Kansas Books

BETWEEN THE BLOODS is the story of a boy facing poverty and racism as he grows up in the years following WWI. Wayne struggles to understand a world that punishes him for his mixed heritage. Illegitimate and poor, Wayne suffers the abuse of Bill, his one-legged, drunken step-father, who says Wayne is cursed by the Dog Star. And wherever Wayne goes, he finds people determined to prove Bill right. But with the love of his mother, his dog and an assortment of colorful friends, Wayne has good adventures to go with the bad. Follow Wayne through the years as he searches for his identity and finds humor, friendship, tragedy and hate along the way.

ROBERT GREY CLOUD has been many things during his lifetime -- farm hand, door-to-door salesman, store clerk, businessman -- and he can add author to that list. Born in 1912, Robert lived through the times described in this book and his own childhood experiences were the inspiration for Between the Bloods, his first novel. Still seeking new adventures, Robert celebrated his 90th birthday with his first tandem parachute jump. Robert lives in Idaho with his wife of 63 years, Jean.

[Yes, I am related to the author - he is my grandfather]

BETWEEN THE BLOODS is the story of a boy facing poverty and racism as he grows up in the years following WWI. Wayne struggles to understand a world that punishes him for his mixed heritage. Illegitimate and poor, Wayne suffers the abuse of Bill, his one-legged, drunken step-father, who says Wayne is cursed by the Dog Star. And wherever Wayne goes, he finds people determined to prove Bill right. But with the love of his mother, his dog and an assortment of colorful friends, Wayne has good adventures to go with the bad. Follow Wayne through the years as he searches for his identity and finds humor, friendship, tragedy and hate along the way.

ROBERT GREY CLOUD has been many things during his lifetime -- farm hand, door-to-door salesman, store clerk, businessman -- and he can add author to that list. Born in 1912, Robert lived through the times described in this book and his own childhood experiences were the inspiration for Between the Bloods, his first novel. Still seeking new adventures, Robert celebrated his 90th birthday with his first tandem parachute jump. Robert lives in Idaho with his wife of 63 years, Jean.

[Yes, I am related to the author - he is my grandfather.]

My son regularly checks this book out from the school library. He says it's his favorite book. I decided to read it as well and found it one of the better children's books I have seen lately. While my son enjoys the idea of actually building a snow-capped mountain that would eventually have tall trees, streams with trout and other wild animals, I found the book to be very inspiring for an adult as well. It has very powerful messages about reaching for the impossible and the write up in the back of the book about the founding father's vision was very educational. It has incredible depth for a children's book and combines things kids enjoy such as construction, mountains, animals, fishing with a powerful message about having the vision to achieve things that most people think are impossible. The illustrations are stunning and make you want to head to the mountains!

Inspired by the quest for the impossible dream as written in the literary classic Don Quixote, Billy's Mountain is a picturebook about a young boy whose passion is the idea of creating a vast, snow-capped mountain amid Kansas' seemingly endless flat plains. At first he tries to build a mountain with dirt and rocks; he persists long after his friends tell him to give up, and a reporter puts his story in the paper. Amazingly, a wealthy and determined old African-American man named Jim learns of Billy's dream and decides to help make it come true. It takes bulldozers, railroad cars, and an immense amount of labor to create the mountain - but once risen the mountain blends with the landscape as the seasons pass and even attracts wildlife to its slopes. Utterly captivating, full-color illustrations done in a somewhat impressionistic style bring this beautiful and heartfelt picturebook to life. The final page of "Billy's Mountain" offers a simple lesson plan for teachers to use, offering questions to ask students such as, "Building a mountain is an almost impossible task. What are some things from the past that people thought were impossible but turned out not to be impossible?"

I acquired this book many years ago and have re-read it several times since. It is one of the most respected history books concerning the Old West because it relies on contemporary newspaper and similar accounts. It turns up in the bibliography of just about every worthwhile Western history book, and deservedly so.

Some years ago, as a professor of Criminal Justice, I was asked to teach a course about the History of the Policing Profession and while scrambling for research, this was in the days before Internet etc., I discovered Great Gunfighters of the Kansas Cowtowns. I was very pleased with the content and the measureable factual accounts or as factual as they can be within this era. Actual newspaper articles and descriptions written at the time of the event are included in the book along with the exploits of lesser known lawmen/gunfighters of that era. Ben Thompson, Long Hair Jim Courtright, Dave Mather, Billy Brooks, Chris Madden, Squirrel Annie, Bear River Tom Smith are amoung lesser lights highlighted along with Wild Bill, Wyatt Earp and others. The newspaper accounts are quite factual, plus they revealed an evolution of the culture of the era. Great Gunfighters is not a novel, but is a display of the activities of several individuals who by one means or another contributed to both the allure and order of the cowtowns and other western sites.

The right to defend one's country isn't something that wasn't always permitted black Americans. In "The Black Citizens Soldiers of Kansas 1864-1901" Roger D. Cunningham tells the story of black Americans during the second half of the nineteenth century and the segregated military units that many of these black soldiers proudly served in. Even for those who fought, bled, and died gallantly in military service to their country, it took a long time for the American Government to make up for its folly of having originally disallowed their service at all. A work of impressively detailed and original scholarship, Cunningham brings his research to bear in describing the lives and efforts of these valiant soldiers who fought for a country that hated them -- only because it was their own. "The Black Citizen Soldiers of Kansas 1864-1901" is a fine read and a recommended addition for academic library Military History, American History, and Civil Rights Studies collections.

First of all, a disclaimer. My grandfather, Horace Baker, wrote this book, so its interest to me is probably more than to most. This book was originally printed in 1927 and saw very limited distribution. Contrary to what Amazon says, Dr. Ferrell is not the author. However, what Dr. Ferrell did do for this reprint was to add some pertinent endnotes to link my grandfather's close (and sometimes incorrect) view of what was happening to the bigger picture of the Meuse-Argonne battle. Also, some helpful maps and a few photos have been added as well. About the text itself: Horace Baker's text begins on arrival at the front and ends with the armistice. It is well written with a simple, usually matter-of-fact style. There are a few purple passages but they do not distract too much from the facts and there are even a few bits of humor. It is very readable and flows easily.

The recurring themes are the same that sadly occur thoughout most wartime experiences: exhaustion, hunger, exposure to the elements, fear, and violent death.

I would recommend this book for anyone who has serious interest in The Great War. I also recommend Dr. Ferrell's book "America's Deadliest Battle: Meuse-Argonne, 1918" as a companion to this in order to understand what was happening on a larger scale.

Blue Horizons, by Irene Bennett Brown, portrays the status of women during the frontier period with wrenching accuracy. It's hard for contemporary readers to envision a time when "the gentler sex" had few legal protections and were basically the property of their husbands. Her story continues with the characters from the first book in the series, Long Road Turning, and focuses on the courageous Meg Brennon. Hunted by a sadistic husband who has already crippled her for life and will do anything to get her back, Meg attempts to get a legal divorce at a time when the courts were cruelly disposed to dismiss claims of mental and physical abuse as "provoked" by the victims. By exposing her location and new identify to her husband, which she must, if she appeals to the courts, she risks incurring more abuse or even death. In St. Louis, she befriends Hamilton Gibbs an excellent lawyer and truly compassionate human being who is awed by the strength of the disparate group of women who are creating the town of Paragon Springs in Western Kansas. Not only is Blue Horizons a moving, face-paced story, Brown's details on women's rights in the 1880's could serve as a text for sociology students. Adding to the tension are attempts to destroy the fiber of the precious fragile community by a rancher, Jack Ambler, who sees town-building as providing legitimacy for the homesteaders. Blue Horizons is a masterful blend of fiction and history. Definitely recommended for the discerning reader.

Blue Horizons, by Irene Bennett Brown, portrays the status of women during the frontier period with wrenching accuracy. It's hard for contemporary readers to envision a time when "the gentler sex" had few legal protections and were basically the property of their husbands. Her story continues with the characters from the first book in the series, Long Road Turning, and focuses on the courageous Meg Brennon. Hunted by a sadistic husband who has already crippled her for life and will do anything to get her back, Meg attempts to get a legal divorce at a time when the courts were cruelly disposed to dismiss claims of mental and physical abuse as "provoked" by the victims. By exposing her location and new identify to her husband, which she must, if she appeals to the courts, she risks incurring more abuse or even death. In St. Louis, she befriends Hamilton Gibbs an excellent lawyer and truly compassionate human being who is awed by the strength of the disparate group of women who are creating the town of Paragon Springs in Western Kansas. Not only is Blue Horizons a moving, face-paced story, Brown's details on women's rights in the 1880's could serve as a text for sociology students. Adding to the tension are attempts to destroy the fiber of the precious fragile community by a rancher, Jack Ambler, who sees town-building as providing legitimacy for the homesteaders. Blue Horizons is a masterful blend of fiction and history. Definitely recommended for the discerning reader.

I haven't enjoyed a book as much as this for a long time. I've read this book at least four times and refer to it on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the average Christian and/or "sinner" (non christian) will not have any inclination as to why this book is so relevant.

Gerard Reed has validated a lifetime of dissatisfaction I've had with contemporary Christianity and solidified my determination to continue to seek God despite my faults and the hypocrisy of modern churches.

I've read Lewis for years and the underlying current of unconditional love and overpowering strength of God's love has been completely realized in "...The Bright Shadow of Holiness".

Your passion just might be God's calling card! The idea that God is a creator/architect and the ideals that we, naturally, come about during our lives, may just be evidence of the divine. Lewis recognized later in life that the "joy" he felt when he was having revelation of a thing, or the appreciation of beauty and perfection, may have been the wooing of the Holy Spirit, drawing him to God. This book describes in detail the possibility that God may have been active in your life, whether or not you've sought it out. You may be closer to God than you think.

I keep extra copies to give to friends and family.

The book is genius!

Thought holiness was stiff, legalistic and restricting? This book will change the way you see yourself and the way you see God. Holiness is explained the way it has always meant to be. Enjoy it. You won't regret owning this book.

This book did not disappoint. it covered most every scenerio christians will come accross in the secular work world and what to do about it. WWJD? It's one to be kept on the self to refer back to for sure. timelessly written. Just browse the titles and you'll see why. The pages inside also recommend other books that sound very helpful. I appreciate that.

I hate to read. But I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I felt as if it were targeted to my needs, my life.

The author offers several hypothetical situations and real-world case-studies to illustrate his points.

Topics covered include: witnessing, conflict resolution, work ethics, forgiveness, family priority, being a good manager / subordinate, ... All based firmly on Scripture.

As a Kansan raised on the pro-John Brown, pro-Jayhawker propaganda prevalent in my state as a child, this book was a wake up call. This is the first and only account I have seen about the conflict between Kansas and Missouri during the Civil War that's presented in a level-headed and objective manner. Some of the language (i.e. gratuitous use of the words "Negro" and "Indian") serves as a frequent reminder that this book was penned during the late 1950s, but aside from that it remains quite prescient. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what Kansas was really like during the Civil War. In the end you're likely to be a bit disappointed - Not with the book, but with the realization that there were no heroes in Kansas during that time and that Kansans didn't generally stand firmly in support of the kinds of values we attribute to them today.

Albert Castel was able to make the Civil War in Kansas apeal to the senses. The truth about the war and how it tore society apart while bringing it back together. The book is one of the best about Kansas during the Civil War.

This book has been wonderful company to me both at home and while travelling. If you are absorbed by the Civil War and Herman Melville, you will love "The Civil War World of Herman Melville" down to your toes. Best of all, no matter how well you think you know Melville or the Civil War, you will learn something you didn't know before. The book is an almost day-to-day journey through the war from the home front to the battle front with a family that just happens to be that of America's greatest writer. I love this book without having been fully convinced by Mr. Garner's views on the value of Melville's war poems, and while disagreeing with his harsh judgement of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. I do agree with the above reviewer who advises having a copy of "Battle Pieces" on hand as a pleasure enhancer.

Stanton Garner details a day by day chronology of Melville's activities during the Civil War and links them to Melville's first published book of poetry, _Battle Pieces: Aspects of the War_. Garner's prose is elegant, his sources are thoroughly documented, and his insights into Melville's art are incisive and illuminating. Readers interested in the Civil War may find much of interest pertaining to daily life in northern communities, but this book is not about the War as much as it is about Melville and _Battle Pieces_.

_Battle Pieces_ has been dismissed by some critics as a collection of poorly executed war poems by a failed writer past his prime, but Garner shows us how Melville exercises his prodigious creative talent to build a literary work unlike any contemporary product in the style of its poems and in its substantive treatment of a complex subject. By placing the poems in their historic context and linking them to the family's political views (conservative Democrats disposed toward support of the McClellan candidacy etc.), we gain insight into many otherwise hidden associations.

Garner's chronology begins with Melville's 1859 voyage to San Francisco aboard his brother's ship _The Meteor_ and continues until just after the publication of _Battle Pieces_ in 1866. Among the more interesting episodes is Melville's visit to the front during the late winter of 1864 to see his cousin, Lt. Henry Gansevoort. This leads to an evening's audience with General Grant, where we imagine Melville gaining valuable material for his work. The next day, he joins an expedition of troops scouting for Moseby's men during which he is directly exposed to the dangers of war.

Some prospective readers may be tempted to wait for the publication of Hershel Parker's second volume of _Herman Melville: A Biography_. Parker's work, written in much the same style, will have the benefit of Parker's decades of experience updating the Melville Log, so we can expect additional biographical detail. But Garner's insights into Melville's literary work give _Civil War Years_ enduring value worthy of a separate volume.

While Garner provides pertinent excerpts of Melville's poems as he discusses them, readers will want a copy of _Battle Pieces_ near them as they read.

Very good history book for those wanting to know where the Civil War actually started.

James Denny is a historian with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. John Bradbury is Senior Manuscript Specialist at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection in Rolla, Missouri. Together these two experts have collaborative to write "The Civil War's First Blood: Missouri 1854-1861". Missouri was a border state that saw increasing conflict over the issues of states' rights and slavery during the 1850s that would result in divided loyalties between the North and the South among families, friends and neighbors resulting in confrontation and violence that would eventually erupt into open civil war. This is the story of a slave state surrounded by adjoining free states, of Governor Claiborne Jackson's advocacy of secessionism that failed to find support among a majority of Missouri's citizenry and lead to his being chased by U.S. forces directed by general Nathaniel Lyon and U.S. Representative Frank Blair -- men determined to secure Missouri for the Union. This is also the story of Kansas Jayhawkers raiding Missouri towns along the length of the Kansas-Missouri border, and of Confederate forces coming up from Arkansas but failing to establish a permanent influence in favor of the Southern cause. Profusely illustrated, "The Civil War's First Blood" is a fascinating and informative read, as well as a valued and recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library American Civil War reference collections and supplemental reading lists.