Pennsylvania Books

I didn't know a thing about Conrad Richter when I started reading this book. I had read and enjoyed his book, "The Light in the Forest" when I was a kid, and I knew he had lived in New Mexico, my home state, but I had no idea of the interesting life he lived, of the unusual theories that haunted his work, of the hardships he experienced from the Great Depression and from his wife's ill health, of his fear and anxieties over speaking and being in public, or of the great significance of his novels.
This book filled me in.
This is a book that expertly portrays a human life, that makes that life fascinating, and that suggests that maybe all people might be just as intriguing.
Or they might not be: Conrad Richter was a unique individual with a unique story...and "A Writer's Life" tells it wonderfully. The author is evidently a fan of Richter's, but never a sycophant, and obviously knows how to do research, and how to write.
The book is also a wonderful slice of local history for anyone interested in Cedar Crest or Sandia Park in New Mexico, the Sandia Mountains, or Depression-era Albuquerque. It has many historic photos, and has a gripping narrative with Richter's life as its backbone. It kept me up nights reading it, and in the future I plan to be kept awake by Richter's own writings.
If his life was as facinating as this book portrays, I have little doubt that his own work will be as well.

Using the later 20th/early 21st century as her canvas, Linda Faye Williams paints a disturbing and all too true portrait of American social policy's inherently racialized construct. Our formal declarations of `equal opportunity' are undercut by the cultural reality of racist social policy. Like Dorothy Roberts, she argues that gender and racial hierarchies intersect to specifically disadvantage black women.

Unlike Robert's earlier work, this book goes all the way back to the emancipation era and covers many more issue areas beyond reproduction. When the federal government has intervened for racial equality, it has only done so in periods which are relatively fleetingly in comparison to the magnitude of the problem.

Williams has her most provocative research in a chapter on the black community's consistent support for President Bill Clinton (1993-2001). Blacks had consistently supported the Clinton administration at levels which easily overshadowed the total support simultaneously received from white voters. Although she does not provide a detailed analysis of intra- African American socioeconomic issues, Williams does ask us to consider how goals and stereotypes subtly but pervasively co-exist in public policy programs.

Those ultimately racialized voter patterns were established and then further solidified even as Clinton signed `welfare reform' which specifically built off the specter of the `welfare queen'; a presumably African American woman who lived off of the government instead of having a `job' and then raising her kids `right'. Ironically, before the federal welfare program became racially integrated in the 1960's, the white welfare recipients were intentionally supposed to stay at home with their children and not work outside of the home specifically so that their children would grow up `right'.

Williams correctly recognizes that any `universal' public policy does fact take on racial connotations because of our society's fundamentally racialized nature. People who prefer the status quo (and the ensuing racial constructs) are not going to be happy with a program which then attempts to equalize the playing field for all Americans. Talking about democracy is one thing, but sharing it with somebody who looks different from the self still makes many Americans and our public officials uncomfortable in spite of their `tolerant' public demeanor.

This book is an essential read for people studying race/ethnicity, but I also think it needs to be at the top of public administration reading lists. Conceeding that public policy is not value neutral is the first step in making a society which truly is equal.

Students of Pennsylvania politics and legislative systems will find the surveys and their analysis that were compiled in researching this book as extremely valuable. This book is highly recommended.
An interesting observation this author makes is how the legislature has become more ideologically divisive. In previous studies from the 1950s, legislative elections were fought over few issues and legislative matters seldom reached "liberal/conservative" perspective splits. Today, legislative matters are considered far more partisan.
The book provides a historical basis for the current Pennsylvania legislature. The Pennsylvania legislature, which began in 1682, is our planet's oldest legislative body. We learn about the composition of the legislative today as opposed to a few decades ago, in terms of qualities such as political party (increasingly Republican), educational achievement (the legislature has become more college educated), and occupation (fewer lawyers lately). Readers further learn about the importance of political party organizations in legislative campaigns (they're important), how legislators spend their time (mostly on constituent matters), and how most legislators think (moderately conservative.)
A critical change in recent decades has been the increased professionalism of the legislature as what was once a part-time body turned into a full-time operation. Interesting, the composition of the legislature in terms of race and gender varied little during this change.

Xi Lian's book is a well-written, well-researched, and fascinating account of the Protestant missionary movement in China 1902-1937. Reading it one sighs and thinks of the scramble since September 11, 2001 to learn about Islam. Geographical distance is no longer an excuse for ignorance of other cultures--and that applies to all protagonists. Xi writes of the gradual influence of China's culture and thought upon American Protestant missionaries, who came to China with ideals and good intentions but little knowledge; a substantial number,however, learned and returned to their own country with the "good news--gospel" that human spirituality is universal and the insights of the varying traditions are meant to be shared. God does not play favorites. When one reads of the ecumenical efforts among the Protestant missionaries in China in the 1920s one is astounded. That such efforts in the West had to begin all over again after WW II and the Second Council of the Vatican (1962-1965)is frustrating; we should be farther down the line.

The author is caustic at times, but always generous in his appraisals. To adopt the Chinese spirit of inclusion does not mean one's own beliefs will be diluted but that one's views and interpretations will be expanded.

The biographical accounts of three missionaries, Dr. Edward H. Hume,M.D., evangelist and then editor, Frank J. Rawlinson, and Pearl Buck illustrate the book's thesis: The good heart cannot be separate from a sound mind, but neither can the mind function to its fullest without sympathy.

This is a book worth reading!

I bought this map before I went to New York. I found this map is a very helpful too for you to travel the metropolitan. Words and names printed on the map are clear; the direction is useful too. I highly recommend this map for traveler to the metropolitan.

Kudos to the Coraopolis Historical Society and Gia Tatone on producing a wonderful book chronicling the most facinating photos of the Borough of Coraopolis ever to be put into a special collection like this. This book is a gem for anyone who grew up in Coraopolis, or who has an interest in Consolidated Lamp & Glass Company or the history of the P&LE and Montour Railroads. Special contributions of local physician and historian Dr. Frank Braden helped make this book a true asset to the community. Anyone interested in buying this book should purchase it directly from the Coraopolis Historical Society, and not anywhere online or at local booksellers. Make sure your money goes to the important community preservation of the Coraopolis Historical Society!

This book is poignant, shocking, and true.

I've read over a dozen books on the problems of college athletes and college athletics and all the hypocrisy and failed attempts to solve these problems.

What makes this book so fascinating is that it's not a dry study or philosophical discussion. This book is first-hand information. The author actually was a superlative football player at Notre Dame, who turned down an offer from the pros, and immediately entered graduate school and obtained his Ph.D.

Dr. Sack has devoted his professional life to the pursuit of the purity of amateur athleticism in college sports. You won't believe the obstacles he has encountered -- and overcome -- in becoming a true expert on the subject.

If you could own only one book about the power and politics of college athletics and how they have literally taken control over the NCAA, college presidents, athletic directors, coaches, boosters, players, and even the court system, GET THIS BOOK. You will see an old-boys' network that got started over a half century ago, and has created and nurtured a monster that is out of control -- and out of view of almost every fan in the country.

What's in this book, you will never see on ESPN or the mainstream media (sports or otherwise), who genuflect at the cash cow of college sports and refuse to upset the gravy train. If you think that entire major college sport dynasties can't come crashing down overnight -- and the wrecking crew may already be in Washington, D.C. -- GET THIS BOOK.

Bluntly, there is an incredible amount of hype and glitter to college sports. From outward appearances, it seems so strong, so vibrant, so pervasive. Closer inspection shows it's rotting from within and its influence is ruining the lives of college athletes. Dr. Sack doesn't just give you the problems, he gives you the solution, and that clarion call may be the only salvation for college athletics.

This coverage of an aspect of early American history and culture will delight readers researching this era. Kenneth Scott's Counterfeiting In Colonial America reviews the law enforcement system of the times, liberal attitudes toward counterfeiters, and the prevalence of counterfeiting during the times. From individuals who made a high art of the practice to how counterfeiting transcended social and political boundaries, this provides an intriguing coverage.

Great book, but an interesting offering here as the title is renamed differently than the paperback version that's available and has been available for years (which is widely known as "Consuelo"). Odd when publishers change the name of her books. "The Master Pipers" is also available as "The Bagpipers" for instance (though the translation is a bit different). I'm not sure, but isn't "Consuelo" the given name of the novel? Odd.

But ... nonetheless ... it's a great story and they are right in saying it's her masterpiece.

I had been wanting to read this book for years, as it was sited in a truly amizing number of articles, essays, lectures and books. It was quite difficult to come by but was worth the wait! I found that when I was able to settle into the voice of the author, it was a fascinating and satisfying. I wish there were more out there like this! This is not, however, Oprah-fuzzy reading. It is a very academic book and has high expectations of its readers. How refreshing.