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Lincoln Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Lincoln
Universe and Doctor Einstein
Published in Hardcover by Amereon Limited (1986-06)
Author: Lincoln Barnett
List price: $24.95
New price: $24.95
Used price: $21.00

Average review score:

A classic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-21
This book is a basic explanation of Einstein's theory of relativity, easy to understand for a complex item, and very well written. A classic !

A remarkable book about the world's most famous theories.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-06
Mr. Lincoln Barnett's book about the theories of Dr. Einstein that have shaped our view of the universe is fascinating, enlightening and eminently readable. It captures the wonderment of our universe without resorting to overly simplified explanations and, at the same time, provides enough science to tantalize the interested layperson. The book rates five stars for the simple reason that it accomplishes so well what it sets out to do- make accessible to the reader the profound and incredible theories of one of the greatest minds in human history. Read it and you will be in awe of the design of our universe and the man who was able to perceive it so accurately.

a great book for thinkers, truth seekers, and believers.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-10-01
Over the past thirty years, I have read this book five times, cover to cover, in little segments seeking to pursue the insights which it offers as a initiation into an understanding of the cosmos, creation, and the general principles of relativity. It explains some of the phenomina of the physical universe as uniquely perceived by Dr. Einstein, without attempting to answer the questions of "whether", "how" or "why" a superior force (God) started it all. Yet, a believing reader, transcending logic and science, may likely wonder what invisible forces are in the void of space, and how did Dr. Einstein figure so much out ? One of my most favorite books.

The Universe And Dr. Einstein
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-13
A very special, even inspirational, introduction to and explanation of Einstein's Special and General Theories of relativity. One really does begin to grasp the principles ennunciated by Albert Einstein. After reading many books on the subject I found this one, written some 50 years ago, brought it all together for me.

Even better, though, Lincoln Barnett forces the reader to think about his perception of his world and how one might expand one's own vision and understanding not only of the physical world and universe but also of one's self and of mankind. Reading this book was, for me, a liberating experience.

I will reread this book many times.

Lincoln
War, Terrible War: A History of US, Book 6 (Unabridged)
Published in Audio Download by audible.com ()
Author: Joy Hakim
List price: $35.75
New price: $18.71

Average review score:

War Terrible War
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-24
I have been teaching American History for the last five years. In my experience, I have found the History of US series by Joy Hakim, to be a great supplemental resource to educational textbooks and curriculum. In particular, I have found War Terrible War to be one of the finest books of the series. I highly recommend this book and series to students, parents, and people who enjoy history.

The History of US series gets the story of the Civil War
Helpful Votes: 17 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-04
"War, Terrible War: 1855-1865," the sixth volume in Joy Hakim's A History of US series, tells the story of the Civil War, although the author points out that there was nothing civil about it. Instead, Hakim favors Lincoln's notion that the purpose of the war was to give the nation a "new birth of freedom." Within these pages young readers will learn about the bloody conflict, beginning with Fort Sumter and the battle of Manassas to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House and the assassination of President Lincoln.

However, I have to admit I was a bit distracted because while I understood 1865 was the year the Civil War ended I was not sure what 1855 was supposed to signify as a starting point. The previous volume in the series, "Liberty for All?" set up the slavery issue and created some overlap in covering the years 1820-1860. But why the year 1855? The Compromise of 1850 was in 1850, Harriet Beecher Stowe published "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 1852, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was in 1854, the Dred Scott decision in 1857, the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, and John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Off the top of my head I would say that the Republican Party might have been founded in 1855, since they put up their first candidate in 1856, but that is not mentioned in this volume.

In fact, after a preface that sets the stage for the Civil War by recalling the infamous dinner in 1830 when President Andrew Jackson and his Vice President John C. Calhoun quarreled over the issue of Union, the first chapter of this book is devoted Southern states leaving the Union after Lincoln's election in 1860. The war begins in the second chapter with the Confederates firing on Fort Sumter and the battle of First Manassas (note Hakim lets the winning side name the battle). Then Hakim goes back in time to Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," the story of Harriet Tubman, and the mythological political career of Abraham Lincoln. Chronology continues to become a secondary consideration as Hakim devotes a chapter to Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, before looking at the slavery issue and the story of John Brown. Only after establishing Lincoln's problem in trying to hold the Union together does Hakim return to a chronological account of the major campaigns and battles. But never a mention of why 1855 is the starting point for the volume.

That is a minor concern, because I prefer a solid argumentative structure to mere chronology. Consequently "War, Terrible War" can be seen as having four distinct sections. The first (Chapters 1-2), establishes the spark that started the Civil War. The second (Chapters 3-10) goes back and provides key background elements that will help young readers to understand the issues and personalities that are played out in this particular drama. The third (Chapters 11-25) covers the Civil War through the Battle of Gettysburg and includes both the Emancipation Proclamation that made this a war to free the slaves and the Gettysburg Address that reestablished the idea that "all men are created equal" as the supreme American principle. The final unit (Chapters 26-31) covers the end of the war and the brutal irony of Lincoln's assassination once the threat to the Union was ended.

Throughout the book Hakim not only relates events, she captures the passion and commitment of abolitionists and slave owners through a series of profiles of politicians and soldiers on both sides, slave owners, abolitionists, average citizens, and others. These books are richly illustrated with historic photographs, etchings, political cartoons, maps, and the like. The margins are crammed with definitions and mini-biographies, as well as quotations from both historic figures and contemporary historians. As always, the major strength of this series is that Hakim keeps her young audience first and foremost in mind. Constantly asking her readers to think about these events from the perspective of the participants, she also does a marvelous job of anticipating questions from them as well. For example, if anyone has seen the Ken Burns documentary on "The Civil War" or the film "Gettysburg" and is wondering why Hakim does not talk about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, there is a note in the margins to check out the book "The Killer Angels."

If there is a better juvenile American history series out there for young students who are being home schooled, then I have yet to see it. This is a superb series that does an admirable job of adapting a wealth of information and historical details to its audience. Hakim knows that her readers have grown up on computers and the Internet, but she does not sacrifice her subject matter on the altar of stylish presentation.

The History of US series gets the story of the Civil War
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-04
"War, Terrible War: 1855-1865," the sixth volume in Joy Hakim's A History of US series, tells the story of the Civil War, although the author points out that there was nothing civil about it. Instead, Hakim favors Lincoln's notion that the purpose of the war was to give the nation a "new birth of freedom." Within these pages young readers will learn about the bloody conflict, beginning with Fort Sumter and the battle of Manassas to Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House and the assassination of President Lincoln.

However, I have to admit I was a bit distracted because while I understood 1865 was the year the Civil War ended I was not sure what 1855 was supposed to signify as a starting point. The previous volume in the series, "Liberty for All?" set up the slavery issue and created some overlap in covering the years 1820-1860. But why the year 1855? The Compromise of 1850 was in 1850, Harriet Beecher Stowe published "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 1852, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was in 1854, the Dred Scott decision in 1857, the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, and John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Off the top of my head I would say that the Republican Party might have been founded in 1855, since they put up their first candidate in 1856, but that is not mentioned in this volume.

In fact, after a preface that sets the stage for the Civil War by recalling the infamous dinner in 1830 when President Andrew Jackson and his Vice President John C. Calhoun quarreled over the issue of Union, the first chapter of this book is devoted Southern states leaving the Union after Lincoln's election in 1860. The war begins in the second chapter with the Confederates firing on Fort Sumter and the battle of First Manassas (note Hakim lets the winning side name the battle). Then Hakim goes back in time to Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," the story of Harriet Tubman, and the mythological political career of Abraham Lincoln. Chronology continues to become a secondary consideration as Hakim devotes a chapter to Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, before looking at the slavery issue and the story of John Brown. Only after establishing Lincoln's problem in trying to hold the Union together does Hakim return to a chronological account of the major campaigns and battles. But never a mention of why 1855 is the starting point for the volume.

That is a minor concern, because I prefer a solid argumentative structure to mere chronology. Consequently "War, Terrible War" can be seen as having four distinct sections. The first (Chapters 1-2), establishes the spark that started the Civil War. The second (Chapters 3-10) goes back and provides key background elements that will help young readers to understand the issues and personalities that are played out in this particular drama. The third (Chapters 11-25) covers the Civil War through the Battle of Gettysburg and includes both the Emancipation Proclamation that made this a war to free the slaves and the Gettysburg Address that reestablished the idea that "all men are created equal" as the supreme American principle. The final unit (Chapters 26-31) covers the end of the war and the brutal irony of Lincoln's assassination once the threat to the Union was ended.

Throughout the book Hakim not only relates events, she captures the passion and commitment of abolitionists and slave owners through a series of profiles of politicians and soldiers on both sides, slave owners, abolitionists, average citizens, and others. These books are richly illustrated with historic photographs, etchings, political cartoons, maps, and the like. The margins are crammed with definitions and mini-biographies, as well as quotations from both historic figures and contemporary historians. As always, the major strength of this series is that Hakim keeps her young audience first and foremost in mind. Constantly asking her readers to think about these events from the perspective of the participants, she also does a marvelous job of anticipating questions from them as well. For example, if anyone has seen the Ken Burns documentary on "The Civil War" or the film "Gettysburg" and is wondering why Hakim does not talk about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, there is a note in the margins to check out the book "The Killer Angels."

If there is a better juvenile American history series out there for young students who are being home schooled, then I have yet to see it. This is a superb series that does an admirable job of adapting a wealth of information and historical details to its audience. Hakim knows that her readers have grown up on computers and the Internet, but she does not sacrifice her subject matter on the altar of stylish presentation.

Horn Book couldn't be more wrong
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-17
Both my sons are reluctant readers, and I've never seen them respond to books like they have to War, Terribe, War. I've read them too, and it's the most engaging, honest, and informative history of the Civil War I've ever encountered. Horn Book (above) says the pictures are "gruesome"--wasn't the Civil War gruesome? When are these educators going to realize that kids are far more saavy and capable of thinking about tough issues than they think? That's why my children are usually so reluctant to read. Hakim treats them with respect and the results are amazing. As for the writing not being clear and true, did the reviewer even read the book? I can't believe they did if that's what they're saying. I highly recommend this book to curious readers of all ages. We're going to order all the other History of US books.

Lincoln
Abe Lincoln's Doctor's Dog
Published in Paperback by PublishAmerica (2004-07-26)
Author: Irving Stanton Elman
List price: $24.95
New price: $24.95
Used price: $27.63

Average review score:

great book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-05
This is a terrific book! I've always been a Hollywood buff and have read lots of books about its early history. This is one of the best I've ever read. The stories are great, the author's own life is really interesting, and it's rollicking great fun to read.

Fascinating glimpse into Hollywood and the origins of TV
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-05
This is a fascinating, first-person account--by one of the pioneers of television--of Hollywood, live TV, and the movies. Elman, whose career ranged from Broadway playwrite, the early days of live television, movies, TV, and the soaps (he created 'Luke and Laura' of General Hospital fame), weaves a spell-binding account of a long-gone era of glamor...and not-so-glamorous activities of Hollywood legends! TV has become a staple of all of our lives. Read this book and get a personal glimps into its early beginnings, and Hollywood in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and the author's own fascinating life.

A reality show for readers
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-07-03
The most exciting 355 pages in print. Hollywood and NY entertainment industry as it really was and is; better than any movie ever made. Real stories that you have never heard before which will make you jaw drop and will force you to keep both eyes open.

Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln's Political Faith
Published in Hardcover by Northern Illinois University Press (2003-05)
Author: Joseph R. Fornieri
List price: $38.00
New price: $37.62
Used price: $36.62

Average review score:

Abraham Lincoln's Political Faith
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-10
Rarely does a scholoraly book come to market that appeals greatly to me. Especially so in the vast collection of Lincoln books that are so readily available. Many are either dedicated to the proposition that he was a racist fool or a great Emancipator. But this book is outstanding and unique. Carefully argued, Dr. Fornieri illustrates superbly Lincoln's biblical faith and how he mastered using it without sounding like a zealot. Lincoln's masterery of the English language is unparallled and this book shows with solid research this fact. In addition, the book provides a fascinating critique of the southern politic and clergy who argued that slavery was biblically ordained. How Lincoln deftly argued on the contrary is an American miracle and Dr. Fornieri has illuminated this fact expertly. Read this book slowly, because it is worth digesting. Lincoln always wrote for the ear, not the eye so he urged those who read his letters to read them slowly out loud. Try doing this with this book and it will hit home. Outstanding book on our best president - the 16th one. There are never too many good books on any topic and Lincoln remains a great source for the able scholar and history lover.

One of the best books available on Lincoln's thought!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-12
This well-researched and carefully written book is judicious in its approach to Lincoln's thought and insightful in its analysis. Indeed, its author is remarkably--and reliably--conversant with a variety of related disciplines, including theology, political theory, philosophy, and history. The result is one of the best books--of an unusually good crop--that have appeared on Lincoln in the past ten years. I hope that Fornieri's excellent work gains a wide audience, because its sound arguments and clear presentation richly deserve consideration alongside the deservedly well-recognized treatments of Allen Guelzo, William Lee Miller, Ronald White, Mark Noll, Richard Carwardine, and others who have written on Lincoln's faith and politics.

We will never grow tired of exploring Lincoln's thought. Why? Because it was so profound for his own time and remains so illuminating for our own.

A well-researched, well-written, and interesting work
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-22
Dr. Fornieri's book is a thoroughly-researched, highly-interesting work, discussing how Abraham Lincoln's actions during his Presidency during the Civil War resulted from his combining a sincere Bible-based religious faith with (his interpretation of) the vision of the American Founders, particularly Jefferson.

Critics of Lincoln's policies (both those of his time and modern ones) have attributed his strengthening of the federal government, his use of Biblical references in speeches and letters, and his Emancipation Proclamation, to cynical reasons (including messianic ambitions on Lincoln's part). Fornieri addresses and convincingly refutes these arguments, using voluminous quotes from throughout Lincoln's life. The author effectively counters the argument that Lincoln's use of Scripture in speeches and letters was merely an affectation for political convenience or just the common mode of speech at the time. Fornieri shows, through the use of Lincoln's letters and speeches (pre-Presidential and later), that Lincoln's religious faith -although non-sectarian- was sincere and heartfelt. The author also defends Lincoln's actions during the war, including the Emancipation Proclamation, as wholly consistent with his long-standing personal and political beliefs, as well as with the intent of men like Jefferson.

One of the most interesting sections in the book, in my opinion, is the analysis of the theological/Scriptural arguments used by proslavery clergy to not only defend slavery, but to attack antislavery efforts as heretical and "against God's will". Fornieri takes this topic, which is seldom-discussed (particularly by modern-day Confederacy apologists) and shows how Lincoln elegantly and effectively countered the alleged Scriptural defenses for slavery.

The book, being a work of academic research, is not an easy or casual read by any means, but it is well-written and well-researched, and is accessible and compelling enough to hold the interest of those interested in learning more about Lincoln's personal and political philosophies as well as the use and misuse of Scripture during Lincoln's time.

Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, a Man of Faith and Courage: Stories of Our Most Admired President
Published in Hardcover by Howard Books (2008-01-29)
Author: Joe Wheeler
List price: $19.99
New price: $12.28
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Average review score:

A compelling look at Lincoln
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-14
In the introduction to his latest book, Joe Wheeler relates this advice from his ad man son Greg: "No matter what the product, just tie [Abraham] Lincoln to it and it's guaranteed to sell." This perhaps explains why I've seen ads for everything from car insurance to sleeping pills featuring the celebrated 16th president of the United States. There's even a diner in my old neighborhood that features Lincoln's face prominently on its sign. Nothing says bacon and eggs like a stovepipe hat!

Books are no exception to Greg's rule. Wheeler contends that more books have been written about Lincoln than all the other presidents combined, and he enters the fray with ABRAHAM LINCOLN, A MAN OF FAITH AND COURAGE. "While I admire and revere Washington, it stops there. He is a model for many fine qualities, but with me at least, he remains only a model to be venerated. Not so with the sixteenth president. There is something about Abraham Lincoln that makes me love him. I cannot explain it: I know only that it's there," he writes. Wheeler's love for Lincoln is both a strength and weakness of his book, which often straddles the line between biography and hagiography.

There is no doubt that Lincoln was an extraordinarily individual, and the stories here provide an entertaining survey of the moments --- large and small --- that made the man. The following story illustrates the combination of solid research and faith-filled speculation that characterizes Wheeler's book.

"One day, when he was around nine, he took a bag of corn, mounted the flea-bitten gray mare, and rode leisurely to Gordon's Mill. His turn didn't come until late afternoon. Since each man was expected to provide his own power, Abe hitched the mare to the arm. As the animal moved around, the machinery responded with proportional speed --- or lack of it. Abe, mounted on the arm, found it necessary to frequently use his whip, otherwise, the horse would stop. Each time the whip action took place, Abe would say, `Get up you old hussy.' Finally, resenting Abe's whip, just as the words, `Get up,' were said, the horse elevated a shoeless foot and kicked him in the forehead, sending him sprawling.

"Mr. Gordon, the miller, hurried into the ring, picked up the senseless boy (whom he took for dead), and sent for his father. His father came, loaded the body in the wagon, and took him home. Abe lay unconscious all night, but toward day there were signs of life. The blood began to flow normally, his tongue struggled to loosen itself, his body jerked for an instant and he awoke, blurting out the other three words interrupted at the mill, `you old hussy.'

"Lincoln would talk about this strange phenomenon for the rest of his life, this memorable experience that so easily could have been his last. God must certainly have had a reason for sparing his life."

This story comes from a biography of Lincoln written in 1925, and indeed Wheeler cites his "exhaustive scholarship" of reading 60 books about Lincoln in preparing to write his own. And yet there is clearly a healthy dose of speculation mixed in with the facts, especially when it comes to Lincoln's spiritual development and relationship with God. Wheeler is not shy about reading providence into Lincoln's life at almost every turn. This will leave some readers nodding in agreement, but will leave critical readers on edge.

That said, many of Lincoln's writings offer great spiritual insight that Wheeler is right to highlight. It's clear that while Lincoln was often careful about being inclusive when discussing faith from his public platform, he was involved in a serious and significant spiritual journey with the God of the Bible. And at no time was such a searching and faithful president needed than during the Civil War.

Wheeler uses a brush dipped in sepia tones to paint the picture of Lincoln's early years growing up on the frontiers of Kentucky and Indiana, which is somewhat ironic given that Lincoln himself is noted for having no such sentimentality in his regard for the hardscrabble lifestyle of those years. But the author does an excellent job of giving context to his years by explaining the cultural, religious, political, even ecological milieu in which he lived. Wheeler is able to move helpfully between a wide angle perspective and a closer focus on Lincoln, providing a cohesive and comprehensive narrative for those not already familiar with his life and even adding some interesting details for those who have read a book or two on him. I hear there are a few out there...

--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel

A Wonderful Read!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-19
I have collected books about Abraham Lincoln for well over forty years. I found Dr. Wheeler's book to be one of the most enjoyable to read of any that I have on my shelves. The stories that the author shares made this very unique President more "human" to me. I happened to be in Washington, D.C., when I finished the book. Although I have visited the Lincoln Memorial many times, it was a very emotional experience this time around because of what I had just read. I have enjoyed reading several of Dr. Wheeler's anthologies in the past, but I think this is his best collection ever.

Every American Should Read this Book about our Greatest President!
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-04
I love history, yet I seldom carve out the time to indulge. When I was gifted "ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A Man of Faith and Courage" I began to skim it ready to put it aside. But I just couldn't put it down! Sure there are countless books on our most admired President, but NONE like this one! In this book we get verified and authenticated quotes from the man himself revealing the depth of his faith and specifically how that faith grew, and shaped his life and his presidency. Not only is every page an inspiration to remind every American in this century of our amazing, unsurpased blessings we so take for granted; it is also an amazing revelation of how God took a man of many failures and turn him into a world changer. If God can use this man who became the most admired President in our history, he can use YOU to change the world as well, no matter how small you feel!

Lincoln
Add More Babes!: Awesome Big Nate Comics
Published in Paperback by Pharos Books (1992-06)
Author: Lincoln Peirce
List price: $7.95
Used price: $0.42

Average review score:

Best Comic i've seen in years!!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-09
Big Nate is a crack-up...the picture of the 11 year old boy! his sarcasm and wit cross generational and gender lines-it's just plain funny! very smooth, simple drawing style is perfect for the subject matter...i could read it over and over and never tire of it! EXCELLENT!

Its cleaver and funny
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-17
Great comic strip about a kid who likes to draw cartoons. The illustrations are very cleaver because they look like children's illustrations on lined paper. It has very funny dialoge. Can't wait until your next book!

Best way to laugh your head off!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-03
These comics cracked me and my parents up! Nate is a realistic sixth-grade boy. He has all the characteristics of the class clowns in my school! He is witty, a show-off, and is a kid obsessed with blood and gore. Much to the disliking of his teachers. Read it and be careful or you might fall off your chair laughing like an extremely cracked nuthead!

Lincoln
African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness (C. Eric Lincoln Series on the Black Experience)
Published in Hardcover by Duke University Press (1999-12)
Author: Milton C. Sernett
List price: $94.95
New price: $69.31
Used price: $53.65

Average review score:

Good Read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-30

The following is an excerpt from the book about Mahalia Jackson's experience with D B. Dubois. It made me laugh. In reading some of dubious work, especially the Soul of Black Folks, he annoyed me to no end. He appeared to be very pretentious and elitist. I did not like him much from his works. I see Mahaila did not care much for him as a person either.

"People who heard me sing were always complimenting me on my voice and telling me I should take lessons. One night in 1932 we each had made $4 singing at a church, my girlfriend and I took our money and went around to see Professor Dubois about some singing lessons. Professor Dubois was a great Negro tenor who had a music salon on the South Side. He was a tall, light-skinned Negro who had a very grand way about him. He was very proud of his career as concert and operatic and did not take and did not take long to find out that he didn't think much of my way of singing a song.

First off he had me sing the spiritual "Standing in the need of prayer." I had such rhythm inside of me I kept picking up the beat and out of the corner of my eye I could see the Professor frowning. He held up his hand. "That is no way to sing that song," he said. "Slow down, and sing it like this."

He clasped his hand together and sang in a real sad and solemn kind of way. I tried again, but his way was too slow and mournful for me. I got going again with my rhythm, but the Professor shrugged his shoulders and broke me off in the middle.

"You try it," he told the girl who had come with me.

My friend had a nice voice and she sang the song sweet and slow just the way the professor wanted it.

"Now that is singing!" he exclaimed. "You've got a fine voice and great possibilities."

Turning to me , he said "And you got to learn to stop hollering. It will take time to build up your voice. The way you sing is not a credit to the Negro race. You have got to learn to sing songs so that the white people can understand"

I felt all messed up. How can I sing songs for white people to understand when I was colored myself? It did not seem to make any sense. It was a battle in me to sing a song the formal way. I felt it was too polished and I didn't feel good about it. I handed over my four dollars to the Professor and left.

"Wasn't it wonderful?" exclaimed my friend as we went down the stairs. "I am gong to take some more lessons as soon as I can."

The numbness in me was wearing off and I felt hurt and angry. "Not me," I snapped back. "I don't want to sing none of his high class music!"

It was a long time before I had another extra four dollars, but even when I did, I never went back to Professor's Dubois music salon. It turned out to be my one and only music lesson. I have not had one since."

African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-03
This text is an excellent and comprehensive survey of African American History. From Olaudah Equiano's slave narrative to essays on Black Theology, this book offers the reader insight into the heart of African American identity.

A excellent collection of materials
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-09
Sernett's volume is the single-best collection of primary materials related to the African-American religious experinece. It attemps to piece together important religious narratives from colonial time until the present. As such,documents include slave narratives, narratives from early church founders (Allen, Jarena Lee, etc.), and documents from the civil rights and black power movement. The documents are all fairly condensed and, as such, it is ideal for the class room. It would be an excellent text to use in an African American religion, African American history, Black Church, or American Religious history survey course.

Lincoln
Albert
Published in Hardcover by Frances Lincoln Childrens Books (2004-09-01)
Author: Lani Yamamoto
List price: $20.65
New price: $14.04
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Average review score:

Fresh and honest
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-22
I have purchased the book for every new child I know. The pictures have enough detail to involve the young ones and the simple question of the book instigates interaction from the older audience(including myself). I debated giving the books away. Very refreshing compared to most books that have the same stories hashed out over and over again.

Fun and thought-proviking
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-12-15
Albert is one of those rare books that is both fun and thought-provoking. After I read it to my boys, my younger son wanted to build a cardboard-box rocketship and my older son wanted to talk about our place in the universe. At every level, this is a satisfying book.

Book at Bedtime turns into Question Time!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-11
I was lucky enough to find this great little book on Amazon. We usually let our kids pick the books they want us to read when they go to sleep, and Albert has been selected quite often in recent weeks. And every time we finish reading Albert - we are bombarded with questions. They are falling asleep a bit later than usual - with a lot of unanswered questions in their heads. I can highly recommend Albert.

Lincoln
The Blue and the Gray: Volume 1: From the Nomination of Lincoln to the Eve of Gettysburg
Published in Paperback by Signet (1973-12-01)
Author:
List price: $2.95
Used price: $4.50

Average review score:

The best collection of Civil War primary documents
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-18
There are over 400 articles and over two-dozen illustrations reproduced in this notable collection which is subtitled "The Story of the Civil War as Told By Participants." These words are taken from speeches, letters, editorials, diaries, memoirs, poems, articles, reports, orders, and even the sheet music of the day. Henry Steele Commager, the legendary American historian, covers every aspect of the war in his chapters: the events and issues leading up to the war, the great battles and campaigns, life on the home front as well as on the front lines and in the prisons, even the songs of the soldiers on both sides. You will find not only Lincoln and Lee in their own words, but ordinary soldiers and former slaves, along with ambassadors to foreign nations and women trying to keep the home fires burning. As a collection of excerpts of primary documents this is first-rate volume that will surely add to your knowledge about the Civil War, bringing a more personal touch than you get even with the historical narratives of Catton and Foote.

It's immediate. It's simple. It's great!
Helpful Votes: 28 out of 29 total.
Review Date: 1997-10-11
Just the notes connecting the first person peices of these volumes make for a good history of the Civil War! They're short but good. But that is not the point. The accounts themselves are by soldiers (and sometimes civilians) written as they lived the adventure and tragedy of the Civil War. Cavalry raids come to life. Battles materialize before your eyes. Even the "dull" days of waiting are filled with a vibrance. All this is done, not by "authors" but by folks like you and me. And it is true from the begining to end. The descriptions of the very first shot of the war at Fort Sumpter are absolutely paralyzing! They are from Mary Boykin Chesnut. And there is the Indiana farm boy who got the news that the war had begun while husking corn with his father. His surprise and sense of excitment riveted me almost as though I hadn't known of the war myself before I read his account. From these beginnings to Appomatox, this two volume series is a ripping good read. Buy these books! --- Scott Brundage

marvellous works on the Civil War
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-21
With a name like Henry Steele Commanger one would expect him to be a writer of history. And boy is he!! A whole section in my library is filled with his amazing works.

This one is a two Volume Set - with Volume 1 starting with the nomination of Abraham Lincoln as President of the US and follows the events to the bloody three-day battle of Gettysburg, the highwater mark of the Confederacy. Volume 2 takes us from the aftermath of Gettysburg and follows the war to Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

The works are surprisingly slim considering what it covers, so this is not an in-depth look at the War Between the States. It does however give a gold mine of details. For someone looking to understand the war, its causes and the people that fought it, this is a wonderful place to start.

Highly recommended for the beginning or intermediate Civil War Buff.

Lincoln
The Brontës at Haworth
Published in Hardcover by Frances Lincoln (2006-10-25)
Author: Ann Dinsdale
List price: $35.00
New price: $14.91
Used price: $19.80

Average review score:

A trip back to Haworth
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-27
This book is indeed a trip back to Haworth. Once you are there you can't forget it and this only strengthens my
memories of this home and town on the Yorkshire Moors. Each family member is giving a short biography. Portraits of family members are shown. The pictures of the parsonage and the area surrounding it are beautiful. I've collected many Bronte books and I would say that this ranks with the best of them.

Such a legacy out of so much sorrow!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-25
I just happened to find this book on our library shelf. I intend to purchase it as a gift this coming Christmas for my niece. What a lovely and heartbreaking and informative look into the lives of, especially, three young ladies (Charlotte, Emily, Anne Bronte) and the legacy they created within such a short lifetime...Charlotte dead at 38, Emily at age 30, and Anne at 29. The beautifully presented book contains so many intimate looks into the lives of the family...into the lives of the girls who gave us "Jane Eyre," "Wuthering Heights," and "Agnes Grey." The family seems to have been rife with talent and Ann Dinsdale lovingly and informatively creates a picture of lives cut short but legacies which continue 150 years after each left this earth. With this book as background, reading or rereading each of the girls' novels will be all the more a rewarding experience.

A Look at Bronte's World
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-04
This is a beautifully photographed and well written book. The text has chapers on each family member as well as an overall history of the family.
I found it very interesting to read and felt it gave a good comprehensive look at the family and the times in which they lived without being too weighty or long and the photographs interspersed with the text add just the right touch. Recommended for all Bronte fans.


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