Virginia Books

The title of this book is from Meister Eckhart: "Where clinging to things ends, there God begins to be." What I love about Karper's book is the way God's presence glimmers in and through ALL things: mud, collapsing sheds, grasping multiflora, escaped cats, untimely bills, you name it, Sr. Karen seems to have to struggle with it! So, while the book beautifully explores a life of solitude in a quiet hermitage in West Virginia, it's totally applicable to any life, anywhere, even the busiest. Because we all need to stop clinging to things and allow God to begin to be present, don't we?

While the book is just over 116 pages long, it is a gem and if you can find a copy GRAB IT. The Author Karen Karper was a member of the Poor Clares often associated as the female branch of what St Francis of Assisi started the Franciscans. In 1989 she opted to take a leave from the monastery to attempt a life of solitary and frugality. With a ten year old Bronco and a small amount of money she set out. She had no idea where she was going. At the request of two Nuns who lived in an Appalachian Valley area called Colt Run holler (Spencer W Virginia) she accepted their invitation to visit. This would be her welcome to what would become a way of life. Learning to live amongst people who did not know many Catholics, not to mention learning to use an outhouse, pump water and deal with everything from ankle deep mud to snakes (copperheads)in the wood pile. She writes about getting enough money to drill a new well, since the old one was unhealthy. To learning to literally do everything herself, be it repairing tin roofs, or trying to grow a garden. Learning that there is solitude and then there is solitude. That living as a woman alone on a remote area would test ones faith in God as far as protection and wisdom goes. Any woman who wants to see that being over the age of 40 or 50 doesn't need to stop you from testing yourself will love this book. It has a nice Thomas Merton Zen feel and a Mother Earth News feel that I especially appreciated.

And this is a book that I read and re-read on a rainy or sunny day and a book that changes my life everytime I read it.

This book is wonderful for anyone who seeks a short period of quiet in the midst of their busy day-to-day life. As a writer and someone who loves nature, I found amazing connections in Sister Karper's story, despite the fact that our lives are obviously very different. This book took me to the mountains of Appalachia, and made me want to stay there forever--with plumbing, however!

When I taught a graduate seminar on Virginia Woolf at Iowa State University, I told my students to read this book if they wanted, as students always do, to understand the multitude of reasons for Woolf's suicide.

Most biographies skirt the responsibilities of the other people in Woolf's life -- the exact topic that Alma Bond takes on so thoroughly. This book had to be written exactly because other writers have not been willing to examine all dimensions of Woolf's death. Hurray for Alma Bond for applying her psychoanalist's expertise on this literary/historical subject!

Virginia Woolf, born to Leslie and Julie Stephen in 1862, came into a world that was stacked against her chances of emotional success. Both her parents and close family members had emotional problems she could not avoid. This background formed a vital part in preventing Virginia from forming a close bond with her mother. The result of this was that she suffered from unresolved emotional problems for the rest of her life.

All of her life, Virginia found herself immersed in the world of art and literature. Her father was considered by many to be her mentor in nurturing her talent at an early age. Leonard, her husband, protected her against outside pressure that most writers face from critics, editors and the like. Her lover, Vita Sackville - West, she was the conduit to allow Virginia's genius to reach its peak. Woolf always needed the help of others to survive.

Virginia ran into problems at the two most important stages of a child's emotional development. They are known as Symbiosis and the Rapprochement stages. If the infant experiences any breakdown in these processes, the consequences can be severe and last a lifetime.

Symbiosis occurs between the first to fifth month of a child's existence. It is the stage of sociobiological interdependence between mother and child. Rapprochment occurs around the age of two, where the child seeks to be reunited with the mother, after finding the outside world too hard to cope with. When Virginia wanted to be reunited with her mother, her mother was not available to her. This inability to be as one with her mother affected Virginia all of her life. It led her to be constantly plagued by alternating states of mania and depression.

The Stephen and Woolf family members had a repetitive behavior pattern. They only gave to others a little of themselves, to ensure they would not lose part of themselves. It did not occur to them that by allowing a part of themselves to be consumed by another being, in a caring and sharing relationship, that this would not destroy their self. Indeed it would strengthen their belief in themselves and make them a more emotionally robust person, to take on and conquer what the world might throw at them.

Virginia Woolf wrote: "Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written in his works."

Doctor Alma Bond believes that this is indeed true of the works of Virginia Woolf. The writer's internal anguish about what problems were confronting her at various stages of her life flowed through into her novels. This characteristic of Woolf, allowed the author to utilize her professional skills to present to the world the tormented soul of a very talented person.

This is the most interesting book I have read in a long while. I thoroughly recommend it to those who wish to be entertained and gain a better understanding of themselves as well.

After seeing "The Hours" I knew I had to read more on Ms Woolf. What a great woman she was. What a great tragedy when the world lost her.

This book is definitely a must for anyone wanting to know Virginia Woolf.

A great story. Kept me reading.

Since my husband and I are fans of P.D. James and other murder mystery novels, the book was "right up our alley" so to speak. Whether Tim would succeed or the fraternity would silence him permanently was well written and the suspense kept us glued to the book until it the end. The Civil War story line was thought provoking.

This book really hit me, maybe more so because I live near West Virginia. It hits on two time periods and connects them with a pretty involving mystery, plus it has some classic action elements. Overall, it's one of the coolest historical novels out there. It might not be Hemmingway, but it got me through fall break.

This book is visually beautiful and very informative. It tells the story of several endangered ethnic groups around the world. It is simple, understandable and moving.

This book is visually beautiful and very informative. It tells the story of several endangered ethnic groups around the world. It is simple, understandable and moving.

This book is visually beautiful and very informative. It tells the story of several endangered ethnic groups around the world. It is simple, understandable and moving.

With Paintbrush and Shovel is certainly a unique book. The beautiful paintings of wild flowers - 238 in all- really look more like high quality photography, they are so exquisitely detailed. The story that goes with the paintings tells an unknown story about work done by WPA women during the depression. One of the projects fostered by Roosevelt, the WPA gave work to unskilled African-American women and it was these women that cleaned up this willderness and brought the wild-flowers to Bessie Marshall to be reproduced in watercolor. The book is well-worth owning.

The wildflower paintings in this book are absolutely unbelievably beautifully detailed. When you see them you will not believe the artist could so accurately paint the tiny delicate features of each flower and could so accurately recreate the wonderful colors. If you like, forget about the wonderful story documenting the WPA project in the 1930s to create a wildflower park and document the flowers with paintings. But, if you are an artist or a wildflower lover or both you must check this out just for the wonderful paintings.

Additionally, the printers spared no expense. They used high quality paper and achieved exquisite reproduction of the paintings. I'm sure they were fearful they would be totally out classed if they did not.

This book provides a rare glimpes into the WPA projects especially designed by women. The book also illustrates the history of the park and chronicles the work of a diverse group of women who established a botanical preserve in a City Park during the 30's. The project, of national significance, was part of the WPA that provided work for African Americans and White Women during the depression. How intersting to read that the park provided an income for these deprived women, who created a wildflower/bird preserve for a small city. The beautiful botanical illustrations by B. Marshall are exquisite and the story to follow only enhances the charm of this well documented history.

Found the author's book while searching for relatives of Beppie Leslie Culin Roskruge, who is likely the great aunt of Virginia Culin Roberts - because I found and am attempting to return what may be a sentimental heirloom of Beppie's to a living relative.

Good book, good author - just like her famous great aunt was.

I found the book well written, with Ms Roberts' delivering a colorful portrayal of western history. As a resident of the Nogales - Patagonia - Sonoita area I found her work verifiable and acurate, providing myself and by family a valuable source of information on our local history.

A side note: The Pennington family homestead was recently rediscovered and preservation efforts will hopefully save the remaining structure.

This book was extremely excellent, and life-like. Ms. Virginia Culin Roberts did an excellent job writing this book. Way to go Virginia!

Jim and Alan have told the story of a little known piece of World war II history. A nice feature is telling the story from the enemy side of the coin. Also we get a nice view of how joint military operations worked in the early years of the war.

Attacks by German submarines on Atlantic coastline targets during World War II were a very real possibility and one to be guarded against by the American Navy and Coast Guard. In Wolf At The Door: The World War II Antisubmarine Battle For Hampton Roads, Virginia, James Powell builds upon original scholarship and research (an in collaboration academician Alan B. Flanders who is an expert in naval history and a prolific author of maritime history books) to reveal the story of the U.S. Fifth Naval District's defeat of German U-boats in the struggle for Hampton Roads, Virginian -- including perspectives of naval officers and captains from both sides of the conflict, and in the process also informs the interested reader in the overall development of the U.S. Antisubmarine Warfare Program. Wolf At The Door is a unique and invaluable addition to the growing library of World War II Military Histories.

This is a great title for the professional historian or amateur history buff. The interviews with and comments by German U-boat captains is compelling and teaches much about the actual experiences during WWII. What I like most about this study is that it presents more than one perspective, not only the perspective of the authors but the truth as told by men who were actually there. Highly recommended!

I recommend this entire "You Wouldn't want to be . . ." series for helping to teach history to young kids. The subject is taught in a humorous way that both kids and adults can enjoy.

You Wouldn't Want to Be an American Colonist: A Settlement You'd Rather Not Start (You Wouldn't Want to...)
I'm a university professor of colonial American history. If more kids had books like this, my colleagues and I would not be saddled with the job of jumpstarting enthusiasm for our subject among our college students... My son is a huge fan of the entire series (which I'm buying for him as fast as is reasonable), and also of Terry Deary's Horrible Histories. They appeal to an eight-year-old's (and a forty-three-year-old's) sense of humor, and they make the reader THINK. Children are far brighter (and more thoughtful) than they are generally given credit for: Until the education system is forced to recognize this, books like this one will help parents and teachers everywhere supplement the dry-as-dust curriculum. See my Amazon list for more ideas.
Dr. Annette Laing
Historian & author of
Don't Know Where, Don't Know When (The Snipesville Chronicles, Book 1)

Got Reluctant Readers? Or 4-8 year-olds? _You Wouldn't Want to be an American Colonist : A Settlement You'd Rather Not Start_ should get the Younger Generation Hooked-on-History as it recounts the history of the first English colony, Jamestown, in North America.

Why should the Spanish have all the gold and silver in the New World (the Americas)? The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth, wanted to get in on the good times, too. She appointed Walter Raleigh (soon to be "Sir") to look into it for her.

Wally was no fool, so he sent his half-brother off to the New World to
find the perfect paradise, preferably loaded with the aforementioned goodies. David Antram's snapshot-sized, comically irreverant illustration shows what happened to Wally's good ole brother, but others must have made it through in better shape.

The establishment of that colony (ever wonder why it's called "Jamestown" and not "Elizabethtown"?), and the messes they got themselves into until they finally got it right (it took three tries over twenty-two years), are recounted in somewhat tongue-in-cheek detail by Jacqueline Morley. Even the chapter titles give you a hint of the humor that's coming:

* Introduction
* Virginia - A Bit of History
* The Lost Colony
* Third Time Is a Charm?
* Settling In
* The Algonquins - Friends or Foes?
* Exploring the Territory
* Supply Ships - A Blessing or a Curse?
* Famine and Starvation
* The Colony Grows
* Success!
* Glossary (2 pages)
* Index (1 page)

This book is only one in the "You Wouldn't Want To..." historical series created by David Salariya, a freelance illustrator and designer. He founded The Salariya Book Company in 1989, in England, to "...create and design children's non-fiction books that combined very high educational and editorial standards."

Jacqueline Morley is the author of a number of the books in this series. She's taught English and History, "...and has a special interest in the history of everyday life...." She's also authored non-fiction books for Peter Bedrick Books.

David Antram's whimsical artwork is a major reason the books in this series are so funny. His cartoon-style caricatures are deliberately outrageous. Their company says, "Salariya Books...designed to stimulate, entertain and inform."

Take advantage of David Salariya's creations to let your youngsters have an opportunity to give History a second chance. _You Wouldn't Want to be an American Colonist : A Settlement You'd Rather Not Start_ is definitely worth 5 stars from gobbysreviews.

gobby
Book Reviewer at Marathon Library

When I was growing up in western New York, studying colonial America was about the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock. It was not about Jamestown, even though the landing at Jamestown occurred 13 years earlier. I learned a lot about Jamestown upon moving to Virginia, and with the 400th anniversary this year, I've learned even more.

In recent years, finding text resources about Jamestown that present a true picture of colonization, warts and all, has been hard to find. This situation has changed with the publication of Karen Lange's book, 1607: A New Look at Jamestown. Lange, a journalist and writer with National Geographic Magazine, presents a brief history of the settling of Jamestown using new archaeological evidence to tell the story.

The Foreword begins in this fashion:
Many people feel that to discover the past, all you have to do is find a book, open the pages, and read a single story. That couldn't be farther from the truth. History is not static: It is not a single story. Simple discovery may only yield you one layer. To really begin to understand the multi-faceted stories that make up our past, you must dig beyond what we think we know. You must discover and then re-discover.

This volume takes these words to heart as it reveals the recent discoveries at the Jamestown archaeological site. Supported by an extensive bibliography of primary sources, Lange presents the grim reality that was the founding of this American colony. The narrative describes the settlers' struggles through the artifacts left behind. Color photographs of the dig site, found treasures, and historical reenactment scenes give readers a glimpse of what life was like for those who lived inside the Jamestown fort.

Lange does an especially good job of describing how native peoples were living when the settlers arrived, and how their arrival forever changed their way of life. Lange even highlights the response of the Paspahegh (Powhatan) descendants to the planned celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, noting:
"For the Indians, Jamestown is nothing to celebrate. To them, it meant the end of their ancestors' way of life."

I was completely enthralled by this book and found myself engaged by the remarkable, yet difficult history presented. Believe me, this is not the standard fare served up in history textbooks. Don't miss this amazing book on a bit of American history you only think you know. I highly recommend it.

In a little under 50 pages, Ms Lange has captured the essence of what life was like in the New World in first decades of the 17th c. She provides an even-handed treatment of Native Americans, the strengths and follies of the English and the terrible ordeals that beset both groups. Her coverage of the most recent findings of archeologists show the misconceptions and biases that have crept into the history books over the ensuing centuries--until now. My 16 year old son used 1607: A New Look at Jamestown as one of his sources for a report in AP US history class, and it was a real eye-opener to him and to me. With wonderful photographs of found relics and recreated scenes, this book brings to life a period and a people who have always taken a back seat to the Pilgrim story. I would highly recommend this book to any parent of a child, pre-teen or teen that shows a curiosity for history. Rather than dumbing-down, Ms Lange dazzles.

Only those with a Bevil / Beville / Beauville / deBeauville / Chesterton, England connection will want this book, but for them it is excellent, readable, and useful, not only in its geneaology but in its history and observations on England up until the 18th century. The authors have accomplished an outstanding job of research.

When the words "700 Years..." are in the title of ANY genealogy book about a family, one instantly wonders about how accurate it is. Yet "700 Years of the Beville Family" is just that: a meticulously researched and documented account of a family whose origins began with two Norman knights who aided William the Conqueror in his quest for the English Crown by crossing the Channel and fighting with him at the Battle of Hastings in the year 1066 A.D.

The book begins with a brief review of how the Duchy of Normandy came into being with the invasion of the Norsemen ca. 911 A.D., and its relation to the rest of the then Frankish kingdom. It covers how Duke William of Normandy came to lay claim to the English throne and the political environment of England at the time of Edward the Confessor leading up to The Conquest.

It next documents the actions of William the Conqueror and the two "de Beuville" brothers, William and Humphrey (noblemen from the town of Beuville in Normandy) and in the subsequent invasion. The story then moves on, detailing the marriages, alliances, roles (including two Knights of the Bath and two members of Parliament), and property transactions of the Beville family for 600 years in the County of Huntingdonshire, England (surrounding present day Peterborough). It concludes with 100 years of the family in colonial America, when Essex Beville emigrated to Virginia, and the next three generations that descended from him.

Using wills, baptismal, marriage, and property records, and several excellent sketches (photographs are added in the 2nd edition), Mrs. Lichliter gives form to the lives of a family's people over 600 years in medieval England. For those with a familiar knowledge of English history, some of the passages are quite revealing as one considers the contemporary events. And the updates made by Frank Pierce and Nancy Beville Pierce provide a very unexpected and fascinating link to both the current Royal family of England, and to the early noble and royal families of England in the centuries after The Conquest.

Specific sources down to the archive, volume and page numbers of references and historical records are given for each revelation and snippet of family history described throughout the work, including references from the Domesday Book of 1086.

Originally published in 1976, the Pierce's have done a masterful job of updating and adding to the original work by the late Asselia Lichliter, including information obtained by other members of the Beville family since 1976.

This work will defintely be of interest to any Beville, Bevill, Bevil, (or variation thereof) and their related family descendants as an authenticated account of their history begining in the year 1066.

It will be of interest to genealogists in general, especially amateur genealogists as Mrs. Lichliter was an "ordinary" woman with an exceptional interest in her family's history. It can also add body to desciptions of feudal society in England for those interested in history.

Exceptional, amazing and fascinating. This story of one ancient family's history is sure to become a genealogy classic.