Owen Books

Title: Scientific genius and creativity : readings from Scientific American / with an introduction by Owen Gingerich.
Publisher: New York : W.H. Freeman, [1987], c1982.
Edition Date: 1987
Language: English
Notes: Includes index.
Physical Details: 110 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.
Other Authors: Gingerich, Owen.
Other Titles: Scientific American.
Subjects: Scientists--Biography.
Creative ability in science.

Recalling a northeast Texas Baptist revival, William A. Owens takes us with him to the sawdust-floored tent where a missionary revivalist is leading the congregation in the old hymn "I Shall Not Be Moved." As the music ends, an old woman observes with conviction, "That song sure gits to the gizzard!" (I suspect that the adverb sounded more like "shawr" than "sure," and "gits" is exactly how she would have pronounced the verb.) In the spirit of that unnamed woman from early-twentieth century Lamar County, Texas, may I say that A SEASON OF WEATHERING is one book that "sure gits to the gizzard"?

Taking up the author's life where it was left at the end of the first autobiographical book, THIS STUBBORN SOIL, this book shows us a young man entering his second decade with many of the same struggles that we witnessed in the first--continuing his education and finding a job. In the chaotic, often-interrupted process, Owens is also trying to "find himself," that is, to find out what direction he should go, what goals he should set, what purpose he should make of his life. Recall from the first book that Owens' young life so far has been formed by hoeing fields, picking cotton, and going from one poor one- or two-room country school to another as his fatherless family moves here and there trying to find work. He has never been formally educated beyond the seventh grade. He has never had the benefit of a guidance counselor and has never heard of such a thing as a vocational aptitude test. He knows from experience only that farming on shares (i.e., giving most of one's crop to the land owner as rent for the fields) remains a path to poverty and, at times, near starvation. So, when I use the phrase "trying to find himself," I am essentially speaking of physical and spiritual survival, not of social status or of self-gratification.

During these years of confusion and desperation, Owens encounters the powerful call of fundamentalist religion. Having neither the education nor the experience to recognize the pervasive influence of superstition among the ignorant country folk such as himself, Owens falls, for a time, under the influence of local Baptists. His book gives us a frighteningly vivid picture of the unbending, strict, and oppressive nature of a doctrine that evolved more from ignorance than from theology. The specter of an innocent girl brought to ecclesiastical trial for the heinous crime of merely observing other young persons dancing tells more about the nature of such people than any mere description of their callousness could accomplish.

Owens wanted to be a country teacher, but, to get a teaching certificate in 1920's Texas, one needed to finish high school. To do that, he would have to go to a college that offered high school completion courses. To continue school, he needed money. To get money, he had to interrupt his schooling frequently to seek work in the fields or in the stock rooms of retail or mail-order stores. This cycle, where the necessities of life stood squarely in the way of achieving any sort of goal for bettering oneself, seemed unbreakable.

To make matters worse, the Great Depression was making itself felt even in the rural fields and along the rutted dirt-and-mud roads of northeast Texas. Jobs were scarce and never permanent. How can one worry about tuition for school when there's not enough food for supper?

Owens has not written a "Horatio Alger story." In the real life of which Owens writes, hard work and clean living do not necessarily reap any sort of reward. His is a story of hardship and of failure as often as it is of success. In fact, the failures often seem to outweigh the successes. Yet we know from Owens' later life that he will finally succeed. Somehow he will break the link that holds him to the impoverished and uneducated society into which he was born. We know that he will eventually escape from the cotton fields and the stock rooms into literature and into the ranks of academe. But that does not happen in this book.

The shining success of A SEASON OF WEATHERING is the detailed portrait that it paints of the society, the culture, the economy, the pervasive fundamentalism, the racism, and the struggle for survival that characterized the "working poor" (to use a twenty-first century phrase) in the early decades of the previous century in America's Southland. Having more recently come from that area of the country myself, I can also attest that many characteristics of that society and culture persist yet today in only slightly modified form, so the book remains more contemporary than one might suppose.

Offering a recommendation as to who would receive the greatest benefit from reading this book is difficult because it touches on so many areas of interest: sociology, poverty, country education in early 20th century America, fundamentalist religion, regional history of northeast Texas, the history of Lamar County and of Paris Junior College, and even a bit of folk dancing. The book is certainly worth searching out from used and out-of-print book dealers, but experience it after having first read THIS STUBBORN SOIL, for the two books are inextricably linked and should be perused in their chronological order.

To conclude with a "teaser," everyone will love the story of the gift of a reproduction Greek statue of male wrestlers to the new Paris Junior College. Talk about grist for preachers' sermons!

Anyone with a passing interest in writing or soldiery should read this book. Owen's passions, ambitions, times, the arc of his life, they're all here. Biographers analyze, novelists rearrange for dramatic impact, Owen wrote for no public audience and yet these letters beat them all. The equal of Keats' letters on poetry. Underappreciated and miraculous.

This is the best book written on the Oakes murder mystery.
The fascinating story has been the subject of endless trashy novels written by aspiring writers with no talent.
Finally an author who has researched the subject and covers the story and times from different angles and perspectives.
An excellent combination murder mystery and social history of a bygone era.

This book with it's poem called "Stepchild" and short story called the "The Girl" was one of the defining books of my youth. I found it at a book sale in the cheap bin and it was really a hidden treasure. While not all the stories are great the ones that are make an impression that lasts a lifetime.

This book with it's poem called "Stepchild" and short story called the "The Girl" was one of the defining books of my youth. I found it at a book sale in the cheap bin and it was really a hidden treasure. While not all the stories are great the ones that are make an impression that lasts a lifetime.

I've never read a Chris Owen book I didn't love, and SHADY RIDGE & NEON SKY is no exception. Hank is quiet and tough, Charlie is big and cuddly, and together they make a scorching hot couple.

The sex in this book is out of this world. The first sex scenes are between Hank and the guys of his "relaxation team" that he visits twice a year. The rest of the scenes are between Hank and Charlie, and they sizzle. These big switch-hitting alpha cops enjoy lots of rough, sweaty sex...whew. Sit in front of a fan while reading this.

This is a fun, sexy read. Like in all of Ms. Owen's books, there's an actual plot. The story revolves around Hank and Charlie exploring their sexual attraction for each other, dealing with the pressures of a co-worker relationship, enjoying each other in and out of uniform, and falling in love along the way. Best of all, it's a Chris Owen romance, so you can count on a great balance of sex and emotion and a guaranteed HEA.

This is fantastic rainy day entertainment. I read it just after a string of real stinkers, and it restored my faith in M/M romance authors. Worth every cent.

Hank lived his entire life in Shady Ridge. He wasn't open about his sexual orientation, but he didn't hide it either. He just didn't talk about it. As a police officer of the town, he liked to avoid being gossiped about, so when he needed up close and personal intimacy, he would drive a few hours out of town to the gay bar Neon Sky. It wasn't a trip he took often, maybe twice a year. It was enough to keep him satisfied, but then Charlie came along.

Charlie transferred to the force from the big city. He needed a change of scenery after a hard break-up. Shady Ridge seemed to offer the slow-paced easy living he needed after the stress he'd been through in the past few months. He didn't expect to find a kindred spirit amongst the Shady Ridge police force.

Shady Ridge and the Neon Sky is a sweet and easy read that I couldn't help but like. Hank and Charlie found out about each other by being in the right place at the right time. After accidentally bumping into each other in the Neon Sky, sexual contact between the two of them was inevitable. Charlie recently breaking up with a lover and Hank having only friends with benefits he sees twice a year, the two men were not in a rush to start anything serious. With all the ingredients for a lasting relationship starting with friendship, understanding, respect, and an extremely strong sexual attraction, the love between these two men happened upon them unnoticed and slowly grew. Shady Ridge and the Neon Sky is a great story. I adored Hank and Charlie and I'm certain other readers will, too.

Ley
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I am completely delighted with "The Little Guides" series. The format is extremely user friendly, and each guide is packed with useful and interesting information. I enjoy reading them, but my 6 year old daughter gives them the most use. While the guides are written at an adult level, there is plenty that she can read and understand. I currently own "Sharks," "Birds," "Mammals," and "Space," and have ordered "Reptiles," "Whales," and "Flowers."

"Sharks" is divided into three parts; the first includes topics on the world of sharks, shark behavior, and shark anatomy. Shark anatomy is very informative, covering such topics as the shark's skeletal system, gills, teeth, etc. Part two covers a wide variety of sharks (about 100 different species), and part three covers shark and human interaction, including shark attacks, the human threat to sharks, and where to observe sharks. The guide is extremely well done, with over 500 colorful illustrations.

This is a great resource of adults as well as children!

This is an incredible real story of survival. Who can ever would have thought that a huge whale will struck the wooden ship with such ferocity, twice. Here you will learn what really thirst and hunger is, and what are the effects of that in the body in a prolonged situation. Three months they were in the sea, because of a bad decision of heading south to the coast of Chile instead of moving with the currents to the nearby Tahiti or other islands of the mid pacific. This book has the account of Chase, the captain and one of the shipmates that were left in Henderson Island (Google Earth: 24°20'43S & 128°18'01W). The few boat survivors were taken to Valparaiso (Chile) for recuperation before going back home. This is a great book and a story that you can also read in Nathaniel Philbrick's, In the Heart of the Sea, a book I read a few years ago. Enjoy!