Kansas Books

For one that questions religion as a whole, the book will open anyone's eyes as they keep turning the page.. and you will. A great read by a great upcoming and prolific author.

Hello everyone, I'm James, the author of this book. This is my first Kindle book. Here is a quick overview of the novel and a few of my thoughts on it.

This book was about two years in the making. Originally it was written as an exploration of fear. I had seen too many sci-fi movies where the writers hit you over the head with their "monsters" or antagonist. In my opinion, the most frightening things are those that are shrouded in mist or hid in the bushes. The "thing" that threatens the protagonists in this book is my personal personification of what fear really is.

This book is very heavy on religious symbolism. It draws strongly on a lot of fringe theology including the Book of Enoch. The theme is the battle between fear and faith.

The basic plot summary is as follows:

An eccentric rural Kansas preacher holds the key to a coming world wide cataclysm. Neither his family or congregation knows what to make of his visions but the preacher believes that "it" is coming... but what is it? On the other side of the world a pompous film maker had stumbled onto a code built into the pyramids but is this simply more of his shystering or could he have finally hit on something real? Hundreds of years in the past a Native American and his grandson prepare a warning for this generation but will anyone understand it? How are all these people brought together at the "end of the world" and who are "The Watchers" who are pulling the strings?

Among the major players in the novel are:

Robert Williford: AKA: The Preacher. His visions seem to be key to solving the puzzle of "The Coming".

Mike & Adrian: The niece and nephew of the preacher. They are coping with life in rural America while confronted by their uncle's eccentric behavior.

The Watchers: Mysterious beings who appear to know exactly what is coming and are trying to prepare mankind for it.

Taurus Allen: A free spirit who was drawn to Williford's church and now finds himself struggling with the preacher's visions.

I hope you enjoy the novel and I look forward from hearing from anyone who wishes to contact me! My address is jstevehicks@gmail.com and I thank you for your support!

Although I sometimes wonder how much of the book is fiction, I think the book is an incredible blend of Rubenstein's personal life with his public career. I literally could not put the book down. The book allowed me to put a personal life with the public figure and recordings that I have of him.

Rubenstein has a very flowing, easy-to-read writing style and includes details that made me feel like I actually met him and the people he knew. Like all great autobiographies that I read, this one made me want to know what happened to some of the people he met.

I was **very** disappointed when I finished the book and yearned for more information about his life. It was only when I came across the title on Amazon.com that I found he wrote another autobiography. I can't wait to buy it.

I first read the book when I was in college in about 1974. I couldn't put the book down. At the time Rubenstein was the greatest in my mind. I later bought a copy of the book at a used book store in Sonoma Valley.

Terrific -- and it sounds like it really was written by Arthur (Artur?) himself. It's almost diary-like in its detail, and everything is fascinating. We get a lot of juicy personal stuff, including love-life stuff and, on the other side of the coin, his young failed attempt at suicide. My own favorite part of the book is his very detailed reminiscence of the piano competition that he entered, and LOST; what's interesting is how this great, beloved, infinitely-accomplished pianist and man-of-the-world apparently never lost his hurt and bitterness over this stupid competition -- kind of like if Derek Jeter or Barry Bonds went on and on about the time they got shafted by an umpire in Little League. I don't mean this as a criticism of him; if anything, the opposite -- it's an example of how much he was just like the rest of us, which probably was a big part of why we loved him so much.

If Bill had posters on the wall of his newly built frontier home, they would show Kit Carson and Jim Bridger, frontiersmen and gentlemen both, also Bill's cousin Horace Billings...and Bill's beloved father Isaac.

Like Richard Peck and Harper Lee, Kimmel provides a simple definition of manhood (and womanhood): Stand your ground, keep your cool, do what's needed. Unlike today's hair-trigger instant-microwave world, the 19th century has Horace and Isaac and even Bill talk their way out of danger, rather than reach for fists and firearms.

Bill Cody is only eight-years-old when his twelve-year-old brother, Sammy, is killed while riding a wild horse. He blames himself, and knows that he should have tried harder to get Sammy not to get on the horse, but why would Sammy listen to him? Sammy was a man, Bill was just a kid. So starts TO THE FRONTIER. With the tragedy a few months behind them, the Cody family packs up and decides to leave LeClaire, Iowa, as well as the bad memories that it holds, and head towards the newly established Kansas Territory, where they hope to claim a great piece of land before anyone else can. However, Bill quickly realizes that Kansas is nothing like Iowa, as there's a real city, and the people (especially the men) are rougher than he ever expected they'd be.

As a fan of historical fiction, I was ecstatic to find the new series THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG BUFFALO BILL in the local Barnes & Noble, and just knew that I had to purchase TO THE FRONTIER, as I've always been interested in reading about Buffalo Bill. What I found was a fantastic new series, that I hope to read more from in the future. Bill is a fun character, who, at the age of eight is wise beyond his years, in both the horse business, as well as the family business. His sisters are fun characters to read about, though they don't make the greatest appearance in this book, and his parents, especially his Pa, are exciting and good-natured. What makes the series even more exciting is the fact that E. Cody Kimmel is a distant relative of Buffalo Bill, so you enjoy reading what she has to write about him. All in all this was a fabulous book, and a must have for anyone interested in cowboys, Buffalo Bill, or historical fiction.

Erika Sorocco

This Book explains and compares the theories of Germany's military writers before the First World War. Dr. Echevarria dispels myths and provides fresh and clear insight of the historical understanding and the idea's and theories that were debated.
This book is a must read for any serious student of Military History and Military Studies. Dr. Echevarria's exploration of the "tactical crisis", "initial solutions" through the "struggle for resolution" to "tactical synthesis" culminating in the present is a brilliant tour de force. This book will also help provide some clarity in understanding the American amalgamation of doctrine and warfighting.
Dr. Terry Tucker, Adjunct Prof Military Studies/Military Science and Doctrine Developer for the Afghan National Army

Being a text of the Modern War Studies by the University Press of Kansas already indicates this is a great book. Actually, I bought it for that reason and because the subject attracts my attention. After reading it, I can only say this book is fantastic. After Prussian defeat at Jena in 1806 on the hands of Napoleon, it took several years for the German peoples to again have a respectfull army. This books deals with this process. This book reveals why the Germans succeded on creating a new and powerfull army, while its neighbors (France and Russia, although Great Britain is also treated) decreased in power. The creation of a High Command and a General Staff are decisive factors on such evolution. Wargaming, modernization (this means, using all technological advantages on railroads, rifle making, artillery and machine guns, while demobilizing or transforming cavalry units) and professionalization (with always increasing quality levels of the reserve units) are the keys of German capability shown against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870). One thing I really liked of this book is the extraordinary quantity and quality of the research sources (actually, thanks to this book I've been able to get some other texts on the subject), many of which are not in English. An extraordinary work.

A great addition to the vast array of Civil War books/stories. Most books on black soldiers during/post Civil War tend to be dedicated to either particular units or brief disccusions, especially during the Reconstruction, mixed in a deep layer of the Civil War. Shaffer however has brought a much needed story to the history of African-Americans who have served in the United State military, dedicated solely to thier post Civil War struggles. For those who have ever asked themselves what happened to the soldiers after the end credits of "Glory" ran, Shaffer answers that question with much needed and appreciated depth and detail. It is a book that complements Foner's Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 and deserves its place in the annals of African-American contributions to the foundation of this nation. If you enjoy this book I highly recommend Slotkin's Lost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality

Though the recent attention of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry- largely due to the success of the movie "Glory"- has garnered some awareness of blacks in the American Civil War, little is still known about these magnificent men who donned the blue uniforms. Blacks played an integral role in the preservation of the Union and deserve the same attention in regards to the respect shown to Civil War veterans.

Information on Civil War veterans remains rather sketchy in places with one of those pertaining to African American veterans. Until Donald Shaffer's study, very little was known on the pension availability to black soldiers. Although not surprising, Shaffer's accounts of racism and prejudice further emphasize the general reaction to African Americans. Thousands of blacks died in the war, but they still were not given the full support of white veteran groups or even the general public. After assisting the unification of this country, blacks continued to climb uphill in regards to social rights.

Lastly, it was eye-opening to see how difficult our government made it for black veterans to get a pension. The pension process was long, tiresome, and difficult for white Union veterans, nevertheless blacks had it worse. Shaffer's book will be a key addition to any Civil War library and may be a standard for a portrait on black veterans in the postwar period.

This book is truly beautiful! The author goes seamlessly over the topic of liberalism VS. republicism. It is also very instructive upon the polictical views of Thomas Jefferson.

Jean Yarborough's book is an excellent compilation of Jefferson's beliefs on what constitutes good character to maintain republican government. She correctly surmises Jefferson would be appalled at modern America's obsession with making money and consumption. She also relates how he would bemoan the loss of leisure and family time. He would be disturbed by American's long commutes to work and large crowded cities. Yarborough relates how Jefferson would recommend reading, frugality, study, and emphasis on morality in schools. She further points out he would expect the cultivation of good character is essential to a well-ordered republic. Overall a great book.

like the first reviewer I also had this assigned for a class and it was the book I enjoyed the most. I've done a lot of political organizing and am interested in what makes a social movement tick and why it succeeds or fails, and this book does a great job of getting into the heads of political activists. The story is also very interesting, there's a real drama to the way the author tells the story. It reminds me of another book on the Populists, The Populist Moment, by Lawrence Goodwyn, only this book is more concerned with how women and men related (or not) to each other, and how this affected the movement. The book also does a good job of covering women's politics, especially the woman suffrage movement. The author's argument is that women tried to be both committed to their gender and their political party, and couldn't balance the two, which I think in part is a problem feminists have today. I enjoyed it very much, and learned a lot.

This book was assigned in a course on American political history, and I have to admit I didn't expect it to be so interesting--I mean, Kansas??!! Turns out Kansas was a pretty amazing place in the 1890s, and there were a lot of very strong, interesting women involved in politics for the first time. The book is often pretty funny, especially when it looks at how freaked out men were about women getting the vote. I've recommended it to a couple of friends as a book to read outside of class (although it helps to like history, like I do), and though they thought I was crazy at first, they really like it to. I'm now looking for more books like it. Maybe I should start a list!

When she is given a diary for her ninth birthday, Margaret Cora Wells, called Meg by her family and friends, expects to record her daily life in St. Louis, Missouri. But then a cholera epidemic strikes, and Meg's mother and little sister, Grace, fall ill. Having already lost two children to cholera seven years before, Meg's mother is determined not to lose another. So Meg and her seven-year-old brother, Preston, are sent to live with their aunt, uncle, and cousins in the Kansas Territory. Accustomed to a comfortable city life, Meg finds frontier living to be tough, but at the same time full of adventure. But in 1856, Kansas is a very dangerous place, where pro-slavery Border Ruffians attack northerners like Meg's family, who have come to Kansas in the hopes of making it a free state. Can Meg come up with a plan to help her family? I highly recommend this new title from the My America series.

During 1856 in St. Louis her mother and sister fall ill with the cholera epidemic, which has spread widely in Missouri , nine-year-old Meg and her brother Preston are sent to live with relatives in the praire lands of Kansas, until the epidemic passes. In her diary Meg describes the dangerous journey they have to take to get to Kansas and when they finally get their she and her brother Preston must adjust to the rugged lifestyle which is much different from St. Louis with their everyday chores. This was a great story about how a young girl braved her new lifestyle and someday wishes to be reunited with her family. I highly recommend Dear America fans to read this great new book in the My America series. I can't wait for the conclusion of Meg's story in her next diary!

In The Cattle Towns, Robert Dykstra demonstrates how five Kansas towns--Dodge City, Ellsworth, Caldwell, Abilene, and Wichita--developed through a complex set of conflicts that bred progress. Instead of adding to the frontier myth of wild and violent cattle towns, Dykstra builds upon studies of urban history and applies them to the developing frontier to create a local, social history that has national relevance.

Success or failure of a town depended on a number of variables including location, promotion, and people. Location as related to the county center, railroad lines, and especially for this study, cattle trails, played major roles in determining town futures. Advertisements in newspapers located between the Kansas cattle towns and the source of the cattle herds in Texas lured the trail drivers north. The most important element in the future of the cattle towns, however, was the local population.

Although the town newspapers often gave the impression that residents of the town and surrounding areas spoke in a unified voice, that was usually not the case. Disagreements between businessmen and rural folk, ranchers and farmers, natives and foreign-born, and reformers and vice practitioners were frequent. Dykstra contradicts earlier studies that claimed successful town development on mutual cooperation and shows how progress was made through such differences.

The differences over town policy provided a forum for area residents to discuss the future vision of their town. Whether the discussion was over alcohol, gambling, prostitution, or the movement of the splenic flu deadline, the result was an exchange of ideas focused on improving the town. Town businessmen, for example, sympathized with the reformers who sought to improve the moral values of the town by eliminating vices, but not at the financial cost of losing the trail drivers who were attracted by such vices and spent their funds liberally throughout town.

Due to the advancement of technology and the progression of settlers into the once open Kansas frontier, the cattle towns shifted their focus from cattle to the more consistent industry of agriculture. The westward movement of settlers altered the routes of cattle drives away from towns like Abilene and Dodge City and railroads continued to expand their coverage, removing these towns from the cattle industry. Despite the moral vices that accompanied it, the cattle industry between 1867 and 1885 helped provide an immediate economic base that developed towns and laid the groundwork for future success.

Utilizing information from period newspapers, letters, maps, government documents, and previous studies, Dykstra creates a well-written study that explores urban aspirations and rivalry in a frontier setting. By examining the motivations of individuals and groups in the cattle towns, Dykstra has made a valuable contribution to town building on the changing frontier.

"One of the most intelligent, interesting, and worthwhile contributions to the field of Western history in some time. [The author] has managed to say something rather basic about American culture in general." -- William H. Goetzmann. "Excellent . . . readable and persuasive. . . . One of the most refreshing and rewarding approaches to be applied to western history topics in many years, for [the author] is asking basic questions about social process and the nature of urban society." -- Howard Roberts Lamar.

As a beginning quilter, this book has been more help to me than I can express. It takes you through each step of the quilting process and gives helplful hints to make it easier and ensure your quilt looks the best! I've loaned this book to several of my friends and they love it too! Highly recommend!

Well written, informative, beautiful pictures. Kathy Delaney explains "the basics" extremely well, at least for a beginner, which I am in quilt making. I appreciate her explanations and her instructions. She does a lot of hand quilting, which I prefer to do machine quilting--but if someone needs to learn to hand quilt, Kathy is the one to teach them. Her instructions are clear and concise and always has a photograph of what she is teaching you to do. Fine needlework is excellent by this quilt artist. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to begin quilting and piecing quilts.