Kansas Books

Eloquent descriptions by a lover of nature, birds, butterflies and all living things. Honest relating of his recurring depression.

Author Tom Parker and his wife left a big city and big jobs (that also were moving away) and moved to a town in Kansas with 1100 people.

There Park becomes a local newspaper columnist, albeit a very low paid one--along with a few other part-time jobs to help pay the bills.

Dispatches from Kansas is a collection of these stories--many of them about the difference between large cities and small towns, the people who inhabit them, and the unwritten rules you must learn to survive. This could be a small town in most any state.

As a farm girl who moved to the big city (home of the Mall of America) many years ago, we now have a lakeplace near a small town. So we know from what he speaks about small towns.

I liked this guy right away when early on he said that he read the comics/funnies first in the newspaper. His stories are well written, full of minute details, and are about the bread and butter people and issues of small towns.

He asks: What constitutes important news in rural areas? Their local weekly newspapers publish as he calls it, "who was naughty or nice"--the police reports. The newspaper publishes every little incidence: vehicle stops for illegal left turns; dogs on the loose; accidents; runaways, etc.

If you still live in a small town, you will love knowing your town isn't unique. If you are from one, you will love to reminisce with his help. If you have almost been envious of small-town life, read Dispatches from Kansas to live vicariously.

His descriptions of sights and sounds in the daytime were special, but his nighttime details were powerful. "We were the least of the creatures of the dark," he wrote, "in nature's night, I was inconsequential."

Each chapter is one newspaper column, which makes this a book to have with you when you have to wait for someone.

Armchair Interviews says: Well-written stories bring emotions to the surface because of his high-level observations of every day simple but awesome things. Parker takes you into the day and night of small town living of the people and of nature.

I bought this book for my dad for his birthday. He grew up on a farm in Kansas and I thought he might enjoy these stories on small town life. I think in all my years of buying gifts for my dad this might be his favorite. He keeps reading the stories to anyone that will listen. In fact over the Christmas holiday the family made a rule that he was only allowed to read them three stories, otherwise he was interrupting constanly with a new anecdote. I live overseas and when my family called me on Christmas, my dad spent his time on the phone with me (despite the high rate per minute) reading me a story from the book about squirrels. He loves it! He is planning to buy a copy for his brother as well. If you know someone who grew up in small-town Kansas, this is a great gift!

Tom Parker is not a native but believes Kansas is one of America's best-kept secrets. He and his wife moved to Kansas when they had wearied of sprawling cities and corporate ladders going nowhere. He's been waxing eloquent about tall grass prairies, Kansas towns and people in his newspaper columns
ever since. One excerpt from one column states Parker's sentiments clearly:
"What's wrong with Kansas? I leave work as the sun becomes airborne. Mist chokes the valleys, shadowed yet by dense woods. The road slips into a slight depression and then rises and the Blue River Valley spreads before me as far as the
eye can see, a verdant channel winding southward between grassy bluffs. The road descends and leaps the river and curves into town.
I stand on my front porch, the song of dickcissels calling the sun up. A cuckoo cries behind me. Warily eyeing me, a cottontail sucks down a long dandelion stem."

Life in the prairies has been peaceful and Parker shares through beautiful prose the divine he sees in everything around him. Birdsong is surreal and ghostly in early morning
fogs along the rivers and streams. Thunderstorms are awesome, electric, transforming. Winter winds roar from the north to rattle windows, freshen air, and freeze nose hairs. Amidst nature's bounty, the Parkers discovered mysteries of daily life in rural Kansas: the art of waving at everyone you meet; the odd case of the clairvoyant cashier; the joy and adventure to be found in following grain elevators home; anti-terrorist plans, rural Kansas style.

Parker shares his Kansas experiences with subtle exaggeration, gentle irony, and incredible poignance. In his world, Nature is a blessing and a balm. And because he shares his vision generously with an honest spirit, readers will enjoy his
stories whether they live in Kansas or not.

I had the honor of meeting Dr. Broome at the 2007 Little Bighorn Association conference in North Platte Nebraska. I would like to think that his scholarship helps to set a standard for historical research. When I consider what I see being produced today by many of our universitys I don't hold out a lot of hope for this though.

Dog Soldier Justice is an amazing piece of research in that it covers ground often ignored today. It looks at the dangers and horrors that often faced pioneers in the form of indian depradations. Today we frequently forget the innocent victims caught up in the plains indian wars. We also forget that evil acts were committed by the indians as much as the white man. Dr. Broome manages to correct some of this by the tragic story of this one woman and her family. He also reminds the reader that this sort of treatment was not the exception and more common than many historians are willing to admit. There is some justice in relating the truth and Dr. Broome's book is a step towards this.

Dr. Broome paints a very interesting history of the settlement of the American West in the late 19th century. He pulls no punches in his history which is extensively researched and referenced. No "New Western Historian", is he. He tells what happened in detail and in unvarnished truth. Among the history lurks the soul of a mystery novel except this is true. The reader knows in advance what happens, but even today we don't know the details of what really happened to Susanna Alderdice. She is the centerpiece of the book. Her experiences are as bad as any atrocity known to man.

Anybody interested in the Kansas and Colorado early settlers and their experiences with the renegade Dog Soldiers should read this book. Life was not bread and circuses as many would have you believe back then. It was a struggle against the elements, a struggle against disease and the ever present danger of being attacked just for living.

Jeff Bloome has produced an outstanding narrative concerning a little known period of history in 19th Century Kansas. I was attracted to it because my own grandparents were captured by Indians on a Kansas farm near Marysville, one of my family members was burned at the stake by Indians in the 1700's, and many of my ancestors had to protect their homes and lives from warring tribes in New York and Kansas. This book is the epitome of research on the subject of the Indian raids that terrorized and killed so many settlers in Kansas in the 1860's, and none of it is fiction. Dr. Broome tells the facts in a way that is spellbinding, and in a manner that makes the people of the time, both Settler and Indian alike, very real. Dr. Bloome has the ability to capture their time and the way they felt and reacted to these tragedies. The American settler comes alive, particuarly in the person of Susanna Alderdice and her family. Five stars is the most I am permitted to rate Dog Soldier Justice, but it deserves more than that and anyone whose ancestors were a part of the early history of America should be particularly grateful to Dr. Bloome for his detailed research and the sincere empathy he shows in his writing about these real people on the prairie who eventually succeeded,in making the wild terrority home despite its many dangers. This is not a derogatory piece designed deliberately to make Indians look bad, there were many good Indians, it is simply historical fact about the Dog Soldier Indians who did a great amount of harm to their own cause, and the story needs to be told as it happened, not as some would like it told. The extent of his research and his care in the presentation coupled with a captivating style of writing and complete footnotes to back up this writing makes this a must reading for those interested in the history of the Plains in the 19th Century.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Broome at the Little Big Horn Battlefield this year, 2005. I have found this book to be outstanding in the discription of just how ruthless and savage the Bog Soldiers were to the settelers of the Kansas plains. The research is outstanding and well documented. This book will move you in the hardships the settelers of the West went through and their courage and bravery of them all. The brutality that the Dog Soldier Indians put upon the woman of Kansas is heart braking and it's amazing anyone who survived could have endured. I highly recommend this book, regardless of how you might feel concerning the Indians of Kansas as this book presents the moving story of the will to live and survive and settle Kansas.

Paul Posey
Grovetown, GA

In 1961, Jonathan MacLean is a minister in the Scottish Church. He is happily married to the woman he loves and owns the ancestral estate Kilgarth. His best friend, Lord Alexander Chisholm, owns Balnagard Castle. The two buddies plan to take their annual trip together, which consists of roaming the countryside wherever their instincts lead them to travel. However, Jonathan dies from anaphylaxis reaction to bee venom.

Alex believes that someone deliberately murdered his friend as the bees were found inside Jonathan's picnic basket. Alex is happy that another friend, intelligence officer Ben Reese is coming to Balnagard to appraise his heirlooms. When Ben arrives, he agrees to investigate Jonathan's death. Ben soon finds several viable suspects, but never anticipated that the killer might want to make him the next victim.

Although the story line occurs less than four decades ago, there remains a surreal atmosphere, as if the events occurred in a previous century. The plot is compelling as PRIDE AND PREDATOR focuses on a monster wearing the respectable mask of sane civility that fools everyone except the likable hero. Sally Wright has the right stuff as she shows her story telling abilities to turn a mid-twentieth century who-done-it into a grand novel.

Harriet Klausner

I give the book 4 stars rather than 5 primarily because I had trouble keeping track of the many characters and the geography -- just way too much to follow . But I decided not to bother figuring out "who dun it" (although a shrewd guess halfway through turned out to be correct) and just enjoy the trip.

The plot involves the death of a man who was greatly loved but had a few enemies as well -- an upper class man who had returned from World War II a changed man, who became a Presbyterian minister and married an American pianist. He is found dead on Holy Island, apparently the victim of an accident, but there are circumstances that make those close to Reverend McLean question whether it was really an accident or murder. Ben Reese, an American archivist with a skill for solving mysteries, has already been called in to make an inventory of saleable items at a castle in Scotland owned by Reverend McLean's best friend, so he is asked to poke around and see if there is enough evidence to go to the police and ask for the case to be reopened.

The strength of the book is in the literary skill of the author, although some of the dialogue seemed a bit to lyrical for the characters. This book kept me reading and wanting to know "who dun it." If you like Scottish settings, you'll probably like this book, although be warned, you're not going to read this book in one evening.

Some of the best new mystery fiction coming out today. I'm glad to see the adventures of Ben Reese moving forward--unlike most other modern 'mysteries,' this series doesn't rely on blood and guts or sex between the characters to keep the novel moving along--the mystery is the point of the book, and mystery is what you get. The plot is well thought out, and the clues well placed.

She informed me and delighted me again!

Intriguing plot and characters. A fine setting. And a decent mystery to boot!

I had never thought of Scotland as a possible travel destination. Maybe after her depiction I might consider it. Not that she romanticizes it, she obviously just loves it because it is lovable. Plus there were so many amusing and beguiling Scots that I had the pleasure of meeting. Not to mention the depths of the human heart that I had to ponder when reading this (I thought I knew who the murderer was, but I really didn't want to believe it was who I thought it was--so I had to ponder my own heart's depth as well).

I rarely reread mysteries, but I will return to this one again sometime. There's more to this than I could get on one time through.

Across the decades, I've been fortunate to accumulate (and read) shelves full of books on FDR. This one, I'm recommending vigorously to all my friends. Much as people might believe they know about the issues of 1932, this book is a fact-packed booster shot that brings it all back in a thoughtful electrifying package.

Curiously enough, some of the most fascinating material is about Herbert Hoover, putting facts on long-held perceptions ... and confirming the perceptions in the process. This is the rare sort of book that when you've finished with it, you'll not only feel a little smarter; you probably will be. Excellent, accessible writing, fascinating anecdotes, just the right balance of analysis.

However, since perfection is never in the cards, there is one disconcerting feature. The footnotes appear only at the end of a paragraph. Nothing wrong with that, of course, except that virtually EVERY paragraph has a footnote. If it weren't for the fact that the book is so riveting, those footnotes could create a sense of "read by the numbers." Bothersome, yes, but compared to the book's mutliple virtues, a small annoyance. A splendid, triumphant book.

"Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932" is an unassumingly titled volume, but it's one of the best political histories I've read. Ritchie has a very pithy writing style, and the narrative sails along with ease. Though probably political liberal, Ritchie manages to present the political controversies of the time in a well-balanced manner. One of his major points is that FDR's nomination in 1932 was by no means inevitable, and he makes a good case for this view. The last fifth of the book is a tour de force of historical synthesis. He covers the lame duck period before FDR was inaugurated, then moves on to an overview of FDR's twelve years in office. Popping up and down during this whole period was Herbert Hoover, who apparently thought he could make a political comeback. He moves deftly up to the present day with an apt appraisal of FDR's legacy. Even after the election of Reagan, who mimicked FDR's style and political savvy, FDR's political legacy has remained essentially intact. It's a remarkable achievement, and this is a remarkable book.

Donald A. Ritchie's description of the 1932 Presidential race is one of an election more interesting than I had assumed. Political insiders failed to recognize the landslide the Depression would bring. Franklin Roosevelt had to survive a convention battle to receive the nomination. President Roosevelt campaigned on sometimes contradictory pledges, and main points of the New Deal were solidified only after the election.

The first quarter of the book is an excursive background covering the election of 1920 and Herbert Hoover's early career among other things. Dr. Ritchie spends comparatively many pages on President Hoover's press relations and surprisingly few on the economics of the Depression. The middle half focuses on the 1932 election. The final chapter covers Hoover's post-election attempts at collaboration, Roosevelt's presidency and later elections, and the legacy of both men.

Dr. Ritchie's writing is clear and quickly readable. The book contains both interesting antidotes and important points. It draws on a large number of sources, though many are press accounts or secondary histories.

Much has been made of the fact that 2008 is a "change" election year, a rarity in our nation's history. "Electing FDR", a terrific and revealing look at the election of 1932, is a good comparison to today...it ushered in the most profound transformations of the twentieth century, many of which are still in evidence. The passing of the baton from Herbert Hoover to Frankin Delano Roosevelt has almost no equal and author Donald Ritchie captures it wonderfully.

Ritchie begins with the reminder that on the eve of some presidential elections, national polling pronounces the race very close, only to have voters witness a landslide, as was the case in Reagan v. Carter in 1980. He then goes on to offer up a crisp and well-paced narrative, largely contrasting the personalities and views of Hoover and Roosevelt. Clearly, Ritchie sides with history as the feckless President Hoover can do no right, not only during his four years in office but for years afterward. If "pariah" could ever be used so successfully as a description of a former president, Herbert Hoover owned it and he bore that moniker for the three decades he lived after leaving the White House.

Not only is the 1932 campaign covered diligently here, but Ritchie has a flair for describing the times. Hoover's administration was truly the last one before "big government" entered the picture, never to leave again. Indeed, President Hoover long fought any attempts by the government to ease the country's financial burdens, believing that the private sector and the natural ebb and flow of the economy would, in time, correct itself. Hoover's dour personality, his bad relations with the Washington press corps and his rigidity all lead to a catastrophic failure on Hoover's part, paving the way for the New York governor to roll up his sleeves and begin to fix things.

Roosevelt, for his part, had more than a few enemies...many within his own party...who thought he was somewhat of a "dilettante". The simmering feud Roosevelt had with former governor and 1928 presidential nominee Al Smith, is one of the highlights of the book. If Hoover was colorless, Al Smith was just the opposite and Roosevelt had to negotiate a path between each of them, from time to time. One other aspect of this change election, Ritchie points out, is historic...in 1932 three out of four African-Americans cast their vote for Hoover. Four years later the same number voted in the reverse...for Roosevelt. That shift has remained true to this day, of course.

Ritchie finishes with a chapter on the ramifications of the Roosevelt presidency and the legacy that he left. That politicians of today still invoke Roosevelt's name as good and Hoover's as bad, underscores the depth of depression-turned-prosperity, which began over the course of the 1932 election cycle. "Electing FDR" is a superb book and I highly recommend it for its historical depth and its excellent narrative style.

FLAK: German Anti-Aircraft Defenses, 1914-1945 by Edward Westermann is the definitive study of Germany's ground-based air defenses. This meticulously researched book takes the reader from the early days of air defense and traces the development of ground-based air defense from its vestigial theoretical roots in WW1 through the learning days of the war in Spain and culminates with a thorough analysis of the effectiveness of ground-based versus fighter air defenses.

Westermann masterfully weaves all aspects of the development of the 88 with the other less-well-known and understood defenses used by Germany such as smoke screens and decoy sites, the high-level of damage to bombers from Flak that increased fighter kills as they pounced on stragglers, the decrease in accuracy from bombers trying to evade Flak, the coordination with night-fighters (the Wild Boars), as well as the development of improved targeting devices such as radar.

Westermann shows that in the early days of the war and indeed into 1942, the Flak arm of the Luftwaffe was taking a heavy toll on Allied bombers. He discusses the evolution of bomber strategy in dealing with the Flak, as well as decisions made by the Luftwaffe that would lead to a decrease in Flak kill averages and a precipitous drop in the effectiveness of all ground-based air defenses from 1943 on due to material shortages, bomber technology, allied countermeasures, and less skilled Flak crews such as women and children replacing trained units.

The book is a dense study filled with graphs and charts that help show the effectiveness of Flak versus fighters (and indeed shows that both were most effective when used in tandem), yet it is an easy read that is very logically laid-out.

For myself this book was an eye-opener. My grandfather was in Flak from 1938-1945. He began as a range-finder (Entfernungsmesser) operator on 88s preparing for sea-lion, and later became a radar operator. This probably saved his life. As more and more Flak men were pulled into line units to fight on the ground in Russia and elsewhere, the skilled radar operators stayed on the Western Front to monitor the daily fleets of aircraft flying to Germany and they provided what little early-warning the Luftwaffe would have until everything collapsed. It gave me a better understanding of my grandfather's service as well as an appreciation for what Westermann terms the world's most advanced air-defense network at the time.

Some people can think it is a book for History, Politics and War aficionados - it is. But it is not exclusively. If you are an Executive, Planner or Strategist, involving people administration, fifficult goals and (limited) resources, you will enjoy and learn a lot with this book.

The text is easy and at same time comprehensive. The pictures extremely well selected. It is the result of expertise and dedication from author and editor.

Flak played an integral part of Germany's air defenses during World War I and II. This well-researched and well-written volume looks at the development of the antiaircraft artillery, its organization, employment and manning. No other book I have ever come across has done as good a job as this one in discussing the antiaircraft artillery of the Luftwaffe and the German Army. The production of the excellent "88," the wartime development of radar and other aspects are presented in this volume.

Westermann is a professor at the School for Air & Space Studies in Montgomery, Alabama, and is another of the Showalter-style of disciples. This book is very specialized, and thus not for the average WWII buff. However, if you have any interest in the subject this is great military history, touching upon social, economic & political aspects of air defense as well as standard military history stuff. It necessarily has some discussion of fighter defense as well as flak, and that discussion is well-handled and interesting enough to make me think the author should have gone on to write a companion book on the air/fighter defense aspect.

Good scholarly review of the subject. Goes into the politics, economics, and effectiveness of the German flak defences. The author's case for the effectiveness of the flak arm is very persuasive. Would have been nice to have had more personal recollections of ex-flak gunners.

This book contains brief histories/descriptions of about a hundred towns or locations that no longer exist, except for perhaps as place names on local maps. Most places described, however, were once "big" enough to support a post office during earlier times. The book is broken down by sections of the state and then by county, making it easy for the traveler to plan out an itinerary. Maps of each section are also included. Fitzgerald has done his research well and thoroughly. There are lots of photographs as well. Although Fitzgerald draws out the temptation to get in the car and seek out many of the towns he describes, the book will give just as much satisfaction to the armchair traveler, too. This is a model work on how to write a guide to lost towns, not only in Kansas, but anywhere. A terrific book.

One of the best regional history books I have ever read, Ghost Towns of Kansas: A Travellers Guide, can best be described as BIG, Bold, and brash. Actually a greatest hits package of the first three self-published books, this is a gem to have for any library.

According to the author, Kansas has had 6,000 ghost towns, and he writes about the cream of the crop here. Big, bustling, boom towns that had thousands of people and now have nothing. Fitzgerald crafts a good yarn about each of the hundred he writes about.

This book went on to generate several news emmys, a bunch of PBS documentaries, and a sequel 6 years later. Even a record album, In the Spirit of Things, by his close friends, the rock band Kansas. And it is fun, fun, fun to read. Don't sit and read from beginning to end in one sitting, for that is too much overkill. It is best in small doses.

As a travellers guide, the book is not that great. No really good maps or directions. You will have to research in more detail to get to some of these places. And for some of these places, like Riley, there's nothing there. My picks would be White Cloud, Neosho Falls, Eminence, and Coolidge. Take your pick though, a lot of great exploring here.

There has not been a great Kansas history series like this one since the last book, Faded Dreams. Fitzgerald needs to write another sequel. I'm getting bored with the stuff out there right now. I need another Kansas roadtrip.

This is probably one of the top ten best regional histories I have found to date. Maybe even in the top three. Countless books have followed the same format since, with less success.

This book made tangible the hopes and dreams of the men and women who moved west in search of better lives. Fitzgerald has included maps, photographs and layouts of towns that illustrate the optimism (and in some cases, the deceptiveness) of investors and town founders who hoped to establish new communities. I have lived in Kansas most of my life, but never appreciated why earlier generations moved here, and ultimately why they thrived or failed. Fitzgerald clearly demonstrates how county seats, mines, railroads, rivers, and interstates can save or kill a town. In addition, he has included where to find the town's remains - if there are remains to be found. This book is easy to read in little snippets. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Kansas history and the history of westward expansion, as well as anyone who enjoys good anecdotes that build connections to those who have come before us.

I know the author personally. As I see above that Joseph W. Snell is listed as designer. Not so. He only did an introductory page. I typed & edited the manuscript. A sequel that is doing just as well is "Faded Dreams, More Ghost Towns of Kansas". Both volumes contain at least 100 old KS towns & histories, with maps and many pictures. Both are of great interest to the western history buff.

Thanks.

Anyone who has ever worked in an organization has witnessed the paralysis that sets in with failure, reprimand, disappointing results or unfulfilled expectations. That recognition is palpable throughout this book. The deepening loss of power that follows seemingly small pitfalls or mediocre human interactions is extremely damaging and spreads to each and every aspect of an organization. Martin does a great job of both carving out the territory of these viral disempowerments, and of showing us how to bring greater authenticity to our work and communication to turn around these conditions. A correction in the psychological or cultural environment can be powerfully segued into an opportunity for more strategic thought and alignment of behavior with an organization's vision. Having seen so many of these cultural viruses do irreparable harm to both people and business results, the book has become a wonderful addition to an arsenal of tools that is never complete. I highly recommend The Responsibility Virus to business-people of any level of authority.

Amie Devero, Author of Powered by Principle: Using Core Values to Build World-Class Organizations

Ever notice how offices (maybe even yours) are split between the doers and the idlers? Ever notice the resentment that accrues in workplaces where control freaks do everything and ne'er-do-wells do nothing? Ever wonder how such jaded office environments came to be, and whether they ever could change?

Well, step right up, dear reader, because this book decodes the phenomenon that cruelly saps the morale out of even the most capable of offices. Labelling this task imbalance as the `responsibility virus,' Roger Martin seeks to render a diagnosis and prognosis of this nefarious sickness. Martin, with the assistance of psychological and biological principles, explains how the basic `fight or flight' response leads many to assume too much or too little responsibility in times of stress. This results in a causal chain reaction where the other workers correspondingly take positions on the opposing end of the spectrum to best complement this initial game opening. As Martin ably explains, these positions are never static; over-responsible persons eventually become under-responsible, and vice versa. This is essentially a never-ending dance that may eventually destroy an entire office.

So what to do, you ask? Martin proposes four separate strategies that are designed to purge the workplace body of this virus, all of which may be used on their own or in combination with the others, depending on the state of the virus' evolution and the players' goals. These different methods all have the share the same central goal: maximizing inter-office collaboration and thereby ridding the workplace of the responsibility virus. They are all very easy-to-understand and readily adaptable to many workplaces. Martin's generous use of case examples also provides a context to identifying problems and their respective solutions.

Martin's most intriguing strategy is to redefine the nature of true leadership and, by extension, corresponding `followership.' Martin entreats the reader not to accept the canard of the `man on the horse;' the heroic, all-knowing, all-powerful leader who can jump into the fray at any given moment and single-handedly solve a vexing problem, while his minions listlessly stand by waiting for the hero to save the day. Rather, true leadership fosters collaboration; followers contribute to the best of their abilities and open lines of communication are maintained throughout the various levels of management.

In all, this is a persuasive read that is very ably argued. Although I felt the conclusion was a bit rushed (where Martin makes a u-turn from his central argument that people's actions are dictated by their governing values), readers would be hard-pressed to write the book off as unhelpful. Use it in your business life or even your personal life; the book is a powerful suppressant of the responsibility virus.

This book explains in very simple terms why some people are so driven while others just go on a cruise and the relationship between the two.
If you ever feel overwhelmed at work and often find yourself wondering why others don't pull their own weight - this book is for you.
If you feel like you could do so much more at work if only given a chance but lack the confidence or the knowledge to go for it - read this book.

Roger Martin has lain down business organizations in the therapist chair, but you won't notice it because the author avoids skillfully the psychological labels currently in vogue.

If you often wonder about why you end up working more than others, why some people don't understand what you clearly state or why everybody sees what is wrong in the company and they don't do anything to fix it, this book is for you. It goes to the root of the problem, explains it plainly and offers a step by step program to solve it. The book also provides a better understanding of what's behind the Enron debacle and the government agencies mishandling of security issues before, during and after September 11.

It doesn't matter if the reader is a CEO, a manager, a professional or a secretary, he or she will find familiar faces and situations; people that could be your boss, your vice-president of sales or your managing editor. Why do we have the chance to see ourselves and others in these pages? The book is simply about human nature. It deals with the underlying emotions, culture and language that make many bureaucracies what they are: an incompetent and unfulfilled mass of otherwise intelligent, good and hard working people.

Martin explains that lack of collaboration between leadership and other parties in the organization brings an unbalanced approach to responsibility. The author describes what he calls the "heroic leader", which takes more responsibility that he or she should. Conversely, the other parties react giving up responsibility. Once the leader is unable to meet the goals, he or she sits back and takes the position of the followers. Meanwhile the frustrated followers take responsibility for their part, but because they can not attain the needed broad or bold solutions, parties induce the leader to take again more responsibilities that he or she can handle, and the infectious cycle of dependency starts again.

The mysterious Responsibility Virus is nothing more than the very human fear of failure. According to Chris Argyris, cited in the book, there are "governing values" that guide the way we interpret and deal with the world. They reside so ingrained in human nature that they apply to people across ages, cultures, economic status, and educational levels. Humans-Agyris claim--will always try to win, maintain control, avoid embarrassment and stay rational in any situation. Fear of failure triggers the governing values and they make us either take more responsibility (fight) or abdicate responsibility (flight).

Martin proposes the use of some "tools" to improve collaboration (choice structuring process), eliminate the mistrust and misunderstanding (frame experiment) and to balance capability and responsibility (responsibility ladder) among the parties in the organization. All these tools have the general objective of untying the person from the situation that requires attention and put aside the biased frame of mind from which we see the problem. Once all the parties involved in decision-making have a better perspective of the issue, they are in a position to find a middle ground between capabilities and responsibility.

It is at the end of the book, redefining leadership, when Martin describes the leader as what sociologists or psychologists would call a mature personality. According to the author, a leader should be capable of splitting responsibility through dialogue, apportioning responsibilities in keeping with capabilities, but more importantly, making apportionment discussable and subject performance to public testing. Although he doesn't mention it, you have the sense that it is the leader a significant carrier of the responsibility virus and also accountable for spreading his or her fear of failure throughout the organization.

In these times of leaders finger-pointing at each other and frustrated managers turned into audacious whistle-blowers this book is a timely required reading to understand not only organizations but the world around us.

Primarily for quilters, this lovely book includes excellent instructions for an applique quilt top as well as inspiration and suggestions for smaller cotton and wool applique projects, a few designs for rug hooking, and two "visits" to homes of interesting folk artisans, arranged according to the calendar year and its holidays. The book's best feature is its complexity, not of instructions, which are admirably clear and straightforward, but rather, of design. The featured quilt top, nine appliqued houses and their front gardens, is created twice, once by each author, a choice that hints at the wealth of possibilities available to readers. Further, each house block includes many, many design elements that tempt the adventurous reader to use them in different and original ways. The writing is warm and encouraging, the patterns full size and not overlapped, and the photography of both finished projects and artisans' homes visited is beautiful. Many instruction books are shared, shelved, or discarded once the skills are learned. Allen and Alma's Home Sweet Home is a book readers will want to browse, savor, and save.

I saw a quilt in this book in a monthly quilting magazine and had to buy the book to make the quilt. I made the quilt and it is absolutely lovely. The hand work took a long time. There is more hand work than machine piecing. The directions and pictures in this book make the book easy to follow. I recommend this book for anyone who is a little more advanced than a beginner. I have been quilting for 30 years and found it challenging but rewarding. Loved this book!

I bought this book after wanting it for a long time. I saw my online friends making the main house quilt and decided I didn't want to be too far behind, so went and got it. I have done the first block and am so excited! The book is beautiful, the pages glossy and full of color. I especially like how there are 2 versions of the same quilt. Just gives you more options. I personally am doing mine in very different colors from the book ones just to make it exciting and new to work on.

The main quilt is probably not for absolute beginners, but great for someone who loves needleturn applique. The blocks and nice and big - you can get lots of detail done on each block. A beginner might enjoy making it if they used a different applique method such as fusible web. But then again, why not just jump in and get both feet wet and learn to needleturn at the same time!

There are other projects in the book which look great, though I probably won't make them as I bought it mainly for the house quilt.

Barb Adams and Alma Allen do such wonderful work with their quilts and books. This book certainly lives up to their good reputation.

This book has beautiful pictures as well as great instructions. The house quilt, which is the bulk of the book, is unique and very detailed.
There is also a beautiful flag quilt which was my first project out of this book and I will definately do more.

EASY: a delight to read. INFORMATIVE: CRAFTED carefully, skillfully. PROFESSIONAL: author growing geometrically (1-3-6?). POSITIVE: author mellowing. LANGUAGE: succinct but not excessively. HIGHLIGHTED: masterful use of relevant quotes. THOUGHTS: personal - must sit on own bottoms. ENGAGING: reader perspectives will evaluate(FAIR). FORM(Design): selectively episodic. GRAMMAR: superior. ENHANCED: FUNNY! STYLE: free, lyrical, musical(Delightfully melodic, rhythmic sounds). NARRATIVE: Substantive, significant ideas; Factual, meaty detail; Flowing, reads faster. LAYERED: something for each, more for some, much more for others. ALMOST MORE IMPORTANT FOR WHAT IT ISN'T, AS WHAT IT IS! HOORAY for "spontaneous housework! It's OK!

The last time we saw Amy Blackmarr (in the fine "Going to Ground: Simple Life on a Georgia Pond"), she had been forced to give up her pondering on the pond and was headed to the North Georgia mountains. However, she somehow got derailed and wound up in a peculiar little house in Kansas. No problem, in her newest work, "House of Steps: Finding the Path Home," she still finds plenty of adventures to share with us, including some from her past life. And her reflections on life, love, family and nature are as sharp as ever. As she did on the pond, Amy still finds snakes and other interesting creatures to deal with, and some of the people are pretty wild too. She even wins the battle of the mailbox, sort of. Either of her books is just the right length for a trip to the beach, or a few hours in the backyard. One more thought: If you like these books, you should also try "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" by Janisse Ray, another South Georgia woman with a heart for nature.

I loved this book as I did her first. I relate well with her lifestyle, for it is mine too. I worship the solitude living alone can give me. I can laugh along with Amy as she battles the Wasps and spiders. I can share her fun at being able to walk "nekked" in the house whenever needed and in the fact we are not bound by someone elses rules. Noone can tell us how or when the house should be clean. Ms Blackmarr is my hero :-)

While Blackmarr's first book was about having the courage to follow your dream, this book seemed to be about your dream later taking you to a place where you didn't really expect or want to go--in her case, back to Kansas--and drawing what meaning you can out of it. But Blackmarr has such an incredible knack for finding meaning in just everyday experiences, what she calls "the remarkable and incorruptible process of living from ordinary day to ordinary day." This book worked on many levels for me. It's hilariously funny sometimes, has some great characters, like the stove man and the wasp lady, but it's also intensely spiritual. It has a zen-like acuteness to it. Yet it's a fast, easy reade. There's a great deal in a small space, here.

I loved this book, and have loved everything I have read by Tracey Bateman. I recommend it everyone, even those like myself who typically don't like Christian romances.

All the stories were Great. It was something I couldn't wait to get home and read. Although I liked the fact everything was family related story wise to each other. By the time I got to the last book.. I was almost bored with it.. Because it almost felt like the same ol same ol. but I gave it 4 stars, and I'd def- read it again!

I was born and raised in Kansas. so this book I truly enjoyed. But then also the author also helps being another excellent book. Tracey Bateman is an excellent Christian writer

This is an excellent book about a family living in the hardships of the midwest in the early 18th century. The book is full of inspiration about living life with God's help. I highly recommend entering the world of the St John family and learning about God's abiding presence in our lives.