Mississippi Books

The story that Jeanne Mcdonald has written is one of the best I have read in a long time.From the first chapter the reader is captured and the story line keeps wraping itself around you until the end. The author has a keen sense of the male mind in stress and her charactors are people you have meet.The changing of events kept me on edge wondering "What in the hell is Miller going to do now!" There is another book coming out, I am hoping,that will continue this story.This is a book that makes you want to attend an authors book review so you can ask all the questions of why?

"In a market of thinly plotted who-dunnits, "Water Dreams" is a more stubstantive "WHY-dunnit," with McDonald's skill at taking it even further down the path of memorable fiction--a "what-now." . . . It deals with the tricky business of fathers and sons growing up and growing away. It's a love story that flips the coin between family peace and outrage. It shows what happens when the lights go out on reason and responsibility, even if done with explainable, though blatantly illogical reasons and with no ill intent. . . In her first novel Jeanne McDonald doesn't even let her readers get their feet wet before they are deep into her story. By the last page, her characters are bona fide members of the reader's literary family."

In Water Dreams, Jeanne McDonald has written a touching, unflinchingly honest account of guilt and redemption. Faced with unresolved grief following the death of his father, Miller Sharp finds himself in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Convinced that he can never live up to his father's example, Miller is presented with an opportunity to prove himself when he attempts to save a young man, Jimmy Duane Goodfriend, from drowning. However, when the drowning victim nearly drags Miller down with him, Miller chooses his own life over Jimmy Duane's.

Riddled with guilt, Miller is drawn to Jimmy Duane's young widow, Adra. He sets out to try to make amends to her and her child for what his cowardice has cost her. But as he becomes increasingly entangled in Adra's life, he risks everything--his career, his marriage, and the respect of the son he loves.

McDonald's prose is luminous and her characters ring true on every page. She has an almost uncanny talent for creating sympathy for both her protagonist and the people he wounds. I loved Miller and pulled for him in spite of his flaws. This is an absolutely beautiful novel, one that resonates long after the final sentence. Quite simply, Water Dreams is the best work of fiction I've read this year.

I've read thousands of books and I can honestly say this is one of the best I've ever read. It caught me at the beginning, it flowed beautifully, the ending was perfect. All the characters rang so true, especially Miller. The story showed every weakness, every strength of these characters and made me completely forget that they weren't real people.
As I read the book, I felt everything they were feeling along with them. I felt so sorry for Miller, so angry with Miller, so disgusted with Miller, yet I understood that Miller was a good man. I felt deeply sorry for Katie, and felt her anxiety, fear, bewilderment, depression and pain. I felt disgusted with both of them for their stubborness, but could relate completely. Judd was very much the teenager with his mood swings, outbursts of anger and lack of respect for his parent's marriage bed. And I felt like I knew Adra, until the end...now that was a shocker! I should have seen it coming, but I didn't, and it was Great! This was a real, emotional, exciting, beautiful book and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I am from Louisiana and have listened to a great deal of our state's very unique zydeco and Cajun music. There is always a lot of controversy about the differences between Cajun and zydeco music, and the definition of Creole people. This book was so well-researched over a period of years, it helped me understand even better than before how zydeco was born and who started it. I particularly enjoyed the wonderful interviews with the musicians themselves, particularly people who are no longer with us, like Clifton Chenier and Beau Jocque. If you want to know about zydeco, this book is the next best thing to coming to Louisiana to listen for yourself!

Well maybe I channel for the original king of zydeco - maybe I don't. But hey this is the real book about this southwest Louisiana music. The photos are second to none. The photos really could be framed and hung on the wall of any art gallery in the country. Sure I know the photographer but anyone who knows me knows I tell it like it is. And this is a wonderful book. The writer, Ben Sandmel, writes like he is talking to a good friend. It is a fun read. Both the writer and the photographer must have had really good access to the musicians to come up with such original stuff.

FAIT ATENCION!: This is one vast bursting boudin of a book! It'll put the salt back into your snap beans! Tear out its pages and stick 'em in your dancing shoes, cher! Along with Michael Tisserand, Sandel and Olivier form the triumviate of Zydeco, mavens three of zydeco! For locals fans, converts and overall BooZoo-aholics, you have a New Testament (to Tisserand's Old Testament -- The Kingdom of Zydeco)! For recent arrivals and the general reader 'zydeco' will now no longer just be a killer Scrabble word! For anyone who reads this book, I bet you a six pack of Dixie that you'll soon be booking your flight to SW Louiaiana! You can't go wrong if you play it right, and nose to nose with Mr. Tisserand, Messers Sandmel and Olivier have done it big-time right! Merci beacoup. Laissez les bons temps roulez!

As a zydeco novice, I really enjoyed this book. It is not an exhastive history of zydeco. Rather, author Sandmel covers the giants of the genre with chapters on Clifton Chernier, Boozoo Chavis and Buckwheat Zydeco. Shorter chapters cover some other musicans. Looks like Sandmel conducted personal interviews with most of his subjects.

Oliver's black-and-white photographs are terrific. While there are a few photos of the musicians performing, most are of a portrait nature.

The appendices include a discography of Louisiana music (more than just zydeco), Internet resources, etc.

I also recommend Let the Good Times Roll: a Guide to Cajun and Zydeco Music by Patricia Nyhan.

The "great river" is the Mississippi River that provides the western border of Wisconsin. This 250 mile stretch of the river showcases spectacular scenery. Beginning in the north at Prescott, and continuing down to Potosi in the south, there is a superb highway running down along side which is called the "Great River Road". Norm Rogers and Chris Dinesen Rogers have collaborated to produce for the traveler or vacationer traveling along this highway system a highly recommended and very portable compendium of 101 suggestions of things to do and see. Designed with one specific suggestion per page, each entry also includes a specific and relevant fact. If you are planning a day-trip or an extended weekend along Wisconsin's share of the Great River Road, then begin planning your itinerary by browsing through the pages of Norm and Chris Rogers' 101 Things To Do On The Wisconsin Great River Road!

For the past several years, Chris and I have traveled the Great River Road in Wisconsin, and while doing so, looked for the perfect travel guide. Everything we found seemed to be self-serving, paid advertisements, so we decided to write our own. "101 Things To Do" is a list of fun things that can be enjoyed by the entire family. It turned out to be the best little book. Even after driving the Road a dozen times, it still keeps us busy. I would recommend this book to anyone.

A delightful travel companion with interesting suggestions and fun trivia! Definitely leads you down the "road less traveled" with great results!

This very fine book has been in print in one form or another since the early-to-mid 1980s. Not many music books remain in print that long, but this is an exceptional collection of model solos in the urban blues style.

The book is quite popular with music teachers (as evidenced by the other reviews) and it is enjoyable and productive for students as well. The book is aimed at the ambitious early intermediate student, and a few of the solos will challenge an intermediate guitarist.

There are 25 full-length solos in the book, each written in notation and tablature, and each recorded note-for-note on the accompanying CD. The band on the CD is excellent. There are five solos in C, five in G, five in D, five in A, and five in E. The solos are played to standard blues progressions, meaning that they may be "plugged in" to similar blues progressions that are found in many, many songs.

The solos sound exactly like the solos heard on real blues records. They are varied and performed with taste, authenticity, and feeling. You can hear why the author was a columnist for Living Blues Magazine and why his work has received consistently high reviews in a number of guitar magazines.

Great book, highly recommended.

I wish all music instruction books were written in this format. The song tabs just go from one page to the next without a bunch of talking/writing in between, and the song numbers in the book actually match the song numbers on the cd...what a rare and unique idea! Of course, none of that would matter if the material were bad, but that's not the case, the solos are great - quite diverse too. There is a lot of helpful information in this book: theory, writing your own solos, a guide to blues styles and artists,etc. - but it's all in it's own section of the book, not sprinkled throughout the book here and there making it impossible to find. As a full time guitar instructor I would just like to say "great job", "great blues solos" and "great, easy to use format". Thanks.

The author of this book, Larry McCabe, is re-releasing books that have gone out of print for one reason or another. This particular book is an old friend. After I received it, I went into my library and found a copy. It has been in print in one form or another for 25 years. Most instruction books don't last anywhere near that long. First, this book (as the author warns) is not for beginners. You need to be familiar with the movable blues scales we all use. If you are playing out, and feel comfortable with the whole neck, get this book. The style of lead is closer to Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King than anyone else. If you don't know who these men are, buy their CDs. You are in for a treat. Please read the author's introduction. There is a lot of good info there. The Tab system is the older style. It should take about 30 seconds to adjust. It's actually easier to read than the current form. If you consider yourself a Rock guitarist instead of Blues, you really could use this book. If you use these solos as a "how to", instead of just memorizing them, they will give you some new weapons. You know, for scaring the heck out of other guitarists.

This collection is very well edited and well conceived. I'm grateful to the editor for including the smart interviewers as well as others who asked idiotic questions - but most of all for including the interviews where Tarkovsky treads on culturally controversial ground. This collection of interviews fills the gap between Sculpting in Time and books about the director by various authors. I would consider this and Tarkovsky's own book as the two essential texts. Also, a few very funny, antagonistic answers to interview questions make for great reading. You're unlikely to finish this book and still wonder why some crew members found it difficult to work with him.

This book of interviews with the master is a must for all who love great film, and especially fans of Russian Cinema (and of course Tarkovsky). Thanks Mr. Gianvito!

This book is an absolutely fascinating read for any Tarkovsky fan. It gives a real insight into the individual films but more significantly it also helps you understand much better where Tarkovsky himself was coming from. It will also be of interest to people interested in modern cinema, but it is probably best to have seen most of Tarkovsky's films first (there are only about 7 of them). One amusing aspect of the book is seeing different interviewers ask the same, often stupid, questions over a twenty-year period. However, there is plenty of rich material in the book so the repeated questions do not really detract from it, indeed, it is amusing to watch how Tarkovsky deals with them in different times and different contexts.

Not a bad text. I have heard a rare recording of the underrated hero Medgar Evers speaking once, and no he was not a "personality cult" leader who dazzled the masses with snappy slogans, but a sincere individual who appealed to people on the grounds of reason and integrity.

In texts such as the 1958 Ebony magazine article and the 1963 television show in Jackson, Miss (where he lived and died), he appeals to those unconvinced by his fight against segregation to put themselves in his place. His stands for human dignity as described in his NAACP reports in the book is heartwarming when you consider that he risked his life to make such statements.

The Life of Evers cries out for a DVD or an "American Experience" episode. Unfortuantely, the so-called "leaders" and their paper-tiger soundbyte "causes" of today are a far comedown from the true heroes of Evers' era (and Mrs. Myrlie Evers herself makes this point in far more polite terms in her intro). Sadly, most of the truly great ones like Evers are now dead. Hopefully, this will inspire a future generation to get it right and back on track.

I watched Myrlie Evers-Williams talk about the book and so much more on C-SPAN II, Book TV. She was appearing at Karibu Bookstore in Hyattsville, Maryland on 6/17/05 and I was so moved by what she said that I bought and read the book. I wish the book were bundled with a copy of that talk because in her talk it is beautifully and forcefully made clear that although Medgar Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963, his spirit and his work survive and continue to nudge, persuade, inspire, and demand of us that his vision is not nearly fulfilled and it is our job to join together to keep up the work. And dare I say, in the midst of such serious considerations, that the man had a wicked sense of the satiric? His letters to Eisenhower, to the admissions people at the white college that refused admission to him, and others are not only important historical documents about the civil rights struggle in the U.S., they are also really wonderful writing and make great reading-aloud material. I'd love to see one of those moving one-man theatrical productions staged based on this book, his writings, and his wife's continued growth, struggle, and determined leadership after his murder. What a story! What wonderful American lives!

Medger Evers was truly a Pioneer of Change. He died far too young at only age 37. this Book traces His speeches,writings&Letters at about bringing changes.He was One of the Most Important figures during the Civil Rights Movement.Much Respect to His Widow Myrlie Evers-Williams for sharing these Important Documents of History that speak of a Ugly chapter in America.this is a Must Read Book&Have Book.very Educational&a Book that reflects a time period that wasn't that long ago.

Having grown up back in a day when we were taught Antebellum life was a monolithic experience for African Americans, books like this - opening an entirely new door on that era - always fascinate me even though by now, I know better. For example, who knew that some slaves hired themselves out on steamboats for a few weeks or months with no intention of escaping, but simply as respite from the hardships of plantation life?

The title is obviously a play on Mark Twain's nostalgic memoir. Though Buchanan does find some similarities between Twain's liberating experience of the Great River and the opportunities afforded African Americans by the western rivers - for example, mind broadening mobility, communication networks, accumulation of assets by both slave and free persons through labor or trade, and of course, escape routes for fugitives - he notes the dark side absent from steamboat nostalgia is the fact that the horrible "Second Middle Passage" broke up families and transported thousands of slaves in deplorable conditions into the Deep South.

Whether exploring the lives and culture of steamboat workers, free black travelers, abolitionists or scoundrels, the author draws upon the experiences and observations of many individuals through a variety of primary and secondary sources (including slave narratives and travel accounts) demonstrating how multifarious and uncategorizable the experiences of these men and women were. Even many of the laws and customs attempting to control black movement were circumvented in this fluid economy.

Buchanan's writing is concise, and his narrative flows smoothly. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in maritime history as well as those interested in African American Studies.

Thomas Buchanan follows David Cecelski's study of North Carolina's black maritime sailors with this excellent study of black steamboat workers on the Mississippi. Buchanan describes the culture in which the free black and enslaved steamboat crewmen lived, their importance to the southern antebellum economy, as well as, their impact on the institution of slavery. It is in this area that Buchanan an important contribution to our understanding of African American resistance to slavery.

John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger's book on runaway slaves is the most extensive treatments of the subject. Unfortunately, they give short shrift to the importance of the Mississippi River and the steamboat trade as a means of escaping slavery. Buchanan corrects this omission by arguing that African Americans, both free and slave, were a vital part of the steamboat industry's labor force. Runaway slaves from throughout the South often made their escape by blending in with other black steamboat workers and riding steamboats out of slavery. Although aware of the problem, and although numerous measures were enacted to stop it, Southerners were never able to completely stop the flow of slaves escaping by riverboat.

In addition to this book, Buchanan has written two articles on this subject. I recommend all them to anyone interested in the study of African American antebellum life.

Buchanan weaves the compelling narratives of slave, free black, and white workers and passengers on Mississippi steamboats with extensive archival information.

He shows how the river network and steamboat work allowed them to craft multiple ways to resist slavery, poor labor conditions, and the separation of families.

This is a history book with broad appeal to non-historians as well.

This book is great at getting a Civil War novice involved and wanting to know more about the Civil War. Steven Nathaniel Dossman clearly shows the value and importance that Corinth played during the Civil War and how the South needed these 3 feet of land to be successful throughout the war. This book has great added material that helps the text to come alive and allows the reader to relate to what is going on during the Battle of Corinth and the surrounding area. This author has great potential and looking forward to see more books from him.

Written by a descendant of men who battled at Corinth, Campaign for Corinth: Blood in Mississippi examines the events through which the quiet little town of Corinth, Mississippi because one of the South's key strongholds during the American Civil War. Captured after a siege by Federal General Henry Halleck, Corinth became a target of Southern efforts to drive back the Union, and when the bloody campaign for Corinth reached its height, it paved the way for Grant's Vicksburg campaign and the ultimate fate of the Confederacy in the Mississippi Valley. A straightforward and harshly honest accounting of military history, accessible to lay readers and historians alike, and illustrated with occasional black-and-white photographs and maps.

Well, the folks at McWhiney Foundation Press have done it again! This company is determined to make Civil War history accessible and interesting to the greatest number of readers through their Civil War Campaigns and Commanders series. This book is absolutely no exception. Stephen Dossman has written a fast-paced, succinct history of the Confederate campaign to capture Corinth, Mississippi in the fall of 1862, and weaves a masterful tale of heroism, blunder, and foolhardiness. I finished the book amazed at what a tough and scrappy action the battles of Iuka and Corinth (not to mention Davis Bridge) really were.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this book, though, is that Dossman clearly advances his thesis that this campaign doomed the Confederates to lose control of the Mississippi. The book is worth the price to examine that argument alone.

Priced right, fully footnoted, and full of information, this book should appeal to enthusiasts and scholars alike, as well as fans of good history well told. I look forward to reading more book by this author.

This is a fabulous book, filled brillant color photo's of many wonderful ante-bellum homes. I am proud that some one finaly wrote such a great,detailed, and informitive book. If you like classic southern architecture than this is the book for you.I give this book 5 stars!

i loved this book! this is one of the best books on the town of natchez, anyone looking for info on anyone of the many fantastic houses in natchez should bye this book! i looooooooved that one house, longwood, interesting architecture.

This is a fabulous book, filled brillant color photo's of manywonderful ante-bellum homes. I am proud that someone finally wrotesuch a great,detailed, and informitive book. If you like classicsouthern architecture than this is the book for you.I give this book 5stars!

Many have written about Ste. Genevieve, MO, the oldest permanent European settlement in what once was the Upper Louisiana Territory. No one has created a more insightful or more scholarly look at 18th century life in the small Mississippi River town, however, than Carl J. Ekberg has done in his Colonial Ste. Genevieve.

Ekberg uses his expertise in 17th and 18th century European politics to connect the villagers of Ste. Genevieve with the larger world around them. He examines the daily lives of the hardy French Creole (that is, those born in North America, of French ancestry) settlers, probing family, business, religious and slave/master relationships, as well as the settlers' means of making a living and defending themselves from Indian or Anglo attack or from the dangerous Mississippi. The mighty river forced the inhabitants to relocate two miles uphill from the original townsite, late in the 18th century.

Ekberg is best known in Missouri for debunking a number of old myths, such as the town being founded in 1735 or before (He establishes its founding at shortly before 1750.) and the move to the new townsite being made almost en masse, right after the disastrous summer flood of 1785. (He has translated thousands of Spanish letters and documents, confirming that the move took nearly a decade and had started even before the flood, due to widespread erosion of the riverbank.) He also tackles "puffed-up" dates on historic homes in the town, which now relies on heritage tourism for economic growth. These findings have made him unpopular in some Ste. Genevieve circles. They have also marked him as the most important scholar to research the town.

Despite his scholarly prowess and the intimidating inch and a half depth of the book spine, this book is a reward for the reader, not a punishment! Ekberg is no academic hack. His prose flows gracefully, often reading more like a historical romance novel than a history book. For anyone with an interest in French or Spanish Colonial settlements in the Louisiana Territory, or in the history of Missouri, this is a must-buy and must-read. Ste. Genevieve was and is a unique community and Ekberg's is the defining scholarly work on the town.

Ekberg's "Colonial Ste. Genevieve" still stands as the ultimate scholarly work on Ste. Genevieve. While Ekberg's demolition of many old wivestales about the city's history generates the most talk among locals, this is just a footnote to the true value of his work.Through locating and translating thousands of Spanish and French documents from the colonial period, Ekberg succeeds in bringing the period to life and presents the most accurate picture to date of what life must have been like in colonial Ste. Genevieve.Like a compressed computer file, Ekberg somehow squeezes an unfathomable amount of information into this work. Yet it reads quickly and enjoyably. So many inticing issues are addressed: black-white, Indian-white relationships, family structure, economics, religion, romance, etc.Two books should be read by anyone interested in Ste. Genevieve (or French Colonial history in Mo.): Gregory M. Franzwa's "The Story of Old Ste. Genevieve," and Ekberg's chronicle.

Colonial Ste. Genevieve provides an excellent view of Eighteenth Century life in Ste. Genevieve, in particular and in French North-America in general. Founded in the early 1750s, not 1735 as popular history records, the story of Ste. Genevieve provides a view into the changing life in the Mississippi Valley as French gave way to Spanish colonialism and American ways took over, first at the governmental level and, gradually socially as the population changed from being primarily French to Anglo-American. The story of Ste. Genevieve mirrors the story of other French settlements in the area, such as Cahokia, Kaskaskia and St. Louis.

From his role as a European history professor, Carl Eckberg relates events in Ste. Genevieve to developments in Europe which affected the town.

His book is divided into various topics, such as relationships between settlers and Indians, the role of slavery in the community, the economy based in agriculture and lead mining, health care, town and regional government and church organization.

For anyone interested in French colonial life in the heart of America, Colonial Ste. Genevieve is a worthwhile read.