Western Books

Author Terrell T. Garren's dramatic story of war crimes in Western North Carolina is a captivating, dynamic true story of what happened to his own family members during the American Civil War. What an adventure! This book will capture the reader as if the reader is there, in person, living in the community, experiencing the events as they are happening. How intriguing to have the photos of the leading characters! The secret kept by the author's great-grandmother for one hundred forty years is now known and the historical facts leading up to the event are told in this epic story of war, war crimes and, romance on the homefront. This story left me with deeper empathy for the suffering of not only the troops but, of the women left alone to suffer on the homefront the crimes of the Civil War. I will never forget this moving story of "The Secret of War".

I found it difficult to put this book down. I've read a number of histories and historical novels about the civil war. This one was more personal as it followed members of a family through their war experiences and tragedies.

War is ugly. Up close and personal it is an abomination. Observing its impact on the Russell and Youngblood families and how the war brought out the best in some and the absolute worst in others, was a sad reminder of the horrors and atrocities being commited in wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Sudan.

At least at the end of the Civil War for these two families, honor was restored to some degree and healing could occur.

I don't know when a first chapter (can be read on Amazon website) has "grabbed" me like this one. As a lady who normally avoids war stories, I found this one extremely interesting, and very relevant to our current war in the Middle East. This book will keep you thinking about the situations involved long after you've finished reading it.

The Secret of War is an indelible and pivotal contribution to our understanding ot this most disturbing passage in American History. Against a backdrop of beautiful Western North Carolina mountains, we learn of a grim and silent history that has often been ignored.

Without taking either Union or Confederate side, Garren lays before us a spread of heart-touching and terrifying events. He shines a bright light on the fact that war begins and continues with power-hungry men on both sides who do not realize the full ramifications of their actions.

Through the story of Delia Youngblood, Garren gives a voice to women everywhere who have for too long fallen silent victims of the senselessness of war. That voice says: "Look at this. It will destroy us, even as we are destroying ourselves."

I read the book about a week ago, and I am still thinking of Delia. For the spirit of women and men, past and present, I am glad that her story has finally been told.

The Secret of War
Terrell T. Garren

I once believed historical fiction was a corrupted form of non-fiction. Thanks to Terrell Garren, "The Secret of War" has changed my mind. Mr. Garren has written an absorbing, completely engaging book, from start to finish. As Mr. Garren said, when he graciously visited our book club to discuss his book, "fiction can be used to tell a greater truth." Amen to that.
In July, 1861, Joseph Youngblood, a reserved, yet love-struck young man from a German immigrant family, left his beautiful western North Carolina farm and the woman he loved, to fight for states' rights against Mr. Lincoln's invading Union Army.
What this cost Joseph, his family, his fianc?, Delia Russell, and that region of western North Carolina, is the subject of Mr. Garren's book. Based on a true story, this is a magnificent and poignant study of Mr. Garren's family history. "The Secret of War" is an apt title; not only because of the "dirty little secret" that we rarely hear about - the brutality that faces the families who are left behind in war, but also his own family's secret that was kept for generations. The story was told, finally, to Mr. Garren by an 85-year-old great aunt three days before she died. This quest to unearth his family's history was an obvious labor of love and an exploration that consumed Mr. Garren's life for 15 years. The more he dug, the more he found.
Mr. Garren delivers us to this time in our young nation's history, carefully relating the struggle of his family, and tries to make sense of Delia Russell Youngblood's (Mr. Garren's great, great grandmother) daemons caused by a disastrous, ludicrous set of steps that led to her mental and physical breakdown. I won't give it away here, but the anger one feels for uncaring, unsympathetic, and violent characters while Delia is left, with the help of two very old, loyal slaves, to manage the homestead without safe, secure help, is just one of the ways Mr. Garren's story consumes you.
Western North Carolina's economy was, like most of the South's at that time, agrarian and rural. Yes, slavery was entrenched in this part of America. Some small farmers may have owned one or two slaves, yet it was the large, "corporate" farmers, who owned and contracted the most slaves. This was big business for these select few, mostly leading Southern politicians who were the slave owners.
The 19th century was also a time when honor and dueling among men were not only an integral part of upper class society, but also encouraged. Fight or light were the only options. This historical detail was, according to the author, one area usually not covered by historians as to one of the reasons for the War Between the States. When Mr. Lincoln's troops invaded the South, it was an act of dishonor to all Southern men. There was no choice but to fight the North's obvious disrespect. States' rights were a convenient excuse to protect the economic machine known as slavery.
Fort Sumter, and its aftermath, were just means to an end for the wealthy Southern slave and largest landowners used to protect their wealth and position. Thus, honor was the South's talisman for the Civil War. The Fort Sumter bombing and the Union Army invasion became a rallying cry for the Southern elite, who often bought their way into commissions and jobs away from the actual fighting or could afford to pay someone else to fight for them.
The young men like Joseph Youngblood and his brothers, who did not own slaves, were caught up in that rallying cry for states' rights, and ultimately went to fight the Union Army bravely and without reservation.
"The Secret of War" cuts back and forth between Joseph's constant struggle to survive and return to his beloved Delia; and Delia and the events surrounding the Union's Army advance on Asheville, North Carolina and surrounding area. However, the most crucial detail is the horrific loss of the Southern men. An entire generation was lost. Mr. Garren has meticulously set forth the numbers of soldiers lost in Western North Carolina - 25% or 27,486 of the men died in service. The number of soldiers who were permanently maimed, who lost limbs, etc. is staggering. The young, independent farmers - an entire generation -were either killed or maimed and unable to support their families.
Mr. Garren has delivered a stellar work of historical fiction. He helps us relive this awful time in our history and to understand the despair and ultimate loss. We live in the hearts and minds of his characters soaking up the descriptions of the land and the tragedies. We are forced to acknowledge the criminal element, (a historical reference often forgotten) and the men, like Delia's father, who pushed for war to support their own economic means; not necessarily for the good of their community.
There is no question that Mr. Garren gets it. War is hell and our country lost more men in the Civil War, than all of our other wars combined. The nation lost a part of its soul that was tied to the land. It was the beginning of the end of the family farm and homestead. We will never fully comprehend the result of the exodus from this part of the country to find ways to support families devastated by the war.
"The Secret of War" folds us into all the secrets of war and we are better informed. Unfortunately, this information has not taught us anything because of our obvious inability as a nation to learn from our mistakes.

This book is great. I loved how it just picked up after the 1st. It was like the first just kept going. page turner the 1st was great but this was better. Again i didn't like the religousness and enough with the flash backs.

SWEET BOUNDLESS picks up where THE ROSE LEGACY left off. With the town of Crystal now free from the evil that had held it captive, Carina DeGratia Shepard takes hold of the house that had once been promised to her. Though Quillian refuses to acknowledge their marriage, Carina refuses to let him go. With grit and determination, Carina creates for herself a small restaurant, bringing her Italian charm to a bustling town. Carina continues to learn more about Quillian's past, a past that has made him the closed-off person that he is. Carina is determined to break down those walls and love Quillian like he deserves to be loved.

At times SWEET BOUNDLESS is difficult to read because of the distance between Carina and Quillian. You want so badly for them to be together it's hard to read as they continue to go their separates ways. Knowing THE TENDER VINE will pick up where SWEET BOUNDLESS left off, I'm off to read the final book in series

This is such a great series! I was hooked from the first series and could not put them down. The second is my favorite, I love the change she shows in each of the characters because of their change of heart towards Christ. What a GREAT example of how God's love changes us and allows us to love others.

This book was just as promising as it's prequel! I couldn't put it down! The plot wasn't as thrilling, but Hietzmann did pick up on the unanswered questions that nagged at you in the first book. Well, as you know if you've read the first book(if you haven't you are VERY NAUGHTY), Quillan is having trouble allowing himself to love his wife, Carina. Meanwhile, she is suffering while he is away...heartbroken that he "doesn't" love her. Well, when a new man comes to take care of the New Boundless(the deceased Cain's mine, now left in Quillan's hands), his budding love for Carina threatens to lure her away from her love for Quillan. When disaster strikes, will Carina's husband comes home to her? Can he ever make peace with his dreadful past? The ending was wonderful, although Quillan's doubts about Carina's feelings for him were somewhat dissappointing. Anyway, I loved this and highly reccommend it!!

Carina is now married in name only. Quillan is fulfilling his duty to "take care of her material needs" but that is all. However, one real fact draws her attention to the validity of this hurried wedding...she is expecting. Problem is, she really does not have a "husband" in the truest sense of the word.

Determined to make it on her own, Carina occupies her original little house and becomes the darling of the mine and professional men by cooking her original Italian dishes and starting her own restaurant. We are introduced to Alex, the man brought in to oversee and perhaps run the mine owned now by Quillan and D.C. He plays a huge role in this book and the reader cannot quite decide if he is terribly good or terrible cunning. Obviously, Carina and Alex have mutual respect for each other, or is it more?

The cave of Quillan's parents still haunts and draws Carina and she discovers Wolf's "own diary" and now owns both his Mother's and his Dad's stories.

A horrible accident at the mine and a subsequent humanitarian act by Carina causes a major uproar, ending up with a savage beating and the reader is brought to tears.

Definitely a page turner and I am already a good ways into book three. Thanks Kristen, for a great series.

I collect cookbooks. I like this book because the recipes are original and the ingredients aren't too esoteric. I don't like the coffee table size, it's too hard to browse through. I recommend if you are an experienced cook and always searching for new, interesting recipes.

As an individual who is dedicated to eating local, healthy, and tasty food, Michael Chiarello once again creates supreme recipes with delicious flavor and divides the cookbook by season. Each of the recipes has a bit of flare and contain simple and fresh ingredients that should be easily found in any local grocery store, farmers market, or organic store such as Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or Fresh Market. My cooking style is still developing, but all of these recipes are always winners even for the novice cook. The recipes are easy to make and always satisfy. This is a definite recommend for anyone looking for tasty, seasonal cooking.

I have had this book for over a year and have tried several of his recipes which all comes out great. It is one of the few cookboos that I have which I use often. The recipes are easy to follow, simple, and most important of all, delicious. I espcially like the stuffed pepper recipe. It is also a book one can sit down to read for leisure. Plus there are lots of tips, not just recipes.

I've had the Tra Vigne Cookbook for a few years now, and I use it regularly. It's an attractive book, with beautiful photos and intriguing introductions to the recipes. It's hard to stop browsing once you open the book, and an inspiration to actually do some cooking. The dishes are great. The Chicken with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce is a favorite, as is the Fusilli Michelangelo. My niece from Thailand, for whom I made this dish several years ago, still remembers and asks for it. (Read the intro to either of these dishes and you're likely to cook them.)

The book is arranged seasonally, with chapters on essential ingredients for each season. Spring ingredients include asparagus, garlic, peas, and potatoes. Summer ingredients include corn, tomatoes, and bell peppers. And so on. I shop at a grocery store, not a farmers market, and I've had a less-than-happy relationship with vegetables since infancy, so I was skeptical of the whole seasonal-cooking thing at first. But I enjoy browsing through the new season's recipes as the year changes, and I've tried dishes and ingredients that are not usually a part of my diet. It's hard to object to broccoli when it's served in a creamy Very Green Soup sprinkled with crunchy gremolata.

It would have been nice in book a subtitled "Seasons in the California Wine Country" to have more information about wine. Few recipes actually use wine and there is no advice on what wines to pair with the food.

Despite the elegant presentations shown in the photos, none of the recipes are too difficult to try. They're just challenging enough for the amateur cook who likes to do a little more than the usual home cooking. The Tra Vigne Cookbook is a lot of fun, and the food is delicious.

This is a wonderful culinary book. It's more than a cookbook, as it focuses on various vegetables, etc. of the season, then uses those featured ingredients in several great recipes. If you've ever eaten at Tra Vigne in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena, you can even picture in your mind Michael in the kitchen, and almost taste the restaurant's just-pressed olive oil. If you know anyone who likes to read culinary books (like my mom, who literally reads cookbooks cover to cover, then goes back to earmark certain recipes), you should give them this book for the holidays. It is a beautiful, coffee table-quality, glossy work.

An inspiring account of the Apache campaign to defend their way of life against both the American and Mexican armies. The Indians are the original defenders of these lands. They can teach us much about being fully committed to the struggle, using bold and innovative tactics to defeat "superior" forces, and using our connection to the land as a source of strength.

I found this book more believable than all of the "White Man's" history books combined. Mr. Carter is an excellant storyteller, and I experienced irritation when I was required to put it down.

In addition to the same author's "The Education of Little Tree,"this is one of the best books about the Native American experience that I have read. As a teacher of Native American Traditions, with an extended family that includes relatives of Apache heritage, this book is very special to me. Forrest Carter touches places inside of the spiritual aspects that few writers can reach. His writing is not only historically accurate, it has a depth and poetry that is so moving. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a student of the Native American way.

This book is extremely strong, touching, beautiful, realistically painful and raw in description of the historical facts.It is a book that i will never forget, and one of few books i most probably will read again. The historical character of Geronimo is fascinating. A warrior, a killer, AND a deeply spiritual man. A shaman with power to call on spirits of nature for help. I diagree totally with the reviewer below who claims the descriptions of anglosaxicans to be negative stereotype. I just read the book and was moved by the few incidents of friendships and respect between whites and natives. That a many anglosaxicans and mexicans had no human consideration for or respect for the indians is a historical fact. Frankly, in my view, there is still an issue today in the US, among a conservative minority, which speaks of incredibly stupidity, bloodthirst and greed, and of thinking - like religious sects - "us and them". This "philosophy" is the darkest sideeffect of the most rigid and dualistic christanity, and has nothing to do with pure religious feeling. It is sad that this model of "thought", that this tradition has been "in the seat" of the nation for a while now. It is the same forces that this books speaks of - forces of greed.

But speaking of the book again: Read it! - you will have your own experience of it. There is a lot to learn about history and authentic native spiritual understanding. It is filled with pain, beauty and painful beauty. My (lack of) demand of the english language cannot do it right!

This review is based on the norwegian translation.

Whatever the court of public opinion is on Forrest(Asa) Carter, one thing is for certain..this guy could really write. In this book he takes much of the history of Geromino and writes a fantastic story. The Chiricahua Apaches had a great hatred for the Mexicans and spent many years and blood warring with the Mexican soldiers. That hatred was caused by the Spanish taking the Apaches as slaves, stealing Apache women, forced religious conversions, placing a bounty on the their scalps and generally trying to wipe out their settlements. That hatred was so fierce that the Apaches, for a time, even allowed the US Cavalry free access acrossed their lands. Alot of this action took place among the Sierra Madres along the Mexican border. From this culture came Geronimo..a spiritual medicine man and battle tactician...the Apache Chiefs relied on his wisdom(how much is certainly debatable). When the US Cavalry got involved and the Apaches were forcibly moved to the San Carlos Reservation(Eastern Arizona), he and one of the Chiefs, Juh, fled with a band of followers back into old Mexico. Carter fills the pages with treachery, vengance and pathos making this a fantastic page-turner. The book is written, as expected, from Geronimos' and the Apaches' point of view and generally favors their actions...Carter was no great respecter of the US Cavalries position either Gen. Crooks' or Miles'.
Forrest Carter certainly had his prejudices and problems but these in no way should detract from what is otherwise a great read.

This is a beautiful and interesting book. Peter Brown and Kent Haruf have resisted the simply pretty to go deeper with the images and text. The book conveys the beauty and emptiness that is really the great plains. It also shows the hardy people who still inhabit the land in spite of its challanges in an honest, but sympathetic way.

This book is about the interaction of man and land. It is simple and yet profoundly touching. The images show the stark beauty of the land, and how it has, at times, been abused by man. It is a storybook of what the land has witnessed throughout the years - events of use, misuse, and sometimes even crime. And, it tells you how a land can change a man by its harshness or its beauty.
In these pages the reader will see that Peter Brown, and Kent Haruf have created a beautiful, moving, and altogether unique book.

West of Last Chance
Kent Haruf has long been one of our favorite fiction writers, and we love Peter Brown's sensitive photography of the majesty of the West. In this book the two combine and show us the 'beauty', not necessarily the 'pretty' of the high plains.
Reading this book, prose and images, makes one want to go out there, get off the Interstate, and wander the back roads to also be able to see what they show. An America that we have feared lost to urban and exurban growth.
This book is a song to the West.

Much more than another gorgeous coffee table book, West of Last Chance begs to be read again and again. As you begin to decipher Brown's images and Haruf's words a sense of what the high plains, and perhaps by inference, what this country is all about emerges. Clearly the product of two artists with both a passion and a calling.

Like Kent Haruf I first came across photographer Peter Brown years ago through his excellent book 'On the Plains'. This latest book with 151 photos continues the theme with the same vigor and passion. I thought it was a wise choice to stick to the back roads of the Plains, so much more interesting visually than the cities. The photos really convey the hugeness of this area of the Nation though about a third of the photos are of small towns in Texas.

The photos that I think work best are of the buildings. Shot in the classic tradition stretching back to the FSA photos of the Depression: no-nonsense straight on at eye height and mostly they are framed in the composition, too. I would have been satisfied with the book with just the building photos. Brown's composition framing really does bring out the best in so many of the images. For instance there are a couple of wonderful shots taken in Buffalo, Wyoming (plates 118 and 119) that just grab when you turn over the page, full of shapes, color and what appeals to me: plenty of signage.

Throughout the book there are signs and lettering, again very reminiscent of the thirties FSA photos. Now, many photographers (in rather elitist thinking) would deliberately avoid photographing hand-made signs, billboards and commercial lettering but these seem such a part of America that I think it would be foolish to avoid them. Fortunately plenty of photographers go out of their way to capture this silent form of communication because of its visual appeal.

There was a possible interesting theme that could have made the book even more enjoyable: the center of town image. On page eighty-five Brown has positioned his camera in the middle of the main street in Apache, Oklahoma, to take a stunning shot looking to the horizon with the shops and other buildings diminishing into distance. To avoid the highway leaving a huge open space for a large part of the image there are a couple of vehicles filling up this area. I would have liked to have seen more of these in the book. In 'On the Plains' there was a similar wonderful photo but taken from the first floor of a building and looking down the center of Duncan, Oklahoma.

As with any book with over a hundred photos there are bound to be some duds but surprisingly few I thought. The pork producing plant in Yuma, Colorado (page ninety-one) makes a nice horizontal shapes of sky, building and grass but lacks sparkle for repeat viewing, the same for the yellow marked road on page fifty-three.

The book's production, like 'On the Plains', follows the classic photo book style with large images (in 175 screen) centered on the page with generous margins. It does though, have the typical photo book annoyance of placing all the captions on a back page, so plenty of page turning to find out where some place is. This does seem so unnecessary because on many pages there is text by Kent Haruf and a one line caption centered under each photo would hardly spoil the editorial flow.

West of Last Chance does a wonderful job of capturing the Plains with photos as unique as the places.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

As a landscape designer, this book is indispensable. It has only one major flaw, which I find extremely annoying: the binding is absolutely worthless. I've had the book for less than a year, and it's falling apart. Sections of it come out every time I take it off the shelf, and I'm about ready to rubber band it together. Otherwise, this is a must have for everyone in the horticulture industry this side of the midwest.

I use to own an older version of this book (soft cover) and lost it. I have truly missed it. I finally broke down and bought another. This is like the bible of garden books. Truly a must have!

this is an unusually complete reference book. my only complaint is is a somewhat brief treatment of deseases and pests which attack the plants listed and the treatments for them.

The book came in record time and was in perfect condition. only praises here.

This edition corrects some of the small things that bugged me with my older edition - for example, the lists of plants for special situations (shade plants, colorful plants etc) used to only have the botanical name, so you were forced to flip through the book to see what the heck they were talking about. Now the special situations section has been greatly expanded, and is much more user-friendly with the common name and page number where details of the plant can be found. Lots of marvelous color photos, plus the line drawings of the plants are now in color too. This book remains the gold standard for all garden books.

I don't normally read LDS literature not written by a general authority of the church, but this is quite the exception. I enjoyed this author's speaches at both Ricks College and BYU- Provo. If you ever felt overwhelmed or inferior in the Gospel, please take a few hours and read this book. It will change your perspective.

Though the author cites Mormon scripture as well as the Bible, don't let that put you off. If he had only cited Old and New Testament scriptures, the result would be the same: a wonderful explanation of Christ's Grace and where works comes into the picture, repentance, and how Jesus infinite atonement brings us back to Him. Justice and mercy are compared beautifully, and the Love of Christ comes through like a sun bursting over the horizon.

I recommend this book for anyone who is struggling with issues of their own unworthiness and the possibility of redemption. A brilliant and thoughtful book.

We should never take comfort in rationalizing our weaknesses, suggesting a little sin is ok: a little pornography, a little immorality, a little lie, and a little murder. God forbid that we ever become ashamed or discouraged, at our desire to stand blameless before God. We must turn to God, repenting of our sins, and avoid rationalizing weakness by reducing God's expectations for us. The dichotomy becomes no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God; and, one must be perfect to enter back into the kingdom. So, when man sins, he falls short of the glory of God. Therefore, we must cast off sin, resist the devil, and bring about much righteous of our own free will and choice. Remember, death and sin were overcome by the grace of Christ.

I'm a recent convert and an avid reader of books. So I don't say "This is the best book I've ever read" very often. I read 4 books in the month before I converted (wanted to make sure this was the right decision). This one was recommended by a friend at church and it has changed my life.

This book introduced me to the real Jesus Christ. I've heard about him my entire life. I've met people who love him beyond measure. I've met people who don't believe he ever existed. But I had never met anyone who could explain to me who he really was. I never really understood what he did, what he continues to do, what I should think of him or how he is supposed to fit into my life. If you truely seek to know Jesus Christ, READ THIS BOOK!

This book will explain how to get rid of the baggage you carry around with you that keeps you depressed and feeling like a failure. It will change your mind and your heart and fill it with hope. Don't give up on life until you've read it. It's one of the most influential books you will ever read.

This is a really interesting look at the evolution of black culture through the lense of music. Some of the author's opinions about later music (50's-60's) may seem out of touch to today's readers, but overall it is well worth reading.

The origin of Africans in America and the music they produced over the last three hundred years was very interesting to read. Mr. Jones provides a chronological and historically based history of the evolution of Black music in America.

He also points out that when black music is accepted by the mainstream it becomes a diluted and pitiful shell of its former greater self. I agree. If anyone notices whenever a beloved artist goes mainstream, generally his or her music is so shallow, you wonder what happened to the real person. I guess it is all about the dollars. They want to get paid. They know that most folks in the mainstream society cannot take or intellectually and spiritually relate to the rawness of our people's music. It is too powerful and personal. The black experience is unique, which affects our worldview and attitudes.

However, the black folk, the masses, always create new music or keep the real music alive. We continuously create, and the mainstream is darn well lucky. If not for black folks, I don't know what in de world they would do with dye selves. Lady this would be such a dull place.

This is one of the most important books on America and American history, culture and citizenship. It would benefit the world if it were incorporated into public education. Someone said that nations are judged by their art and this book examines that subject superlatively. This study of the blues examines the evolving cosmology of the Africans and their journey and creation: the blues, one of the singular most powerful beauties of America. He shows how from the blues came all and embraced all other peoples and cultures. Baraka's ability to live the thoughts of the originators enables us to understand the profoundity of their sorrow and sublimity of their joy.

The other day a friend rashly claimed that art and music were equally hard to describe in words. I asked him to tell me about a certain painting of Picasso's. He did, but claimed it wasn't accurate. "OK," I said, "you're right, but now tell me about Mozart's Jupiter Symphony." He opened his mouth, closed it, looked at me, and said, "Yeah, I see what you mean." Writing a book about the blues would be equally hard, it seems to me. So, LeRoi Jones did what he could, back in 1963, to tie the indescribable to the more concrete. He wrote a social history of African-Americans in the USA through the prism of music or---maybe on the principle of red and yellow tile floors (are they red with yellow designs or yellow with red designs ?)---he wrote a book on African-American music through the prism of social history. It is one of the most important books on American music (and American society) that you can find. It has stood the test of time. He begins from the Africans who came to North America as slaves bearing very different cultures, confronted by an absolutely different view of the world emanating from their new masters. Here he tries to show how African music became transformed into African-AMERICAN music and then American. He continues then up through the generations of slavery, to Emancipation, migration to the cities, World War I, the Depression, World War II and the bebop age of the Fifties. The book is pre-Civil Rights movement, pre-Martin Luther King. Jones may have looked down on the NAACP and its allies as "white liberal supported organizations", I'm not sure, but they don't appear. The times are symbolized by the use of "Negro" throughout. I agree, the tome is dated, but don't reject it, don't pooh-pooh the man. This is a very intelligent, very worthwhile book. Anyone, particularly from outside the USA, who wants to know the history of African-American music within its social environment ought still to read BLUES PEOPLE. He writes, "If Negro music can be seen to be the result of certain attitudes, certain specific ways of thinking about the world (and only ultimately about the ways in which music can be made), then the basic hypothesis of this book is understood." [p.153] Jones goes to great lengths to get to the bottom of those attitudes and thoughts.

My main criticism, apart from the fact that history dictates that we must be left a half century behind contemporary realities, is that though Jones obviously knew and loved the blues and jazz and all the various styles ( if not swing), his approach is coldly academic, highly dispassionate. He may criticize people who tried to make money, he may downplay all those who "abandoned" their roots, but my disappointment is that there is nothing of himself in the work barring a few mentions of his family. He does not share his enthusiasm. Music is beauty after all. I am sure he wanted the book to be taken as a serious essay, which it is. But in keeping himself removed from the discussion, being so analytic and professional in the style of the day, he has robbed us "readers of the future" of many insights.

African-American experience in the USA expressed itself most particularly in the blues, only later did that musical mode become part of the general American culture, often watered down, sometimes imitated by those who didn't wish to fit in or who wished to cash in. When conditions have changed, when the black middle class has entered mainstream America, and the urban underclass is wrapped up in hip-hop, gangsta rap culture, which is relentlessly commercialized by the powerful media, talking about the blues may seem a matter for historians or ethnomusicologists. Still, BLUES PEOPLE resonates strongly if we try to understand where we have been. As for where we are going---that old line sums it up---we're goin where the Southern cross the yella dog.

I actually purchased the first paperback edition this book a long time ago, and I learned that it had been out of print for quite some time. It was a time when I was a casual listener of blues and jazz, and didn't think about the roots of the music I was listening to. The book was interesting enough, but it didn't have information about more contemporary stuff, as it was printed in 1963.

Recently, I found this book in the upper shelves of my library, having completely forgotten about it in spite of my infatuation with the blues for the better part of the last two decades. It was a most welcome surprise for me, as it contained a compact but comprehensive introduction to the time period from the first Africans came to America to the 1920s when their music was first recorded, and laid the groundwork to how this music evolved in a sociological context. The rural lifestyle, the reflections of the exodus from the south on the music and subsequent refined, urban sound are discussed in this framework.

Although it would not really appeal to the casual reader and listener, "Blues People" is invaluable for the serious blues and jazz fan for setting the music into the general context of social life and external effects that made this music what it is today.

We liked this book so much, we bought it for my father-in-law who just started his business. If you have a burden to approach your business with Christ at the center, read this book!

I handed this book to my project managers and am already experiencing a ground swell of blessing. The late great Larry Burkett lays the prinicles out in an easy to understand and thoughtful way. I would highly, highly recommend this book if you are interested in doing Business the way God intended.

THE AUTHOR COVERS BUSINESS PRINCIPLES IN A MANNER THAT YOU DONT COVER IN ANY BA OR MBA PROGRAM THAT I EVER HEARD. DEFINETELY WORTH THE READ!

This book is not for someone wanting to get rich quick! If you are a Christian business owner wanting to run your business according to God's word, this book explains God's word and gives helpful tips to follow through with His word.

In a world where the current business ideology seems to be about maximizing short term profits, climbing over others, and getting the maximum return possible with the minimal effort or investment Larry Burkett draws a sharp contrast.

Using referenced Biblical principles throughout the book Mr. Burkett outlines what it means to run a business by God's standards. This does not mean becoming a non-profit or lossing money - but it does mean completely changing the way we view the business, our employees and customers, and our role as business leaders. The principles laid out are challenging and often contrary to the advice you are used to hearing.

I found it to be an extremely useful and informative resource that helped me to see how I could not only run a business successfully, but also not sacrifice my concience or ideals. One of the primary tenents of this book is that we are stewards of the resources God gave us, meaning that the money we have and the business we may own ultimately belong to God, not us, and he has entrusted us with them to use in a manner he would approve of. If you are comfortable with this premise I believe you will enjoy the book and find it challenging. If you are not comfortable with this premise you will probably have difficulty accepting the concepts he has outlined.

I bought this book for my mother in law just before her trip to Italy and she loved it. She said she used it as a resource there and it was very interesting. I gave it 4 stars because it wasn't something I would buy for myself but my mother in law adored it to pieces! Great gift for any Italian or someone planning to visit Italy.

I'm glad this guide book exists. I have found it helpful and informative. I am currently living in Germany, and I find pilgrimages to be a far more meaningful way of exploring Western Europe than more traditional tours. With this in mind, I would like to respectfully suggest some revisions for future editions. First, I would really appreciate more and better maps. A simple blank map of each country with dots representing the pilgrimage locations would have been extremely helpful--- as would better directions and ideas of distances between major sites. More pictures would also be helpful. I plan on eventually visiting most of these sites, but the book on its own is not enough.

A very good book full of information. The only thing i didnt like is that they talk about certain images of The Blessed Virgin , but dont show her. Only the builing... I think more pictures of the statues at the shrine and less of the outside of them would be better. But i gave it five stars for the information. It great for that reason only.

I spent two semesters in Europe and this book was immensely helpful in deciding which pilgrimage sights to go to and then finding them! I love the little maps that are shown for the various shrines. At Franciscan University's campus in Austria, this book in particular is very popular, because it tells about the history of the place and how to find it. If you know a Catholic who is going to Europe and wants to visit shrines, then I highly recommend this book.

My brother and I both lived in Europe (in different places) and we both used this book extensively. The book unabled us to visit shrines that otherwise we would not have known existed. The book was easy to use and included the history of each shrine, directions on how to get there, where to stay and how to contact the shrine. There is also a picture of each shrine, with made it easy to choose which shrines we wanted to see. Our stay in Europe was greatly enriched by the use of this book.