University of Missouri Books

Bitter Fruit surveys the experiences of Afro-American women in World War II, contrasting sharply with the largely white surveys of women of the times. Photos, essays, fiction and poetry by and about black women's roles provide quite a different image of experiences, and offers works from some eighty writers on the topic. An important observational collection about black experiences during the war.

An effective state legislator is one who is aware of and reflects a district's thinking and concerns and maintains good communications with organized groups represeting that district, according to this author. The author followed 12 state legislators in search of what made them effective legislators and has produced this book as a result of his research.

The book analyzes previous research and theories regarding legislative representation. Michael A. Smith concludes there is no universal definition of how to define representation, noting that even legislators are dynamically redefining how they consider their own styles of representation as circumstances change.

This book provides great insight based on actual observations. Michael A. Smith discusses how legislators from lower or moderate income urban areas tended to be the strongest advocates for their districts and often take the lead in advancing causes that help their constituents. Legislators from wealthier districts who face tougher reelection campaigns tend to more passively wait for constituents to bring issues to them before advocating such issues. Legislators who wish to run for office tend to be outspoken advocates. Legislators with little or no ambition for higher office tend to try to come across as more level-headed.

While the author concludes there is no "grand theory" on describing how legislators behanve, these observations and categorizaitons are very useful. It is helpful to read disucssions of theory with actual observations.

Catfish, Fiddles, Mules, And More: Missouri's State Symbols by John C. Fisher is part of the "Missouri Heritage Readers" series and a truly fascinating introduction to Missouri's state symbols and the history behind each of them. Black-and-white photographs nicely illustrate this detailed and involving "tour through time". A highly accessible and recommended addition to Americana shelves in general and Missouri Regional History collections in particular, Catfish, Fiddles, Mules, And More also serves as an excellent template for the creation of other state symbol books.

In this well-written and comprehensive volume on Catholic writing in the United States, Ross Labrie focuses on works that meet three criteria: high intellectual and artistic achievement, authorship by a practicing Roman Catholic, and a focus on Catholic themes. Labrie begins with a discussion of the Catholic imagination and sensibility and considers the relationship between art and Catholic theology and philosophy.
Central to Catholic belief is the doctrine of the Incarnation, wherein human experience and the natural world are perceived as both flawed and redeemed. This doctrine can be seen as the axis on which Catholic American literature in general rests and from which variances by particular authors can be measured. The optimism implied in this doctrine, together with an inherited American political consciousness, allowed a number of Catholic authors, from a culture otherwise perceived as outside the American mainstream, to identify with a political idealism that granted dignity to the individual.
Counterpointing this emphasis on the individual, though, is the doctrine of the church as an intermediary between God and humanity and the belief in the community of saints. In concert with the doctrine of the Incarnation, these teachings gave Catholic writing a communal and prophetic dimension aimed at the whole of American society.
Separate chapters are included for each of the writers considered so that the distinctiveness of their works is elucidated, as well as the unity and the rich diversity of Catholic American writing in general. Some of the authors considered are Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Allen Tate, Robert Lowell, Thomas Merton, and Mary Gordon.
A concluding chapter examines the significance of the corpus of Catholic American writing in the years 1940 to 1980, considering it parallel in substance to the body of Jewish American literature of the same period. The Catholic Imagination in American Literature fills a distinctive place in the study of American literature.

The Catholic Tradition by Thomas Langan (University of Missouri Press)
"This is a remarkable work. There are few who possess Langan's historical knowledge and philosophical depth. His reading of the past is informative, insightful, and provocative, all at once. . . . Anyone who wishes to know what Catholicism is, friend, foe, or uninformed Catholic, will find this volume a veritable treasure."--Jude P. Dougherty
In his Tradition and Authenticity in the Search for Ecumenic Wisdom, Thomas Langan argued that the close interaction of traditions in today's society calls for methodical critical appropriation of the beliefs fostered by the principal traditions. He also promised to demonstrate by example how such appropriation could be accomplished. In The Catholic Tradition, Langan successfully fulfills that vow by showing how a tradition--the Catholic--has shaped his own outlook.
In this comprehensive study, Langan examines the history of the Catholic Church and the origins of its teachings since the Church's conception. Although committed to the Catholic religion, Langan does not obscure the Church's failings as he lays out the fundamentals of the Catholic faith.
He provides insight into the great Christological councils, discusses the differences in the spiritualities of East and West, and portrays the crucial roles that the pope and bishops played during the Middle Ages. He incorporates the thought of Augustine, Aquinas, and medieval Catholicism as he traces the rise and decline of Christian Europe, the great issues raised by the reform: priesthood, the Eucharist, spirituality, and Church structure.
Satan has no greater triumph, Langan asserts, than when Catholics, who are recipients of the Good News of God's universal love, allow selections from their tradition to be turned into sectarianism and ideology. This balanced history of the Church as human reality faces such perversions squarely. But despite betrayals by its own across the centuries, the Catholic tradition, with its origin at Sinai, remains the oldest and largest extant religious institution.
In a last section Langan offers a unique overview of the church's present situation, its strengths and weaknesses, the new movement and the challenge of the "new evangelization."

Natural and/or man-made catastrophes and trauma occur every single day all over the world. Children and Disasters: A Practical Guide to Healing and Recovery, edited by: Wendy N. Zubenko and Joseph A Capozzoli, provides readers practical examples and ideas based on theoretical principles about what to do to help children, adolescents, and adults cope with traumatic events in a healthy manner and normalize their experiences. The book is a compilation of various professionals and disaster mental health (DMH) experts providing specific and useful material that can be utilized not only by all those involved with children such as parents, teachers, administrators, but moreover for psychologists, counselors, and relief workers aiding children immediately after a traumatic event. Many of the authors draw from personal experience in dealing with children and adolescents that have encountered various sorts of loss, grief, and/or bereavement and each chapter provides readers detailed developmentally-appropriate intervention techniques to help youngsters handle and survive the trauma

I remember how avidly (at age 15)I followed by radio the excitement which was the 1944 Democratic Convention. This little book does an excellent job of trying to tell what happened behind the scenes, and reads like a novel--where one must continually remind oneself that it IS going to come out all right, that Truman will be nominated, that he will go on to be an outstanding President, and that some things do work out for the best. An entralling and fascinating book, it brought back to me all the excitement which permeated Chicago and the people who were following what went on there in those momentous July days in 1944.

My Aunt was born and raised in Illasco Missouri where the book takes place. Her Father worked for the cement company in the book. I gave it to her for mothers day it brought tears to her eyes as well as many happy memories.

This book of short stories about Harlem in the 1920's proved to be quite satisfying. His characters seemed real, his stories were interesting, and his use of the English language (both slang and proper) was excellent. His plots were different as the stories and sometimes the good guys won and sometimes they didn't as in real life. There were a few characters I would have liked to have set down and talked to, like the Grandma who stopped a fight between her grandsons by pitching her Bible through the window. It's too bad Fisher died young, I imagine he had many more stories to tell.

This book is a coffee table-sized paperback. Printing and binding are good quality.

The design of the book is such that it can be used as an on-site tour guide to Civil War St. Louis. Current directions, locations, and street names are given along with War era descriptions of the sites. Significant places are described--what existed then as well as what is on the site now. Also the burial locations of important people from both sides are given with biographical information about them.

Now, if you're not planning a trip to St. Louis, it's still good reading. I enjoyed the narrative style and found much useful information. It also helped put in geographical perspective places I'd been reading about. Lots of good photos and maps. It's a well-done book. Indexed and footnoted.