University of Missouri Books

I found this book touched me in a profound way... I read it while holding myself in a lover's embrace. Jack's knack for crack and all that is wack made me want to come back with my gack. It's hard to find a better book than this if you run out of dunny roll.

This is a really short book.

I was browsing the old bibliotek for some food for my noggin when I stum-diddly-umbled accross Jack Dotson's 67 Feet in the Air. I thought it was about the anointing of the 67 Feet of the Kalamar so I naturally picked it up. "Gotta keep up with the Kalamar" I always say! It really knocked my socks off (figuratively speaking of course). So I took it home to the old "Casa de Flanders", braced my spec-diddly-ectacles on the bridge of my sniffer and settled in for a good read. Well it wasn't long before my better half came by with a de-iddly-icious glass of ice-cold lemonade. It had more pucker than St. Luke at the altar of Magaldemine. Anyhoo, that book was so good I just couldn't put it down. I had to close down the Leforium for the day just to fin-didly-inish the last chapter. Then Homer came by to borrow the lawn mower.

This is the originator, chief inspector, first supervisor, overlord of way cool speaking, and Jack Dotson is right on top of where it's at for the midwest mothers of invention. His jargon-free verse forms transform the average reader who needs some serious advice on how to be cool (ain't that right?) into the living likeness of just above freezing. So the next time you're sittin' at home, mindin' your own funky business, tryin' to figure out just how you got this cool, stop for a minute and give my man Jack Dotson his due. The man's earned it.

Whassup, G's. Yo, check this out: Ever since I be testifyin' about how I be tha Stone-Cold Hardcore Mack Daddy of book reviewin', all y'all wanna be part of my review posse. Thas cool, but if you wanna run with tha H-Dog, you gots to have skeelz, know what I'm sayin'? And I knows you ain't gots the skeelz I'm lookin fo. This book is wack. Da bomb and all that. Read it or you'll get a cap in yo...

I ran into an old friend in the library stacks, an old CBS commentator pictured on the back of his book, "Not So Wild A Dream." For one who was always captivated by this worldly-wise soul, Eric Sevareid, pages into this memoir of his early years to manhood and full citizenship at the close of World War II I was in complete enthrallment. Like striking the richest vein of learning. Inside this "memoir" you wil find three adventures: the earliest taken by Sevareid and a companion by canoe and foot over 1300 miles of northwest waterways at age 17; then a railway tour of the U.S. in the thirties, filled with nuggets of whimsy and wisdom, leading to the outbreak of World War II,the final adventure spanning 4 continents, major Allied campaign areas while raising a family and meeting deadlines.All the captivating storytelling gifts man can struggle for are on display in this wonderful look at the Greatest Generation in the first half of the 20th Century by one of our very own. Compelling human drama, amazing quickly-drawn human sketches and thought-provoking commentary when normal words begin to fail are the seldom-realized resources of this journalist of the House of Murrow. For those who know that time and place only through Life or Time magazines, this will color in all the gaps with greater dimension. This is a treasure trove for aspiring writers of any level to read one who walked with Dickens, Gibbons, Herodotus, Churchill and Gertrude Stein at his side, the antidote for the TV jackanapes who serve us propaganda with no historical context under the banner of "headline news." Sevareid represents the elite of Murrow talent who were first in the service of truth, skeptical of those who wandered away from that path and had the integrity to caution those who thought otherwise.Henry Adams, another American, represents the patrician class; Sevareid, a classless original.

Well, yes, Eric Sevareid's autobiography to the year 1946 is a good read by a seasoned world observer. He grew up in the same North Dakota milieu as my father. I liked the part where he was advised not to enlist during World War II because he might find himself "...cranking a mimeograph machine in the public relations section of some Nebraska army camp for the next three years." Surely his contributions as a wartime news correspondent served in good stead.

I'm not sure Sevareid thought much of women-he refers to an "honest whore" and "old crones." His wife is barely mentioned. Then again, he was a product of his time. Sevareid ends his book with, I guess, a plea for niceness and not bad war. As has been said, however, men love war. It is "...like lifting a corner of the Universe and taking a peek." We'll never top that.

The quote in the first review should be "Post proof ... " and not "Post proves." Makes sense that way.

One of the best books written by an American. Read it, and you will agree.

The book was compared to "The Education of Henry Adams" when it was first published. I think Sevareid's book is much better. Ignorant of me? I hope not. I have read them both more than once, and Sevareid is the best.

This is the book to read about America in the 20th Century. The depression, riding the rails, the incredible canoe trip Sevareid and his friend made, pre-war Europe and Nazi Germany.

Then, the war. Sevareid saw it from Asia and Europe. He survived the crash of his C-46 crossing "the Hump," and returned to Europe to see the end of the war.

You see the war as he saw it, and you read one remarkable story after another. Sevareid's account of the war is personal, on a personal level. He writes of people and events. the GI slogging through Italy, and the impressions left by encounters with the great and powerful.

What a great book. He wrote thoughtfully and beautifully. His observations are remarkable. You feel America when you read his book. What a treat to have this book around. Just fabulous.

The rarest of coming of age stories, one that deals not with the emotional struggles that adolescents face upon reaching social maturity, but instead a story of a generation and a nation (would that we Xers had a representative as articulate and thoughtful as Severeid) coming to terms with their ideological commitments and global responsibilities.

Wow. The twins' story about growing up with cystic fibrosis, their biracial family, and succeeding in going to college, finding love and ultimately receiving lung transplants is profoundly moving. Their honesty about their good (and not so good) experiences, particularly with their parents and brother, and later with boyfriends, is absolutely gripping. Their persistence and hope in the face of repeated challenges, conveyed in a well-written narrative, is awesome and makes this book a great read for anyone facing challenges or wanting inspiration.

This book gives great courage to its readers. It is at once a tale of Ana and Isa's triumph over Cystic Fibrosis and their triumph over the struggle that is life itself. Their decision to live as victors, to engage life fully and to find value and meaning in the midst of great storms is powerful. I have found strength in this book for my own personal trials and believe that others who read it will be equally moved. This is a perfect book for those who are struggling with personal health issues, for young adults and adolescents, for people in the health industry and for educators who wish to enlighten themselves and their students on chronic illnesses, living with disabilities and issues of biculturalism.
An amazing read. I simply could not put it down.

This book is a great story of what life is like with chronic disease. It is a must read for any family member of someone with Cystic Fibrosis, and a must read for anyone looking for inspiration. The twins tell a story that is blunt, honest, and genuine. Great book.

Excellent story of courage & drama. Unable to purchase through Borders, had to go to Barnes & Noble. Borders had lengthy back order. Subsidary, "Super Book Deals" took DAYS to let me know they also did not have this book in stock.

Go to Barnes & Noble, this book is worth it!

I agree with what Tiffany wrote before me. I'm also an adult with CF, just hit 30. I had considered writing my own little CF memoir, but these girls did such an awesome job with their vivid depiction of their experiences, thoughts and emotions throughout their lives, they covered it all. Their journey brings you into the world of all stages of CF from everyday maintenance to near death experiences, how it's changed since the 70's, the treatments, the pain and the joy in meeting others in this special CF club. As others have said, this book covers so much more. With a German father and Japanese mother, they take you through life as biracial twins in America and Japan, their travels around the world, and the amazing support they found in family and eachother, then much much later boyfriends. Their story is brutally honest about their experiences, and they've had some tough ones. What I loved most was this honesty and ability to infuse some funny in their situations and not take themselves too seriously. It's refreshing. The narration of their mother was hilarious, even though she's their biggest supporter it seems. My only complaint is I'm jealous they went to CF camp and met Bob Flanagan, the camps were gone by the time I knew they existed.

Brilliant girls, thank you!

Although I am a big fan of the Civil War I rarely read books of this nature. Being from the Cape Girardeau area I thought I'd give it a try and was very surprised. I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in life on the Mississippi or the Civil War.

CAPE GIRARDEAU ON THE MISSISSIPPI MEETS BUDAPEST ON THE DANUBE - Morley Swingle's new book, The Gold of Cape Girardeau, reached me here in spring, 2006, and I had the great pleasure of reading it, while at the same time musing over my own boyhood in Kansas City, yet another river city in Missouri.

The book has everything--murder, intrigue and love portrayed against the background of the tragic days of the civil war and steam boating on the great river. Swingle's astonishing scholarship on these subjects is evident throughout and gives the tale a remarkable authenticity.

There's a deeper feeling to this novel though, that is somewhat difficult to define. In my opinion, Morley Swingle is a natural born story teller. Of course, he's a flawless wordsmith, but the quality of this story goes well beyond mere fluency with the language. While reading, I always had the sensation that Mark Twain's spirit was hovering approvingly in the background, manifesting itself at every twist, turn, and nuance of the river, as well as through the action and dialogue of the characters. Rather spooky, don't you think - but in a wonderfully entertaining sort of way. Read the book and see if you don't sense this continuity from Twain and Hannibal to Swingle and Cape Girardeau. You will become deeply aware of Swingle's love and profound respect for his city and his region. This is indeed Mark Twain and Swingle country and Morley writes about it with the same loving care that Twain used when immortalizing Hannibal, Missouri, his boyhood home. Morley Swingle is a worthy successor to Mark Twain and I eagerly await more of his work.

Mystery and history fans out there, don't miss this one, it's a rare treat!

Greg, Budapest, Hungary

An outstanding book! Morley Swingle did a great job of combining an intriguing era in Missouri history with all of the elements (Hero, evil guy, love, greed, hope, tragedy, justice)that make a great story. It would make an excellent movie. I look forward to his next work.

"The Gold of Cape Girardeau" is a wonderful story that successfully combines fiction with history. You fall in love with the characters and become unable to put the book down. It has an intriguing plot that mixes the past with modern day. You go back through time and become a part of Lindy's and John's world, laughing when they laugh, crying when they cry. It evokes all your emotions and touches your heart. It is truly one of the best!

Morley Swingle has a gift of storytelling that makes the 290+ pages of this book speed by, you'll be reading and not notice that hours have passed. The characters in The Gold of Cape Girardeau were honest and believable, the villian didn't even come forth as being cartoony, even though that would have been easy to do with someone as hateful as Claxton. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who loves a good story. For someone who lived in Cape Girardeau for four years and who has lived in Missouri his whole life this book is even more entertaining. The numerous references to the area made the book leap to life in my head. I often used to drive out to Cape Rock to watch the river and the boats drift past lazily. As an alumni of Southeast Missouri State University i'm proud for the schools name to be attached to this book. A friend who is involved with the SEMO Press tells me the book may be turned into a movie. Keep your fingers crossed!

Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections

Pushing Up the Sky



I was buying some books on Amazon.com with an article I had to write at the back of my mind, and a parent Guide I was editing for EMK Press (www.emkpress.com) by Terra Trevor (author of Pushing Up the Sky) at the forefront. I was ordering on automatic pilot, while thinking about the articles I was editing... suddenly my choice of books had an Amazon.com suggestion staring up at me.

It was of course Karin Finell's searing, sensitive book Good-bye to the Mermaids. It documents `a childhood lost in Hitler's Berlin'. My brain clicked into gear as I read the brief blurb. Serendipity! I was writing an article for adoptive parents of kids adopted internationally. The remit? How we adoptive parents help our adopted kids feel pride in birth cultures prejudiced by e.g. civil war, lack of human rights, family planning practices that seem draconian, societies where the ethos of `family' is lost to poverty and the baggage of substance abuse which that brings.

I bought Good-bye to the Mermaids, and devoured it in three late night sittings. And I realised as I read that this book is a must read for anyone who has survived... or helped another survive.. the onslaught of horror and terror which was imposed not sought, where the survivor has been helped to find another safe haven, an anchorage in which to grow.

But the book shows that no-one who survives can leave behind the memories. Even if they move to another country where things are meant to be better...

What a message for adopted children and their parents! EMK Press (where I am Senior Editor) publishes books and offers free Parent Guides for adoptive kids and their families. Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections, our publication for adoptive parents, has a wonderful section JOURNEY which deals with where adoptees travel as adults in making sense of adoption. To add to this chapter in our groundbreaking book, I would recommend that adoptive parents and folk now adult who were adopted internationally read Karin Finell's book on how to survive knowing you were part but NOT part of a culture that made family life impossible.

After reading this remarkable book I concluded it was not only informative as to historical content but also a masterpiece of writing. It is an important addition to a series of books by a variety of people, who lived through the horrors at the end of WWII in Berlin - I have read most of them, including the one by Anonymous. Their stories reflect all of the terror and awful conditions of those months and years as does Karin Finell's book. The framework Finell uses, the very detailed personal memories enriched by her reconstruction of actual verbal exchanges is unique, as is the perspective of a child growing up and experiencing the change from a privileged early childhood to the frightening reality of what followed - and then the slow and gradual recovery. And also, the special relationship with her Oma, which I thought is a centerpiece of Finell's book. Apart from the very human side, the American raised Oma also brought the U.S. close to Karin Finell as a child and prepared her for her immigration. The book is a tribute to the women who had to cope and did cope so valiantly with the conditions thrust upon them by a war which many supported, and a few loathed from the beginning, as they loathed and continued loathing the Nazi government. Finell's book also made me aware again how little we citizen can do when politicians go amok as did Hitler and all of the Nazis.

If you read all these reviews of Karin's book, you will still have many surprises as you read Goodbye to the Mermaids. The strength of Karin's narration is that she recounts the precise moments when her attitudes toward war change--and those moments shock because war mutilates reality. None of the events in this book conform to normalcy. To buy bread, for example, meant dodging bullets and bombs in occupied Berlin. Putting on a dress meant risking your life.

Karin recounts the contrasts between her family's needs and desires with the realities of war, and she does this in a subtle, detailed way. Karin wasn't just a child in the war, she was a maturing young woman whose sensibilities grow within the context of her story. She makes her reader feel the deprivation and humiliation of war. This book is one of the best I've read in a long time. It's an extraordinary work by a woman who sacrificed much of her life to war and the repercussions of it. She deserves our respect, and I feel honored to know her.

"Karin Finell's memoir affected me tremendously. It widened and deepened my understanding of a young child's character growing up under extraordinary (and many times extraordinarily difficult) circumstances. Finell, in her narrative, recreated so vividly the world of her youth, the places she lived in and the people she lived with, as well as her own thoughts, feelings, insights, and observations. It was as if I could hear the voice of the child Karin telling each story. Using the device of a series of "stories," by the way, seems exactly the right way to develop such ar narrative.
This is a first-rate book, beautifully written and beautifully produced by the Missouri Press. Anyone interested in the WW 2 period will be the richer for having read it, as am I. "

A heart-wrenching story lovingly told by Karin Finell. She relates what was for her a normal part of growing up while participating in activities of the Hitler youth, watching friends disappear, and daring to question.



Good-bye to the Mermaids is beautifully written, with gorgeously remembered details, providing a deep, rich look into life in wartime Germany that we have not seen before.

Oddly enough this book sat on my shelf for over a year. I was inspired to give it a try after reading John Grisham' A Painted House during a recent vacation since it was based in the same era, local, and lifestyle as my father's childhood.

As a beneficiary of a couple of peach farmer generations, Mr. Tompkins has revealed what life was like before and after the peach bonanza in Campbell. I always felt that the peach orchard life was incredibly difficult. Now I realize that this hard life was an escape from the much more difficult life.

This excellent book is every American's history. There is such an honesty without the trappings of sugar coated memories.

I am taken back to a time I will never experience. In my mind's eye I can visualize the commitment, struggle, joy and heartbreak of a family bound together in their effort to survive. Many aspects of this book reveal the hardships and pleasures of our elders' daily life that we cannot imagine on our own.

This book offers the gift of understanding that deepens our respect for where they have been and how they have come to be who they are.

I recommend it to all who want to understand the fabric and true grit of this country. What a wonderful resource for youngsters in school to read, it lends a greater appreciation for all we have and how we got to this point.

An amazing journey indeed!

Mr. Tompkins' book is a great read! It was even more special to me, though, because my Grandpa Tot was one of the "O'Neals on the next farm over". Their house is in the background of the photo on page 269. Some of the stories, like the one about the "Wild Man of Crowley's Ridge" I can remember from my childhood. Others, though, are a fresh glimpse into history. I drive by the Old Tompkins Farm every day on my way to work. Now, I can not help but to try to visualize what it was like when Mr. Tompkins was growing up, there in the house on Riddle Hill.

Glenn Tompkins wrote this book from his heart. He told stories of how hard it was to survive in the 1930's and 1940's on Crowley's Ridge in Southeast Missouri. The struggles of that time made the family unit strong there was work to be done and you did it. The family never gave up. After getting the book from Glenn's son and daughter in law I found I could not put it down. The first day I read 95 pages. The true stories make you laugh and then cry and I feel I know the Tompkins family personally. I would recommend this book to anyone and I plan to pass it on to my family members to read. Thanks to Glenn for a job well done.

I am a librarian. In my library, I look over all the new acquisitions before they get shelved. Being around books all the time (and being in love with them) I have had to develop strong will-power to set aside interesting books, otherwise I'd never get my work done.

"The House on Riddle Hill" was powerful enough that even with my strong will-power, I was not able to set it down. There is something very honest about this book -- it is about real life, with all the seemingly simple happenings that have the ability to leave a mark in your heart. Here's a story that is a good example: Glenn got a few dollars to buy a pie at the country fair. He didn't have enough to buy the pies of the popular girls, but did get a mincemeat one (a kind he didn't like) from a girl who he hadn't thought of as pretty. But as they sat together and Glenn ate, she said to him so sincerely, "Thank you for buying my pie." They are simple stories, but they strike a heart chord.

I purchased my copy of the book at a book signing where I got to tell Mr. Tompkins how much I enjoyed it. He told me how at an earlier book signing, a woman came up surprised him by throwing her arms around him in a bear hug, and saying "After reading your book, I just feel like I know you!" I can understand this perfectly. "The House on Riddle Hill" is filled with love, so it just seems to bring it out in you.

I'm not usually a big fan of short stories but I love these. They are insightful, attention grabbing and always interesting. I got this book as a gift when I was 15 still come back to it frequently years later.

The book contains over 40 short stories and 4 early works by Langston Hughes. As a high school student, I have enjoyed each and every work of Hughes and am fond of his writings.

THIS BOOK IS TRULY A MASTERPIECE!I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED LANGSTON HUGHES WHETHER IT WAS HIS POETRY OR HIS SHORT STORIES. HE WAS A VERY INTELLIGIENT MIND(WHAT A BRILLIANT MAN). R.I.P. MY DEAR LANGSTON!

If you want to read some really deep and powerful insights into the human condition, check out "Mary Winowsky" (written when LH was in HIGH SCHOOL!), "The Gun," Fine Accomodations," "One Friday Morning," "The Little Virgin," "The Young Glory of Him." These stories will make you weep and think about the everyday people you pass in the street and wonder about the stories they may have inside of them. This book should be in EVERY literature class!

This book tells more than just what it is to be Black, it says a lot about being human.

Langston Hughes entire body of work is a testament to his love and pride of being a black American. Though he never excluded his common bond of brotherhood with other people of non-African decent, black Americans occupied first place in his affections and concerns. He never turned his back to them to win the approbation of a larger audience by catering to stereotypes. He had a profound dislike for blacks ashamed of being black,ashamed or who denied their African heritage, ashamed of their skin, and who catered to the worst prejudices of the larger audience in any medium for profit and fame or just to be liked and accepted--like a worrisome number today.

Like his poetry, Hughes short stories reflected much of his philosophy about being proudly black and the shared commonality of all people. Here in LANGSTON HUGHES: SHORT STORIES, edited by Akiba Sullivan Harper with and introduction by Arnold Rampersad, is the proof. Many of the stories presented here are those that have been out of print for some time ,or, are being printed for the first time since they were created. Much like the COLLECTED POEMS by Rampersad, an effort has been made to put the stories in chronological order by the date they were written or published. In all the stories represent a brief overview of specific short stories, not "all" Hughes short stories, and are different in tone and universal in some topics while still embracing black identity. My favorites are "Blessed Assurance" (protesting homophobia in the black community and black church in Hughes's own understandably gay closeted way) and those inspired by his early sea travels. The appendix of this book contains those stories written when Hughes was still in high school.

Like much of Hughes body of work, what he produced is still relevant today in one way or another as in the day he first put pen to paper or struck the keys of a typewriter to entertain and make a statement.

Every so often you are impacted by a compelling act, word or deed. Crossings gave me much to think about. There are dozens of books I have read and they mostly have left my memory bank. Not this book, it made a lasting deposit. E-mail me about Birmingham Pledge: attempt to end racism.

I have always been very interested in the role of race in our society. There is no real answer to the questions of its importance, but Harrington does an exceptional job in giving his readers nonbiased, objective research. He travels the country interviewing many different African Americans in different socioeconomic backgrounds, regions, and lifestyles. It is incredibly interesting reading about their different beliefs on the subjects he brings up, and their openness to discuss these things also intrigues me. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about race, whether it is your own, or one you want to know more about.

This important work should not have disappeared from bookstore shelves, and should be on every thnking person's reading list. By the way, it is also a pleasure to read as Harrington is a gifted storyteller, the mark of a firs-rate reporter. Walt Harrington talks frankly of those differences in style which often separate, perplex, and offend us. White and black social styles are different, but we can deal with that.What we seem unwilling to confront, in our social policies and our private assumptions, are the much larger and harder-edged gulfs between economic classes. Harrington's realization that poor blacks and whites have more in common with one another than with the wealthy, and his analysis of barriers to individual success put up by economically stressed communities, as opposed to racially segregated communities were brilliant. I find myself constantly rethinking my own work in education and in community building based on his work. This book is a must read for every college sociology class, political science professor, and business school graduate.Some publisher out there must recognize the worth of this book. Everyone who has read it is ready to give a copy to at least 5 friends! We can all hope Oprah discovers this work and puts it on her list so that it will gain the audience Harrington deserves.

Walt Harrington has provided America with one of the best accounts of race and racism in this county. Through many interviews with black people around the country, Harrington provides a vivid picture of race in America. His most important point is that all black people do not share the same views on politics, economics, and racism. The only ciriticism that comes to mind is that his book is too optimistic. Harrington insinuates that one day racism can be overcome. This comes after countless off-the-collar, racist comments from various white people he meets (one from a young boy playing basketball). While we must continue to try, white racism seems an insurmountable obstacle.

I absolutely loved this book. What a journey? As an African Canadian I've had a long fascination with the history and lives of my brothers and sisters to the south. When I was very young I would pore over my father's old Ebony magazines from the 60s absorbing all the knowledge I could about people who I found incredibly complex, strong, loving, generous, heroic....The many stories of courage, achievement and triumph made me very proud. Walt Harrington's book has allowed me to continue my fascinating journey. Today I have many African-American friends who are often astonished with my knowledge of their history and culture. Harrington's book is one that every American should read. Mainly because it's not a book about African Americans, as much as it's a book about America. Every chapter is a journey into complexities of American culture and it's people. They say that the best stories are true - this book is living proof of that. The fact that Harrington is white, makes this journey all the more interesting. Him experiencing things for the first time that we as Black people have long been privvy to is often funny (in a sad way). There are many examples of the accepted ignorance that white privilege creates. However, we find Harrington asking himself questions that would be so easy to sugar coat with a great white liberal response, but he instead answers with the unexpected - brutal honesty (what you suspect he is thinking, but would never say). Some of Harrington's experiences and stories scrape the depths of despair (Chicago projects), while others show the will of a people (Oklohoma cowboys). Harrington is generous in his writing style, recreating Black people's lives and experiences with the greatest detail and vividness. Walt, thank you for your commitment to expanding your horizons and allowing others to be part of your journey - I enjoyed every minute of it. This book is one I look forward to revisiting.

A Fantastic and Inspiring Book. Elston Howard was a great man who had guts and charisma. This is a must read for ALL baseball fans and even non baseball fans! Enjoy!

MRS HOWARD AND MR WIMBISH DO A SUPERB JOB IN TELLING THE LIFE AND CAREER OF FORMER YANKEE GREAT ELSTON HOWARD. ELSTON DESERVED A MUCH LONGER LIFE. THIS IS WRITTEN WITH MUCH HONESTY AND SENSITIVTY. . FROM THE JIM CROWE LAWS TO ARROGANCE AND PREJUDICE, ELSTON HOWARD FACED MANY BARRIERS ALONG THE WAY TO STARDOM. HE WAS QUITE A PLAYER AND DESERVED MUCH MORE RECOGNITION. THIS BOOK BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIBES THE TRADGEDY, TURMOIL, AND TRIUMPHS THAT CAME TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY. A MUST READ FOR ALL YANKEE FANS AND HISTORIANS OF BASBALL. A GREAT READ.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It's not just a well written story, but it seems to give true insight to life inside the Yankees during one the franchise's most notable eras. Mickey, Yogi, Elston and company made history together. Arlene stood tall in her role as the first black Yankee wife and Elston prevailed with honor and sportsmanship during these difficult transitional years. Mrs. Howard and Mr. Wimbish's collaboration deserves kudos and more readers. Even long suffering Red Sox fans (just like me!) won't be disappointed.

The story of Elston Howard's climb through the baseball ranks during the height of the Jim Crowe laws is not to be missed by anyone who likes baseball or history. His widow Arlene sees his great rise and tragic end to a debilitating disease with the eyes of an old-fashioned story-teller: passionate and dispassionate, an actor on the stage and an observer from the audience. A must read for baseball fans, black history buffs, and those who want to know what it was like to live inside a separate America during one of its greatest and worst eras.

For those of us who grew up in the 50's with the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants all in New York, it is a great story evocative of those days told from with a fine eye and keen perspective. A must read for young and old alike - a story that should never be forgotten. Elston Howard's widow is direct and unsparing in this straight forward narrative of their life together with Baseball.

Thank you Linda Busby Parker for writing the life of Brewster McAtee, an Alabama African-American. I met Brewster as a boy in Low Ridge, Alabama in 1956. I watched this very determined and focused young man grow into a wonderful husband, father and furniture maker. I rejoiced in his many accomplishments and shared his pride in his talented son Laurel. I was awed how he overcome the obstacles of the segragated south with dignity. I traveled with him from hope, through tragedy, and back to hope again. I loved this story because it spoke to my heart and was filled with many positive values. I felt Brewster's family's tragedy did not belong to just them, but to the world.

Winner of the James Jones First Novel Award, Seven Laurels is the story of a black man, Brewster McAtee, and his daily effort to earn a living as a skilled carpenter in 1950's Alabama - an era that saw the beginning of the end of legal segregation in America, as well as a change in long-standing American assumptions and prejudices about race. A tense, story of having to deal with changes, tension, and murderous hositility that is far greater than the will of any one individual, Seven Laurels is a real page-turner of a novel that keeps the reader hooked to the end.

This is a novel about all the travails and joys of life, the fragility of human nature, and a family's love that spans decades. Parker has succeeded in capturing life in the troubled South; she has also managed to render a realistic picture of all the levels of racial tensions still rife here. But SEVEN LAURELS is primarily a personal and riveting story about a man we readers come to love: Brewster McAtee. I felt I was there with Brewster, I KNOW this man. I could not put the novel down. Perhaps it was Parker's beautiful, decorous language, her masterfully wrought characters or maybe it was the hard subject matter. However she did it, one thing is for sure: Parker is an ALCHEMIST. Buy and read this book. You will not be disappointed!

The newest novel from the Southeast University Press, Linda Busby Parker's Seven Laurels, is an exceptional story of life, trial, joy, devastation and hope. Parker creates memorable characters the reader can identify with and care about. Her beautiful use of language moves readers to feel the boundless joy of new life, and the crushing shock of life cruelly cut short.
Seven Laurels is an emotional and compelling tale that traverses the life of Brewster McAtee, a strong and gifted African-American living and surviving in Alabama through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and into the 1980s. Flashbacks reveal Brewster's childhood and adolescence, and all the obstacles he overcomes to develop into a land-owning master carpenter raising a family in the South.
Readers follow Brewster as works to save enough money to buy land and build a home. We meet the girl of his dreams and watch as he tries to win her love and measure up to her father's expectations. We see him become a father, then a grandfather, all in a hostile time and place that seems to actively work against him on occasion.
The breadth and depth of human emotion and potential are displayed by various characters in the novel. The love and support of family contrast an irrational hated and separation by skin color. The kindness and compassion of an elderly Dutch immigrant are juxtaposed with the blind prejudice and hatred of a poor, ignorant white man who lives in a tiny shack near Brewster's land.
Race and prejudice are key themes in the novel. Brewster works every minute of his life to overcome the stereotypes surrounding black men. Scene after scene portrays the unjust practices perpetuated by white people. Decent education, voter registration, buying land, a home, even a car were privileges not readily extended to blacks. Major civil rights events-the bus boycott, Malcolm X's speeches and murder, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches and murder, formation of the NAACP and many more-affect Brewster and his family in a variety of ways.
This novel is not just about race and prejudice, however. It's about family, growth and life. It's about church suppers, birthday cakes, piano lessons, wood carving. It's about perseverance through adversity, patience and understanding, pride in the accomplishments of people you care about.
That is not to say the novel is always rosy or that things work out all the time. They don't. As much as this is a story of triumph, it is also one of defeat. Deaths and accidents occur. Things don't always work out as they should. The point of this whole experience, however, is to realize what can be accomplished in spite of destruction and tragedy. The novel is complex and full, but the straightforward description and conversational tone make the beautiful language easy to read.
The novel has won the James Jones First Novel Award, and deservedly so. I encourage everyone to put it on their summer reading lists.

In this remarkable novel, Linda Busby Parker takes us on a journey of a black man's life in rural Alabama during the Civil Rights era. Over and over we admire Brewster McAtee as he deals with an abusive father, poverty, and the degrading insults of living in the pivotal time of enforced equality by law and citizen agreement. We delight in Brewster's determination to own land, build a home, and raise a family with the cultured woman of his dreams. We mourn his losses and exult in his triumphs while fulfilling the American dream.