor and screenwriter. Of most interest to me were the stories of her career as wife in two unconventional marriages and mother to four children. Birchall's graceful use of language is enhanced by her wit and intelligently ironic style. She concludes this delightful biography with the acknowledgment that sharing what she has learned about her grandmother has been a privilege and a joy. Surely it is no less a privilege and a joy for the reader.

In my library I have dozens of books inherited from my parents and my grandparents. We have been readers for several generations, and I grew up with many of these books. One of these books was a novel called "The Heart of Hyacinth" by an author mysteriously named Onoto Watanna. The author was unknown to me, but I thought the book was one of the most beautiful of all the books I'd inherited, with lovely Japanese-style illustrations and drawings.

But now I've had a chance to learn about the woman who lurked behind that exotic nom de plume. I learn she was not Japanese at all, but half Chinese and half English. Yet her true story seems to be as fully exotic as any of the character's lives from her books.

Diana Birchall has done a wonderful job of bringing her fascinating grandmother to life. The book give a wonderful look at a most unusual woman, and what life was like for young women at the turn of the last century. At least what life was like when the young women were as self-confident and gutsy as the young Winnifred Eaton.

"A jolly, laughing lady" are the first words of the bigraphy; the last ones are: "To be able to share what I have learned with others has been a privilege and a joy. Has not this journey been an enviable inheritance in itself?"

Inbetween these words Birchall indeed shares with the reader the life of Winnifred, in personal and intimate detail. Birchall also seduces the reader into not just reading, but thinking about the culture and times Winnifred faced in her own inimitable style, from her life in Canada as young girl down to the years of Hollywood.

Normally I am none too fond of biographies but this one enchanted me, by the content and by the style of Birchall's writing. Full of zest, lifely images and easy to read on and on. As non native reader I appreciated this very much; it was a joy and a privilege to share. Would that all biographies were such a good read!

This book is wonderful! I laughed, I cried, I felt the way the author must have felt at the time of the letters. The format of reading her (Corinne's) mail made this such a personal book. I am still with my husband, but have felt EVERY one of the authors' issues. The feeling of being alone at a party, The questions, the "looks". WOW...Thank you from the bottom of my heart ((*_*))

Reflections from a Woman Alone held me captive for several hours as the pages turned automatically. The style format varies from letters, to essays, to poems all held together by the skill of the writer as you walk down her path. As her life unfolds, after her husband's death, the reader experiences, the wit, the humor, the depth of loss, the loneliness, the angst, eventually leading to integration. Her learning is shared with the simple statement: "nothing outside yourself can save you; nothing outside yourself can bring you peace." This book passes on the author's miracle, a change in perception, ever so quietly and smoothly from her psyche to yours.

Good books don't make you work to read them. They just let themselves be picked up, and that's it, because they fill you with wisdom, grace and a better sense of what's important and why it should be cherished. This is a GOOD book!

This book was teriffic!!! I opened the package when I received it and could not put the book down until I had finished. Being a fairly recent widow, I identified with so much the author had to say. It really helped me to look at my status in a whole new light. I wish I could thank her personally for writing this book.

I could not put this book down. The author's candor and bittersweet approach to an often-ignored subject allowed me to travel within the pages as a kindred spirit. Corinne Edwards has a gift in transcending generations and gender to bring together the message of love for us all. Miracles abound within the pages. I would highly recommend this beautiful book to anyone seeking spiritual renewal.

This is a no nonsense book of some very devious people who were outlaws in morotcycle gangs serving self and their evil ways selling drugs, getting high, beating up people and just being real bad keeping up with the outlaw biker image. You'll learn of the gang initiations and the brutal nature of the biker gang if you upset them. Most were filled with an angry rage ready to unleash at any moment of provocation, which they did so frequently. Jail, prison, theft, hatred is just some of the personal anguish they experienced. Suddenly, these hard-core bikers come to an end point of total frustration and failure, even sickness and are saved by God, Jesus Christ, and tell about their rotten lives without God and how wonderful life is with the Lord. These men and women (and the girls were tough bikers, too) tell it all in a personal interview format. This is no small book and the cover and paper is of high gloss quality. If you want to know about bad people living in a bad life then this book can bring you face to face with these outlaw bikers who are now living for the Lord and are happy tell you their story! There are dozens of motorcycle pictures in this book with photos of the gang members and 263 pages of very interesting true crime reading. There are pages that reveal cruel tortures, so it's not a book for children. These are true stories by those who have commited crimes while operating inside the dark world of the outlaw biker lifestyle.

Remsberg's powerful and intimate photographs imbue his subjects with a dignity too often missing from studies of people living at the margins of society. Though Riders for God is worth the price for the photos alone (the Blessing of the Bikes is brilliant), it is much more than an art book. Remsberg elicits from his subjects the startling truths that belie the easy stereotypes conjured by the notion of Christian bikers. I found the powerful stories of redemption gripping and utterly unexpected. Rather than masking or exploiting their interior lives, Remsberg's photographs reveal. Remsberg's patience and gently prodding curiosity make him a wonderful guide connecting the reader with people generally regarded as marginal or simple. While he remains an outsider to the gang, he clearly gains their respect along with their candor.

This finely crafted book offers a fascinating look at a world that is doubly obscure: the mind-set and lifestyle of outlaw bikers and the world of religious extremists. Remsberg's photos are mesmerizing. And his text, which reveals these unique bikers in their own words, is equally compelling. Anyone with curiosity about human nature will be engrossed from the first page on.

This book takes an uncompromising view of people who simultaneously live at two extremes of society--the wildly liberal, almost anarchistic side, and the deeply religious. The photography is stunning in its ability to cut through what I would normally notice about a man or woman decked in leathers on a motorcycle--features such as hands (particularly hands,) faces, postures, etc. are brought to the surface by this talented documentary photographer. This is a book which will surprise and absorb anyone who pulls it off the shelf in your home.

This book gives a new perspective on the inner lives of motorcycle gangs and bikers. Excellent photographs coupled with first-person interviews give the reader an in-depth view of bikers who have given up the violent life for a shot at spiritual redemption. Remsberg talks to all kinds of 'scary' people and shows us their humanity. A great read.

This is one of the most AMAZING books I have ever read. Touching, heartfelt and gutsy! I have passed this book on to many friends and they have all had the same response. One of those books that changes your outlook on pretty much everything.

I have known Bob Muzikowski for three years now, and he never ceases to amaze me. Reading this book has been a revelation. If you're feeling cynical, or doubt that one man can make a difference in society, read this book. Muzikowski chronicles his life from a tough childhood to a self-destructive early adulthood through his current and permanent persona, a caring, compassionate person who genuinely wishes to spread goodwill. Hopefully, this story will inspire others to follow in Bob's footsteps, and love their neighbors. The narrative is alternately heartbreaking, hopeful, and humorous, but always honest. A seemingly endless parade of intriguing supporting "characters" add color and depth to Muzikowski's infectiously interesting vignettes. Rather than see the Keanu Reeves/Hollywood version, read the real thing. Pass it on!

I never knew Bob Muzikowski ... nor did I know of the book prior to last month (April 2004). However, I was fortunate enough to meet this amazingly honest, articulate, straight-shooting gentleman [yes ... gentleman] at a prayer breakfast in Albany, NY. After hearing him speak [him being the featured speaker] and hearing his story I simply needed to know more. I spent a little time researching Bob and was interested in reading the book.

OK ... now for the book review ...
DON'T READ THIS STORY if you are not interested in changing your heart and mind for a greater good. THE RIPPLE EFFECT will occur in your heart as you realize the full potential each and every one of us has to better the lives of others. HHHMMM ... isn't that what Jesus taught?
AND if you're an Evangelical Christian, the story will either motivate you INTO service for Him or it will refresh your walk and current service.
Either way ... this story is SO MUCH BIGGER than Bob and his boys. It's a glimpse of the ON-GOING ACTIONABLE LOVE AND COMPASSION for everyone associated with Bob and Tina ... and for you and I? It's fuel for our hearts ... raw honesty, compassion and love seen through very tough circumstances and people.

BOTTOM LINE ... this book is an example of what God can do when a heart is willing to be transformed.
PS: Check out the Chicago Hope Academy ... a school opening in 2004 that was built on the fire and determination of these folks.

When Bob Muzikowski and I sat across from each other on a plane ride last September, I mostly listened as he told his story. As publisher for Zondervan, I knew by the time we landed I'd be asking him if he was interested in telling this story in print! The world is hungry for stories about "everyday heros" with whom we can actually identify. Bob is a regular guy who, in spite of a rough and tumble first few decades of life, has found a way to live an extraordinary life. His story reads like a novel but the inspiration that drives him is compelling and accessible to all of us. This is a book that you will not be able to just read. You will most definately encourage your adolescent children to read it and you will talk about it with your colleagues and friends. Trust me...for what started as an idle conversation on a plane last September is now a wonderful book that in just over a month is being read by thousands.

Although Bob Muzikowski's book, "Safe at Home," is catagorized as an autobiography, it is so much more! This book is a real life story of THE Author's plan for one man. Bob Muzikowski has shown us how one man (and woman, Tina!) can make a difference when he chooses to please an Audience of One - the blessings of God on Bob Muzikowski's life have been multiplied exponentially to others! "Safe at Home" has been described as "inspiring," but Bob's story will only be truly inspiring if it generates a response from its readers; one that takes them out of their comfortable church pews and into the God-prescribed place that He wants them to be! "Batter Up!" The choice is yours: you can take the challenge as the designated hitter or warm the bench in the dugout!

Here is a bold and well-documented argument that the Abe Lincoln-Ann Rutledge romance was real and not the stuff of legend or outright fabrication. Walsh presents testimony from numerous persons who knew Lincoln and Rutledge. Although I don't accept every source Walsh uses, I find the cumulative impact of his research to be persuasive.

This was an excellent book regarding the story of Lincoln and Ann Rutledge! Logical and concise--well worth the read! And I like the fact it doesn't bash Mary Todd Lincoln. The two relationships were at different times with different Lincolns---apples and oranges!

The Abraham Lincoln/Ann Rutledge romance is once again being debated among historians; any who want to get to the source of the legend would do well to start here.
Walsh does not write histories, so much as stories about how history is written. He takes small but important moments in American history - Lincoln's fabled "Almanac murder trial," or the hanging of British spy Major Andre during the Revolutionary War - and methodically peels away the layers of revisionist history to give us an unvarnished look at the event through the eyes of those who experienced it. At the same time, he lets us see how layer upon layer of scholarly interpretation can muddy the waters of our past to the point that the truth is all but invisible. In "The Shadows Rise," he meticulously traces how Lincoln's chief 19th-century biographer, William Herndon, first heard eyewitness accounts that, while living in New Salem, young Lincoln fell in love with, and became engaged to, a lovely, bright and popular woman named Ann Rutledge. Tracing all existing accounts of former New Salemites, he puts together a convincing and warmly human portrait of Lincoln's first love, and of her tragic death. In all, more than 20 people who knew Lincoln and Rutledge in New Salem (the entire population of which was only around 100) testified the two were in love and engaged, but historians - often basing their opinions on other historians' analysis, rather than first-hand understanding of eyewitness testimony - have hotly debated the story since Herndon first went public with it shortly after Lincoln's death in 1865. The book succeeds in revealing a tender and telling chapter in young Lincoln's life, and in introducing us to a charming young woman it is difficult not to fall a little in love with yourself. Perhaps most importantly, it also shows how much confusion historians can cause when they spend too much time talking to each other, and not enough time listening to the real voices of the past. This is a marvelously readable book, equal parts history and detective story, that will have history buffs thinking about the past in some new and important ways.

This is a book that has been 50 years overdue. The book effectively destroys the unwarrented attack on Ann Rutledge by Mary Todd Lincoln's defenders. Walsh shows that not a single person in New Salem at the time denied the affair. It was only when the Randalls in the mid-20th century decided to become Mary Todd Lincoln's defence attorneys that there was even a question about Ann Rutledge's affair with Lincoln.

A question that has never been answered is why did it matter? Why did MTL's defenders feel it cast aspertions on MTL if Lincoln was involved with a woman four years before he even met her?

I HAVE BEEN A LINCOLN SCHOLAR ALL MY LIFE AND ALL THE EVIDENCE POINTS OUT THAT ANN WAS ABE'S TRUE LOVE.WHEN SHE DIED ON AUGUST 25,1835 PART OF LINCOLN WENT INTO THE GRAVE WITH ANN.SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL,KIND AND LOVING-THE TYPE OF WOMAN LINCOLN WANTED.I AM SURE THAT HE LOVED MARY,BUT THERE WAS ALWAYS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HIS HEART OF ANN RUTLEDGE.I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!GOD BLESS ANN AND ABE!!!!!!!

In my humble opinion, the history delineated in this writing should be taught in classrooms across America and beyond! I learned so much about the evolution of citizenship, religion in the USA, and music of all genres from this book. I was left feeling that I owe such a great debt to so many who suffered and sacrificed so much that I can enjoy life in this country. The privileges and the luxuries we bask in have deep roots enlivened by much blood, sweat and tears. So much was made clear, especially where it pertains to different music artists, their styles of delivery and their associations with other genres of artists.

I grew up loving both Rev. C. L. Franklin and Clara Ward. I was glad to learn that they loved each other, as Aretha Franklin also attests.

"Singing in a Strange Land" is very valuable as a sketch of this highly successful, complex legend. It was a compelling read that prompted me to read biographies of two of the most famous supporting characters, Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward. For chronicles of these I read, and highly recommend, "Got to Tell It", Jules Schwerin's unsparing bio of Mahalia and "How I Got Over", Willa Ward-Royster's portrait of her gifted sister Clara Ward. Besides the priceless info about Mahalia and Clara, these biographies provide further details about C. L. Indeed, one of the vignettes in "Got to Tell It" (a conversation between Mahalia and Aretha about C. L.'s alleged drug use) paints a portrait of C. L. that leads me to suspect that daughter Erma Franklin's cooperation with "Singing in a Strange Land" was possibly conditioned on Salvatore's silence on some matters. Notwithstanding details of C. L.'s life unavailable elsewhere, and whatever self-exposure a preacher betrays in his sermons, "Singing in a Strange Land"'s shortcoming is the reader is left in the dark about C. L.'s thoughts and feelings. This is not the author's fault as Salvatore repeatedly refers to C. L.'s reticence to speak about personal feelings -- particularly about his early life in the Jim Crow South. Accordingly the reader is forced to draw inferences about the man, many of which may be unflattering due to the minister's impious personal life (e.g., his wife's decision to leave the philanderer though it meant painful separation from four of her young children).

I enjoyed reading the book not only to hear about black history but to read about my daughter's history. Alyssa Ellan Smith who will be turning one on 1/4/05 will always have her history of her family in a book. Her grandmother Carl Ellan Kelley a remarkable woman who overcame many roadblocks in her life looks into Alyssa's eyes. Alyssa is a blessing to us but in an eerie feeling to look at Alyssa is to look at C.L. Franklin. From her eyes to her chin to the smile on her face she is an identical to her great-grandfather. We hold up pictures of the two and put them down in amazement. The book finally told the truth of Carl Ellan Kelley she was only a child who because of shame was raised by her grandparents who raised her to be a wonderful person. Thank you C.L. Franklin for giving us the gift of life our Grandmother and mother a woman who inspires me.

If you live in America, particularly its big cities, you need it. If you lived through any part of the 20th century, you need it. "Singing in a Strange Land..." is a timely witness of the life of Rev. C.L. Franklin as an intersection of many apparently unrelated roads. Most interestingly, it gives insight to a time before Rev. Franklin was thought of as "Aretha's daddy". It chronicles the era when she was "the Rev.'s singing little girl".

Aside from the strictly biographical aspects of this volume, there is much to reward those interested in subjects as diverse as the show business of gospel music, Detroit municipal politics, the civil-rights movement and even the growth of the Black community in Buffalo, NY! But, it it is a true pageturner, because Mr. Salvatore's writing never bores.

Now dear reader, I am no expert on literature or scholastic research, but like the man in the museum looking at a Picasso, " I know what I like". I like this effort by Mr. Salvatore, and I believe you will, too. Don't miss it!

Readers interested in both black church music and black history will relish Singing In A Strange Land: C.L. Franklin, The Black Church, And The Transformation Of America. More than just a biography of C.L. Franklin, Singing In A Strange Land uses Franklin's background to explore both African American religion and musical development in America. Salvatore spent eight years extensively researching, including interviewing Franklin's associates, to develop a winning biography which includes so much more than civil rights history alone.

In Slim's Table, Mitchell Duneier describes and analyzes social interactions among a culturally diverse group, based on his observations and interviews conducted with regulars of the traditional cafeteria "Valois" in Chicago. The customers are mainly older black men of the lower working class living in the nearby ghetto, but also include members of the white population, younger age groups, and members of the middle-class. Duneier shows that his impression of the black men's identity differs greatly from the negative stereo-typical image, but he also admits that his findings are not representative and, therefore, cannot be generalized.
Duneier divided the book into four parts, starting with observations on the micro level and ending with considerations in more general terms on the macro level. Part One, "The Caring Community", focuses on the social and emotional relationships between the regulars of the "Valois" cafeteria. Illustrated by a variety of examples, the reader receives an insight into how the value system of the black lower working class is shaped by a strong sense of tolerance, friendship, responsibility, and respect for others and themselves. Subsequently, Duneier points out the black men's attributive roles and images, then compares them to his own findings.
After a description of the "Valois" cafeteria and its significance for the regulars, Part Two, "The Moral Community", deals with the standard of respectability expressed by members of the black lower working class about their own class and the black middle and upper classes. The discussion includes the thesis that not only the economically successful members of the black middle and upper classes can function as role models but that the morality of the lower working class can be considered exemplary for the black youth as well.
Part Three, "Membership in Society", focuses on the position of the African American population in a white society. Referring to the particular setting of the "Valois", it is reported that the interactions between black regulars and members of other social groups, especially white people, seem to be free of any racial prejudices. Although it is obvious that these positive interracial relations at "Valois" do not reflect reality outside, inside they help both blacks and whites achieve a source of mutual respect, leading to a better feeling about themselves.
Finally, in Part Four, "You're White, He' Black, I'm a Sociologist: Who's Innocent?", Duneier asks who can be held responsible for the long-lasting negative image of African American men of the lower class. In this context, he refers to the innocence that members of the white population feel and express about their negative depictions. Moreover, he criticizes the superficial manner in which journalists, as well as sociologists, investigate and oversimplify the black culture.
Mitchell Duneier sees his book at the beginning of a new tradition which will portray the African American people in an appropriate and truthful way. His sensitive, respectful, and credible representation of the black male regulars at "Valois" as an exemplary community suggests the necessity of redefining the identity of the black ghetto-specific masculinity.

Whether its your major, for an intro class, or just for fun, everyone can walk away with something from this book. Its written well, and really makes you think about our society.

Whether its your major, for an intro class, or just for fun, everyone can walk away with something from this book. It written well, and really makes you think about our society.

Last spring I took a course from Mitchell entitled Urban Sociology at the University of California Santa Barbara. Mitchell would read us exerts from the book and I found it very intriguing. This summer I decided to purchase the book so I could have my very own copy, it's great! The men Mitchell writes about and talked about in class seem to be on my mind; these men are normal men, making the streets their home. I enjoyed their humor throughout the book and Mitchell's too. I highly recommend this book and highly respect Mitchell. I can't wait to read his other book entitled Streetwise.

I've read other sociological works on inner city residents and was invariably disturbed by the soulless way in which the subjects were portrayed. No doubt, the authors of those works would defend their method as being objective and showing rigor. However, at some level, the objectivity becomes stultifying and numbing.

Duneier cuts through all of this by portraying real people as human beings for whom he cares deeply. At the same time, he is able to pull back from the personal stories and draw conclusions that are intellectually sound. One feels a deep sense of pride in the men whose lives are profiled in Slim's Table and a lingering sense of regret that they seem to be a dying breed.

This book is the rare work that appeals in equal parts to the intellect and the soul.