Indiana Books

This surprisingly strong first novel concerns a group of 5 high school friends who are being killed off nearly 20 years after graduation. Four members of this group are extremely successful (Congressman, Olympic medal winner, Big-time college basketball coach, billionaire entrepeneur) and the FBI believes the unsuccessful one is killing his former buddies in a fit of jealous, psychotic cold-blooded, calculating rage.

The story mostly concerns the last two surviving friends (coach and billionaire) and the extraordinary steps the FBI takes to protect them while the coach's team is progressing through the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament field. If you like basketball, then the well-described basketball action is a nice addition to the mystery.

Most of the action is set in and around the fictional University of Northern Indiana, which is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. For those familiar with Indiana, you know that that is the home for Purdue University. I have no idea why he didn't make the coach character Purdue's coach, especially when he refers to former Purdue standout Glenn Robinson in one of the scenes.

The story works pretty well, although at times the conversations get a bit repetitive and the romance blossoms from nothing into a tight bond way too quickly. But, as a mystery goes, it was above average. I was fooled until I was supposed to know the truth, although I think the author tells us too soon - he could've kept the truth hidden a bit longer and made the story that much better.

This book is a gem, it spews suspense all over the face of NCAA basketball.

Chameleon, by Matthew O'Brien is a novel for all sports lovers. Mr. O'Brien has definitely created a literary work that is nearly impossible to put down.

If you are a sports fan and you love mystery get this book now! I couldn't get enough of this book. Trust me it's worth it! Mr. O'Brien give us more!!!

This book is an extraordinary example of what is yet to come as more of Athenasius' works are uncovered and translated. This treatment is extraordinarily lucid and shares intimate glimpses of how this man lived his private life and shared his voracious curiosity with the world.

Charles Van Tuyl's translation of CHINA ILLUSTRATA is a literary piece of art. It provides the Modern reader in English with a powerful document through which to better understand East-West relations. It offers a thoughtful picture of "old China."

At last! Charles Van Tuyl's translation of Athanasius Kircher's "China Illustrated" reveals the finer nuances of a text almost 400 years of its time. This book not only shows how China appeared to the first European missionaries and travelers, but illuminates how the cultures of Europe and Asia influenced each other from the earliest times . . . most modern scholars and researchers are only beginning to understand these relationships.

Here we have the exposition of the life and times of a man who was one of the first to document the travels of westerners to the far east. Also one of the first authors who successfuly wrote about Buddism and Hinduism as actual religions without being burned at the stake for it ! An unpretentious translation of an author every bit the equivalent of Galileo or DaVinci. There are over 200 other titles to bring to print.

This is one of the best WWII books that I have read. It protrays the struggles of the individual soldiers and marines in the battle for Saipan

The importance of the capture of Saipan is two-fold. First, to most Japanese military strategists, Saipan represented the outermost reaches of the defenses of the Japanese Empire itself. Thus, its loss meant that it would only be a question of time before Japan itself was invaded and all was lost. Second, to the Allies, Saipan represented air bases from which the new B-29 planes could reach and bomb Japanese cities, including, and especially, Tokyo.

"D-Day in the Pacific" is an extremely well-written account of the actions and politics leading up to the decision to invade Saipan (and Tinian, adjacent to it), including the clash of wills between Admiral King and Gen. MacArthur, the strategies and tactics of the invasions (e.g., the separate landings by the 2nd and 4th Marine divisions), the major personalities involved on both sides, and the battles on the islands, including the well-known suicidal tactics of the Japanese, as seen not only from the perspective of the commanders but the front line troops as well. Numerous photos are also included.

As I researched the death of my Marine uncle on D-day , June 15, on Saipan Island, it became clear that Professor Goldberg's well-written and documented book would be a valuable source of information to go with all the other books I had read, including the excellent 1946 edition of the 4th Marine Division Association's historical account of the battle. In fact, in Dr. Goldberg's book, I learned of accounts from others in my uncle's company that help confirm what my family had long believed about the circumstances of his death, and a contradiction of statements of mortuary graves registration personnel at the time that were recorded in my uncle's official military personnel record I obtained.

At a recent family reunion, I obtained a copy of the unit commander's letter to my grandfather which corroborated Dr. Goldberg's account and the testimony of a member of my uncle's company contained in the book as to how he almost certainly died (despite efforts to contact this veteran from information supplied graciously by the author, I haven't gotten a response and I fear he may be one of the 1,000 WWII veterans who die each day).

Nonetheless, the book's account and the letter of my uncle's commander, written in September of 1944, match the time he went ashore and circumstances of the hostilities at the time. I was able to almost pinpoint the time of his death from the book, but most illuminating, I learned of his unit's activities during the day. His unit was part of a "feint" or diversionary tactic and was not part of the initial landing that faced murderous fire, because his unit was compensated for being part of the first wave in the assault at Namur, a previous battle. (It was traditional for combat troops seeing first combat or bearing the brunt to be made part of a reserve or backup force in the next battle)

During the reunion, I was able to give a factual account of this hero to 50 family members & descendants as we stood at his gravesite to commemorate his sacrifice at age 22.

My one lament regarding the book: I gave it away this week to my first cousin named for my uncle. Now, I have to buy another - which will make the author happy, too.

This book is a great overview on one of the lesser known battles of ww2. there is a lot of background information on the saipan and the events leading up to the invasion. recommended reading for anyone who would like to know more about saipan

Oh my Wow! Musa's translation is like sooo the best I've ever read. Inferno is like wine em dine em 69em! lol

The Inferno is a book that everybody should read (if they can even read). Mark Musa translates Dante's original pros. into a cloak wheel which is very easy for almost anybody understand. The poetry is lost(as with any translation), but the story Dante will tell shall live forever.

The Inferno is a record of Dante the Pilgrim's first trip through hell. It was Virgil's second. This was my fifth trip through the Inferno, and having Musa along for the ride made it wonderful. Whether this is your first time through or not, you ought to have this critical edition as your guide. As another reviewer noted, Musa isn't nearly as fettered by the rhyme scheme as translators like John Ciardi and Robert Pinsky. Even Ciardi apologizes often for his liberties in the name of rhyme. Musa has gorgeous footnotes on lines that Pinsky and Ciardi neglect for the rhyme. If you have the great fortune to teach the Inferno, it makes great sense, of course to have multiple translations before you, but Musa's critical edition will be the most weathered edition in the end. Your students will gain a great understanding of the importance at looking at multiple sources as well.

Musa is a scholar, not a poet, at least not professionally. But the authenticities of his translation's thunder, juices, epiphanies, and whiffs would indicate that scholarship makes a successful move to a new language more probable than do poetic gifts. Dante, now, was a poet. The infinite riches of his simple simple lines glow from each line of Musa's. While the essential deep love for the poem glows from each line of his commentary. Pinsky, a very good poet, spent his powers on reproducing the virtually unreproducible--the never-ending aba bcb cdc terza rima rhyme scheme. And he did an expert job. But the poetry is the loser. It's in the back seat, trying to stay awake. The real surprise is how careless Pinsky's rhythms are. Musa's pound right along-a fairly consistent, and unobtrusive, iambic pentameter. Dante, of course, rhymes and rhymes and rhymes, but always to profoundest purpose. (It is said he wrote three lines a day. The deeper one goes into the Commedia the easier it is to believe this.) What rhymes with what was clearly something Dante cared a lot about. Take Inferno 34, 34-39. Dante's final six words (and I should point out that my Italian is very limited) for these six lines are: UGLY, EYEBROW, SORROW/ WONDER, HEAD, RED. Pinsky's are: beautiful, brows, well/ was, head, this. Musa's: foul, Maker, him/ up, faces, red. The parallels the rhymes convey, as I see it, are these. Lucifer, now UGLY, is the source of the world's SORROW. (Musa faithfully pairs "foul" and "all grief should spring from him." Pinsky pairs "beautiful" (reversing Dante's careful sequence of beautiful to ugly) with "then all sorrow may well" which depends on the next line to mean anything, which sort of weakens the parallel: Like saying 1 plus 1 = 1.2 and uh oh another eight tenths.) And the second parallel: Lucifer, whose fall to hell began with the raising of an insolent EYEBROW, has become hideous, a three-headed WONDER. From beautiful to UGLY, from the happiness of Eden to a world of SORROW. Musa's "Maker"/"looked up" is admittedly not terrific. Pinsky's "brows"/"How great a marvel it was" is more successful. But compare the two translations' net impact. If you saw what Dante saw, and he was very much writing so that you would, which set of lines below would better convey your reaction?

"If he was truly once as beautiful / As he is ugly now, and raised his brows / Against his Maker--than all sorrow may well /

Come out of him. How great a marvel it was / For me to see three faces on his head: / In front there was a red one; joined to this, /

. . . "

"If he was once as fair as now he's foul / and dared to raise his brows against his Maker, / it is fitting that all grief should spring from him. /

Oh, how amazed I was when I looked up / and saw a head--one head wearing three faces! / One was in front (and that was a bright red)."

The title attracted me since it reminded me of author Edward Eggleston ("The Hoosier Schoolmaster" & "The Hoosier School Boy"). Marlis Day has created a modern variety of Indiana teacher story which includes mystery, as well as life as a Hoosier and teacher. Being Hoosier-teacher-writer myself, I relate huge.

4-H Fair, local yore, rural Indiana, summer break, and small town gab are all REAL. It helped keeping a genealogy chart of the Steiner family as their mystery unfolded. Everyone's related to everybody, again real in Midwest small towns. I was surprised in the end.

The plot grabbed me in the early chapters. From that point it was a can't-stop read-to-the-end single day delight. Farm, gardens, foods, nicknames, phrases, shopping, students, neighbors: it's all realistic. Well, Lum Steiner's ordeal was an outrageous new one on me. I've lived it all my life in rural Indiana. It's probably no different in any Midwest state. You'll likely do what I had to do. I ordered the other 2 Margo Brown books. I'll buy the next also, soon to be released. No, I have no connection with book sales, just the Hoosier/Teacher connection. And a love of good, fun stories.

You'll find as many delights in this book as corncobs in a Hoosier field. Even if you live in N.Y.C., Windy City, or L.A.

Once again Marlis Day has provided us with a winning combination of suspense and humor. Her characters are delightful. As a retired teacher, I can attest to the accuracy of the teacher experience portrayed in her books. I hope she keeps them coming.

Marlis Day has once again managed to spin a fascinating "true" mystery with a homespun tale of a rural schoolteacher's life and quest. I found the mystery involved with the schoolmaster to be filled with plenty of twists and turns, but my very favorite part of Marlis's book was the fabric of the lives of her characters. I began to envy the quiet, country life, the quirky characters with names like "Cactus" and "Roxie" and the simple joys of being a teacher at home in the country for the summer. Marlis cannot write another book fast enough for me.

Margo Brown is working in her garden in a small town in southern Indiana when she finds a rusty pistol in the dirt. She takes it to a gun collector for dating, then learns that Gus Stiener, former owner of the land, died under strange circumstances, so she decides to go to the library to find out just how he died.

Before long, her neighbors all know of her find and not everyone is happy about it. When she gets a message warning her to leave well enough alone, it only spurs her on. By now she's discovered Gus died of a gunshot wound and his two sons were indicted for the murder. They weren't convicted, but according to the older residents of the town, everybody knew they were guilty. Everyone also knew that Gus Steiner, a stern schoolmaster and sheep farmer, was a wealthy old bastard who worked his sons till they dropped.

Margo is sure she's discovered evidence that could reopen the case, but she's still being warned off. Someone pushes into the river during a fireworks display on the Fourth of July, leaving her wet, filthy and mad. She won't quit till she learns the truth about Gus Steiner's death no matter what the cost.

I found the plot of this nice five star mystery puzzling enough to hold my interest, and the twist in ending fooled me.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

This book was so good it inspired jealousy. I wished every night as a child that I would wake up the next morning as Edwin, in that wonderful Indiana home of his Grandfathers! He writes with a visual-ness that truly puts you in the book with him. He sets the period very well, and the book is a pleasure to read and re-read.

An excellent look at the early life of one of the best naturalists this country has ever produced. This book will be an inspiration to every budding naturalist out there. It does bring to mind one flaw in the life of Edwin Teale - there is not a complete biography of his life.

This book gives a glimpse into the world of farm life in Northwest Indiana before the turn of the century. A child's view of the life on his grandparents' farm and the delights it offered a "city" boy on his summer vacations. Of special interest to local persons as it mentions people who lived in the area.

The late Edwin Way Teale's "Dune Boy," originally published in 1943, entertained a hundred thousand American troops overseas during WWII and with his enamoring portraits of life at the turn of the last century in the Indiana Dunes; A special ribbon of land hugging the Hoosier Coast that most of those servicemen had probably never heard of prior, but a seemingly magical place where Teale and so many other writers, poets and artists were inspired (Nelson Algren; Meyer Levin; Elma Lobaugh; Majorie Hill Allee; Arnold Mulder; Julia Cooley Altrocchi; Earl Reed; Helga Sandburg; Thomas Rogers; Steve Tesich; the poets, Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg and the artists Frank Dudley, John Templeton, and the `Furnessville Ten' alumni of the School of the Chicago Art Institute and also LeRoy Neiman who had painted an amazing 8' x 56' mural "A Day at the Indiana Dunes in 1965.)

Ironically Teale's setting of his childhood memories was a rural country only sixty miles down the Lake Michigan coastline from Chicago, but a charming farm community with a tiny English village, eccentric neighbors and vagabonds who camped and resided amongst the knobby sand dunes, dark virgin forests, marshes all abounding in wildlife and fauna. A time when slow moving milk and strawberry trains made local stops to picked up their harvests for the city markets and a time when young boys adventured with mail order cameras and witnessed the first airplanes take flight. Teale had touched the hearts of so many American servicemen overseas because he reminded them of the homes they longed to return to when so far away at war.

Teale's maternal grandparent's farm `Lone Oak' has long disappeared off any local maps and alas many of the local sand dunes were destroyed by the coming of even more steel mills and other industrial plants which have polluted the shore ever since. However, some of the people Teale portrayed and immortalized in `Dune Boy,' their headstones can be found in the quaint Furnessville cemetery, which is today surrounded by the surviving 1863 Lewry House; the 1880 Furness Mansion; the 1886 Schoolhouse Shop, and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; A bountiful national preserve, home to the modern science of ecology, and habitats to wildlife and plant species not found anywhere else in the American Midwest. A charm that inspired Teale to become the prolific author and American Naturalist of his time remains in these Indiana Dunes. Teale's "Dune Boy" is a testament, which can inspire todays and future generations to save what remains of the great sand dunes of Indiana. It is one of our family Classics and a recommended reading for anyone who has a passion to Save the Dunes or who comes to visit our Indiana home.

I recommend reading `Dune Boy' with `Ann's Surprising Summer' by Marjorie Hill Allee, (published earlier in 1923) but concerning the Great Depression years and the portrait of a collegiate woman and that of her family camped in the dunes, and that fiction read with Thomas Rogers "At The Shores" (published in 1980) set between the World Wars, which continues the adventures of young adolescents in the Indiana Dunes. The recent publication "Moonlight in Duneland" an oversize tome by the historians, Ronald D. Cohen and Stephen McShane, illustrates the travel posters of the early 20th century that promoted the Indiana Dunes and can add depth to the above reads.

After hearing good reviews from friends while studying in Tallinn, I finally found a copy of 'Estonian Textbook' on Amazon - it was sold out in all the bookstores I checked, including Raava Raamat (equivalent of Borders).

I'm impressed by the 'bite sized' lessons which don't take a lot of time or energy to complete, but contain a very detailed outline of grammar and a decent amount of vocabulary. The satisfaction of being able to understand the short reading passage at the end of a lesson without looking at the vocabulary alone is well worth the book's price tag.

Väga hea!

I can only agree with the other reviewers, this course is exceptionally good. Due to both a personal interest in languages and a work that include language coverage, I've gone through well over 300 language courses in my days. Even though it's a though race, I would say this is best language course ever written. The amount of vocabulary introduced to the learner exceeds most other course; after finishing this course you will know about twice as many words as after finishing the average Colloquial course and three times as many as after an average Teach Yourself course. The Estonian language, being one of the few languages in Europe not belonging to the Indo-European language family, has got a grammatical system that might seem daunting for English speakers - and for most other Europeans. Tuldava succesfully manages to introduce all of the Estonian grammar in this course, and he has split it up into the right portions of new grammar in each lesson. You constantly feel that you are progressing while never feeling overwhelmed. The lay-out is clear and userfriendly, the vocabulary lists of each lesson are put into two nice tables. And finally, there are many exercises AND answers to all the exercises (surprisingly enough, many authors of language courses ignore giving the answers to the exercises).

If there was a Nobel Prize for writing language courses, I believe it should go to Tuldava. Prospective authors of a language course would do well to use this course as their model.

Juhan Tuldava did a excellent job when compiling this Estonian Grammar Textbook. Many textbooks fail to have the methodical and logical methods that this textbook possesses. This book is good for both beginners and American-Estonian readers, as well as being a useful grammatical and educational tool for those who immigrated to the states as children and need some grammatical structure to their oral competence. Containing both colloquial expressions and language, pronunciation guides, Estonian-english dictionary, as well as guide to idiomatic and more formal language, this will give the reader a very firm understanding of the Estonian language. In every chapter this textbook includes grammatical concepts, a text to sharpen reading abilities, vocabulary lists of and average length of 50-100 words, expressions, and excercises to increase competence. The texts are often written in humorous terms and are enjoyable to read. Even for those with no interest in a thorough study of Estonian grammar will find they can expand their repertoire of conversational phrases and common sayings conveniently indexed. If you have any interest in learning more about the Estonian language indepedently or in a classroom setting, this is the ideal book to buy.

I agree with the other reviewers that this is the best and most approachable grammar of the Estonian language available for English speakers.

BUT... beware that some of the phrases, vocabularly and grammatical constructions are a bit old-fashioned. Furthermore, the book could be a bit better organized. Namely, some chapters in this book cover relatively trite grammatical concepts (e.g. the nominative plural), while others are more involved (the passive perfect and passive voice). Also, Tuldava introduces the singular and plural partitives fairly late and hence, doesn't include them in the earlier vocab lists (which I think is fairly inefficient).

Regarding those lists, each chapter presents the reader with very long vocabularly sections so that, in my opinion, if this is used as an exclusive text then it would quite easily overwhelm the learner with vocabularly.

So, this is a must-have for any English-speaking learner of Estonian, but mostly as a grammar reference to be used in conjunction with a more up-to-date text.

This is, by far, the best treatment of the Seven Days since Clifford Dowdey's best book, "THE SEVEN DAYS: THE EMERGENCE OF LEE" (1964)...since re-released under a different title, "LEE TAKES COMMAND." Considering that these two titles are separated by almost 40 years, that says volumes about how Dowdey's book has stood the test of time and how Burton's modernizes the scholarship of this most important campaign. Anyone studying Lee's first campaign should own this book, and read it in conjunction with Dowdey's treatment.

I approached this book with the high expectations of a readable and thorough account of the Seven Day's battles, and mostly I think that Mr. Burton has succeeded. However, I found that it really wasn't quite as readable as I had hoped. I tended to get bogged down in the details of the book, especially in the battle scenes, which I really had high hopes for. Instead of the "you are there" realism that authors such as Gordon Rhea provide, I instead was struck by the way that the writing almost obscured the action.

Burton tends to fill his tactical descriptions with somewhat too much information, such as the location, movements and name of every single regiment on the field. Now while this is of course necessary for a good understanding of a battle, in this case it tends to overwhelm the actual fighting, leaving the sense that it is more a recitation of troop movements instead of the exciting details of a fight. The end result, at least for me, was confusion, coupled with the desire for a more intimate explanation of the battle. There just isn't a good balance between action and analysis. After having visited the battlefield, I longed to read of the breakthrough at Gaines Mill in a personal, action-oriented manner. Instead, I came away with a pretty good idea of who was where, but no sense of just what they had accomplished. The emotion is simply not there, just the facts. Perhaps emotion just tends to obscure the truths of a battle, but I like the sense of "being there", and of knowing what the soldiers were experiencing first hand. While Burton does make use of period accounts, they just aren't as effective as they could be.

To me, the whole book seemed to be geared more towards strategy and troop movements, with a minimal emphasis on the actual fighting. In this respect, it does a fine job, and is actually an entertaining read in that respect. I was just left somewhat unfulfilled that the tactical side of the book wasn't as good.

As the previous reviewer mentioned, this book is not for the beginner. A moderate knowledge of the war seems to be assumed, and provided you are a Civil War buff, this should not be a problem.

Overall, it is a pretty good book. I don't know that I would call it the definitive account of the Seven Days though. Maybe so, if you are mostly interested in the strategic side, but the battle descriptions just lack the "spark" that makes you a part of the action. If you like the writing of such authors as Gordon Rhea and John Hennessy, you might come away feeling a little unsatisfied, as I did. I would recommend this book as a good analysis of the strategy and command decisions of the campaign, but perhaps Sears' "To the Gates of Richmond" is better at the human aspects of the action.

The 16th Michigan from Dan Butterfield's brigade headed to the breach but was stopped thanks to quick thinking by Col. Micah Jenkins of the Palmetto (South Carolina) Sharpshooters of Anderson's brigade. One of Jenkins men who had sprained his ankle during the charge saw the Michiganders marching up. Limping over to Jenkins, he reported what he had seen. Jenkins was skeptical, but said, "I shall see who they are." Stepping forward , he asked the marchers what unit they belonged to. When the answer, "Sixteenth Michigan," came back, Jenkins ordered his men to fire. Captain Thomas Carr fell dead, the first man of the regiment killed. The Yankees and rebels had a back-and-forth battle until enough Confederates joined the fight to force the 16th back and capture its flag.

I liked this book a lot. Finally the Seven Days' fans out there can sit down and read a very good book dedicated solely to these battles. The only thing better would be an "Ed Bearss Vicksburg Campaign" type treatment with 3,000 pages and 3 or so volumes. I know, it's a long shot, but I can dream can't I? For now, though, at least we have this book, and it's more than just a good start. The maps are extremely good and there are plenty of them! Aside from Clifford Dowdey's book, this is the only one that concentrates specifically on the Seven Days. Burton does go down to the regimental level in many cases. Since this is my favorite campaign in the whole ACW, I was extremely happy when this one came out. 534 pp., 21 maps

Captivating, poetic, descriptions of the fundamental machinery of the green world. Here is a chance to learn to see anew and to reverence this natural world which we have bruised so nearly to death.

Another classic from the great writer/naturalist.This is Peattie's non-technical history of flowering plants,beautifuly written and highly educational,but you don't need to have a degree in botany to understand it.Highly recomended for all nature lovers.

In this distinguished history of the plant kingdom, Donald Culross Peattie, botanist and nature writer extraordinaire, imaginatively demonstrates that the fates of all living things are bound together. This is nature writing at its best. In the intervening years since this book was written, scientists have made many new discoveries, but few nature writers have surpassed the stylistic beauty and illuminative insight displayed by the author in Flowering Earth. I recommend it to anyone interested in nature. The thoughts expressed are timeless

Every so often there is a book that is worth reading simply for the pleasure of the words in it, separate from whatever the author is trying to say or tell the reader. This is such a book. The effect is akin to being immersed in the depths of a symphony of words. Otherwise Peattie does an excellent job of explaining the evolution and development of the earths flowering plants. His writing is easily understood and opens botany to the more or less uninformed reader. Read this book for pleasure or for information. You will be pleased you sampled it. This is my second copy. I lent the first out and lost a friend to the book

A.B. Christa Schwarz's GAY VOICES OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE isn't an easy read. Barring the first two chapters, "Gay harlem and the Harlem Renaissance" and "Writing in the Harlem Renaissance....Burden of Representation and Sexual Dissidence," the remaining chapters will need a second or third reading for a coherent understanding for those interested in her discussion.

Ms. Schwarz looks at the work of three male writers from the period who are given their own chapters: Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Richard Bruce Nugent. Of these writers, Cullen, Hughes, and McKay are identified as using
Whitmanesque techniques to express in coded forms their desire for those members of their own sex. For the none initiated, Walt Whitman often changed male gender specific pronouns in his poetry to the feminine form for public consumption. Bruce Nugent was the only one of this group out and open, to some extent, with his sexuality in work and life, even during the down low days in his marriage of comformity.

Of the writers featured here, Countee Cullen is known to have had a few affairs with black and white men as Claude McKay. Cullen was the only one to envelope much of his work in the traditional European framework. Even his funeral many years later was staid in the European tradition of ceremony, contrary to the funeral of Langston Hughes who embraced his blackness in a funeral ceremony far, far away from the white American and
European traditional dogma and form. Langston Hughes wrote primarily for a black audience, celebrated his blackness with radical pride, and avoided with great distaste the traditional European style in the framework and subject matter of his body of work. This should come as no surprised after reading Arnold Rampersad's meticulously researched biographies of Hughes, particularily Vol. 2 where in three uncommom moments absent
of sexual prejudice Rampersad states Hughes's "preference" for black men as evidenced by Hughes's work and "life" (the label of Rampersad being entirely homophobic is not totally fair to him). Schwarz has this in mind when making the comment that in many of Hughes sea/sailor poems, race isn't specified because of the camaraderie of sailors of different nationalities which is in synch with Hughe's socialism poetry of the 1930's. Claude Mckay had the most in common with Hughes in terms of radical black pride and a like of the "low life" or common working class black, but his foreigner status as a Jamaican also made him an outsider to Harlem both figuratively and literally; he chose Greenwich Village as a primary residence and spurned many of the Harlem black intelligentsia. McKay was the only real bisexual of the bunch who had affairs with men and women, black and white, domestic and foreign. Yet, as many of his coded gay references appeared to indicate, he could be harsh toward white society in gerneral. Richard Bruce Nugent was the only openly gay black man of the men in this book who did not employ Whitmanesque techniques to conceal his interest. He was open and primarily showed an interest in white men and white Latin men in his work and life, the complete polar opposite of Langston Hughes. Sadly, Ms. Schwarz fails to grasp an accurate understanding of the work SMOKE, LILLIES, AND JADE whose protagonist is black, not white or of underminded race. This bias is disturbing and ignores on her part that its inclusion in the short lived FIRE!! that was devoted to works "by," "about," and "for" black Americans (i.e. Negros circa 1920's). Two, she fails to realize that "Beauty," the Latin object of desire in the story is a composite of Langston Hughes, Harold Jackman, and Valintino.

The book isn't an easy read, but it is a worthwhile read providing one shows patience and at least a little knowledge of the subjects other than that of their surface persona. Incidentally, the cover is based on Cullen's poem "Tableau" where a black and white man are portrayed as walking hand in hand at the surprise and disgust of onlookers, black and white. The painting was designed by Jacob Lawrence.

I'm not sure why the other two reviewers found Christa Schwarz's Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance difficult to read. I find Schwarz's prose clear and natural and her organizational scheme transparent. More important, Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance is a valuable contribution to black and queer studies--Schwarz's scholarship is impressive and thorough. Until this book appeared, the critical question of how queer genealogy intersected with the New Negro literary movement tended to be localized in debates over individual authors, such as the question of Langston Hughes's sexual orientation. But Schwarz's book does much more than merely consolidate archives into a single text. Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance performs the necessary labor of demonstrating that to talk of the Harlem Renaissance is to speak of the beginning of the queer revolution in the U.S., to suggest that among the emancipatory products of the New Negro was queer counterculture. The significance of Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance cannot be understated.

Honestly, the book is a a difficult read in some spots. Some items may require a second reading just to make sure the point is taken the way it is meant by Schwarz. That said, it is not an impossible read. Usually, Langston Hughes is the primary focus of such detailed scharlarship. This book examines Nugent, Cullen, and McKay who were, in their distinctive ways, just as important as Hughes in contributing to the Harlem Renaissance. All men were gay and dealed with their sexuality in print in a the mannor comfortable to them. Hughes, Cullen, and McKay employed Whitmanesque techniques and Nugent was completely unguarded in his sexual proclivities. For me, that Hughes and Nugent were both gay and yet showed different tastes in men and how they dealed with their sexuality is so interesting. The two men are the same and yet polar opposites of one another. Anyway, the reader will be happy with this book. Such work as Schawrz provides a new way of reading and re-reading these important figures in general literature and adds to the growing study of literature by gay African Americans, an under represented and all to often overlooked area of study.

A. B. Christa Schwarz wrote a really learned book. Maybe it's the only way a German scholar can write. Not always easy to read it's a interesting study to read not only for literary historians. The study is a must for everyone interested in the Harlem Renaissance as a literary phenomenon. Schwarz focuses on Countze Cullen, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Richard Bruce Nugent. Readers learn a lot about Alain Locke as well. Locke played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance. Maybe Schwartz' next book will tell us more about Locke. We are waiting for it.