Kansas Books

Brian Burnes new book on Harry Truman is a pleasure, impeccably researched and extremely well written. Rather than piling detail upon detail, Burnes opts for well-chosen anecdotes that add up to Truman's full story: his Kansas City boyhood, World War I service, political rise, presidency , and later years back in Kansas City. Truman is remembered for his momentous decision to drop the atomic bomb, but this book also delves into less-known aspects of his presidency. For example, Burnes recounts a wonderful episode involving an old poker buddy named Eddie Jacobson who, in 1948, helped convice Truman that the U.S. should recognize the brand new state of Israel.

Throughout, Burnes does a masterful job of interweaving the story of Truman, the politician, with humanizing details about Truman, the man. While attending the Potsdam conference in 1945, for example, Truman purchased a luncheon set of Belgian lace for Bess. The first lady, in turn, thought the gift a bit extravagant. This book also has wonderful photographs and illustrations, including a Thomas Hart Benton portrait of Truman so closely observed and revelatory that it's worth a thousand words, easily.

Bruce E. Field's Harvest of Dissent: The National Farmers Union and the Early Cold War illustrates the consequences of denouncing American foreign policy in the years following WWII.

The National Farmers Union questioned the ability of the United States to establish world hegemony, and argued for international cooperation to address issues of worldwide poverty and self-determination. The Truman administration chose instead to view the world as a playing field upon which the competing interests of the United States and the Soviet Union vied for domination. As advocates of international cooperation through the United Nations, the National Farmers Union dissented from the unilateral and aggressive actions of Truman's foreign policy. Instead of being perceived as representing a legitimate divergent view of how U.S. foreign policy might be better conducted, the organization became the target for suppressive criticism and unsubstantiated claims of Communist infiltration by the FBI, the State Department, and the House Un-American Activities Committee.

As the Cold War intensified into the Korean War, the National Farmers Union faced the dilemma of whether to continue their opposition to American foreign policy or, conversely, to align itself within the prevailing American attitude of consensus. Organizational leaders differed as to the best path. Field follows the inner politics of the National Farmers Union as national president Jim Patton led the effort to purge the vocal critics of the Truman administration. Patton moved in this direction after he decided the group needed to support the U.S. Korean War effort in order to survive. His Machiavellian machinations successfully removed the loudest and most influential of the dissenters, including Fred Stover.

Field presents an interesting dichotomy of dissent. On one side, Jim Patton and the National Farmer's Union, after an early period of dissent, tried to maintain influence during the growing Red Scare by adopting a posture supportive of the U.S. Korean War effort. While on the other side, Fred Stover continued his dissent during the Korean War by refusing to temper his condemnation of an aggressive American foreign policy that he believed played a role in provoking and escalating the Cold War. The irony of Field's dichotomy lay in the fact that both Jim Patton and Fred Stover achieved about the same impact. As critics, at one time or another, they were disloyal, untrustworthy, and hence, marginalized in the post World War II political climate. Field shows that the 'harvest of dissent' for the National Farmers Union, Jim Patton, and Fred Stover failed to reap a fundamental examination of the assumptions of American Cold War foreign policy.

I recommend the book as important in revealing the role the climate of consensus played in limiting debate during the early years of the Cold War. Field provides a telling example of exactly how government pressure limited dissent and the exploration of alternatives to fighting the Cold War.

Few Americans now living can recall the impact and import of the "view from Kansas" from the mid 1800's up to the Great Depression. Modern Americans know little of the Sunflower State other than that the residents there are reasonably quiet and keep pretty much to themselves. It might be hard to imagine that at one time to say one was from Kansas would be the equivalent of saying "I'm a Texan," nowadays.

Kansan's were (and are) noted for their hard work, common sense pioneer spirit and an inate sense of fair play. Bader's book takes us step by step through the state's stormy start, as "Bleeding Kansas," and its major role in the War Between the States, through its phase as a policy maker and trend-setter up to modern times when Kansas is perhaps best known as the home state of former U. S. Senator, Bob Dole.

Surprisingly engaging and ultimately very "readable," this book is a must-read for anyone with a bent for Americana and U. S. history.

I love this book. I got it yesterday and could not put it down until I read the whole book. I'm not usually a reader. I like quilt books just for the quilting, but this book has the history about the wonderful women that lived in these houses. And if you love applique, you will love this book. It also has wool penny rug, how to applique your own house and a punch needle rug. This is my next project.

The author, Dr. Gary Morsch is a friend of mine from college and gave me a copy of this book at a reunion...I didn't read it until taking a trip to China. I was totally moved by it. I wouldn't recommend reading it in a public place as it is a very emotionally challenging book.

Dr. Morsch has been all over the world on ground-breaking humanitarian missions but don't think the point of the book is to take huge trips like his; it's about finding your own personal mission, whether that's across the street, across town, or across the world.

I've given this book to several people. It's that good.

This would be a great indepth follow up to "Articles of Faith: What Nazarenes Believe and Why." I read this in preparation for the Centennial Celebration of the Church of the Nazarene on October 5, 2008. While "Here We Stand" was published nearly a decade ago, it's just as pertinent if not more so in today's kaleidoscope of religious belief. The issue addressed in the book is exactly where does the Church of the Nazarene fit in the larger scope of Christendom and religious belief. On page 16, Wes Tracy says, "Not every Christian would make a good Nazarene," and having been a Nazarene pastor for 10 years now, I concur. The Nazarene call to complete surrender to Christ followed by the entire sanctification of believers is simply not what all followers of Christ are willing to commit to. An important read that will give you a good dose of church history and theology while helping you better understand what the Church of the Nazarene is all about.

This book has many pictures, as well as much info about the 1951 flood.
Aside from the 1903 KC flood, this flood was the worst, and this book really tells a good written version of what happened July 13, 1951.

I do reccommend it.

Gil Troy's book is well researched and written. It is full of interesting insight and wit. Buy and read it today. Support quality historical writing!

This exhaustive two-volume tome set the standard for twentieth century biography, and belongs on the shelf of every well-read Dickens fan or public library. Great for researching, critical analysis, or enjoyment of this monumental life.

Carl Boyd has produced an exceptionally lucid and revealing book that traces U.S. decoding attack on Berlin-Tokyo radio communications of Gen. Oshima Hiroshi, Japanese Ambassdor to the Third Reich, and its impact on the outcome of WWII. According to Boyd, these decoded diplomatic messages, known in the U.S. and Great Britain as MAGIC, were pivotal in Allied decision-making at critical junctures during the war. The author contends that, because the British were unable to read the secret communications of the top Nazi leadership, MAGIC filled a crucial gap in British ULTRA message decoding efforts. According to Boyd, Oshima was covertly converted into "an inadvertent informer of incalculable importance in leading the Allies to victory." Because Oshima had a very close personal relationship with Hitler and foreign minister von Ribbentropp, had their trust and respect, and had access to their higest level secrets, his MAGIC decoded radio messages were especially revealing and valuable for Allied planners. His military experience and analytical abilities also made his detailed characterizations of the disposition and condition of German forces in Europe and on the eastern front especially enlightening to the Allies and critical to planning for Operation OVERLORD. Boyd observes that "The margin of success on the Normandy beaches was narrow, but MAGIC and Anglo-American cooperation made the difference." Boyd's book is the first detailed account of Oshima's role as a primary source of Allied wartime intelligence through MAGIC. He draws heavily on declassified National Security Agency documents recently released to the National Archives. There is more, however, to this story of decoding covertly collected enemy radio intercepts that remains classified, especially in the British archives, which won't be declassified for more than twenty years. This is a thoroughly documented, superbly written, and rich account of the application of communications intelligence during WWII. It should be a stimulating read for all serious WWII historians and an entertaining read for all others.