Tennessee Books

I cannot say enough good things about this book! As a living history interpreter I am always researching the daily lives of women in order to make my presentations as accurate as possible. This book not only gave me insight as to what colonial women were reading, but also where they were getting their books and how these books fit into their education. Some readers may be disappointed to find that this book deals with upper class women. However, one must keep in mind the high illiteracy rate of lower classes and the expense of books in the colonial period.

This book is a treasure chest of diary and period book excerpts that will hold your attention and keep you turning page after page until the late hours! Five stars and thumbs up!

This was a great book telling how the laws prejudeces i reccomend it to anybody interested in the truth.

This book is ideal for quickly identifying a bird while it is in front of you. It has photos, not drawings, which I like, for authenticity. The book also discusses migratory patterns which are helpful for the area of the U.S. in which I live. Good value for the money.

This book is the story of a Confederate lower-ranking soldier's wartime experiences during the Civil War. Watkins wrote this a considerable time after the war, and he admits that some of his memories may have faded, some of his facts may be wrong, because after all, what he is really serving up is a private's perspective of great events, which tend to focus on remarkably different issues than a general or a historian might relate--often a worm's eye view of things.

In reality, Watkins is too modest, because this book is a sensitive, gritty, honest, and insightful look at the experiences of a Confederate soldier who participated in some of the heaviest fighting of the Civil War, or indeed American history. Without saying so, we learn that Watkins and his fellow Confederates were not fighting to preserve slavery and very few of them could have cared less about the issue. While this was undoubtedly the underlying cause of the Civil War (the slavery issue) the Confederate rank and file did not see it that way--they were fighting for what they believed was their right of self-government--"Southern Rights." And in the end, they believed they were fighting for their homes. This comes shining through Watkins' memoirs.

Watkins' writing features a whimsical humor combined with a gritty authenticity that in my opinion gives a truly valuable insight into the daily life and wartime experiences of a real fighting man. We've all read about the high casualty rates in the Civil War infantry. Watkins lived with this fact, and his various accounts of men fighting and dying to his right and left, day after day, indeed year after year, drive home the fact that this was a deadly struggle, and a catastrophe for those caught up in it. Watkins' matter-of-fact descriptions of his battles, his encounters with many other aspects of the war (the horrible situations in some of the hospitals, for example), and many other things make this book not only a pleasure to read, but a valuable contribution to history.

Ken Burns' "The Civil War" drew heavily on Watkins' book, and rightly so. Watkins' memoirs provide wonderful insight not only about what the war was like, but also what the Confederate soldier was like.

When one thinks of the Civil War one does not immediately think of the hospitals and the myriad of problems associated with them. This extremely well researched and documented book goes into fascinating detail of the people, the problems and how they worked to overcome problems of shortages, constantly moving with the tide of battle campaigns and organization in times of limited communication. This is an extremely important look at a subject that gets far less attention than it deserves.
Hugh T. Harrington
author of: "Civil War Milledgeville, Tales From the Confederate Capital of Georgia," "Remembering Milledgeville, Historic Tales From Georgia's Antebellum Capital" and "More Milledgeville Memories."

This is a very interesting primary source for people curious about the role New York City played in the Civil War. With interest in the rich military history of Governors Island on the rise, the fact that Edward Drummond was imprisoned in Castle Williams should hopefully draw readers to this book. The book is a testimony to the fact that POWs were treated in a reasonably humane manner early in the war when exchanges were still possible. The editor examines some of the theories about the crass attitude of the higher-ups which led to the development of what eventually amounted to death camps like Andersonville. The book also captures the brother vs. brother nature of the Civil War that accounts for much of the sentimental attachment to its study. The editor, curator of the Military History Institute at Carlisle, PA, knows how to tie primary sources together. This book is an example of why it's so important to preserve journals and correspondence that have historical value. It's to the credit of southerners that they have a tradition of this kind of preservation.

This aproximately 90 minute play for 1 actor portaying Tennesee Williams is based on the interviews with this famous writer that appeared in the book The Ultimate Seduction. In this play Mr. Willians, responding to questions from offstage, recounts his career, his successes and his failures.

Looking at the CIA, FBI, and the NSA, Smist examines how the relationship between these agencies and the Congress has evolved in the 1947-94 time period. A former CIA officer, Smist has insights into intelligence that only an A-list insider could hope to possess.

I loved this book, it had opened me up to a whole new genre of books that i just can't seem to get enough of. This book had a good mixture of love and excitment this is a really good books for ages 12-17.

This is a great book and a great study of a pacific island culture. Great book!