North Carolina Books

Enjoyed reading about Flora Macdonald. Wonderful period in history and this part of it well presented. Wish the author had more books on the subject.

The author of this book does such a wonderful job.
You should buy it!

Any of Roy's books are awesome for woodworkers who know how to read. Oh sure, you love Norm and his $8000 drum sander, but if you truly want to learn how to work with wood with nothing more than the bare essentials, then pick up this book as well as all the other books Roy has written. Otherwise, just buy all the garbage books about "How to Master a Biscuit Joiner" or "Setting up a Leigh Dovetail Jig". Just make sure you add a box of 80 grit sandpaper for your random orbital sander to your order.

If I were trapped on the proverbial desert island, there is no question which book I'd bring... because with Roy Underhill's book, to paraphrase the master himself: you begin with a tree and an ax and you end up with a house and everything in it. Nobody does it better in wood, and this is another fantastic and inspiring book, like his others. I bought this book for my husband. After it arrived, I skimmed through, and ended up reading the whole thing, cover-to-cover... Roy Underhill's writing style is so addicting, you can't put the books down. And if you are lucky enough to live in a place where trees grow, you MUST own this book... all of his books. We live in the desert... no trees here... but we are both so inspired by these ideas that we are movng to a place where trees grow. If you know anyone who loves working with wood, begin getting these books for that person. Get them all. Do it as soon as possible.

Excellent information about healing, herbs, and African American midwives in the antebellum period. Highly recommended for readers interested in health, birthing, and midwives in the African American community during that time. Unexpectedly, also great art!

So many people attribute African American healing to other cultures, particularly European Americans or Native Americans. While there were bound to be cultural sharing, Professor Sharla Fett makes it perfectly clear that enslaved Africans brought their own wisdom with them concerning farming and healing, as well as certain medicinal plants, with them to the Americas during the Middle Passage. "Working Cures" is an outstanding contribution to understanding distinctly American contributions to healing made by African Americans. Fett also presents the history of conjure, root doctoring, midwifery and a great deal more as it relates to medicine and healing in the African American community. Fett also illustrates the mind/body/spirit, holistic approach of African healing employed by African Americans. "Working Cures" is essential reading for those interested in learning the unique aspects of African American healing in the United States.

This is an informative (and nicely written) look at 19th century American literature in terms of the ways it understands the ideas of deafness and hearing. The theoretical matrix of DuBois's color line may be less necessary and less useful here than the social historicist theory Krentz is developing as a base for reading both deaf and non-deaf authors in their negotiations of the imaginative--and perhaps the real--space of deafness. May be engaging to anyone appreciating American literature and/or interested in concepts of deafness, as well as to academics in these and related fields.

This is an original and provocative book. Addressing W. E. B. DuBois's concept of "the color line" in the 20th century, Krentz argues that 19th century American literature grappled with a "hearing line," i.e. a contested boundary between hearingness (the author's coinage) and deafness. He examines how this hearing line appears in work by deaf authors and also in the canonical authors of the century. The readings of Melville, Twain, Cooper, and others open new perspectives on their works that should be of interest to anyone concerned with the construction of American identity. The deaf authors included are contextualized in their literary and social locations as they articulate a deaf "I" or "we."

Throughout the work, Krentz engages current literary theory on gender, race, class, and colonialism. Deaf American culture intersects with these theories, but also presents challenges to them. The similarities and differences between deaf experience(s) and those of other oppressed groups deserve serious thought by anyone interested in the dynamics of self-definition for oppressed groups. Krentz emphasizes the positive sense of deaf identity and community that emerged in the 19th century, as authors responded to the complexities of American identity at that time.

I have read (and reviewed on Amazon) quite a number of the McFarland regimental histories, and have found just about all of them fascinating pieces of detailed historical scholarship. Without disparaging the best of them for a moment, this book on the "Two Horse" brings the series to another level: the depth of scholarship and the comprehensiveness of the material brought forth for the reader are beyond just about anything I'm familiar with in this field. Not only does Roger Harrell relate every major and minor action the unit was involved in (even those they didn't actively participate in, like Fredericksburg), he's also placed the 2nd in context to events around them. He's consulted all the different source materials available, and has included many excerpts from cavalrymen's letters and diaries. The book is a wonderful achievement.

Interestingly, just about all the authors in this series have expressed a personal interest in the regiments they wrote about when they learned that a relative had fought with the unit. Harrell is no exception. The 2nd Carolina Cavalry got off to a disastrous beginning. Formed in the summer of 1861, trained at Camp Clark near Kittrell Springs, it saw it's first major action at New Bern, NC, in March 1862. After a disorderly retreat from there and what was perceived as cowardly behavior a month later at Gillett's Farm, some thought the regiment so incompetent that they wanted it disbanded. Instead, it regrouped and began a gradual ascension to respectability and finally very high regard. How the regiment achieved this hard-won acclaim is Harrell's major concern in the book.

Most cavalry units in the Civil War were involved in small skirmishes or in shielding the movement of the army entering or leaving a large battle. Often they did not participate in these larger battles. Harrell is concerned, however, with the small fights and details them with care, trying to illustrate how they fit into the larger scheme of things. He is also interested in the day-to-day trials and tribulations of the common soldier, his worries about food, the weather, death and disease, and boredom, too, and, of course, the loneliness of being away from home and family. Harrell does a magnificent job of dealing with all of this. My only concern is that some might find the amount of detailed information presented by Harrell overbearing, which would be a shame. There IS a lot of minutiae here, but anyone truly interested in not only the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry but of cavalry units in general and their role in the eastern theatre of the Civil War, will find much to appreciate in this excellent book.

Excellent research material. Well organized and of much benefit for those who are looking for ancestors who owned land in early Rowan County of North Carolina.

As new transplants to the Triangle area, we bought this map to keep in the car and the 4th Edition Street Map book to keep at home. It is easy to use and even had our new street on it (which I can't say for any of the online map services). Has an inset map of downtown Durham, but not downtown Chapel Hill. A little big for use in the car, but that's necessary for the amount of coverage and detail provided. Overall, highly recommended.

Compiled and written by Albert E. Sanders, Additions To The Pleistocene Mammal Faunas Of South Carolina, North Carolina, And Georgia is a scholarly and specialized paleontology study that systematically analyzes several dozen mammal specimens. Black-and-white photographs of fossilized evidence combine with a meticulously detailed text to make Additions To The Pleistocene Mammal Faunas Of South Carolina, North Carolina, And Georgia a welcome addition to Paleontology Studies reference shelves and reading list.

Mia Dery's Adventure Guide To The Triangle refers to North Carolina's Triangle area, who enjoy a range of outdoor activities from mountain and road biking to hiking and sea kayaking. Visitors and residents alike will find plenty of sports and outdoors-oriented suggestions, including clear directions and line maps for locating the area, difficulty ratings, and reviews of back roads and byways.

The Adventures of Molly Whuppie and Other Appalachian Folktales is a collection of brief yet enjoyable tales blending the spirit of traditional Appalachian folklore with modern-day awareness. Featuring an extroverted young girl named Molly Whuppie, the stories include encounters with witches, giants, an ogre who refuses to do housework, cornbread-baking mice, unwanted boyfriends, Molly's sisters, and even the Appalachian hero Jack. A handful of simple black-and-white illustrations enhance this rip-roaring fun storybook with a brave and clever heroine. Especially recommended for young girls.