African Books

"The Day Freedom Died" is both one of the most gripping books I've read, and one of the hardest to read. That's because it's the story of a very disturbing event in history - the Colfax Massacre, the brutal murder of dozens of blacks in rural Louisiana - and the attempts to prosecute the killers.

Charles Lane clearly did tremendous research for this book, and it pays off - the book successfully recounts both the events and their place in the events of the time. Lane can write as well, so the scholarship is woven into the story of what happened and the consequences of both the massacre and the court decisions overturning the few convictions secured. The events can make it hard to read at points; but that perhaps makes it all the more important.

Lane isn't quite as good as discussing the legal issues that were decided in Cruickshank - the consequences of the crippling of federal efforts to prosecute murder and intimidation by white thugs is clear, but he never covers in depth the technical validity of the decision. But this is a minor issue.

Reconstruction is often thought of a time of "carpetbag misrule", but "The Day Freedom Dies" shines a rather disturbing light on the time. A stunning read; and one that I'd recommend to anyone.

The topic was well covered in an interesting and informative manner, I learned a great deal about a period in American history you won't learn in school. The book was well written, interesting and thought provoking. However it was slanted. When the republicans maneuvered to remove democrats from office, they were trying to be just, regardless of the legality of their moves (ie trying to impeach the governor, overturning election results, etc.) whereas the democrats involved in the same actions were crucified. Granted by modern standards, the republicans were more politically correct, but the legality of many of the moves was just as suspect and not truly treated as such. History always has a side, and is written to communicate that side, this is fine, but it must be recognized.

This book is heartbreaking; and a literary and historical tour de force. A brilliant rendition of a span in the life of only one venue - Grant Parish - just after the Civil War that weaves together in a kind of real time narrative the names, the faces, the backgrounds, the motivations, the hertiage and the beliefs of the participants on this small but emblematic stage of American history.

Around the nucleus of central action at Grant Parish and its environs, Lane captures the participation of the govenor and his allies and the president and other federal officials with an interest in the outcome by staying exactly on point. The facts and the facts alone make this story so compelling.

Informing the narrative is the factual vulnerability of black folk living among their prior masters; the evil hearts and deeds of the former slave drivers; the brave freedmen who dared vote, the sympathetic and sometimes powerful whites, the coalescing and ossifing of people into rigid political parties, election stealing, the struggle for justice almost singlehandedly seen through to the end by Attorney Beckwith; how the fight for justice for the victims of Colfax and hence the future rights of freedman to live in liberty was cast within the narrow confines of limited federal police power, with the resolution left to those very states that would and did resubjugate them. Witness the parsing of statues so as to produce a disconnect between statutory intent and real world application, and most painfully, most painfully, the tremendous vulnerability of black folk for almost 100 years after the Civil War to the arbitrary and capricious private violence of white supremists.

And then there is the pitifully wasted opportunity to apply federal military might to end the bloodshed and the terrorism, even when they are just across the river. But then, it was an awesome task to realign a whole region with the notion of basic human rights and liberty for black folks and it took another century and indeed, federal police power, before they got message and reconciled themselves to equality.

Here we find the roots of what eventually became the doctrine of preemption, here we understand the disconnect and the power of black robed judges formulating their rulings to further privately held political values and not the greater good- that will result in innocents being slaughtered, elections rigged, blacks intimidated and terrorized all without even a glance back at Justice beheaded at Colfax along with the victms, where the victors are left free to prosper and to write their history of lies.

Here we will understand the gap in understanding between whites and blacks in this country and why black people find it so easy to believe the government would betray them. Here we understand the merits of a military "surge" and how it could stop terrorism, here we understand that if we liken the South 138 years ago to Iraq today, how many years and lives and how much military power it will take to reconcile the country among the sunnis and shias, here we understand the messy confluence of ideals of liberty with political opportunism. Idealism unprotected by the righteous application of force to protect the innocent left so many dead bodies around the trench at Colfax, and so many evil doers free to repeat their crimes.

Here we understand that we must pledge our lives to those treasured and hard fought values for which so many paid the blood price during the Revolution, during the Civil War and the Time Till Now: liberty and the rule of law.

I'm an avid history buff and a pretty demanding critic, and I found "The Day Freedom Died" absolutely riveting. I read it on vacation this week and couldn't put it down. Charles Lane has basically unearthed a little-known event -- the brutal slaughter of many dozens of freedmen in Colfax, Louisiana, on or around Easter Sunday 1873, by former Confederates (now Klansmen) desperately seeking to hold back Reconstruction and to prevent blacks and radical Republican whites from gaining local power -- and made it come to life. This achievement is a tribute both to Lane's meticulous and definitive primary-source research and his fast-moving journalistic storytelling. His rendering of the shocking events of Easter Sunday 1873 itself was incredibly dramatic (also so sad). Lane paints stunningly detailed, nuanced, and evocative portraits of the important players in the drama. And he helpfully and clearly puts the events in Louisiana in the context of Reconstruction generally. As a practicing lawyer, former prosecutor, and a fan of legal history, I particularly appreciated that Lane goes way beyond merely reconstructing the massacre itself to discuss its legal aftermath. The second half of the book recounts the federal government's attempt to prosecute the Colfax killers, and how that attempt ultimately, tragically faltered at the Supreme Court, which rendered a decision that effectively gutted the statute aimed at empowering federal prosecutors to prosecute Klan killings. Lane (the Washington Post's longtime Supreme Court correspondent) is uniquely positioned to render such analysis, and he does it beautifully. There are wonderful portraits here of the trial lawyers and the Supreme Court Justices who were key to the Colfax decision, and also a thoughtful analysis of the pertinent constitutional law issues and the Court's resolution of them. Although tackling a narrower slice of legal history, "The Day Freedom Died" reminded me throughout of Richard Kluger's phenomenal book, "Simple Justice." If you are an American history buff and particularly if you are drawn to either Reconstruction or legal history, you'll love this book.

Full disclosure: I'm a college friend of Charles Lane's. But even if I were not, I would still "approve of this message"!

This riveting account of a terrible and unknown (until now) part of American history is every bit as riveting as fiction by John Grisham except that it is meticulously researched, and more important...true.
Filmaker Errol Morris says that "there is no truth for you and truth for me, there is only THE truth," and Chuck Lane tells us the sad truth about the murders at Colfax Louisiana and as importantly the disregard for the most central value of a free society, a rule of law not a rule of man.
Readers will learn about the rich and vivid history pf Louisiana, still a frontier for many people who came to find their fortune from the original American colonies.
I cannot recommend a legal history of the United States that is more important for those of us who labor in the law and hope to seek justice through the power of the law.
From their graves the murdered at Colfax are given voice by Charles Lane.

I love a great mystery, and I happen to be hooked on Michael Connelly lately. (His "Chasing the Dime," I most recently enjoyed.) I was told about this Amazon Short, and I realized I hadn't read a short story mystery for a long time--perhaps Edgar Allan Poe's "Murder in the Rue Morgue" when I was a teenager. Poe is credited as developing the form of the modern mystery, and Judith Woolcock Columbo does well with the tradition.

Like a few others who've written here, I thought I'd figured it out, but the end has a couple of twists that are both surprising and motivated.

Although I'm not a mystery fan, I was intrigued by this story set in an inner city soup kitchen. I applaud the author for her pictures of older people who seem real and worthy of writing about. The mystery is full of twists and turns, and if it has any flaw, it's that it could have been longer to develop the characters even further. All in all, it's an entertaining story.

Judith Colombo wrote an entertaining mystery and ended it with an unexpected twist. Like another reviewer who also read the Short, I had it all figured out, or, so I thought. Colombo's story pulled me in from the beginning and kept me interested until the suprising end. I highly recommend this Short.

This is the third time I've tried to publish a review for this short, and if this one doesn't take, I'm going to start taking it personally, LOL!

This is a great read. I thought I had the story figured out, then it took an unexpected turn. As I was digesting that, it morphed again. It's a fun ride and a recommended read! A real twister!

Though I'm not a mystery fan, Judith Colombo has managed to make me sit here and read this Amazon Short through to the end. Smugly I figured out the ending (so I thought). And then she whacked me with a surprise ending I didn't see coming.

So, for me, that's a good read. I like surprises.

Decorated with a fine assortment of characters in the inner city, "The Death of Betty Pinto" is sure to please anyone who has an affinity for sweet old grandmothers, cat ladies, soup and mysteries.


Reviewed by May Lattanzio, author of Waltz on the Wild Side - An Animal Lover's Journal and Amazon Short "The Last Striper".

I didn't know what to expect from the book but I was very impressed by the level of honesty. The book goes right to the heart of what we all feel at one time or another. This is a well-rounded book that makes you want to write your own story. I'm waiting for the next one. JLarkin

I have been reading this author for some time and I wanted to make sure that I had an extra copy of the latest book. I read it and believe that Martin has set a high bar for all authors in this genre.

Love this book it is a great read.

"Reginald Martin has done it again! In A Deeper Shade of Sex, Martin explores new global black erotic writing all in the prose genre. Along with the amazing detailed description of what makes black erotic literature black and erotic, Martin provides substantive intros to sections dealing with the power of indirection in the erotic. Some of the gifted writers included are: Kalamu ya Salaam, Cheri Daughtery, Jerry Ward and C. Leigh McInnis. Martin is also the first writer in the United States to use the new Amazon.com blog for writers, making Deeper Shade a truly interactive experience. Truly an
overwhelming volume." -- Walter Middlebrook, New York Newsday

Reginald Martin has done it again with this amazing, entertaining and diverse collection of black erotica. From the informative "Do Right Women" by Kalamu Ya Salaam to the fanciful food descriptions by Valinda Johnson Brown, Dr. Martin explores the many shapes and forms of the finest erotic writings of the time. Some of the writings will leave you with a tender smile and some wet and quivering. No matter your literary preferences, this book is guaranteed to take you deeper into your erotic self than you ever imagined possible.

I must admit when I first received a copy of Reginald Martin's A Deeper Shade of Sex: The Best in Black Erotic Writing, I didn't quite know what to expect. I had never really been exposed to erotic literature as a genre. I only had my own expectations of something possibly [...]at best. It was not.

Much to my surprise I found the book a voluptuous and tantalizing roller coaster ride of desire and lost desire for a human connection in the world. A Deeper Shade of Sex contains poetry and literature, essays and personal explorations of the erotic breaking through the every day experiences of people to awaken them to its overwhelming power and presence in our lives. From Linda White's piece Encountering Ecstasy about the body's sudden and undaunted desire for a perfect stranger on the bus to Lovechild's excursion into an embodied self revelation, to Valinda Johnson Browns' Shrimp Etouffee where dinner becomes an erotic play to Glenn Johnson's Winnefred's Mother where a girlfriend's mother wants a little more of her daughter's beau than help with the holiday dishes; and many more.

Reginald Martin has done a wonderful job pulling over 30 pieces together to widen and recollect a lost sense of the embodied self in and out of the African American community and lifts the veil of shame and disgust with the body's natural organic workings to show us that our dark bodies are gifts to be enjoyed, not walking sins.
C. R. Pegues
crpeg@hotmail.com

Alan Moorehead was a war correspondent who covered most of the 3-year desert campaign in North Africa in World War II. Therefore, he saw the war at first hand, sometimes coming under fire himself (usually from aircraft), sometimes getting lost in the vast desert, sometimes missing key events because his reporter's intuition led him astray. Although he was not usually on the front line, he did manage to get into towns within hours of their liberation. He had interviews with the general staff of the (British and U.S.) armies and a good grasp on the overall strategic vision of the campaign, from the Allies' point of view.

The writing quality is top-notch, especially descriptions of the burnt out and fought-over towns and countryside. You get a good flavour for the conditions the troops fought in and for the bravery and resilience shown by the soldiers. There are a number of very interesting sidelights to the action, highlighting the difficulties encountered in trying to report the war.

Unfortunately, there are a number of quibbles that detract from a 5-star rating. This book is not a "definitive" history of the war - it was written too soon and from a purely Allied point of view. It is undoubtedly biased - he constantly makes excuses for the Allied generals' failings to deliver a knock-out blow to the Axis, especially blaming the long supply line from England (neglecting the fact that half of the Axis' supplies were sunk in the Mediterranean). He refuses to admit the Allied forces were consistently outgeneralled by Rommell, blaming the British training and internal organisation instead, first claiming the generals could not change it (bureaucratic inertia), then applauding Montgomery for changing it quickly. There's distracting (and long) digressions from the front, especially a trip through India and a vacation to the U.S. While the politics of Indian independence are interesting in their own right, they are complex and require an historical context so they couldn't be developed properly. Finally, there is no background material - the author assumes at least a passing knowledge of the people and politics of the day, so it might be frustrating for a beginner. The maps are generally quite good, however, so geographical mastery of the area is not necessary.

Therefore, I recommend this book as a personal snapshot of the attitudes and actions of the Allied armies in the desert campaigns of WWII. As such, it is clearly biased, but the quality of the writing and the descriptions overcomes this difficulty.

If you are interested in the War in North Africa this is the read for you. It is absorbing and well written with a flow of a correspondent who is constantly moving to different parts of the front. I love and would recommend anything by Moorehead, but this is still a special book because he lived most of it. It is not however a history of the war. There are large chunks of the war that are not written about, time frames where whole battles are not directly refered to. That is because Moorehead was not there to cover the war. That does not detract from the flavour and action of the book. Moorehead is great in, among other areas,

* his description of the British Campaign against Italy in Ethiopia
* his descrption of the early days of the war and also the Australian role in the war against Vichy France in Syria and then its role to nip a coup and Nazi support for Iraq, firmly in the bud
* his description of the ebb and flow of battle that confused both sides, but ultimately was most boldly exploited by the Germans. The swirl of dust and whole lines of transport and tanks wondering either into or out of battle can almost be tasted.
* the seldom written about race to Tunis at the end of the book, the sudden rush across Algeria and then bogged down fighting in Tunisia; tough battle that tested the Americans for the first time and one where, despite the public image, was still largely British in effort.

The book is also of note in that halfway through Moorehead leaves the front for India and covers the Scripp's mission on Indian Independence at the height of the Japanese invasion. I know of really few descriptions of the positions of all the major parties in debating future of India: Gandhi with his unrealistic notion of "sating the violence of the Japanese invader with the blood of pacifist Indians who merely submit to the bayonets;" Ali Jinnah's willingness to send millions of Muslim troops to support the British if Britain would grant defacto status of the Muslim homeland of Pakistan. Somewhere between the two was the ever boxing clever Nehru. Moorhead met all these men and interviewed them in detail.

Moorehead also relates the loss of other correspondents in the fighting. The constant weariness and grind of the campaign that had Britain in the fighting for more than 3 years is apparent and there is a heartrending description of a British Tommy experiencing too much of the constant slogging and pounding of battle and not caring, in desperation, leads a forlorn attack in what was obviously a case of suicide.

This is one of the best books on WWII and war that I have ever read... and I may have read over 1000 since my early teens.

In W.W.II there were many places were battles took place. There were battles in France, POland, Russia, and Africa. This book focuses on the African part of the war. The book War In the Desert was an excellent book. It was a very in depth book on th etrials an dtribulations of the war. The pictures are very good deppicting exactly whhat went on. This book was a great help for me to understand the war in the desert better.

Moorehead's first person account of the African Desert Campaign is top-flight. He captures the moment as he experiences it. I feel I am sitting right beside him as he describes events and his reactions to them. Could this man write! I carry this book in my briefcase and whip it out whenever I have a few minutes to spare. I am always rewarded.

Experience the Desert War (and other related campaigns) with the immediacy and freshness of a journalist writing his dispatches from the front. No dry, revisionst tome here. This beautifully written book gives you a sense of what it was like to actually be there. A must read for anyone interested in WW-2's North Africa Campaign.

this book is ESSENTIAL to feminists everywhere. The subject matter in this book opened my eyes about where I am lacking in my woman-lovin' ways, and gave me courage to bridge the gaps.

With the precision of neurosurgeons, Midge and Kathy cut into our minds and expose to the light all of the prejudices, notions, beliefs, etc, the White and Black women have about each other, from the skin we're in, the hair we wear, to the interracial dating thing (OUCH!!!). Both authors weave factual information with personal stories and accounts from other women of both races, and the book is an all-over good read: it's a brave endeavor by 2 races of women to form new bridges of understanding over very, very troubled waters. If you have a friend of the opposite race and there are "issues" between you, perhaps this book can break down the reasons and solutions and let it be known that women need other women, period, in this "man's world." Insightful AND essential.

I always thought that as women, we stuck together against a male dominated society. However, as we approached the twenty-first century, it is sad to say that all women don't stick together. Divided Sisters proves just that. Historically, black women and white women have been divided not only by race, but by gender and class. However, black women are three steps behind by the black man, white woman, and white man.

From the perspective of a white woman engaged to a black male, (and a woman who has had a racially diverse group of friends throughout life), I found the book very informative -- in terms of understanding the lines that have been forced between white and black women. It does a great job in explaining the attitudes of black women -- attitudes that white women do not normally understand. It is a must read for the woman who wants to change the racially divided society that we live in today.

I found this book accidentally while searching the shelves at the public library. It is an extremely important book that deals with a lot of issues most people would rather not talk about. Being a black woman it was helpful to read that other black women have the same feelings as I do. I enjoyed learning about the history of women in America. It opened my eyes to many things I never considered before. I have recommended this book to my white friends in hopes that they'll understand why I get angry and frustrated in a country that worships white women. It also helped me to see what goes on in their heads too. This book should be required reading in the high schools. Midge and Kathy did a wonderful job collecting data - this book is awesome.

This is a book that needs to come back into print. It is an eye-opener. It deals with dreaming, not only in sleep, and not only in the narrow clinical sense. There is some very interesting material in the chapter, All Life Passes Through Water: Dreams in Hoodoo. This book is very good for spiritual workers and counselors. Among a lot of other interesting things, it speaks about the relationship between dreams and divination in African tradition, something important to consider.

Anthony Shafton has created an ambitious and noteworthy contribution to the literature of African American belief systems with his title, "Dream-singers: The African American Way with Dreams." Through numerous interviews and in-depth research Shafton opens the veil to reveal the unique quality of African and African American dreaming. Shafton goes further to create a clear picture of how African and by extension, African American dreams are distinctive from the way other cultures dream. "Dream-singers" gives voice to the practices of our ancestors--practices that heretofore have gone largely undocumented. "Dream-singers" situates dreams in the real world of our community, showing how they mirror our spiritual world view. Hats off to Anthony Shafton for "Dream-singers: The African American Way with Dreams." This book enhances the understanding of dreams in general and the spell dreams hold on the African American community in particular. "Dream-singers" is a useful work of nonfiction for people from a variety of fields and backgrounds; enriching conversation and point of view for all. Therapists, nurses, doulas and other support personnel will find that this book creates an especially clear window through which they can understand the unique ways dreams shape the perspective, fears, hopes and vision of many people of African descent. Highly recommended to those who work with dreams.

This book is a fine combination of fieldwork and scholarship written in an informal, non-academic style. Anthony Shafton interviewed 116 African Americans, as well as a control group of white people with which to compare attitudes toward dreams. He also searched African American poetry and fiction and the scientific literature of dream analysis, and the depth of his research is revealed in the copious notes and lengthy bibliography. As a reader raised in the white community, I found much that I had experienced myself, such as dream visits from deceased family and friends, recurring dreams, and sleep paralysis-and some that I had never experienced, such as religious conversion and deriving numbers for gambling from dreams. This book indeed taught me that the dreams of black people and white people aren't necessarily different, but they think about them differently. Because my own research is on African American hoodoo practice, I found the section on Dreams and Hoodoo and the appendices on Traditional African American Dream Signs, Policy and Numbers Gambling, and Dream Book Authors and Publishers to be among the most valuable and interesting parts of the book.

As a long time dream recorder and enthusiast, I found the book fascinating because it provided me with a different model for thinking about dreams besides the mainstream, psychological approach. It also gave me additional insight into my own grandparents who came from Poland and had similar takes on dreams. One was herself known for having predictive dreams.

As a white American, reading it has given me some insight that I didn't have before into black culture. I don't think I quite conceived before the extent to which there is a separate culture which deserves to be addressed and respected on its own merits. Nor the extent to which black people are really a part of two cultures which are sometimes in conflict. I feel much more at ease interacting with the black people in my environment and more free to address racial issues and compare experiences.

I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic of dreams, but more particularly to white people who want to bridge the social gap between the races which stubbornly persists.

At a time of widespread interest in dreams and dreamwork, the African-American dream culture, for reasons good and bad, had remained completely invisible in the sea of books on the subject. The acknowledged importance of dream-themes in African-American music and in African-American literature makes it all the more puzzling that this vital and pervasive part of African-American life should have remained invisible to the scholars and practitioners of dream interpretation. Whatever the reasons for this discrepancy (which the author sifts through in his introduction), it was a yawning gap which Shafton set out to fill in this richly textured book.

Based on extensive interviews with 115 subjects ranging from highly educated professionals to ghetto children to prisoners, the author examines closely the full spectrum of dream experiences and their uses in personal, interpersonal and social contexts. This includes the prevalence of ancestor dreams, various forms of predictive dreaming ranging from the mundane to the sublime, the cultivation of dreamlike experiences in the waking state, dreaming as spiritual experience, dreaming as processing of socio-political reality, the nature of dream sharing in black America and the transgenerational transmission of beliefs, attitudes and interpretive techniques, the role of dream sharing as survival mechanism. Last but not least, running through the whole book, we find a subtle examination of the question of the African roots of this cultural form.

Throughout, the book makes room for the variety of cognitive and emotional experience, what the author describes as "the various degrees of certainty, consistency, and tolerance for ambiguity. There are hard skeptics. There are naive accepters. There are those in transition. There are those who embrace traditional beliefs as part of a broad enhancement of their identity..." all operating on the fundamental assumption that dreams matter. This adds credibility to one of the book's ambitions, namely to assess the future of the African-American way with dreams.

`Dreamsingers' is one of those rare cases where a book's promises seem modest by comparison with the final experience. This reflects in part the intrinsic richness of the materials the author was able to draw upon: yet Shafton's carefully conducted research could not have produced so satisfying a book without the reality of a vital dream culture and the variety of individual lives connected through that culture. Equally important, however, is Shafton's ability to elicit his interlocutors' trust, to become transparent to their individual voices, to allow for the development of the full spectrum of attitudes towards dreams and the use of dreams in the conduct of daily lives.

One effect is that the reader is in no doubt that (s)he is looking at a clearly African-American phenomenon, one that cuts across class, education and generational boundaries. Yet we are never presented with a stereotypical `African-American' voice/experience. The diversity and nuances of viewpoint revealed in this book are as vital to the whole picture as are the core beliefs and attitudes.

It is a further attraction of the book that neither the thoroughness of the research nor the complexity of the analysis are allowed to interfere with the intensely personal quality of the material being examined. We are listening to an extended, richly textured and subtle conversation between the author and his interviewees, and , indirectly, among the interviewees themselves.

By the same token, the thoroughness and intelligence of the author's analyses should make it possible for members of other groups to look at their own cultural traditions in the light of the African-American way with dreams, having been provided keys for truly multicultural understanding.

This outstanding work of critical scholarship takes the Dred Scott case as a point of departure to examine several important issues in American history. These include both the nature and dynamics of the great sectional conflict over slavery, and the nature of juidicial power in our system of government. Fehrenbacher provides careful history and analysis of the Dred Scott case itself, it significance in its own time, and the possible role of this case in the history of Supreme Court power. Fehrenbacher's reconstruction of the case and the associated political events is remarkably erudite; informed by the highest level of critical intelligence. He dispells a number of myths related to the case and his analyses of contemporary politics and legal history are equally astute. This book is exceptionally well written. Even when exploring apparently obscure details of 19th century juidicial and political history, Fehrenbacher's writing is always lucid, and at times, elegant.

I read the abridged edition of 1981, titled Slavery, Law and Politics. I can only echo what the other reviwers have said. It's about a court opinion but it is anything but dry. You learn much about the law and politics of slavery, from the founding of the nation forward. You learn about the Dred Scott case itself, including the legal maneuverings in the lower courts. The author's analysis of Chief Justice Taney's opinion for the Court is one of the best single chapters I have read in a history book in a long time. The author is learned but the prose is engaging--elegant, even. You feel you are in the company of a wise teacher, who is not trying to impress you but simply to impart his considerable knowledge without ego on a topic that turns out to be an excellent prism through which to view an important swath of our history. Read it!

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It might seem that a 700 page book (600 pages of text; 100 pages of notes) on a 19th century court case might be the epitome of exceedingly dry material suited only for particularly motivated graduate students. But I found this book captivating. What came through in every paragraph was the work of a skilled and judicious historian sleuthing his way to an understanding of the background and ramifications of the enormously important Dred Scott decision. Not one page in this book read like the work of an uninspired academic sawing his way through a pile of research notes.

Fehrenbacher focuses on the political, legal and constitutional aspects of the Dred Scott case. He explores the background and developments, from the arrival of the first slaves in the colonies in 1619 through the bitter political battles of the 1850s. His discussion of legal developments is particularly interesting because this is one area where the reader encounters the concrete complications and conflicts between various state and federal laws affecting slaves and slave owners. He also shows how legal developments and constitutional theories were affected by the increasingly acrimonious political battles over the rights of slaveholders. His analysis of Chief Justice Taney's opinion was particularly impressive. Finally, his discussion of the immediate and longer term impact of the Dred Scott decision was fascinating. When I finished the book, I was disappointed that he hadn't carried the thoughts in the last chapter further (even though it was clear he had chosen a good stopping point for his analysis). I was also tempted to go back to the beginning and re-read the book immediately! It is so rich, and there's so much of importance to understand. (Instead, I started in on Fehrenbacher's more recent book, The Slaveholding Republic.)

One of the strengths of the book is Fehrenbacher's attention to the relevants facts and texts. His text never reads like a cut-and-paste compilation of other authors' conclusions. Throughout, Fehrenbacher was doing his own thinking - and he came through as quite skilled in asking good questions, identifying all the relevant facts, weighing the possible meanings and interpretations, and arriving at fair conclusions. (Whatever the topic, it's always a pleasure to read the work of someone who works as Fehrenbacher did in this book.)

I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in American legal or constitutional history, in the events that lead to the Civil War, or in race relations in America.

There is little that I can add to what has already been written. Fehrenbacher is clear, thoughtful, and comprehensive.

Dred Scott Case by Don Fehrenbacher proves to be a definitive account of this controversial Supreme Court case that had far reaching consequences then the fate of one black slave wishing to be free. The book is superbly researched, written and the author presented total clarity in his presentation. He clearly points out the total significance of this case in face of American history.

This case is often overlooked as part of 1850s pre-Civil War history but the author make it clear that long term effects of this case clearly helped initiate the American Civil War. It also helped Abraham Lincoln become President and ironically speaking, discredited Robert Taney, the chief author of the Dred Scott decision so badly that Taney was totally ineffective as the Supreme Court Chief Justice during the Civil War. His rulings against Lincoln and many of his civil rights violations during the war went totally ignored and although he was always treated well, he was a total non-entity as a factor. His death was viewed with relief.

The book gives a very insightful background on slavery and its impact on American history prior to the case. It doesn't get into Dred Scott himself until page 210 or so. It pretty obvious that the author has excellent command of his subject matter. His insight on what influence and repercussions of this decision after the Civil War proves to be quite interesting. I was bit surprised how Taney's reputation have survived so well despite of his decision that the author clearly shown to be crude, shallow and highly biased. The author have clearly shown that Taney did not behaved as a Supreme Court Chief Justice in this case but as a pro-southerner who wishes to nationalized slavery throughout the land as a mean to end this debate once and for all.

I would regard this to be one of the mandatory reading material that any reader must tackled if he or she wants to advance their knowledge of the Civil War and its issues.

Ms. Lyons has written a sensational book that will inspire and uplift all readers regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.

This is a beautifully written book that focuses primarily on Floyd Delaney's relationship with his son, Eddie. In addition, Starling Lyons creates wonderful subplots that include Eddie's closest friends, the NEATE crew. Richly steeped in African American history and culture, this relatively short book covers quite a bit of ground. Young readers, whose growing pangs and everyday challenges are reflected in this work, will enjoy reading such an interesting narrative that provides important life lessons, powerful insight into African American history, and great entertainment--all at the same time. Well done!

EDDIE'S ORDEAL is the fourth in the NEATE series, a collection of books about a group middle school aged friends, who form a club. In this story, Eddie Delaney has finally found his niche playing basketball on his junior high school team. He is good enough to play as a starter and loves all the added attention he receives as a result of being a star player. Surprisingly, it is the extra attention from his dad, not his peers, that means the most to him. Eddie's father, a successful attorney with high expectations for his son, is a bit detached. But basketball seems to be a common interest that the father and son share, and as a result, they are spending more time together than ever before. That is until Eddie brings home his mid-term grades and his parents force him to quit the team and focus on his studies. In addition to losing the opportunity to play ball, he loses some of the closeness he had been sharing with his dad. Eddie's friends (the other members of NEATE) decide to help him by trying to figure out why Mr. Delaney is so hard on his son. What they discover may rekindle the familial bonding in the Delaney household and help the father and son understand one another better.

Kelly Starling Lyons has written a book that is very well suited for the target age group. The characters in the book are realistic and their lives and experiences will mirror the lives of many of the children who read this book. Children will be able to relate to the frustration that Eddie and his friends feel when they are simply misunderstood by the adults in their lives. In addition, Lyons did an excellent job integrating historical information into the story without taking away the plot's contemporary relevance. The title, EDDIE'S ORDEAL, seems a bit melodramatic in the context of the story, but isn't melodrama what middle school is all about?

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Eddie's Ordeal was a wonderful story that explored the relationship between a black father and son. Thirteen-year-old Eddie and his dad have trouble relating. They come from different eras. A bad grade sends them even farther apart.

Eddie's friends try to build a bridge to reconnect father and son. But it's up to Eddie and his dad to cross. This story was a heartfelt tribute to the growing pains parents and children navigate and the important bond between black fathers and sons. As a black man, I enjoyed reading a story that portrayed African-American characters as multifaceted people, complete with strengths and flaws, instead of stereotypes. This is a great addition to the canon of black children's literature.

The fourth book in the NEATE series, Eddie's Ordeal is a novel recommended for young adult readers and is about thirteen-year old Eddie Delaney, an African-American boy who loves his father but feels driven too hard sometimes. Eddie enjoys being the starter on the basketball team and gets good grades, but whe he brings home a D in language arts, everything changes. His father forces him to quit the team, and his relationship with his parent takes a very bad turn for the worse. His friends try to help him discover why his dad is so tough on him, and in the process Eddie learns something very important about his father - something that will change his life forever. A moving and dramatic story about facing the challenges of coming of age, and the importance of family bonds.

You open this book and the endpapers swirl and glow like black painted silk. They're the first indication you receive that this book is something special. Something different. Something apart from the rest. Using the narrating character of one Scat Cat Monroe, an actual well-dressed feline, the story follows Ella from child to lady of the stage. As we watch, Ella moves to Harlem thinking she's gonna make it big through dancing. Once there, however, she switches her focus and unleashes her fabulous voice. She pairs up with the Chick Webb Orchestra and Al Feldman. She then bebops with Dizzy Gillespie and earns herself the name "The Queen of Scat". It's a fabulous upbeat tale that takes the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald and lets her shine. The best possible tribute to her name.

The text of the story is especially amusing. Sometimes a book will attempt to speak in a jiving slangy sort of way and simply come off as annoying. Other times, the author sounds as if he/she is trying too hard. Fortunately, Andrea Davis Pinkney has everything under control so that when the book says something like, "She won the contest straight up, kicked her dance dreams to the curb, and pinned all her hopes on being a singer", you know it's true. There's a poetry to this book's speech that never crosses the line from authentic to agonizing. Instead, it's got a rhythm all its own.

Accompanying Andrea's text are Brian Pinkney's illustrations. At first I was a little put off by the amount of magical realism evident in its pages. Then I read Brian's inspirations (William H. Johnson, Aaron Douglas, the Art Deco movement, etc.) and it all made sense. And there's no arguing that the pictures here are fan-freakin'-tastic. Brian Pinkey has used scratchboard to make these images as bright and free flowing as they are. The result looks like nothing so much as woodcuts on acid. There's breath and movement to these pictures, and Ella herself has been granted the power of appearing larger than life.

If I've any objections to this book, maybe it comes with the choice of creating Scat Cat Monroe. Do we really need an anthropomorphic cat to lure children into this story? But it's a small complaint. Andrea Pinkney is kind enough to supply a biography, bibliography, videography, and selected discography at the end of the book for future reference. Always a nice touch. The Pinkney duo have truly created one of the best picture books encompassing the jazz, scat, and bebop movements of the past. This is the book to read.

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale Of A Vocal Viruosa by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Scat Cat Monroe is the amazing true-life picture book story of the First Lady of Song, also known as the Queen of Scat, Ella Fitzgerald. This amazingly gifted African-American singer, and her illustrious achievements are presented with free-wheeling, full-color illustrations by Brian Pinkney and a jivin' prose. A great story to share with young people about the joy of music and reaching for one's dreams, this Weston Woods school library packaging edition is enhanced with the inclusion of a CD of the story with page-turn signals.

The Pinkney couple's biography on Ella Fitzgerald is a delightful read for young children who want to learn more about the talented jazz artist. The use of narrator Scat Cat Monroe as a device to engage children is successful especially due to his use of language. The rhymes and rhythms the authors adopt to tell the story echo the snazziness of the music at the time. Young readers will thoroughly enjoy getting to know more about the artist Fitzgerald through this story.

I found a children's book about her, even better. It was a great book to jive with. Beautiful pictures, and a nice history lesson on this wonderful woman!

"You may think I look like any other cat. But baby, I'm in a class all by myself. Scat Cat's my name. Scat Cat Monroe. A name I've earned. Got my name from knowin' Ella. Ella Fitzgerald. The Queen of Scat. What's scat? you ask. Scat's the sound that don't hold back. Ella's sound-that was scat. Singing so supreme. Music's velvet-ribbon dream..." Narrated by this cool, zoot suited feline, Scat Cat Monroe introduces the incomparable, Ella Fitzgerald, to a whole new generation of fans. From her humble beginnings in Yonkers, New York, to her contest winning debut at Harlem's Apollo Theater at seventeen, to her meteoric rise, singing with the big bands and jazz artists of the 1930s and '40s, Scat Cat was there, stompin' at the Savoy with the Chick Webb Orchestra and jammin' to cloud nine and back with Dizzy Gillespie. "Now, when Ella performed, she let her lyrics go. She took her singing out to play." Andrea Davis Pinkney's engaging, lyrical text swings with imagery, magic, and rhythm. Brian Pinkney's bold, bright, and inventive illustrations dazzle, as they swirl around the pages to the music of the words. Together, word and art create an inspiring and captivating introductory biography starring the First Lady of Song. With an Author's Note at the end to complete the story, Ella Fitzgerald is an energetic, fun-filled tribute, that's perfect for music lovers 8-12, and also works well as a read-aloud for younger children.

Wildlife researchers and conservationists Delia and Mark Owens have spent much of their lives since 1974 in the African bush, first in the Kalahari Desert from which came their best seller "Cry of the Kalahari" and then in the North Luangwa Valley in Zambia, the setting of this 1992 book.

The Owens' passion leads them to risk their lives routinely. In searching for a suitable camp in North Luangwa they set out in an ancient truck with no radio and inadequate gear. After a grueling trek that would have sent sane mortals packing for home they separate so Mark can fly his Cessna to a site that "would make Cessna's insurance company shudder" while Delia makes the two-day trip alone with the old truck and a trailer over trackless hilly, bushy, gully-filled flood-plain terrain. Tracking animals they are constantly walking smack into a startled lion or buffalo or cornered elephant.

But the real danger comes from people. "The Eye of the Elephant," while filled with wildlife anecdotes and tidbits of information about elephants and lions, is really about the poaching war the Owens conducted on behalf of the besieged North Luangwa elephants.

The poachers are villagers, many armed with AK47s, backed by the local government and assisted by the corrupt and underequipped local game guards. The Owens' weapons are education, cottage industry projects financed by the Owens Foundation for Wildlife Conservation and the Cessna.

The battle starts genially with children exclaiming over magazine pictures and their parents joining sewing circles and carpentry workshops. But it quickly escalates until Mark drives Delia from him with his obsession for highly dangerous and only modestly effective night flights, and the poachers organize an assassination squad to rid themselves of the Owens once and for all.

The book is organized in alternating first-person chapters between Delia and Mark. The tone is brutally honest, touching when one admits to mistakes which endanger the other, disturbing when their frank discussion of anti-poaching tactics veers from the politically correct. The Owens' care more for the animals and the landscape than the people. But since the people are there, their needs must be faced. Their singlemindedness will outrage some, but their strong personalities and sheer stamina will awe almost everyone.

York County Coast Star

The Eye of the Elephant is a wonderful, adventurous journey into the heart and soul of Africa seen through Mark and Delia's eyes. From the very first page you are caught up in their heroic quests to protect the animals they are there to observe. In spite of the unbelievable odds against them, they persevered and put the safety and security of the highly endangered animals FIRST. The elephants in the Luanga Valley are very fortunate to have had Mark and Delia watch over them and be their heroes. I have loved Africa and the African elephant my entire life and I am so grateful for these two selfless, dedicated people who have become the protectors of our most precious wildlife. This is one of my most treasured African stories.

You will immediately be drawn into their story! I was so involved reading this book that I missed my train station stop...you'll feel like you're there with them!

This book is laden with fascinating information on African Wildlife and how to survive as human and animal in harsh conditions. Excellent read.

I wish these authors would write more books about their adventures in Africa. Truly riveting page-turners!