Kansas Books

Glantz's book is a must read for any serious student of the Eastern Front in World War II. While it may be long and dry, it covers the Soviet Army at an important time in the war. It is not a book for those who are new to the conflict. Glantz covers it all, so if you want to understand how the Red Army beat the German Army, this is one you have to read.

David Glantz may not write in the most exciting way or use tons of hyperbole or focus alot on the human facet of his stories on the Russo-German war, however as far as wealth of information on the Soviet side of things go there is no one better equipped in the western world to write about The Great Patriotic War. His access to Soviet military information is unprecedented and his attention to detail of the military operations second to none. When I first began reading Glantz's tomes on the war I had preconceived notions about this conflict. If Hitler had stayed on course for Moscow after the battle of Smolensk, if he had not split Operation Blau into a Stalingrad and a Caucauses dual front and kept those troops together for a concerted drive to the Volga, if Barbarossa had been launched in May instead of late June, if the Rasputista and bitter Russian winter had not intervened, if if if. And i truly believed Hitler could and should have won this war. After starting on Glantz's books around the year 2000 or so, and truly realizing the awesome potential in manpower and equipment the Soviets had, and realizing in these readings how unprepared materially and logistically the Germans were to fight this war my whole mindset has changed. I believe even if the Germans had taken Moscow Russia would still have won this war. Other then the Germans developing atomic weapons before anyone I have radically altered my view on Germany's chances here. The Soviet Union was destined to win this war no matter what the cost. Barbarossa more then anything else, was Hitler's greatest mistake in the war. I owe this new view to the works of David Glantz. His information is incredible, his summaries superlative, his conclusions inescapable. Dry and technical it may be, but for my money there is no better writer on The Great Patriotic War then David Glantz. Remember, Germany lost the war and 90 percent of her casualties on the Eastern front. Remember, the Soviet Union lost 27 million dead and most of her agricultural and economic bases and STILL won this war. She probably could have done so, although at even greater cost, without a second front in Italy in 1943, and in France in 1944. The Russian contribution to World War II must not be downplayed in the west. The war against Germany was primarily a Russian one, and David Glantz deserves accolades for being one of very few western writers to acknowledge this fact.

So, this is something that's only for professionals and hardcore fanatics, but it is highly recommended for them. It contains everything you ever wanted to know about the Red Army between 1941-43, and even more.

OK, nothing's perfect (5 stars means it's as perfect as it could be in our imperfect world), I can tell you one complaint. At one point he claims that command turbulance wasn't that bad even during Barbarossa. He cites statistics. But what I would've needed is some comparison. It's fine to know that less than X% of certain types of commanders were relieved of command, but it would've been nice to read some comparison: how was it with other armies... Without those, the data just hang in the air... (There were a few similar points - it's not much in a book well over 600 pages. So I still give it the 5 stars.)

Glantz does his usual excellent job on the Soviet military in World War II. He covers the campaigns, and the structure and development of the red army during the early part of the war. Separating much of the formation, commander and OoB material into the companion volume is actually a plus. Both volumes are easier to handle becuase of the size and it is easier to use two books to cross reference material.

Although hundreds of histories of Soviet-German war have been published in the last decade or so, they have for the most part either focused on large-scale operations, told the story from a predominantly German perspective, or, most likely, done both. Another unfortunate result of this has been the number of revisionist works, in some degree or another based on Viktor Suvorov's Icebreaker. In part this was out of necessity due to a a number of factors, including the lack of access to former Soviet archives as well as the repression of histories deemed embarrassing to important wartime heroes. David Glantz has once again answered this dearth of reliable Soviet-perspective war history with his newest volume Colossus Reborn. Using a massive number or Soviet primary sources he has written the comprehensive history of the Soviet-German war.

Glantz' book is divided into three parts to tell this story. The first is a chronological discussion of the first 30 months of war, subdivided into the initial period, which covers the war up to the Soviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad and then the second period, which covers the remaining 12 months. This first part of the book not only discusses the conventional view of the war but also clearly exposes the many Soviet operations that have lay hidden in virtual obscurity since war's end. Glantz also does a fine job showing how the Soviet-German war affected the course of WWII in general. Perhaps out of necessity this part of the book is rather concise. In any case it is still eye opening to have the vast number of counterstrokes, counteroffensives and strategic offensives laid out as they are here. As he himself points out, prior histories of the war have led to an almost constant and simplistic portrayal of operations as smooth periods of Wehrmacht offensives in the summer and Soviet offensives in the winter. He also clearly dispels the myth that the Red Army was simply along for the ride after the surprise attack and shows how Stalin and the Stavka repeatedly during the initial period of war attempted to organize counterstrokes as well as full counteroffensives.

Part two of the book is a very thorough look into the force structure of the Soviet army. This section is as comprehensive as one could possible ask for and retain a modicum of readability. Even as such, it is certainly the most difficult section to work through as it is basically a detailed look into how every aspect of the Soviet forces were reorganized from Front down to battalions in some instances. As such is feels at times to be comprised of endless tables of organization. This should not be overstated however, as this type of attention to detail is what most readers of Glantz have come to expect. Furthermore, it is this level of detail that sets him apart from most other widely published WWII historians. He does not simply explain to the reader that a particular type of unit was employed in a particular defensive or offensive action. He thoroughly explains how that type of unit came to be and gives the prior organization of similar units and why they failed to work.

Part three is a thorough analysis of the leaders of the Red Army and those that they led. The first subsection is broken up primarily into mini biographies of every major general, commanding every Front, Army, and Corps and all of their variants. It does so and gives a very interesting breakdown and percentages by year of the surviving and thriving general staff as well as command failures and traitors. Glantz then gives a very enlightening look into the soviet soldiers; who they were (ethnicity and gender are investigated here) how they survived, why they fought and what methods were used to keep them toeing the line, particularly after the hideous and demoralizing losses of the first six months. This section is probably the most readable of the three and is a very well written look into the human aspects of the war.

Finally, Glantz has once again written a history of the Soviet-German war that is groundbreaking, to say the least. Using sources that only he seems to be able to gain access to, he has delved more comprehensively into the factors that allowed the Red Army to first survive and eventually defeat Hitler's Wehrmacht, than anyone else before him. Yes, this volume reads quite dryly at times and the tables of organization can seem daunting but it must clearly be understood from the beginning that this is not a book for the casual history reader by any stretch. This book is meant for the dedicated historian of the Soviet-German war-those who need more than a basic overview of the military operations and geopolitical ramifications of the war. With all that said the only weakness that this book has are some instances of sloppy writing and subsequent poor editing. At times-particularly in Part I-this poor editing is truly frustrating and frequent. For the most part though, this is never more than a minor irritation. As a whole Glantz can, once again, be said to be the undisputed master of Soviet-German war history.

This is a book that my husband just had to have! It is out of print and it took awhile for me to find it. If you are a George Brett fan, it is a must have!!

Steve Cameron's latest work with George Brett is a must for any fan of the greatest game. For everyone who has thrilled to George's accomplishments and admired his blue-collar, headfirst approach to the game he loves, "From Here to Cooperstown" is a joy indeed. This book captures the entire story of Brett's career where he had a lifetime average of .305, 3154 hits, and 1595 runs batted in. Great photos and layout compliment the authoring by Steve Cameron. It includes a great section that has quotes and comments from players, coaches, and writers, that have watched George Brett move from a shaky Single A player to the Hall of Famer that he is. Another feature in this book is that George Brett shares his thoughts, emotions, memories, his recollections, and his feelings about the long journey. It captures the entire story of Brett's career from childhood through his many years with the Kansas City Royals. It also does an outstanding job of building an understanding of why Brett is so passionate about the game of baseball. Here is a quote from George on how he would like to be remembered. "I'd like to be remembered as the guy who always played hard and ran out every ball." Although George has made it to the Hall of Fame he thanks many for his success. George would later add in his Hall of Fame speech a thought about his parents. George said," To my parents, Jack and Ethel. Thanks for the endless hours of support and love. You taught me the qualities of life that I will pass along to your grandchildren, Jackson, Dylan, and Robin. I would recommend this book to all players in high school, College, and the Minors because of the lessons it teaches about respect for the game and a personal commitment to excellence.

This book is the heart and soul of George Brett. If you are a fan of George Brett or a lover of the sport this book is a must have addition to your collection.

Steve Cameron's latest work with George Brett is a must for any fan of the greatest Game. It does an outstanding job of building an understanding of why Brett is so passionate about baseball.

There is a great section containing comments from players, coaches, writers that have watched George Brett move from a shaky Single A player to the Hall of Famer that he is.

I almost think this book should be required reading for all players in high school, college and the minors because of the lessons it teaches about respect for the game and personal commitment to excellence.

Until reading this book, I was sure that no one could love the game of baseball more than I did. George Brett is the one man that does.

Steve Cameron's latest work with George Brett is a must for any fan of the greatest game. For everyone who has thrilled to George's accomplishments and admired his blue-collar, headfirst approach to the game he loves, "From Here to Cooperstown" is a joy indeed. This book captures the entire story of Brett's career where he had a lifetime average of .305, 3154 hits, and 1595 runs batted in. Great photos and layout compliment the authoring by Steve Cameron. It includes a great section that has quotes and comments from players, coaches, and writers, that have watched George Brett move from a shaky Single A player to the Hall of Famer that he is. Another feature in this book is that George Brett shares his thoughts, emotions, memories, his recollections, and his feelings about the long journey. It captures the entire story of Brett's career from childhood through his many years with the Kansas City Royals. It also does an outstanding job of building an understanding of why Brett is so passionate about the game of baseball. Here is a quote from George on how he would like to be remembered. "I'd like to be remembered as the guy who always played hard and ran out every ball." Although George has made it to the Hall of Fame he thanks many for his success. George would later add in his Hall of Fame speech a thought about his parents. George said," To my parents, Jack and Ethel. Thanks for the endless hours of support and love. You taught me the qualities of life that I will pass along to your grandchildren, Jackson, Dylan, and Robin. I would recommend this book to all players in high school, College, and the Minors because of the lessons it teaches about respect for the game and a personal commitment to excellence.

Yvonne Sewall-Ruskin's "High on Rebellion" is a wonderful recreation of Max's era (1965 thru 1981). Filled with hundreds of photographs (by Leee Black Childers, Anton Perich, Billy Name and others) and hundreds of interview quotes, reading it is like a multimedia experience - as exciting as a night in Max's infamous backroom! For those of us lucky enough to have been there, it is a trip back to the center of the maelstrom... Max's was New York's high energy intersection of the art and music world, where up and coming young ones could brush elbows with Warhol, Patti Smith, Bowie, the NY Dolls, et al. Beautifully designed, this book will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the artists, musicians and popular culture of the late sixties and the 1970's. It really is shocking to realize how many young talents succumbed to the excesses of that time, still the book created in me a longing to go back there again! Thanks for a wonderful tribute, Yvonne!

I first read "Please Kill Me" and developed a fascination for this era of American social history. This book describes, through stories and pictures, the various stages of Max's and all the celebrity goings on. Very entertaining, also a high quality edition, of a period of decadence.

I often walk past the site where Max's once stood. Even though I only came to New York about three years ago, I already knew the look of that building from photos. Patti Smith said that when she saw the deli that has taken over there, she cried. I found it sad myself and never even went to Max's. Thanks to this fascinating, touching, and sometimes terrifying book, I feel that I got a small taste of what it must have been like. I do realize, however, that "you really had to be there". Of course, if I had been, I might not be here now. Max's was probably way too fast for a guy like me to handle. I might look back fondly like some of the people in this book or I might have jumped off a building like Andrea Feldman. Pick this book up for a heartfelt examination of what was truly a crossroads for pop culture--a place where the only poeple who felt like freaks were the ones who weren't.

Anyone interested in the NYC rock'n'roll scene of the 1960's-'70's should get this book. Warhol's Superstars, the Velvets, Nico, Patti Smith, and so many more all have their place in here! Mickey Ruskin, the owner of Max's, pretty much kept alive 99% of the cities "starving artists" during those times! A lot of popular musicians got their start at Max's, from Bruce Springsteen to Debbie Harry (a former Max's waitress!). If you want to learn more about the "back room" at Max's and all the characters who hung out there, get this book! Lots of entertaining anecdotes from so many different scenesters! Most of these people lived on the edge! Other books I would recommend are "Man Enough To Be a Woman" by Jayne County and "Rebel Heart" by Bebe Buell (they were regulars at Max's as well)!!!

This book was great, excellent pictures and a great tell all of the time. Nothing was held back from this oral history, very detailed and fun. Yvonne Ruskin did a great job, I felt like I knew these people and since I have never been to Max's and now that it is gone it was alot of fun to see what it was like and sad at the same time because I wish I could of been there.

For a Confederate examination, Steven Woodworth's book is essential reading in understanding the complex relationships between President Davis and his western theater leaders. Peppered throughout the book are insightful examinations of such generals as Beauregard, Polk, Van Dorn, Albert Sydney Johnston, Joe Johnston, Bragg, and Hood. Woodworth delves into Davis' leadership weaknesses by showing that his health problems and his lack of humility and people-skills (he would have six different War Secretaries) increased his inability to cooperate with others. His unyielding loyalty to promote incompetent friends to high positions routinely injected failure and casualties in campaigns, but Davis refused to bow to the facts and remove them. Woodworth wraps up his analysis with a fair theory that interconnecting these problems was Davis' hesitancy and indecision. The president often submitted suggestions and not orders in correspondence and he falsely believed backbiting and arrogant generals would just cooperate towards the common cause. His inability to provide unifying command authority, especially over the Mississippi River region further fractured what little strategy existed. Woodworth's analysis is a rare addition in the often-neglected study of western command. It is insightful, extremely well-wrttien, and engrossing.

Seemingly endless Civil War books are written rehashing every minute move of Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. There are far fewer that cover the situation of the Confederacy's western armies and generals, despite, or perhaps because of the fact that it was in the west that the Confederacy lost the war. With Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West, Steven E. Woodworth steps up to fill this gap with a first rate book that every serious student of the Civil War should read. He presents a clear and reasoned argument that the failure of the Confederacy in the west was not due to the quality or quantity of its armies or even of its supplies, but a direct result of a monumental failure in its high command.
Woodworth writes of Jefferson Davis as a man who seemed to be eminently and uniquely qualified to become commander in chief of the Confederacy. He was a West Point graduate, a Mexican War hero, had served as a particularly effective secretary of war under President Franklin Pierce, and had been a United States senator. He understood politics, and he clearly understood war. His resolve for his cause, like his loyalty to his friends, was unshakable. Contained within these impressive qualifications and traits, however, were flaws and blind spots that would severely hinder Davis' management of the war in the west, where he had no Lee to take charge. Foremost of these faults was a lack of judgement when appointing friends as generals, and unreasonable loyalty to them thereafter. Compounding these problems was a fierce pride in his own military judgement that left him unable to acknowledge and correct mistakes. Finally, his pride led him into bitter personal feuds with key generals that hindered his ability to utilize them to the fullest.
Woodworth follows Davis' moves in the west, from his initial organization of the Western theater, through the high stakes game played and eventually lost to gain Kentucky for the Confederacy, to the crisis at Shiloh, where with the death of General Albert Sidney Johnston, the Western Confederacy lost its best hope for competent command. The catastrophe of the loss of Vicksburg, the disastrous infighting among the generals under Bragg in the Army of Tennessee, the loss of Tennessee, the Atlanta Campaign, and Hood's final failed campaign are all covered. In each instance, Woodworth notes the command decisions that Davis made, or failed to make, in the crisis. At the end of each chapter, he summarizes and critiques Davis' performance, highlighting areas where Davis was at least partly responsible for the problems, as well as pointing out where he performed as well as could have been expected.
Woodworth clearly has a strongly opinionated point of view. He is nearly unique among the Civil War historians that I have read in his spirited defense of General Braxton Bragg as a competent commander, and lays all of the blame for the failure of Bragg's campaigns on incompetent and insubordinate generals under his command, chiefly Davis' personal friend General Leonidas Polk. He also repeatedly accused General Joseph Johnston of lacking a will to win, and of never believing that the Confederacy could win the war. While many will disagree with these positions, his boldness in stating them is characteristic of the bold approach that is evident throughout his book.
Jefferson Davis and His Generals is a bold, original work, that addresses a theme that is too often neglected in Civil War studies. It is consistently engaging, insightful, and controversial. It is clearly written, well researched, and a pleasure to read. I consider it to be among the very best books that I have read on the Civil War, and would recommend it highly, especially to those with a specific interest in the war in the west.

Theo Logos

I re-read Woodworth's excellent treatise on Jefferson Davis and his involvement in the Western Theater. The chapters are succinct and focus more on strategy than in specific battle details. My favorite parts are the reviews at the end of each chapter. I have always believed that Lee's strategy to invade the North rather than deploying his forces in the West was a major blunder. If there is one salient point that screams from this book it is that Jeff Davis' personal relationships with his generals (Polk??) definitely was a detriment to his decision making. This book should be required reading for high school and undergraduate students. Indeed any leader could profit from the analysis and history rendered here.

This book is a must read to understand the generals, campaigns, strategy, and the thinking of Jefferson Davis in the Western Theater. The book is well-written, informative, and features good analysis of the differing generals, Davis' actions, and some very good mini-biographies of the major players. Although the book does not go into major detail about specific battles, Woodworth does give a good overview of the major campaigns and battles of the West. The book also has some interesting theories on why Davis failed in the West. Although I disagreed with some of Woodworth's conclusions, especially regarding Braxton Bragg's capabilities as a commander, I found his arguments well-reasoned, although I thought he went out of his way to bash James Longstreeet. The major sticking point I had with the book was Woodworth's analysis on Bragg and his theory that J.E. Johnston thought the CSA's cause was doomed so he didn't really try to win. I thought that was utter nonsense, but that was really my only quarrel with the book. Well-written, informative, just an excellent book.

Insightful and thought provoking analysis of what Davis did and did not do to save the West. I feel this is a very important book and one that a serious student of the war should read. Additionally, I feel that this book should be read after Connelly and Horn to preserve a balanced picture. Woodworth presents a more favorable view of Bragg than I have seen from other authors. Some of this is fair and some maybe the author's perceptions of Bragg. It takes getting used to and the more you know about Bragg and his failings the better off you are. He scores many good points and made me modify my view of Bragg and the problems he had with Polk and Hardee.

His treatment of Jefferson Davis is very fair. His points are valid and well supported, showing where Davis did well and where he did poorly. The reasons for the decisions are supported and logical, given Davis' personality. This is the best part of the book and balances the blame the "Eastern Block" that is found in other books.

I am less happy with his treatment of Longstreet, feeling that he has accepted the "Lost Cause Myth" and not explored the situation. Rather than dismiss Longstreet, I would have liked to see an explanation of his relationship with Davis and Lee's influence in this area.

This is a well written, easy to read informative book. Not without faults but a valuable addition to my ACW library.

Enjoy one of the biographies of John Adams, then read this superb book to complete the story of this great man. Mr. Thompson is a fine writer and can be seen on an old CSPAN segment giving a lecture on Adams. His grasp of President Adams's work and his ability to explain it are unmatched.

I am floored! I started reading biographies of John Adams after the musical "1776" piqued my interest in him and have absorbed at least 20 of them since then. I don't know how this 1998 title flew underneath my radar until 2004 but it did ... and I think NOW, after the 2004 election, is the time when every American needs to know what he did for us ... or TRIED to ... including: pointing the way for those of us who CAN to start doing something about the mess we're in now. His insistence on basing our government structure on actual human nature instead of a fantasized ideal of how human nature ought to be may be the only reason we've lasted even this long. Communism went down because it flew in the face of this wisdom. We could be next. Thompson shows that Adams was not only a political theorist, he was a scientifically oriented psychologist. So am I. And I know that he had a handle on psychological reality that exceeds what most modern psychological theorists can lay claim to. He was an Adlerian more than a century before Adler was a gleam in his father's eye. May ALL the Gods bless C. B. Thompson for what he has done ... and may his publisher start doing a better job of getting this book before the public.

I just finished reading C. Bradley Thompson's "John Adams and The Spirit of Liberty," and am in awe; not only of John Adams but of Dr. Thompson's masterful explication of Adams' political thought.

I had no idea what a debt of gratitude I owed to one man, John Adams, who more than any other Founding Father developed and provided the intellectual framework that became the Constitution of the United States. At the very least this book should be required reading for any person who is interested in pursuing a career in politics.

To all of you who are interested in understanding the intellectual founding of this country I urge you to read this book. You won't be able to put it down.

And to C. Bradley Thompson, I salute you and thank you for your efforts in resurrecting the reputation and honor of this great man.

The most critical period of American history actually occurred after the revolution. The instability of anarchy threatened to make the ideas expressed in Jefferson's Declaration of Independence and the heroic successes of Washington nothing more than a forgotten dream. Another hero, one who would be willing to chronicle all previous forms of government and guide the architects of the constitution in creating something entirely new was what was needed. He was more than just another name on the list of American presidents. That hero was John Adams.
Thank you, C. Bradley Thompson, for this inspirational account of an often overlooked and undervalued intellectual giant among the American John Adams and the Spirit of Liberty by C. Bradley Thompson
founders.

To return America to its original foundation of freedom and individual rights, it is vital that we know the ideas of the men who created that system. This important task will be easier thanks to this book by C. Bradley Thompson. Readers interested in the Founding period and its legacy for our own time will not want to miss this book.

Mrs. Bridge, the lead of the first book, written in 1959, is named India, and she falls in love with Walter, her husband, and they have two daughters, Ruth and Carolyn, and a son, Douglas. Walter is a lawyer and the second book, Mr. Bridge, is from his point of view, and was written in 1969. This decade difference shows. Mr. Bridge is the longer, more complex work, and while it covers many of the same incidents as Mrs. Bridge there are divergences. For instance, Mrs. Bridge focuses more heavily on the family life, and in it we witness the death of Mr. Bridge, and the ascension of Douglas to family head, just as the Second World War starts. Mr. Bridge focuses on his work, politics, and a wider range of social topics. The first book checks in at 117 chapters and 246 pages, while the second is a heftier 141 chapters and 367 pages.

That said, both are great books. Period. If you want character development, poetic moments, insight, a portrait of a certain time and place, these two books cannot be beat. The Bridges are petty, refined, bigoted, caring, aloof, devoted, rich, yet simple people. In a sense it is almost impossible to review one without the other. Significantly, both books start off with the wooing and marriage of both. It is as if the books' titles signify not only who are the main characters, but what they are. Both characters define themselves by their spouse, and, de facto, all we know, or need to know, about them revolves around their married personae. The only thing more important to the couple than each other seems to be what others think of them. In Mrs. Bridge it is phrased this way: `She brought up her children very much as she herself had been brought up, and she hoped that when they were spoken of it would be in connection with their nice manners, their pleasant dispositions, and their cleanliness, for these were qualities she valued above all others.'
Accordingly, these are not standard novels. There are no great, overreaching arcs. They are more like `blackout sketches'. Yet, each sketch is sort of like a minor point in the characters' lives, and each point paints a mere portion of the canvas. In this way I am reminded of the Pointillist style of painting. In both books we get essentially the same portraits of the two main characters, albeit slightly parallaxed. Mrs. Bridge is a feeler and Mr. Bridge a thinker. She realizes, at some level, the emptiness of their existence. He does not, at least not as deeply....Yet, Connell does not descend into caricature. Mr. Bridge thinks very ill of both blacks and Jews, as does his wife (to a lesser degree), yet is shown doing acts of kindness and charity for individual blacks and Jews. Then, he turns around and questions the motives of a lynching victim, and that of the first black girl who wants to pledge at Carolyn's sorority, or reacts queasily to the very presence of a Jewish investor, and wonders if Hitler was all bad, and not in the purest philosophic sense. Similarly, in her book, Mrs. Bridge has many moments of good and bad personal traits exposed: She is curiously fond of a young black girl who is friends of the children, she is utterly clueless as to the world of male bullying, she is scandalized at the thought of a dramatic presentation of Tobacco Road coming to town, and she floats through Europe until the Nazis invade Poland. Perhaps her defining moment comes when she discovers Douglas is looking at a dirty magazine, by going through his clothes while getting the laundry ready. He discovers her snooping: `He had followed her across the room and was now standing on the opposite side of the desk with his fists clenched behind his back. Seeing him so tense she thought that if she could only manage to rumple his hair as she used to do when he was a small boy everything would be all right. Calmly, and a little slyly, she began easing toward him.

Seeing that she was after him he also moved to keep the desk between them.'

Simply put, perfectly realized moments like this are no longer being published in contemporary fiction. Neither is the clarity. Poetry in fiction is not attained by over-the-top description nor baroque sentences straining toward Victoriana, but by the juxtaposition of the singularly beautiful, even if alone mundane, with another singular beauty. Yet, these moments, these points, alone give no insight, but arrayed in their respective clusters, then played off of each other in both books, they form two brilliant portraits, whose ends are excellent. Her book ends with mundane torture and his with continued delusion- fitting purgatories for both. Ah!, to recall more than just the art in a piece of art is always a great pleasure, and after getting neither the more nor the artwork in Henry Miller, thankfully Evan S. Connell restores faith in the way things should be in good art. In Miller, inherently exciting things are made to wallow in the worst sort of stupor and dullness, whereas Connell takes innately dull material, and weaves intimately exciting portraits by what he focuses on, and how. His poetry is bad, his short fiction wildly erratic, but these two books are aptly deserving of the appellation great. Damn, it feels good to write that!

I became aware of this book while looking for something good to watch on TV and came upon the movie "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" starring Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. I watched a bit of the film, then checked the TV guide and found that it was based on the books "Mr. Bridge" and "Mrs. Bridge." The movie looked good, so I immediately turned it off while vowing to get the books then watch the film. "Mrs. Bridge" was written ten years earlier than the "Mr.," so I decided to read it first. Actually, I don't believe it makes any difference which you read first - except, because of the last five anecdotes of the "Mrs. Bridge" book go beyond the ending of the "Mr." book, I might suggest you read him first. The style of both books is the same: a series of mostly short anecdotes strung together to tell the life of these individuals, each from their own perspective. They both love each other and their three children, who love them back, but their lives are so unconnected that they can't express any feelings. Their life stories encompass the same years between the two World Wars, existence in the same upper class home in Kansas City, contain the same experiences, yet which each focuses on in their own book is totally different. "Mrs. Bridge" has 117 anecdotes, the Mr. has 141. Yet, they hardly ever overlap. And even when they do, for example when describing their trip to Europe, they talk about different aspects of this highlight of their life, as if they went on separate trips. Mr. Bridge, when he can break away from his office, is a wonderful parent and husband. He provides all the monetary needs of the family and offers sound, sage, practical advice to each of them. Mrs. Bridge is a super mom. The kids, each different but ones you would be proud to have, find individual success, yet are hampered by their parents' inability to express their emotions. Mr. Bridge is aware of this shortcoming, but is unable to overcome it. Interestingly, though most of his life is spent in his rewarding lawyer practice, he hardly ever mentions any specifics of his long days at the office. He does express sorrow twice in the book, but only to himself. After seeing the cancan performed in Paris, he lies in bed next to his wife and bemoans that "something which rightfully belongs to every man had been denied to him." And later back home and suffering from a sleepless night he concludes, "all that he believed in and had attempted to prove seem meager, all of his life was wasted." Strong stuff. I wanted to shake him, smack him, and tell him no, his life was not wasted. But, judge for yourself. As for me, I'm going to watch the movie.

Evan S. Connell's "Mr. Bridge" stands, together with its companion novel, "Mrs. Bridge", as one of the outstanding works of Twentieth century American fiction. The two works, taken together, form the brilliantly wrought portrait of an upper middle class marriage in the years preceding and encompassing World War II. Linear in its narrative and meticulously realistic in its style, "Mr. Bridge" tells the story of Walter Bridge, a financially successful, but emotionally stunted, lawyer who lives out his proper married life in the wealthy Mission Hills suburb of Kansas City.

Mr. Bridge recognizes that his life did not begin until he knew his wife, India Bridge. His marriage is, in this sense, important to him. But he cannot articulate his deep feelings for his wife and, ultimately, gives up trying to express any emotion at all. "So the years passed, they had three children and accustomed themselves to a life together, and eventually Mr. Bridge decided that his wife should expect nothing more of him. After all, he was an attorney rather than a poet; he could never pretend to be what he was not."

Cold and emotionally repressed, Mr. Bridge spends all of his time at the office, becoming involved with his family only when necessary to ensure that proper middle class respectability is maintained. He spends his time visiting the bank, scrutinizing his stock certificates and counting his profits. Indeed, he is so focussed on wealth that he surprises his wife and children with stock certificates of Kansas City Power & Light on Christmas morning, only to take the gifts back into his possession so that he can properly manage them.

Manipulative and controlling, Mr. Bridge persuades his reluctant daughter, after she has won a contest, to accept a pony as a prize, even though she would much rather have a bicycle. When the day comes to accept the prize, "Mr. Bridge could not attend the presentation ceremony because he was again spending Saturday at the office." Like his self-centered Christmas present of utility company stock, this prize, too, becomes cheerless for his daughter because of his need to impose his will.

Deeply bigoted, Mr. Bridge cannot tolerate Jews or Blacks very well. When he has an opportunity to take investment advice from an obviously successful Jewish stockbroker, Mr. Bridge, instead, becomes offended by the man's ethnicity and ostensible pretension to be a successful upper middle class man like himself. Reluctantly shaking the man's hand, Mr. Bridge "could hardly restrain a shudder." Resonating with antisemitic feeling, "he withdrew his hand, which came away stickily. He wanted to wash it. His hand felt moist and unhealthy, as if during those few seconds it had become infected." Similarly, when his wife shows him horrifying pictures of a brutal lynching in the South, his only reaction is to ask, "what was this fellow doing that he shouldn't have been doing?"

A fiercely conservative man, with political views as deeply repressive as his stunted emotions, he cannot tolerate President Roosevelt. He even suggests that while Hitler was insane, "some of his ideas were sensible."

Indeed, the repressed feelings of Mr. Bridge find their darkest allusions in his feelings about his daughters, feelings that suggest powerful undercurrents of the sexuality that is absent from his marriage. Seeing his grown daughter, Carolyn, one night posing naked in front of a mirror, he cannot get her out of his mind. "He reminded himself that she was his daughter, but the luminous image returned like the memory of a dream."

"Mr. Bridge", like its companion novel, "Mrs. Bridge", is a stunning work of realism, a crystalline pure narrative of a marriage without feeling, a life without love, a man without the ability to move outside the bounds of middle class probity and respectability.

Evan S. Connell's "Mr. Bridge" stands, together with its companion novel, "Mrs. Bridge", as one of the outstanding works of Twentieth century American fiction. The two works, taken together, form the brilliantly wrought portrait of an upper middle class marriage in the years preceding and encompassing World War II. Linear in its narrative and meticulously realistic in its style, "Mr. Bridge" tells the story of Walter Bridge, a financially successful, but emotionally stunted, lawyer who lives out his proper married life in the wealthy Mission Hills suburb of Kansas City.

Mr. Bridge recognizes that his life did not begin until he knew his wife, India Bridge. His marriage is, in this sense, important to him. But he cannot articulate his deep feelings for his wife and, ultimately, gives up trying to express any emotion at all. "So the years passed, they had three children and accustomed themselves to a life together, and eventually Mr. Bridge decided that his wife should expect nothing more of him. After all, he was an attorney rather than a poet; he could never pretend to be what he was not."

Cold and emotionally repressed, Mr. Bridge spends all of his time at the office, becoming involved with his family only when necessary to ensure that proper middle class respectability is maintained. He spends his time visiting the bank, scrutinizing his stock certificates and counting his profits. Indeed, he is so focussed on wealth that he surprises his wife and children with stock certificates of Kansas City Power & Light on Christmas morning, only to take the gifts back into his possession so that he can properly manage them.

Manipulative and controlling, Mr. Bridge persuades his reluctant daughter, after she has won a contest, to accept a pony as a prize, even though she would much rather have a bicycle. When the day comes to accept the prize, "Mr. Bridge could not attend the presentation ceremony because he was again spending Saturday at the office." Like his self-centered Christmas present of utility company stock, this prize, too, becomes cheerless for his daughter because of his need to impose his will.

Deeply bigoted, Mr. Bridge cannot tolerate Jews or Blacks very well. When he has an opportunity to take investment advice from an obviously successful Jewish stockbroker, Mr. Bridge, instead, becomes offended by the man's ethnicity and ostensible pretension to be a successful upper middle class man like himself. Reluctantly shaking the man's hand, Mr. Bridge "could hardly restrain a shudder." Resonating with antisemitic feeling, "he withdrew his hand, which came away stickily. He wanted to wash it. His hand felt moist and unhealthy, as if during those few seconds it had become infected." Similarly, when his wife shows him horrifying pictures of a brutal lynching in the South, his only reaction is to ask, "what was this fellow doing that he shouldn't have been doing?"

A fiercely conservative man, with political views as deeply repressive as his stunted emotions, he cannot tolerate President Roosevelt. He even suggests that while Hitler was insane, "some of his ideas were sensible."

Indeed, the repressed feelings of Mr. Bridge find their darkest allusions in his feelings about his daughters, feelings that suggest powerful undercurrents of the sexuality that is absent from his marriage. Seeing his grown daughter, Carolyn, one night posing naked in front of a mirror, he cannot get her out of his mind. "He reminded himself that she was his daughter, but the luminous image returned like the memory of a dream."

"Mr. Bridge", like its companion novel, "Mrs. Bridge", is a stunning work of realism, a crystalline pure narrative of a marriage without feeling, a life without love, a man without the ability to move outside the bounds of middle class probity and respectability.

simply one of the best books I've ever read. India will exasperate you and enlighten you. Through her and the other characters in Connell's masterpiece, you will have a feeling that your own life is unfolding before your eyes, complete with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is simultaneously a disturbing and reassuring experience. Don't miss it.

Reading MY NAME IS ESTHER CLARA was like listening to a woman in an old folk's home tell you about her life. The only difference is that you never want to make an excuse to leave the room. I read this wonderful book in one sitting. The stories are well thought out and researched and it is so easy to forget they are being told by one of Esther's granddaughters and not Esther herself. What a loving tribute to a woman who shows grit and a resilience that is enabled by her great sense of humor.

Laurel Johnson has managed to capture my heart once again with her newest book. Each of this author's books are distinct, original, and captivating. I was not sure what to expect before reading MY NAME IS ESTHER CLARA. I ended up with a narrative that I could not put down. When I finished reading it, I couldn't stop thinking of this marvelous woman, Esther Clara.

Esther is a non-fictional character. Her loving granddaughter tells her story from material collected over the years. And what a story this is! Esther's life spans almost a century and the tales she reminisces about will strike a chord with all readers. You will be taken back to years gone by when running water and electricity were not available. You will feel her pain when she suffers loses and silently cheer for her sheer determination while attacking life.

I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. The pages seemed to melt away as the years of Esther's life flew by and her family started to feel like my own. This book will certainly become a welcome addition to my home library to be read again and again.

Laurel Johnson speaks for her grandmother, Esther Clara Sanow Ford, with this - what the author refers to as creative nonfiction - first-person tale of a woman's journey through life. The reader relives history through the eyes of Esther, who experienced the hardships of World Wars I and II and the Korean War, the discord of the Vietnam War, and the worst depression this country has experienced to date. Esther's life evolved from one extreme to the other, from having to cook on a wooden stove, read by kerosene lantern and use an outhouse to one with all the luxuries electricity and running water have to offer; and from riding in horse-drawn carriages to traveling by automobile. How delightful to read about her antics as a child and terribly sad to learn of the death of a beloved child during her marriage.

Esther was a forward-thinking woman who lived during an exciting, progressive time in our nation's history. Her love and devotion to her family, especially her husband Herb, was her number one priority. It is through Esther one is reminded of the basics of life: enduring hardships with bravery and positive thoughts, loving with all one's heart, showing kindness toward others, and above all, being true to one's self.

It's a rarity when a book of this quality crosses my desk. It seemed as if Esther sat across from me, talking directly to me. I didn't want to put the book down, nor did I want it to end. Although Esther may not have had a documented impact on the history of America, she certainly made an impact on this reader and, I imagine, many others.

This is a will written story of the life of a woman as it evolved across almost the entire 20th century. Her childhood antics and accomplishments on an Iowa farm will make you laugh outloud. Her strength, dedication, & love of her family will bring joy to your heart and tears to your eyes. It is a story of the spirit of American women & a life modern women will never experience but can learn from.

Laurel Johnson's ability to captivate a voice from memory and paint it for the rest of the world to hear is an irreplaceable gift. Reading the family tales and yarns of Johnson's grandmother in My Name Is Esther Clara is to come to know and love Esther. Her voice with its deep dialect can be heard jumping off the page through Johnson's talent and first hand knowledge.

The freshness of the frolicking years of child's play through the graying of maturity with the hard lessons of life are woven through Esther's personal dialogue. Heartwarming and charming, it is like standing at a neighbor's fence with ease and down-home familiarity.

Antics that will split the reader's rib cage for laughter and hillarity tell of historic perspectives of much simpler lifestyles and the priorities that had to match for survival. Esther's journey will give social awareness to an agriculturally oriented lifestyle in the plains of America. Character is built and personal strength must evolve from determination in the face of hardship and loss. And yet, always Esther has a yarn to tell and a country idiom to explain.

Laurel Johnson simply radiates her talent in her tribute to her grandmother Esther Clara. This is a book I will pick up again and again for fun and the value inside. I will give it in abundance to friends, and recommend it not just to readers, but to students as well. It will give anyone the reason to pause and think of the value of heritage.

Stephanie S. Sawyer, reviewer and author

I love this book. I have tried to read books on raising your child on your own but found them dull, preachy, not applicable, etc. But this book is wonderful, light hearted, humorous, inspiring and insightful. There are many ideas that I am going to use and I also found a closer bond in my faith. I am reassured and a little less worried after finishing this book. It's nice to know I am not alone and I am not the only one who thinks and worries over little things!

great advice. very encouraging. one of the best books I've read for encouragement as a single mother with a son.

Wow, it's about time somebody wrote a book about this! I have experience in trying to raise my boys without their dad in the house, so I can immediately relate to this author.

I was surprised by how much humor is here --- plus how much help. It's nice to know that we don't struggle alone, other people have been here too, and they've learned some things to pass along!

See below for my choice of "best book" about single parenting.

Lauren Hodge
Apple Valley, California
I highly recommend: Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent

If you're raising a son without a man around, Dana's insightful book provides help and hope with a lot of humor. Dana reminds us as single mom's that with God's help and sheer resilience we can raise our sons to be well-adjusted, responsible young men. Pick up this book and you'll be a better parent for it.

Cassandra Mack, host of The No More Drama Hour of Power and author of, "The Single Mom's Little Book of Wisdom: 42 Tidbits of Wisdom To Help You Survive, Succeed and Stay Strong."

This book captures single-motherhood from a whole new angle. There are plenty of books on surviving single parenting, but none that approach it from the perspective of God in the Father's seat. Chisholm's first-hand experience makes her an ideal author and her unique insight is an asset to single mom's everywhere.

I loved this book through and through. The coverage of doctrine, policy from the U.S. leadership to the "in the trenches" view from the wing/squadron/flight level was amazing. The Titan family has been a stalwart throughout the Cold War - as ICBMs, Space Launch Vehicles, boosting Gemini capsules into orbit... and its cousins boosting national reconnaissance satellites in later decades.

I liked the fact that it was written as a historical study from a non-military source. If there is bias in the book it is from the historian perspective and not the party-line offered by the U.S. military. With today's Air Force missileers screwing up left and right, its nice to read a history of their figurative grandfathers and fathers doing the job correctly to keep the Russian Bear at bay.

Recommended: Disaster at Silo 7, Star Trek: First Contact (alternative uses for a Titan II???), The Day After (don't put a Titan II silo in your backyard...)

Very informative book chock full of all the information you could ever want to know about the missile and program.

Wow another wonderful cold war missile history book.This book is so imformative it get right down to the nuts and bolts that kept this mighty missile together.If you want to learn about what Titan was and what it did to protect us then get this book now trust me it's that good.

Compiled and written by David K. Stumpf (Associate Research Scientist, University of Arizona), Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program is the informed and informative story of the intercontinental ballistic missile program developed by the United States military in the 1950s and 1960s. Each missile was designed to carry a single nuclear warhead, used liquid fuel propellants, and was stored (and launched from) hardened underground silos. The missile sites were based in Arkansas, Arizona, and Kansas facilities, and then were finally deactivated in the early 1980s. Based on a wide range of sources including engineer and airmen interviews and memoirs, declassified government documents, and other public materials, and enhanced with more than 170 drawings and photographs (most of which have never been previously published), Titan II is a definitive, strongly recommended, technological history of a deterrent weapons system that for more than 20 years successfully defended America from nuclear attack.

I admire the author for his undertaking. It is like he saw an important piece of history disappearing, and he decided to write a book to put together the source materials before they disappeared. He ended up with what must be the definitive book on the Titan II ballistic missile program from concept to design to installation to operation to retirement. He is to be applauded for this effort because even he probably does not know how much time it took him.

That being said, this book is probably overly technical except for the most detail-oriented student of history. One literally learns every serial number of every missile and the names and ranks of all military personnel down to every team member on every missile crew. I found that intimidating for someone with my level of interest, which is more than the average lay person and less than the professional historian.

The level of technical details is so exceptional that it almost reads like a military briefing book. I wish there had been more about the people, the mission, the Cold War, but perhaps the author thought those matters were better left for others.

For someone wanting to know just what Titan II was all about, this may not be the book. It can be, but it will require a lot of skipping over of the very detailed sections and possibly a second reading if the first one leaves a thirst for more detail. I did not mind the intense level of detail, but I give it four stars for this reason.

Though BOSS-BUSTERS is a first-rate piece of scholarship, the most striking aspect of the book is the quality of the writing. The story of Kansas City and its Star is told by Harry Haskell in a supremely readable prose style that allows the fascinating characters who are the actors in this drama to live in the imagination of the reader. Kansas City in the 1880s was a town with dirt streets and an outlaw mentality; from this mean beginning arose the City Beautiful, a great and influential newspaper, and a host of individuals whose lives altered the course of the twentieth century. Though sympathetic, Harry Haskell's portrait of his grandfather, Henry J. Haskell (the Pulitzer-prize winning editor of the Star), is informed by a remarkable objectivity. BOSS-BUSTERS is a splendid piece of writing on political and social history, the history of journalism and, ultimately, on the human character.

First and foremost this is a first -rate read that is meticulously researched. A recall of the days when KANSAS CITY and ITS STAR were a vibrant center of the United States and print journalism not only reported the news but often made it. A time before corporate media and newspaper chains were the name of the game in one newspaper towns, when bright energetic men with little money and brash bravado could set up shop and produce a paper and maybe make a lotta money. One such man was William Rockhill Nelson . This is his story and how he done it pushing the boosterism that both endorsed and transformed the booming cowtown on the bend of the Missouri River into the CITY BEAUTIFUL. He also became a big-time player on the national scene . Fun to read as he plays politics loving the intrigue and being buddy-buddy with the likes of Teddy Roosevelt. And he made more than a pot of money. Well those not so halcyon days am gone. Print journalism is on the run. The Kansas City Star is part of the McClatchy Company which if you hafta be part of a chain is, I suppose, as good as it can get. Nelson's real legacy is the Nelson-Atkins Gallery of Art built on the grounds of his estate and housing a major collection of Chinese art.

Haskell's meticulously researched account of the history of The Kansas City Star is a brilliant journey through history. Not only does this work describe the political and social passions and conflicts of America from the late 19th century to the present, it sheds light upon the humanity and foibles of such players as Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and numerous civic and national figures. It shows how the powerful forces of a newspaper and its founder, William Rockhill Nelson, could alter the course of a young city's growth, as well as influence an entire nation. Haskell is to be commended for this very readable, scholarly addition to American social, political, and economic history.

Comments written by:
Dr. E. Grey Dimond
Kansas City, Missouri
December 10, 2007

This is an excellent book for someone who has been deep enough into Kansas City to have a "feel" for its politics, its Establishment, the dynamics of this town at the river's bend. Here is where the Missouri River suddenly turns east, crosses the width of the State, to reach the Mississippi River at St. Louis. To fully be "filled in" on these basics of this community, the recent book about the Establishment of Kansas City should be, would be, the right beginning. Even then, one should have lived here, read its newspaper the Kansas City Star, and participated, even marginally, in the who's who--what makes it tick arena. I speak not of myself but of the author. Haskell is the grandson of one of the do-ers, leaders that shaped the newspaper and the community and for several years was on the Star's staff.

As a comment not needed but meant as a compliment: the title under-sells the book. Perhaps it will help sales but Haskell has produced so much more than this 'reach for eye-catching' label suggests. This is a book about the life of the Kansas City Star from its founding to that point that it sold its ownership away to distant buyers who never knew the town, who lost the boldness, activism, guts that made the paper and certainly helped make the city. I have lived here in both eras and each day's newspaper is a reminder of the loss.

The book is the story of William Rockhill Nelson, J.C. Nichols, Tom
Pendergast, Senator Reed (Nelly Don's husband), Roy Roberts, Henry J. Haskell and the Kansas City of the 1980s through the FDR era. For me, it is a reminder of efforts, good and bad, of the founders of local fortunes to secure it for their heirs: comparing Nelson to Nichols to Joyce Hall.

Kansas City was known as a "cow town" in Canada. By delving into the history of Kansas City and the impressive dominance and power of its newspaper, The Kansas City Star, Mr. Haskell's easily read book has shown me that this Mid-Western city was anything but a lowly "cow town." It was involved with highly important events at home, as well as abroad. Helen Keller, Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, Katharine Wright (sister of Orville and Wilbur Wright), Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, FDR, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, and Harry Truman are well-known names associated with Kansas City. However, William Rockhill Nelson, Roy Roberts and Henry Joseph Haskell were vastly influential socially and politically throughout many sectors of the United States. There is a wealth of fascinating information in Boss-Busters and Sin Hounds that will appeal to the general public.