Ball Books

Edgar Ray Killen! Philadelphia, Mississippi! The names strike fear into those who remember the brutal slaying of three civil rights workers on June 21, 1964. Author Howard Ball follows up his previous book entitled Murder in Mississippi with a retrial of "Preacher" Edgar Ray Killen who was one vote from conviction by a jury in 1967. A woman, who has since regretted her vote, said she couldn't bring herself to convict a preacher. The author provides us with the virulent atmosphere that prevailed in the deep south in the 1960's and the attitudes of those who resented anyone poking their collective noses into their way of life. Many of those who were convicted in the 1967 trial received light sentences and resumed their way of life upon release from prison. For 41 years Mr. Killen was able to enjoy the life of a quasi-celebrity in his home town while others feared to even mention the terrible deed that hung over the town of Philadelphia's reputation. Upon Killen's conviction in 2005 racist Richard Barrett requested a "Killen Appreciation Day" on the lawn of the Neshoba County Courthouse so people could come around and shake this terrorist's hand. Such actions make one wonder just how far we still have to go to bring individuals kicking and screaming out of their sordid past. This is a book that will absolutely disgust you while still providing you with some sense of justice in this country however belatedly it may have occurred.

Another sale item for under $10, and what a book! I read it from cover to cover in one night and then wished I had savoured it chapter by chapter and made it last longer but I couldn't help myself, I had to be greedy and read it all in one go.

This is a book about popular 19th and early 20th century racism, muck raking journalism of the time, hypocritical Victorian/Edwardian values, and the systematic cruelty of the British Empire towards it minority ethnic charges.

It is also a love story be it a doomed love story between a pretty white girl Kitty Jewell, the daughter of a well to do Cornish Mining Engineer and a Black African Prince Peter Lobengula who was part of a popular show called "Savage South Africa" touring England in 1899 onwards, who for a brief moment in time dared to defy convention but paid a bitter price.

There is no happy ending to "Kitty and the Prince," and though Peter stayed in England after the break up of his relationship with Kitty who disappeared into obscurity he was destined to in die poverty stricken in Salford, a victim of TB, an illness that would kill his Irish wife and all but one of his children.

He was ignored by the British establishment, and ultimately denied his birthright (there were a lot of people who said he was not the Prince he claimed to be) as well as a pension that would let him die with dignity and give his family a chance of survival in the mean streets of Salford.

You can't read this book and not feel for Peter, however foolish some of his antics might have been, and even Kitty who in the end allowed herself to be influenced by society's disapproval of her relationship with Peter; you feel a pang of regret for a young man and woman who were never given the chance to live a normal, happy, loving life as a married couple.

A love story, a historical memoir, a biography of two lives, call it what you will, "Kitty and the Prince" is a book well worth adding to your bookshelf if you get the chance.

What sets this model apart from other Foxtails being marketed by Klutz is the whistling sound it makes as it whizzes through the air. That's fine, but the sound effects are neither so cool nor so different as to make much difference for the game itself. Whatever the model, playing with a Foxtail is loads of fun! My 8-year-old and I just spent an hour playing with it at the playground, and although both he and I are exhausted, we are looking forward to going out again later. The Foxtail is challenging to catch, but throwing it well is easier for young arms than a Frisbee or a baseball. I heartily recommend it.

Written by Lynda Anne Ball and illustrated by Larry Johnson, Kwanzaa Teddy The Curious Bear is part of "The Adventures of KT" series created by Felicia Nelson and Ken Watts for young readers. Using a simply story of a family of teddy bears, this is an welcome and highly recommended introduction for children to the traditions and symbols that are a part of the Kwanzaa holiday celebration and include the "Seven Principles" of Kwanzaa: Unity (Umoja); Self-Determination (Kujichagulia); Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima); Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa); Purpose (Nia); Creativity (Kuumba); and Faith (Imani).

My son really enjoys the illusrations and the story. It's a fun book, but also has a great moral lesson for children to gain. We enjoy all the Values to Grow by books.

Tintin and Captain Haddock go to a psychic show. There an Indian fakir puts his assistant into a trance. She forsees a mysterious illness striking a photographer on a recent expedition to recover Incan artifacts. One by one the researchers on the expedition fall into mysterious comas. Near each lies a shattered crystal ball...

For some comic relief here Captain Haddock tries hard to be oh so proper (he has recently aquired his ancestral estate and title). He is fixated on wearing a monocle at all times. This is an involved mystery with many clever bits of detective work and technology used by the characters. This particular book is definitely the first of two parts and doesn't stand alone. At the end of this one Tintin and the Captain are off in pursuit of a potential villain. But we still don't know what was in the crystal balls or how it connects to the Incan curse, and a major character has been kidnapped and not reunited with the heros. So you will have to read Prisoners of the Sun to not be left hanging after this one.

If you are reading this to help learn Spanish, Tintin comics are good for reading at a Spanish 2 level. There are a lot of words that aren't basic vocabulary but it is still easy to follow the story because the writing and pictures tend to reinforce each other. However this is a two part mystery and you are going to be reading two books, so if this is overload then try another Tintin comic instead.

Tintin and Captain Haddock go to a psychic show. There an Indian fakir puts his assistant into a trance. She forsees a mysterious illness striking a photographer on a recent expedition to recover Incan artifacts. One by one the researchers on the expedition fall into mysterious comas. Near each lies a shattered crystal ball...

For some comic relief here Captain Haddock tries hard to be oh so proper (he has recently aquired his ancestral estate and title). He is fixated on wearing a monocle at all times. This is an involved mystery with many clever bits of detective work and technology used by the characters. This particular book is definitely the first of two parts and doesn't stand alone. At the end of this one Tintin and the Captain are off in pursuit of a potential villain. But we still don't know what was in the crystal balls or how it connects to the Incan curse, and a major character has been kidnapped and not reunited with the heros. So you will have to read Prisoners of the Sun to not be left hanging after this one.

If you are reading this to help learn Spanish, Tintin comics are good for reading at a Spanish 2 level. There are a lot of words that aren't basic vocabulary but it is still easy to follow the story because the writing and pictures tend to reinforce each other. However this is a two part mystery and you are going to be reading two books, so if this is overload then try another Tintin comic instead.

Some African countries have only 15% of their road system of the 1950s still usable. Improved infant mortality statistics led to a more than 700% population increase in the last century with increased crime and social chaos the payoff. This little-known gem of a book convincingly shows the coming and present chaos of modern Africa. Investor Jim Rogers self-named website tells of how massive fraud has led to South Africans easily obtaining fake airline pilot licenses and public school teaching certificates.
Anyone currently below the age of 30 will have the chance to live perhaps the ultimate adventure, rebuilding Africa as its suicidal combiation of AIDS,civil war (Rwanda), and unbelievable crime finishes its impact over the next 15-20 years.

Tintin and Captain Haddock go to a psychic show. There an Indian fakir puts his assistant into a trance. She forsees a mysterious illness striking a photographer on a recent expedition to recover Incan artifacts. One by one the researchers on the expedition fall into mysterious comas. Near each lies a shattered crystal ball...

For some comic relief here Captain Haddock tries hard to be oh so proper (he has recently aquired his ancestral estate and title). He is fixated on wearing a monocle at all times. This is an involved mystery with many clever bits of detective work and technology used by the characters. This particular book is definitely the first of two parts and doesn't stand alone. At the end of this one Tintin and the Captain are off in pursuit of a potential villain. But we still don't know what was in the crystal balls or how it connects to the Incan curse, and a major character has been kidnapped and not reunited with the heros. So you will have to read Prisoners of the Sun to not be left hanging after this one.

If you are reading this to help learn Italian, Tintin comics are good for reading at a Italian 2 level. There are a lot of words that aren't basic vocabulary but it is still easy to follow the story because the writing and pictures tend to reinforce each other. However this is a two part mystery and you are going to be reading two books, so if this is overload then try another Tintin comic instead.

In this volume David Voigt, author of the standard three-volume history AMERICAN BASEBALL, turns his attention to the period from 1892 to 1900, when the National League stood alone.

The era opened with the NL absorbing four clubs from the now-defunct American Association to create a single, 12-team league. With no competition from other major leagues or other major team sports, the NL nonetheless ran itself almost into the ground within eight years.

Voigt nicely describes the action both on and off the field. More than half of the book deals with the era's leading players and pennant races; the rest focuses on managers, fans, owners, umpires, sportswriters and the rest of the baseball world. The tale culminates with the rise of the well-managed American League from an obscure minor league to the equal, if not superior, of the NL. Recommended!