Pennsylvania Books

I enjoyed Margaret Creighton's book. From far off Yarmouth, Maine, she has thrown her nets far and wide and hauled in a lot of historical flotsam and jetsam that might have escaped other scholars, in service of putting together another of her finely tuned historical studies of the underserved in American history. Here we find out more about the immigrant populations who comprised the Union Army, as well as the actual lives of the women of Gettysburg and the black citizens of the surrounding area. These are the shadow puppets of history, the folks who you might never have learned about by visiting the national park nor studying your social studies book.

You probably heard more about Mamie Eisenhower's residence at Gettysburg than you did about the women who were drafted into battle, whether they were forced to nurse, to cook, to slave, or to fight. Why is this? Partially, as Professor Creighton explains, these women were told, and they believed it, that their sacrifices did not matter. And that, perhaps, there was even something a little bit shameful about what they did, particularly if they were required to assist the invading Confederate army. Of the ravishment and rape that undoubtedly occurred, we know little but can surmise much, thanks to Creighton's research and the guarded testimony of forty Gettysburg women, mostly farmwives. Creighton looks at the nuance behind every statement, searching out human reality wherever it crops it head. "A middle-aged woman on a farm opened her door to a soldier on July second. By the way he was dressed, she was sure that he was a Louisiana Tiger. He told her that `General Lee had said that they should ask for food and if they would not give it they should demand it and that was what he was going to do.' She fed him ham. He ate some of it and then insulted her. The bread, he complained, was not fit to eat, `Madam,' he said, `I can go into any cabin in Virginia, poor and desolate as it is, from Winchester to Richmond, with not a fence standing, and get a better dinner than this.'" Creighton returns to this anecdote to eke out perceptions on the nature of resistance, and the implacability of the bad ham (Gettysburg women had to be fine actresses, for otherwise the Tiger in question might have guessed that the farmwife had fine chickens hidden with their beaks taped.)

As Creighton acknowledges, the presence of women on the Gettysburg battlefield is currently a contested site for scholars, particular feminist scholars, and she acknowledges that a host of others are trawling the same fields. The material remains of interest, and does indeed widen our picture of what happened that summer long ago, but I wondered, after finishing the book, if perhaps she might have written three separate books, for there's a sense in which the struggles of the immigrant soldiers, the Gettysburg women, and the freed, escaped or citizen slaves are experiences of very different registers and don't mesh together especially well except under cloudy language of the deracinated and ignored, and although Creighton tries her best, she can only link them this vaguely for the first two hundred times, then after that her rhetoric grows tiresome.

A lesson that comes through in Margaret Creighton's excellent The Colors of Courage is one, you'd think, we wouldn't need to learn: that the courage displayed by soldiers on the battlefield doesn't exhaust the meaning of the word. Curiously, though, it's a point that our culture seems to resist. Although we use the word "courage" in a number of different contexts, the template for our thinking about what it means to be courageous almost always is the battlefield with all its conventional associations.

But as Creighton points out, using the battle of Gettysburg as her focus point, courage comes in many "colors," and when it comes to the Civil War, we're only now beginning to discover what some of them are. Certainly, men facing one another on the battlefield display courage (although, as Gerald Linderman pointed out in his Embattled Courage: The Experience of Combat in the American Civil War, what counted as courage changed as the war progressed). But other kinds of courage as documented in Creighton's book include

--the courage of the civilian women at Gburg who protected their families (many of the town's men being absent) during the battle, negotiated with Confederates to avoid trouble, and tended the thousands of wounded before and after the three days;

--the courage of the African American residents in Gburg and southern Pennsylvania who had to contend with slave catchers that accompanied Lee's invading army, federal authorities who refused to let them bear arms against the invaders, and the gradual romanticization of the Civil War as a conflict in which "both sides fought for what they thought was right" that minimized the horror of slavery;

--the courage of German-Americans (derogatorily referred to as "Dutch"), who were seen by native-born Americans who viewed them as cowardly soldiers, lazy civilians, and buffoons everywhere. The heavily German-American 11th Corps, which (largely through no fault of its own) had been routed at Chancellorsville by Stonewall Jackson's surprise flank slam, were derided for their entirely honorable actions at Gburg simply because they were "Dutch";

--and the courage of generals such as Oliver Otis Howard and Carl Schurz, who both refused to subordinate moral to physical courage, and recognized that the stakes involved in putting an end to slavery were much more important than those offered by "the vogue of rugged, tough, and secular masculinity" (p. 234) too often then and now identified as courage.

A masterful book that opens new vistas on both the battle of Gettysburg and the meaning of the Civil War.

Despite its colorless title, The Colors of Courage is an interesting and revealing book that's well worth the reading. One learns much about native (Yankee) prejudice against German immigrants (allegedly stupid, clownish and cowardly), what happened in the town of Gettysburg during the three days of battle, and the experience of northern blacks, especially those near the Mason-Dixon line (only 7 miles away). Much fascinating material has been uncovered by fruitful research. The style of cool appraisal of historical fact though often gives way to one in which the author's paternalistic bigheartedness is apparent. Refreshingly, the author rejects the usual attempts at evoking sympathy or a misguided evenhandedness for the Confederacy and its soldiers, and presents the rebel army in all the horrific racism that was its soul and raison d'etre.

It is distressing though that much of the book is given over to a cloying gender self-promotion. Claims are made for the courageous self-sacrifice of Gettysburg womanhood, but little real courage is really described. The only incident that stands out in my mind is the fact that some Gettysburg women prepared meals for the Confederate soldiers who occupied the town during the battle, soldiers who, given the opportunity, would have killed their husbands, sons, brothers and fathers. These meals were prepared under some duress, of course, but when one woman courageously refuses she goes unpunished. But what could one expect from a gender that, in a 19th century rural backwater, suffered all the quasi-slavery and humiliations imposed by unchallenged male superiority -- not a fertile nursery for courage. The author notes many episodes of women's lives in Gettysburg, episodes that made me cringe with shame for these poor put-upon women. But amazingly these episodes are not presented as shameful at all, as if that would diminish these women as proud bearers of the title of womanhood. While chattel slavery is forthrightly despised, in this book gender slavery gets off scot-free! There is hardly a word that points the finger critically at the male superiority that so diminished the lives of these women. It's the elephant in the parlor -- overwhelmingly present, but unmentioned.

Despite this bizarre frame of reference, The Colors of Courage presents aspects of the war and the society that lived in its midst that are well worth discovering and whose uncovering justifies the obvious effort devoted to bringing these sidelights of the war to view.

Though Mrs. Creighton's text is well researched and factual, I believe it to be a bit extreme. I find that most claims made in the text are nothing more than generalizations. Yes, Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation on 1 January 1863, however very few Union soldiers were fighting for this cause. Most Federal troops were fighting to preserve the Union, and quite a few were appaled over the idea of losing their lives to free the slaves. Additionaly, the majority of the Confederates namely Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jackson were not slave owners, and were simply fighting for state's rights. In fact, Lee asked Confederate President Jefferson Davis to incorporate black units into the Confederate Army. This was rejected, but by early 1865 the Confederate Army consisted of a few black units.
Secondly, although the citizens of Gettysburg suffered for a few weeks I tend to feel very little remorse. What Creighton believed to be major infractions against the Confederate Army was but mere childsplay to what Union General William T. Sherman dubbed "total war". In his infamous march to the sea(Atlanta to Savannah), his men robbed, killed, and humiliated southern citizens in an attempt to make the South lose it's fighting spirit. So please forgive me if I do not share in the citizen's of Pennsylvania's remorse for their two weeks of terror. Please do not get me wrong, I have nothing but the highest respect for those effected by the Civil War(fighting men and citizens alike). Yet, I believe it to be somewhat offensive to not even mention towns like Charleston, South Carolina and Vicksburg,Mississippi that were shelled and in the case of Vicksburg, starved into submission.
In summation, I believed Mrs. Creighton's book to be both informative and a good read. Please forgive me if I have offended anyone, and I will be more than happy to discuss this as well.

This book tells us, not about the battle, but what went on in the town of Gettysburg itself. Having lived there for 5 years, I was steeped in the folklore that the soldiers ran back and forth throught the streets of the town for three days, and with the exception of Jennie Wade (story: warned to go to the basement, courageously continued making bread) the townspeople were unscathed and John Burns (story: an irascible old coot), no townspeople participated. I had never heard of the Brian Family!

I was not without resources. I was the director of the public library. I met Michael Shaara, Bill Frassinito, Col. Sheads, Charlie Glatfelter, and a host of lesser and unknown historians, Park Service tested guides, civil war buffs and re-enacters. Perhaps I never asked Shaara (the one time I met him) and the others whom I saw more often, tacitly understanding that this battle was a white male thing, about these things. Maybe I accepted the script because the Gettysburg as I knew it was a quiet town, didn't get involved, and maybe didn't in 1863.

How could all that fighting occur in the town, without an effect, as defined by the local folklore surrounding the battle? Could the soldiers really be so courtly that they put aside their survival needs as not to disrupt to the town's civilians?

There are people who know this battle in great detail. They can recite (and argue about) the numbers of blue and gray who died in the wheat field, the peach orchard the round tops, etc. I never heard them talk about how the soldiers got fed (did they think they had were 3 squares at a mess hall?)

Creighton gives us not only the narrartive but also the answers as to how this history got burried.

Excellent work! Bravo Margaret Creighton!

Much has been written about the late, great, Pennsylvania Station, and yet it can never be too much. This landmark should be standing today, with it's pink granite shinning in the sun, and being a becon in cloudy weather. In the 1960's, in many other cities their grand "Union Stations" were being sectioned off and abandonded, some are still standing as ruins today, this is part of the irony of Penn Station's demise, even in the 1960's there were hundreds of passenger trains using the facility daily, and this number has been climbing since.

The author gives us all the facts and figures about this station, from it's planning, short life, and needless destruction. However she also paints the human picture of this building, and in doing so lets us understand how the public allowed this building to slip away.

The opening of Penn Station was celebrated during the final years of the Gilded Age, acted as shelter to thousands during the Great Depression, and it served as a virtual military base during the WW II years.
To the multitudes of returning vets, and their famalies, the railroads and Penn Station represented the past, and times that they all would rather forget. Remember back then there was not the mental health counselling available to the returning soldiers, and one way they coped was to simply forget the past, and all that it contained.

In this book we see that the stations fate was sealed with VJ Day, and the social changes that started to take shape with WW II's end.
By the 1950's, Airplanes and Interstate Highways were in, Railroads were out. Yet at least in the NYC area, commuter trains still played an important role that never went away. The beautiful building was allowed to decay, and was altered by a private company without any accontability required to the public.

By the early 1960's some of the public finally woke up, and NYC's Landmark Preservation Committee was formed, by it was too late for the "Temple of Transportation".

This book also contains an excellent compliment of photos, including a number from the 4 year, yes, four year period it took to destroy the station.

Ken

Very good book which takes into account the historical background of why Penn Station was built in the first place right through to its destruction. A tragic loss not only for New Yorkers but for America and this book describes it well.

I was barely seven years old when old Penn Station was torn down, but I remember the sadness and outrage of my neighbors in Brooklyn. I had only been to the station once or twice but I was too young to remember. I didn't really understand the big fuss about its destruction. And after it was gone, I don't remember there being too much grieving.

Now looking back, through films and books, I understand what it was all about. "The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station" by Lorraine B. Diehl is the best book on the subject that I've come across. Her analysis of the rise and fall of McKim's great station is both awe-inspiring and heart-breaking. The smattering of beautiful photographs is a plus, as well. Penn Station's demise, of course, could be regarded solely as a loss for the city but, as Ms. Diehl explains, the real legacy of the destruction was the enormous preservation/conservation movement that followed. In the aftermath, so many other buildings were spared a similar fate.

There are those who say that the people behind Penn Station's demolition were justified (Ms. Diehl rightly avoids villifying anyone). The apologists for the destruction claim that Penn Station was too big, in the wrong place, and was in the red. The Empire State Building was erected ten blocks south of the midtown business area and three miles north of the Wall Street district. It was a very big building and rarely had over 50% occupancy until the 1950s, when it finally began earning money. Should it have been knocked down too?

Mr. Mark S. Jendrysik is from North Dakota. What in the world would he know or care about New York City? Judging by his past reviews, he is a big business apologist in a square state in the middle of nowhere.

A native New Yorker myself, I could not imagine my city without Grand Central, for instance, or SoHo, Central Park or the historic area of Chelsea and the West Village. Some things are worth preserving.

This book is facinating and so well written, I really could not put it down, the author has a real sence for the history and importance of the building, I agree it could have used more visuals, but that is a minor quibble and really does not take away from the merit of the book. I must take some exception to the review of Mr. Jendrysic, in all due respect he misses the point totally of perservation when he says the building was a white elephant that was in the wrong place and in the red, that may have all been true, but in those cases you find other uses for the building, like Paris did with the Orsay train station and the colossel Louvre as well as Versailles, I mean would you call for the pulling down of Versailles??? and the Orsey Museum is spectacular. This was not just any building, this was a masterpiece a true treasure, that could have been coverted to other uses, buildings of this quality should be persevered, period, not torn down like some 50's tract house. I highly recommend this book in everyway, if you have any interest in great buildings or just wonderful books quite frankly, then you will not be disappointed in this book, you are right about one think Mr. Jendrysic this book is first rate.

Not knowing much about this period, I was quite interested to find out more on this era.

This book gives us an over view of what is known of the time. I was stunned to find how little is known of this time. What we do know is that the period went though some dramatic changes? However how we don't know. There are unfortunately few written sources of the period and the archaeologist have little at present to help us.

An Age of Tyrants: Britain and the Britons A.D. 400-600
Christopher A. Snyder
The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998
ISBN 0-271-01780-5

This is a wonderful book to bring to life a cohesive mosaic of the two centuries that followed the removal of Britain from the Roman Empire to the arrival of the papal mission under Augustine in 597.

Published within the past few years, this book bring together many of the latest elements in the trail of King Arthur available to the modern scholar. His book is filled with the most credible theories based on academic consensus, drawing from the most recent translations and comparisons of ancient sources.

What is most singulary worthy of this book is the lack of judgement on the topic of Arthur and Merlin. After laying out the entirety of the context within which Arthur and Merlin may have lived, these two characters are dealt with only in a brief three page appendix. Snyder describes the historical basis for the two characters then ends his brief discussion without trying to postulate who they actually might have been. "What the historian can contribute, however, is a better understanding of the period and place in which Arthur and Merlin may have lived for those who wish to pin down these legendary figures to time and space."

Indeed! This is precisely what he has done. Anyone interested in playing Pendragon or reading Arthurian literatute will appreciate how he frames the era in terms of these "tyrants" -- self-made men who usurped traditional authority to re-establish order and deal with the chaos of the dissolution of the Roman empire.

As a scholar what I like is that the author has made a thorough documentation of where he gathered all of his information. This book itself is short, at 260 pages of text including appendices. Yet it then has 124 pages of rich and curious notes and a lengthy bibliography from which he cited his information.

Christopher Snyder is Associate Professor of History and Chair Department of History and Politics at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

It is very refreshing to read a book about this period of British history that is not obsessed with the Arthurian legend, interesting though that is. Mr Snyder uses the little written evidence there is from the 410-600AD period to try and form a picture of the conditions at the time. The second part of the book discusses the archaeological evidence in depth and the final part constructs a coherent picture of what life must have been like in post Roman Britain using the evidence of the first two sections. Arthur and Merlin are mentioned in an appendix and at a few points within the text but only to point out that the historical evidence cannot say one way or the other whether these personalities existed.

Mr Snyder has settled on the title "An Age of Tyrants" to describe the era as being preferrable to "Sub-Roman Britain". I'm not sure if this title is adequate but it is superior to the somewhat demeaning "Sub-Roman" description. This period was clearly not as savage as has previously been thought.

My only minor criticism is that I would have preferred to see more illustrations of the archaeological sites and artefacts but overall I found this an extremely interesting book that was difficult to put down.

Christopher Snyder says the inhabitants of what is known today as England, Scotland, and Wales would not have called themselves Britons before the arrival of the Romans. In pre-Roman days they would have been known by names associated with their tribal affiliations. Many of the individuals might have referred to themselves as 'Combrogi' or 'Cymry' the latter a Welsh term referring to friendship and/or love of place. The Romans named the "big" island across the "English" channel Brittania. About 400 years after they arrived, the Romans formally withdrew from Britain and left behind a changed place (and probably a few ex-Romans) -- including the name by which the inhabitants knew themselves.

For a long while scholars referred to the period following the departure of "official" Rome and the final "conquest" of Britain by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes the 'dark ages'. More recently, scholars have referred to this era, which stretches from about 400-600 A.D. 'sub-Roman Britain'. Christopher Snyder says he would prefer to call it the Brittonic Age, although his book title names it AN AGE OF TYRANTS.

Snyder's book is divided into three parts. First, he explores the written record -- the writings of Britains Patrick (5th Century) and Gildas (6th Century) and other non-Britonic witnesses. He discusses Latin terms from the extant written material, such as the word "tyrant" which was construed differently by different people in different places speaking different languages. Snyder suggests the "tyrants" described by St. Jerome or the Honorable Bede may not have been as badly behaved as the negative connotation of theit term suggests. In fact, Snyder says the tyrants distant churchmen described may have been more akin to the "tigern" or Celtic lord.

In the second part of his book, Synder discusses the archeological record of the Brittonic Age--which has been overlooked and undervalued as it falls between the rich material record of the Roman (Cirencester, Bath) and Anglo-Saxon (Sutton Hoo) periods. I found this section of the book illuminating as Snyder has systmatically inventoried and synthesized the evidence from a many "digs" into a coherent whole.

In the third section of his book, Snyder uses the material from parts 1 and 2 to describe life in the Brittonic Age in various kinds of settlements (towns, villas, forts, etc.) and the social structure of the people including aspects of government, religion, military, and economic. He says the Britains were a Romanized-Christian people who did not revert back to the tribal behavior that existed before the coming of the Romans.

Snyder is a professor at Marymount University and for all I know he is a member of a religious order, but having graduated from Georgetown University myself, I know that religious affiliation does not mean one cannot be objective. However, Snyder's conclusion that pagan ways disappeared in the Brittonic Age as the population became Christianized may not be exactly accurate.

Based on a reading of the material in Snyder's book and other material, I suspect Celtic ways and the Christian ways merged into an entirely new religion. According to Snyder, Pope Gregory suggested at one point that as the clergy converted pagans they should adapt "pagan temples and rituals to Christian usage in nonviolent ways." I think that is exactly what happened, and I think that explains in part why The Blessed Virgin Mary became so important in Great Britain--which Snyder, a professor at MARYmount might have noted.

I must admit, like so many others, I was originally drawn to the post-Roman period by the "historical King Arthur." But the period is a rich and diverse one, worthy of study in its own right--not only as "Arthur's Britain." In this incredible volume, Chris Snyder--probably the greatest expert on post-Roman Britain alive today, in my opinion--paints a picture of Britain that is anything but a "sub-Roman" "Dark Age." If you ever raised an eyebrow when your history textbook skipped from the Romans in 400 CE to the Anglo-Saxons in 800 CE, then you should read this book. If I had begun with a volume like this when I began my foray into post-Roman Britain, my how farther along I'd be now!

...But I really liked this book. If you like mysteries and a little forensic bug science thrown in, this is a good read. And if your hesitant because he is a christian author and you don't want to be preached at, not to worry, no soap box included, or foul language either.

I had almost come to the point of despair over how few truly wonderful books I've read of late. This book cured that. I count myself lucky to be such a latecomer to this series because now I can snap up a few more of them without waiting. Why isn't this author world wide famous? His story has plot, humor, action, intellect, and handles them very well.
Dr. Polchak is an interesting character. Not your typical drop-dead gorgeous hero, but a smart guy who isn't afraid to take risks or dump himself and some poor woman into a river if the cause is right.
Some plot twists seemed a little too convenient, but that's the way a tight story's run. Dr. McKay is a nice foil to the lovable bug man.
Most importantly, this book made me laugh. I hate mysteries that simply overdo the seriousness factor. Chop Shop handles humor with a deft hand. Many many thanks to the author for this intriguing tale.

When Tim Downs came out with "Shoofly Pie," I was scratching my head. But I wasn't going to miss out! I wanted to know what a "Bug Man" novel was all about. Hey, I loved it! Then I saw the title of this, book #2, "Chop Shop," and I laughed my butt off. Only Tim Downs! Only with the Bug Man himself, Nick Polchak. His last name almost sounds like "Pole Cat!" He always has an answer for everything, never a dull moment with Nick.

So what exactly are we to expect from know-it-all Nick this time? More fun, and more dead bodies! You talk about your average slab of meat? Check out the prime cuts that Downs serves up this time! First of all, he gives you Nick, but that's an instant gimme. We meet his Polish mother, and we meet his new friend, Riley. Riley is a special girl. She needs Nick's help with something that seems somewhat shady at her workplace. Is coroner, Nathan Lassiter, in over his head? He probably doesn't think so. We find out that Nick and Riley are fighting a battle that may prove unbeatable. And the people they thought they could trust could very well stab them in the back. You can even expect a modern day Samson, but you won't have the first clue as of where to look. So don't!

So, all in all, this just might make your liver quiver! It might even make your bowels move once or twice. But more importantly, whether you realize it or not, it will open your heart. And without giving anything away, that just may be an ultimate lesson that Nick might just learn before it is all said and done. Tim Downs tells a great story. And he didn't have to be Joe Spiritual to do it either. He had to be Tim Downs, and he had to simply tell a great story. That sizes him up with the likes of Robert Liparulo, maybe even Ted DeKker. So no matter how you slice n' dice it these days, Tim Downs has his own way of doing things. It isn't always attractive. But I like that! Hope you like it as well.

What an excellent book! A great improvement over the first in the series "Shoofly Pie" which I liked very much. Not as funny but much more intense. Both books had excellent endings. A lot of thought went into the writing of "Chop Shop" and it shows. Deep character, intelligent plot and sharp wit. Tim Downs is rising on my list of favorite authors. Now for the problem; there's very little that's Christian about it. It's clean, no sex, no cursing and it brings up some good ethical points (absolutes being the big one) but as far as spiritual growth it's not really there. Don't get me wrong this book is excellent but I do miss knowing our God just a little bit better when it's all over.

TIM DOWNS IS SUCH A GREAT WRITER! HIS BOOKS ARE NOT ONLY FAST-PACED, BUT FUNNY TOO. SHOOFLY PIE IS ANOTHER MUST READ BY DOWNS. I ANXIOUSLY AWAIT MORE BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR!!!

Tears and Tales: Stories of Human and Animal RescueThe Horse with the Golden Mane: Stories of Adventure, Mystery and RomanceUnsung Patriot: Guy T. Viskniskki How the Stars and Stripes Began

CROSSHAIRS is exciting, vibrant, mesmerizing as Russ Heitz draws the reader into a vortex of mystery and human values laced with suspense and realism. The main character was so real I found myself arguing with his deepest beliefs and had to remind myself that he was a fictional person created by a master writer. Only once before have I read an author with such a scintallating and adept talent for building characters we are about and that was the great Daphne Du Maurier.

CROSSHAIRS isn't just another mystery book. Heitz plunges the reader into a maelstom of channels and eddies that defy resolution. His characters speak; they are real; they are different. We like them. We hate them. We are dazzled by them. We root for them. We disagree with them. But mostly, we care about some and want others brought to justice. The challenge of wondering why anyone would so heedlessly take lives with a souped-up target rifle carries the reader into a feeding frenzy of intrigue. He wants to know not just who the killer is, but what else is going to happen to this newly elected Sheriff. And we cheer for him because he is totally inexperienced at what he does and yet he does it well.

In CROSSHAIRS, Russ Heitz has envisioned the lives of fascinating people and a series of murders that rivet the reader into reading "just one more page" until the entire book is consumed.

If you are an early-to-bed reader, be prepared to travel along with CROSSHAIRS until the small hours of the morning. The book is just that good!

Jesse Eichenlaub has just been elected Sheriff of Klinkton county, a rural backwoods community of gun lovers that hosts a popular and always dangerous hunting season. Having no previous law enforcement experience Jesse is put under the spotlight by opportunistic locals who mistake his academic demeanor as a sign of weakness. With an abundance of patience and a firm desire to make a difference he takes every opportunity to bond with the residents while guarding his back from the unfortunate incidents of his past. However, it's the present that threatens to take his job, his girlfriend and perhaps his life.
A series of shootings precedes the fabled hunting season forcing the sheriff into action. As the investigation limps along on under funded crutches each succeeding death makes it clear that these are not accidents. Now the newly minted sheriff and his staff are racing to link together seemingly ordinary folks in order to establish a motive and track down the killer.
As a mystery Crosshairs hits the target dead center. The characters provide a light, fluid backdrop for a story that is driven by black coffee and personal secrets. Crosshairs presents the reader with the widest possible range of gun toting characters imaginable. From a lesbian Olympic target shooter to a hefty, aggravated county commissioner, everyone is armed with lead. In light of their weapons you'd assume that any individual was capable of justifying a murder but the author teaches you that it just doesn't work that way. It takes more than a motive to commit the ultimate sin.

This mystery novel is a real page turner. It will keep you guessing up to the end. Heitz has developed an interesting plot and an interesting collection of characters.

Crosshairs is a great back-country suspense novel. The characters brought Klinkton County alive and made it a 'real' place. Sheriff Eichenlaub proves to be just what the town needed. The author keeps you guessing right up to the end and leaves you in shock with the ending. Great book! I will be reading the next Jesse Eichenlaub mystery!

There's a new sheriff in town, and dug-in locals are resisting change big-time when a serial killer strikes! With much at stake, the new sheriff can't win for trying, or can he? Crosshairs is an interesting read.

I was very satisfied with the text book. It is in almost perfect condition and was delievered in a timely fashion. Impressive! Plus I saved a lot of needed money.

One of the major things that striked me about this book is Lauren's acknowledgement that the concept of human rights is not a completely Western creation. Traditions around the world, political, cultural, and religious, have stressed justice and equality.
Lauren's treatment of Human Rights is quite thorough. I have to commend him for the fact that he does not value judgements on any of the events he described. He acknowledges the mistakes made but does not dwell on them.
I also learned a lot of things about history that wasn't touched about in my history classes. I can say that I actually felt smarter reading this book. :)

"For scholars of international human rights, it is difficult to imagine a finer gift on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights than this study of the Declaration's complex and far-reaching impact. Paul Gordon Lauren has skillfully combined a detailed history of the legal documents with the political, philosophical, and social contexts in which they developed. He has further enriched his study with the personal visions of leading individuals so that the story comes alive, unfolding with a human drama supported by meticulous scholarly research." -- American Historical Review

Awarded an Outstanding Academic Book for 1999 Award from Choice Magazine

The author Paul Gordon Lauren deserves kudos!! A very well written book on Human Rights Theory. A must for all those who seriously want to go into depth on this subject. The concept of Human Rights is not limited to the western world nor it is proper to say that it has arisen mainly from Europe, an idea which has been very well captured in this book.

This book was recommended to me by a man I met at Burger King. He had to read it for school, and he said it changed his faith. It's incredibly hard to read, because it is wrenching and graphic and painful. You come to love this family and admire their integrity, and the strength that they displayed for their community. It is written by newspaper and media reporters, and it reads like it, but I think they did a great job with a hard subject. It is for sure biased towards the prosecution and the Polleck family. I came to think of the defense attorney as one of the criminals in the case because that is how he is protrayed. This book is not for you if you have a weak stomach. It has detailed descriptions of an incredibly brutal killing of an innocent teenager. I don't think I would have been as connected to the victim's family if it didn't.

i read this book as soon as i heard it was published. i did not know eddie but my best friend of 5 years knew him, her whole family knew the polecs. it made me want to read it and understand what they all went through. that whole community suffered such a horrible tragedy, and somehow they all still came together to give comfort and hope to eachother. it is such a powerful book, the way it draws you into the polecs lives. every teen in highschool should read this book and come to an understanding that violence doe not solve anything. and it never will, it is sad that a sweet, young and innocent guy had to die in order for our justice system to improve just a little bit and it is sad that he had to die so that people could now see what this type of violent behavior has not only done to a family, but the entire community. i now know the polecs and they are the strongest people i have ever met, god bless them and may god give them strength and hope throughout all the days of their lives.

I was forced to read this book, and I thank God everyday that I was. I am now a graduate of Cardianl Dougherty High School, where Eddie would of graduated, and at the time when I entered CD all incoming freshmen were required to read In Eddie's Name. Well I myself can't stand to read, and I never did summer reading in grade school and I wasn't about to start in high school. Well something inside of my told me to read this book, so I did. And it usually takes me months to read a book but I couldn't but this book down at all, I finished it in a week. I cried my eyes out at most of the book, but at the end I learned a valuable lesson, that violence is not the answer to anything. I was fortunate enough as a freshmen as Dougherty to not of only learned this from the book but to also of learned it from John Polec, Eddie's father, himself when he came and talked to us during Increase the Peace Week. At Dougherty we were taught everyday that violence is not the answer and we have a story to go with why, and this past year another story was added to it, unfortunately. At the end of this school year,2005, a junior at Dougherty, Kenny Baptist, was killed. He was shot to death on his front steps by his sister's ex-boyfriend. I know that for sure violence in America must be stopped, but especially among teens, and that is why I have decided that I am going to promote non-violence by going to other schools and talking about Eddie's and Kenny's stories. And to each one I go to I am also going to recommend to each and every teen that they should pick up a copy of this wonderful book and read it, because in the end it is all worth while!

After watching the Polec's on Dateline NBC recently, I got this book from the library, read it and cried almost halfway through it. I was hoping that the book was fiction and not true but that was not the case. I have every respect for the Polecs, wanting to make the community a better place inspite of tragedy to their son Eddie,They had a wonderful son whose life was taken in a senseless tragedy. I recommend this book to anyone who has children.

I am 17 years old, and in june 2000 I was brutally assaulted by 3 kids with baseball bats and had to have reconstructive surgery on my skull. This happened about a mile from where eddie was killed, and I'm also a senior at cardinal dougherty high school, where eddie was enrolled. I read this book, and I must say it hit me hard because I was so close to receiving the same fate as eddie. Please if you can take some time to read this book so that we may spread the message of peace to the world, and stop future things like this from happening.

Want to know what happened to Larry Kane after he got off the Beatles tour? Check out "Larry Kane's Philadelphia". Here's a great yarn by a great newsman, a look at one of America's oldest and most colorful cities as seen by arguably the best local newscaster in America. I'd only visited Philly once before reading this, but learned a lot about everything from its hardball politicos to the tough-but-caring quality of its people.
Larry was there to meet, talk to and report on just about everything and everyone in the area for 35 years- and on three stations. Filled with a bottomless supply of anecdotes both gritty and witty, the book not only takes you to "Rocky"'s turf but far afield- did you know he went all the way to Anchorage, of all places, for a papal audience? (He had one in the Vatican too.) Larry's open-hearted, warm personality worked well for him in front of one of the toughest audiences around- ask anyone who's seen those raucous Philly sports crowds- for many years, and it works here too. In short, Larry Kane's a class act, and Philadelphians are incredibly lucky to have him. I'd have been proud to watch him myself- even if I wasn't raised on "Rocky", cheesesteaks, and "da Iggles"!

Larry Kane retired from KYW 3 in December 2002 after 40 years of broadcasting.

I really enjoyed reading _Larry Kane's Philadelphia_ by Larry Kane. I really liked Larry Kane. When I was in high school, I was up until 11:30 almost every weeknight watching Larry Kane on KYW-TV 3 (also known as CBS 3) at 11.

In April 1994, when Bruce Hamilton and Jennifer Ward were the co-anchors of the station's newscasts weeknights at 6 and 11, things weren't going good for KYW 3. So, they got Larry Kane to replace both of them and be the sole anchor weeknights at 11.

It was really fun seeing Larry being the sole anchor weeknights at 11. I really liked his reporting and how he signed off. I really liked the fact that he WAS the newsman in Philadelphia. He was better than Ken Matz (his successor at WCAU-TV 10 when Kane went to KYW-3, and also his predecessor when dealing with affiliates, because when Kane came to KYW, it was then NBC. Because the station's parent company then, Group W Westinghouse, bought CBS, the station became CBS, WCAU became NBC. Thus, Matz was his successor at NBC's local affiliate in Philadelphia, because he was the lead anchor at WCAU) or even Larry Mendte, his successor at KYW (and even Matz's at WCAU).

I feel that after reading th book, Larry Kane showed excellence in broadcasting in Philadelphia, more than Ken Matz, Larry Mendte (Mendte has lived in the Philadelphia area most of his life), or even Tim Lake, Mendte's successor at WCAU.

Being from the Philadelphia area, I was pretty intrested in what Larry Kane would write about. Larry tells good stories and helped me fill in what little details on stories that were reported when I was a kid.You almost have to cheer on a guy who went back to Phildephia to report news despite it being a "smaller market" than New York.If you don't really know the Philadelphia area you my be lost reading this but if you know Philadelphia , you'll be pleasantly suprised at how detailed this is and even laugh out loud at a good Ed Rendell anticdote

A great book for those interested in recent Philadelphia history and culture, or those just looking for an insight into major market TV news. The book seems to reflect Larry's on screen persona: fast paced, open, sometimes cloying, but never dull. Larry's seen a lot of history in his career, and relates it in a highly entertaining book.

Larry Kane, a Philadelphia fixture for 35 years, has outdone himself with this book. It's really well written, and takes you on an unusual ride through the tv business. So far, I understand in its fifth printing, and no wonder. This book should be read by anyone interested in improving the quality of tv news.

I especially enjoyed Kane's self deprecating sense of humor, and his description of Philadelphia. It makes me want to get to know Philadelphia.

When I moved to NJ I joined a newcomers' club and offered to help run a Daytrips group. This book(including its various future editions)was our constant companion and ever ready reference. It also worked for the many house guests that suddenly appeared now that we lived near NYC. We had a great time visiting many of the sites Barbara had previewed for us...and her observations were right on. Note: She does advise that you check dates and time as these change.

When I moved to GA I brought it with me and I often lend it to friends and friends of friends planning to visit NYC or "The Garden State". They are always delighted and wonder why we don't have such a resource for GA.

The 9th edition (which is being shown on the screen right now as of November 17), is still the best guidebook to NJ around. Published in 2000, it is more up-to-date than many others, and still shows plenty of personal opinions as well as the basic facts. Available mostly thru "used-like new" option on Amazon because the publisher is out of stock of new copies, but has plenty of books that were a tiny-bit bent when shipped in cartons or shipped back from stores that went out of business.

Those of you looking for the latest edition of New Jersey Day Trips may be having a hard time, thanks to Amazon's crazy automatic system. They presently have an older edition on the top line, with no indication of what edition it is. If you want to buy a "used, like new" copy of the 9th edition, type in the ASIN number in the little rectangular box on the amazon front page. That will take you to the correct 9th edition. The number is 0960776281. The 9th edition was published in 2000 and is the most recent. The 10th edition will not be out until spring, 2004.
Thanks, Barbara Hudgins, author.

I recently visited a friend/colleague in New Brunswick and we took some excursions to whatever the "nuclear waste" state was supposed to offer. Actually, they had grass and trees and gorgeous parks that we visited over a long weekend. This book was in the front seat and I learned as much about this wonderful part of America from reading along the way as actually seeing it!

Although the 8th edition is a great book, it was published in 1998. The most recent edition available at this time (10/2003) is the 9th edition published in 2000. It's ASIN number is 0960776281. That is about the only way to get to it since Amazon.com refuses to put up the 9th edition first on the page although I have asked them to many times. You can buy "used-like new" that are actually new, unread copies that have come back from bookstores as returns, or had slightly dented covers are were never sent out. Thanks a lot, Barbara Hudgins

Pennsylvania Wilds is a thick, hardcover coffee-table-sized book filled to the brim with beautiful photography of the Allegheny National Forest region in Pennsylvania. From bear prints, to snow scenes, to serene waterscapes, and colorful characters, this book is a pictorial vacation getaway.

But Pennsylvania Wilds is more than a vacation--it also contains script telling you about the region and its history, even delving into some scientific facts. For those who live in Pennsylvania, the book is a great state study book for homeschoolers. For those who live elsewhere, but are interested in other states or are just looking for a great place to travel to, then this is a book sure to whet your appetite for experiencing the panoramic landscape views in person.

I thoroughly enjoyed thumbing through Pennsylvania Wilds and in fact looked through it several days before writing the review. My only complaint is that some of the scientific fact included in the book is evolution-based and not creationism.

Included at the back of the book is a CD with more information about Pennsylvania and even more pictures, though some are the same as in the book. Although the price is a bit high, I recommend this book for those interested in Pennsylvania and photography.

Armchair Interviews says: If you are just an armchair traveler, this book is sure to fill some travel needs.

I loved this book because it shows some beautiful areas of the country that alot of people may never get to see. Me, I just have to go outside my cabin and I'm there!! The photography is great, showing me areas that I haven't even seen.
Time was taken in putting this book together and it shows!!!

A Southern California transpant, every time I pick up "Pennsylvania Wilds: Images from the Allegheny National Forest," I feel like I'm home again. What a wonderful tribute to the beauty of northwestern Pennsylvania. The photographs capture the heart and soul of the forest region, and the story gives the rich detail of area's history. This one is definitely a getter--and a keeper!

"Beauty," says the poet, "is a joy forever." That being said, beauty alone might be incentive for buying this book.

The photographs in "Pennsylvania Wilds" are, indeed, beautiful. And the accompanying text is equally attractive. You might purchase this book and return to it time and again and find much enjoyment in its contents--more than might be found in your ordinary coffee table book.

But there's much more to this book than just something nice to peruse.

It's a tribute to the Allegheny National Forest, the only one in the commonwealth and a genuine treasure. Established in 1923, the 513,000 acre forest is a monument to conservation and a source of pride for all Pennsylvanians. It's a boon to recreation, tourism and the economy.

For those who haven't visited, or are unable to, this book offers a wonderful introduction to the area's history and attractions. And, after viewing the images and text, there are undoubtedly going to be more people including it in their travel plans.

There are gems of history in this book--about the Seneca, the lumbering and oil booms; Thomas Kane, reputed to be the first Pennsylvanian to enlist and who organized the famous Bucktails regiment in the Civil War; the legacy of the nation's first tree plantation and environmental pioneers like Joseph Rothrock and Gifford Pinchot.

Ed Bernik, a veteran commercial photographer, has captured an outstanding collection of images of the forest and its inhabitants. Lisa Gensheimer, a documentary producer and writer whose work has appeared nationwide on public television stations, lucidly outlines the history and color of the region.

As an added bonus, purchasers of the book also receive a Forest Companion CD complete with map, travel guide and additional reasons to visit the region.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (6/06)

This beautiful coffee table book, with narrative by Lisa Gensheimer and photographs by Ed Bernik, takes the reader/viewer on a spectacular journey through the Allegheny National Forest from its creation to the present. Both the author and the photographer capture the mystifying world of nature and people, not only the wonders of the landscape but the personalities of the inhabitants.

"Pennsylvania Wilds" gives a historical overview of the Allegheny National Forest beginning 375 million years ago when the area was a warm inland sea. Grensheimer explains the evolution from water to land that occurred over time as well as provides a map of glacial deposits. She also writes about the archaeological findings of pre-historic cultures as well as Native American inhabitants, the settling by Europeans, and the shift to modern times. Today's residents are "people who live in the shadows of the trees [and] are as strong and resilient as the forest itself. They are independent thinkers - creative entrepreneurs who find in the forest a source of sustenance, inspiration, and at the end of the day, quiet solitude." (p.37)

Greshneimer puts together the history and the present lives of people in a short, concise narrative interspersed with historical and recent photographs. However, this is just a prelude for what is to come in the rest of the book. The "Images from the Allegheny National Forest" are spectacular! Pages from 45 to 135 are filled with incredible photographs that the reader can get lost in for hours. From the weathered faces of the residents to the flora of the forest, from the debris left in the field to the places of worship, from paved roads to a heritage mural...it's all there. As a bonus, inside the back cover is a CD with a travel guide, map, screensaver, and more than 50 reasons to visit the area.

It's hard for me to put into words what I got out of this "Pennsylvania Wilds" because every aspect of it touched a different cord in me. First of all, I love the cover - I could almost smell the moss on the forest floor. Secondly, the feel of the pages were very inviting. The short history and transition into the present gave me a very broad overview of the area. And, then there were the photographs! Incredible!