Kansas Books

Another favorable review of this book appears in Public Budgeting & Finance, Spring 1997, pages 105-106, by John L. Mikesell. Please disregard the rating since this is not a review but for information purposes only

Prize-winning historian Shawn Peters presents The Yoder Case: Religious Freedom, Education, And Parental Rights, a scholarly study of the crucial 1972 Supreme Court ruling in a case when a Wisconsin Amish community claimed that compulsory education past a certain age was in conflict with its religious views and therefore removed its children from public schools. Also available in a hardcover edition, The Yoder Case is a detailed, impartial analysis of events, and a fascinating account recommended for law school students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the separation of Church and State issues.

Any one who has been involved in youth ministry or even has been involved with students will be able to laugh out loud at these jokes and illustrations. They are so true that I could relate to nearly every situation. Consider two of my favorites: you might be a youth workewr if you've ever convinced the church treasurer that water balloons and bungee cords are minsitry expenses; If someone says "lock-in" but you hear "purgatory", you might be a youth worker. I guarantee that you will love this book and that it will provide countless hours of humor. It is especially good for those days when you really feel ministry taking a toll on you. Enjoy!

Diane Stafford offers excellent career advice in Your Job, advice that outplacement firms charge executives thousands of dollars for their services. Professors who teach corporate communications, technical writing, or job-search courses would do well to make her book required reading to supplement the often out-dated advice in textbooks. All serious career searchers, whether down-sized executives or college graduates, should buy, read, and heed Diane Stafford's advice.

Meggie Folchart is twelve years old, and lives with her father, Mo. The pair are very close to each other, and have a shared passion for books - Mo, in fact, is a very talented book restorer. They have lived in their current home for a year, though it seems they have a history of moving from place to place. Strangely, however, Meggie had to teach herself to read - she can't ever remember Mo reading to her when she was small. Meggie's mother, on the other hand, has been missing for many years - she apparently went off on some sort of adventure holiday and never came back.

In the finest traditions of storytelling, Mo and Meggie's adventures start with the arrival of a visitor on a dark and rainy night. Meggie has no idea who he is, but they have met once before - nine years earlier, when Meggie was only three. While Meggie has no real memory of him, Mo remembers him very well. Their visitor is called Dustfinger, a fire-eating juggler with an unusual pet marten called Gwin. Strangely, Dustfinger calls Mo `Silvertongue' - and, furthermore, Mo seems to feel in Dustfinger's debt. Despite Mo insisting he talks to Dustfinger in private, Meggie listens to the conversation through the keyhole of Mo's workshop.

It seems that Dustfinger wants Mo to bring a mysterious book on to someone called Capricorn - another strange name, and clearly an utter villain. Mo, for his part, wants nothing to do with Capricorn, and is determined to keep this book out of his hands. He and Meggie pack up their belongings after Dustfinger leaves, and take off early the following morning. However, Dustfinger clearly expected the pair to run and catches up with them - and persuades Mo to let him tag along...

Since Capricorn is apparently based in the north, Mo has decided to head south and visit Elinor, an aunt of Meggie's mother. Elinor lives near the lakes in northern Italy, and she is also passionate about books - though more as a collector than a reader. She is very well off, and lives in a huge - and very imposing - house. However, Mo believes her fortune is dwindling due to the huge number of rare books she buys. Mo won't show Meggie the book that Capricorn is after, which only makes her even more curious about it. However, he doesn't keep it from Elinor. In fact, Elinor has heard of the mysterious book - it's extremely rare and, apparently, the few copies that become available are generally stolen. Elinor is single, has no children and - to begin with, at least - is rather crusty. There's quite a bit of verbal sparring between Elinor and Meggie when they first meet, but - in time - they warm to each other. Unfortunately, Elinor and her imposing house can't protect Meggie and Mo from Capricorn and his vicious henchmen...although they do pick up some rather unexpected allies along the way.

"Inkheart" is a great read and - despite being pretty long for a kids' book - rattles along a fair pace. There are plenty of nods to other famous books - "Huckleberry Finn", "Tom Sawyer", "Peter Pan", "Treasure Island", "Alice in Wonderland", "The Princess Bride", "Charlotte's Web" and "The Lord of the Rings", for example. (Elinor comments once that "our journey isn't going to be half as bad as those hairy-footed people's quest"). In fact, I could see this book encouraging the reader to reach for any number of those tiles as well - not to mention the sequels that follow on from this book. Totally recommended.

"This book is one of the best books I've ever read. It's very readable. The cover is very colorful and very well detailed. It kept my attention cover to cover." This is what my 10 year old daughter thought. The story is very inventive and just about impossible to guess what the next turn of events will be. For something fun I would also recommend the audio book; a ton a fun for long trips.

This is by far one of the BEST books I've ever read. And I read a lot of books. Inkheart is exciting, energtic, and magical all at the same time. The characters have great personalities. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in fantasy. It's an all-time favorite for me!

This book is so STUPID! It's so STUPID IT MAKES ME THINK IT'S SO STUPID BECAUSE OH YEAH, IT IS STUPID! GRRRRR... IT'S STUPID BECAUSE IT'S A GAME THAT I HATE AND I WANT A REFUND!

You barely have time to breathe from the 1st word of this 1st volume until the last word of the 2d one.
A book about books, you hallucinate when finally you read about those character coming to life when you turn a page, when you go to sleep and think about them. When you read about the smell, the noise and feeling of a book in your hands. But it is much more than that. It is about going from one world (not in the future at all) to ours. It is about good and bad, treachery and trust, family and loneliness in one word as in a hundred it is about life. And what a life. There's a mix of fantasy and reality and I loved it. Cornelia Funke is a great writer, I can't stay in place waiting for the 3rd volume. Enjoy,
Claude

I read this book because it is on the Modern Library's Top 100 Non-Fiction List. I thought for a true crime-drama, that the story was very well written. I think he gives the reader a glance into the mind of a psychopathic murderer. He gives sympathy where sympathy is due; to the unfortunate Clutter family that was tragically murdered. The man who can kill for no reason other than just to experience the thrill of killing, is a man that doesn't deserve to live. The same goes for his accomplice. I was glad in the end when they were hung. Neither man seemed to show any remorse.

Capote is good at giving an unbiased account of the story as well, he seems to tell both sides of the story, from the beginning how the Clutter family lived, to the killers and what motivated them. There's enough information to give the reader, either empathy or profound disgust for the killers. For example when the jurors are deliberating, Capote gives us dialogue from two journalists; one feels sympathy for the murderers, the other only contempt and disgust. But without a doubt when the book is finished the most profound sympathy is for the murdered family, as Dewey imagines how Nancy Clutter would've been as a young beautiful college student. It's tragic, but it also makes for a very good read.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote was published in 1966, and is based on events that happened almost fifty years ago. The events were real. This is not a work of fiction. The Clutters, an appropriately surnamed Kansas family, have their own complications within their rambling homestead. What family doesn't? Clutter the father is a farmer. Who isn't in these parts? Life is not so productive of late. Whose is? The two younger children, a daughter and a son, still live in. The others have left, happily.

And then, in November 1959, the four Clutters are found gagged, apart from the mother, all with their throats cut and their brains blown out by shotgun fire. The community is in turmoil. No-one can explain why anyone might have wanted to kill a whole family in Holcomb, a small, poor, rural community in the mid-West Bible belt.

Hickock (Hicock) and Smith are two lads on the move. Their families might be dysfunctional. On the other hand they might not. Their socialisation might have been lacking. On the other hand it might not. For whatever reason, individually and collectively they prey on others, prey in a way that renders them culpable, detectable and ultimately punishable. They know thieving is wrong. So, one of them says, we've stolen lives, so it must be serious. It was the two of them that pulled the trigger, that blew brains out, that slit throats, that did not quite commit rape. There are limits. And all for forty dollars and a transistor radio.

I give nothing of this book away when I reveal that the two lads did commit the murders - exactly how no-one ever admitted - and that, after years of litigious wrangling, both were hanged. The strength of In Cold Blood is not what happens, but how it happens.

Truman Capote offers us a vast book in just four sustained chapters, each of which is sub-divided as the narrative shifts between aspects of the different protagonists' lives. Throughout, the style is much more complex than mere journalism, but the clarity with which it communicates is at times breathtaking. We hear from those directly involved, both victims and perpetrators, their families, the police, the judiciary, the neighbours, the lawyers, the passers-by, the acquaintances, the cellmates. The detail is forensic.

It is essential that the reader is constantly reminded that this is not fiction. Truman Capote offers dialogue where a journalist would report, offers interpretation where an historian would defer, offer opinion where an observer might decline. And so In Cold Blood becomes and absorbing, multi-faceted, mid-twentieth century reworking of Crime And Punishment. The crucial difference that the intervening years have generated is that where the latter concentrated on the individual circumstances and motives of the perpetrator, In Cold Blood explores the social and the contextual alongside the psychological.

And this is where the book becomes deeply disturbing, because it seems to suggest that the individuality that contemporary society seems to demand of us might itself promote a degree of self-centredness, of selfishness, perhaps, that might give rise to nothing less than contempt for others. In the forty years since the publication of In Cold Blood, it could be argued that such pressures might have increased. Frightening, indeed.

This is my first Capote book and I wasn't disappointed. He has a style best called a page turner. Without confusion he lets the reader progress forward as real events unfold, adds history of an event, and then brings you back in real time. Some writers try this montage effect and only create confusion. Capote weaves the two together and allows the reader to process the sequence of events. Very clever, very readable and a very satisfying read. Would recommend this to any first time Capote reader and you don't have to be an intellectual to enjoy it.

Just finished this book and had to write a review for it. It's been years since I've read a book that is so difficult to put down! This was my first book by Capote and I just ordered 2 more by him. It's amazing that this is a true story and Capote is brilliant with his presentation of this gruesome crime story.

Truman Capote may have been a dwarfish freak-show with a ridiculous voice...but the guy knew how to write. This is an excellent book. Not what I'd call a "masterpiece" along the lines of Lolita, but certainly right up there with Tom Wolfe's best.

It's a book which you should read, and which you'll have no trouble finishing. It may not be 100% factually accurate, but the level of the prose is top-flight, and the pages seemingly turn of their own accord. You can tell Capote spent six years working on it, getting it "just right."

There really isn't much more to say...except that its omission from the MLA 100--a list including such dreck as On the Road--is outrageous.

this book cant be judged by its cover though it did draw my attention when i saw it laying on a book shelf at the library. the cover made me wonder.
the summary gives you the story but the adventure you have to read the book to get. it doesn't sound copied from another book or stolen from another fairytale.
at first it sounded like it was going to be a romance book, but it is really not. i would rather put it under "adventure". i liked that the girls journey was long and had a bunch of issues along the way. i was sure i knew the vampire's fate, but i was wrong. some pieces were predictable and some made me, like, 'oh, wasn't expecting that'. this is not your average fairytale.
i think adults would find it boring and too easy to read. but hey, it depends on the reader right?
i advise you to read the next two books in this trilogy if you like the first. actually even if you don't like he first you may find your self wondering about the fate of the vampire and his wife at night. you can likely pick them up at your library.

This is a beautifully written fairy tale that teaches young girls to stick by evil, animal and women abusing men because there may be that "small spark of good"...and even die for them if necessary. I cannot believe how horrifying the end is. THINK PEOPLE. Just because someone writes something amazingly well does not mean that the message is a good one. Enough of this beauty and the beast trash. Too many women in this world are sticking by "monsters", waiting for that little, tiny spark of good to surface. What a shame that this much talent was used to foster such a dangerous, tired message.

I am so glad to see this series in print again. Pierce manages to blend fantasy and science fiction in a dark, stylish and completely original manner. Like nothing I've read before or since.

Wow, I really just don't know where this story lost my interest. The concept as pitched on the back cover was intriguing. The writing, though it felt a bit forced and overly complicated to feel old and fantastical had its charms. The story itself was completely creative in just about every way if not a bit of a beauty and the beast rip off. Yet...although I can't quite put my finger on it I just could not commit to this book. I finished it, but really disliked it. The characters were far from engaging and because of the cardboard style of writing I just could not relate to a single one of them. This might have been helped with a bit more romance or at least sexual draw between the icarus and main heroine but most of the book was spent with her wondering around the castle or on her quest. Some of the storyline was just plain weird like Never ending story meets Clive Barker (I mean...ripping out hearts and switching them...huh?) Maybe it was too far removed from reality for me to appreciate it for what it was. I would not recommend this to teens unless they are appreciators of the classical fairytale stories. I do not feel compelled to read the other installments. If you are looking for a supernatural/dark romance YA novel this is definitely not it. I would then direct you to The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead or the Tithe Modern Fairy Tale series by Holly Black.

One of those hybrid sort of books. Throw in fantasy, horror, and a bit of SF, and see what you get. Something like a little of the later Tepper, perhaps. Slightly phantasmagorical, or something like that.

Anyway, I didn't find it too compelling, and struggled through the maid's quest for her boss who has been taken by the Darkangel vampire guy.

The book was in good condition and was shipped in a timely manner.
The story was not to my liking and does not compare with the author's
book "The Bronze Horseman".

For me, this book started off a bit slow. I thought it was kind of cheesy or too intense in the first bit. But it didn't take long for me to get so involved in it! It is a long book and I read it very quickly because I had to know what would happen. It is a very real book and I really connected with the characters. It is great! As are her other books, but this is her best in my opinion.

I had read her "Bronze Horseman" and "Tatiana and Alexander" so was curious to see how her first effort was. It was long, as are all her works. After a slow start, it was worth reading but don't expect everyone to live happily ever after. In that it is like real life, but some readers don't like that in a fiction book. I enjoyed it and was glad that I read it. Not as good as the others I read, though.

This was by far one of my favorite books ever! I have already read it several times and I just ordered a new copy. Once I started this book, I could not stop reading! Truly a great story :)

This story left me depressed and frustrated. I felt compassion for Tully in the beginning, and kept reading, waiting for the book to show Tully rising above her abused past, but by the end of the book I only felt sorry for the 'victims' of Tully's selfishness and destruction. If only there would have been a few more silver linings in the never ending dark clouds. It is an interesting depiction of what it would be like to care about a person who comes from an abusive past.

This is such a great book. I loved the raw reality of it. Painful at times, recalling the angst of youth. I've given this book to two girlfriends I thought would especially enjoy it. Well written, can't wait to read Laura's next one.

This book is written from the point of view of a little girl, Evelyn who, at the age of 10, thinks her home in Kerrville, Kansas, is the center of the world. She lives alone with her 26 year old mother Tina, barely making ends meet. Together, the two of them grow up, Evelyn maturing faster than her mother most of the time.

The writing is light and fun, changing as Evelyn herself grows. She has many challenges to face through her teenage years, and a lot of the time, she's going at it alone. She shuffles through different relationships through high school, but generally, she faces things head on without much help. Evelyn's journey is sure to keep you hooked and turning pages, anxious to see where life is going to take her next.

Slightly wordy and slow, but so full of truth. I related to these characters even though I have not lived this kind of small town, Kansas life, which includes confusing messages from God and President Reagan. The author is wonderful at depicting some of the enduring ironies that exist now and in the 1980's. Having grown up in this Era, I am reminded of the many questions that were looming right before my eyes. I found myself curious and anxious to find out this heroine, Evelyn, would mature. Who would she choose to forgive? Would she be a Christian, a biologist, or both? Would she become "life-smart" or just stay "book-smart"? Would she learn to be empathetic or judgmental? Would she become open-minded or bitter? Or, will she be able to find the perfect balance?

An okay book. The main character young girl could have had a little more depth to her but all in all a decent weekend read.

I read The Rest of Her Life first, Laura Moriarty's latest novel. It was so good that I wanted to read everything Moriarty's written. Unfortunately there was only one, The Center of Everything, but it's a fabulous one. Moriarty is a beautiful, elegant writer with well-drawn characters that you can relate to. Evelyn, the main character, is wonderfully funny and very real, someone you'd love to have in your life.
The story grabbed me in the beginning and held me til the end. A fabulous read.

THIS BOOK KEPT ME GLUED TO THE PAGES. ALL I CAN SAY IS I WOULD NEVER WANT TO BE A GUARD IN A FEDERAL PRISON!!

I remember reading this back in 1996. I still remember some of the stories I read from here. An involving read into the life of the prison system in the 90s.

When I finally decided to read "The Hot House," I didn't expect to get halfway through it. I'd attempted to read "Confessions of a Spy," about Aldrich Ames, and it was more boring than water soup without salt! When I got close to half of the book, I could've cared about Ames about as much as I cared about Russian vodka. So needless to say, I wasn't looking to actually finish this. Pete Earley surprised me this time with a highly interesting and even more informative read about Leavenworth.

If you plan on reading this, then get visions of movies like, "Shawshank Redemption" and "Green Mile" out of your head. Movies provide great entertainment, and you sit and eat hot and buttered popcorn with an ice-cold soda the whole way through them. So the only message you get while watching a prison movie might be, "Prison is no fairy tale world." Well, DUH!! Please tell me something not so palpable. Pete Earley does just that. He takes the wardens, the guards, as well as the inmates, and he gets his story. I could tell from the beginning that it wasn't just about stating the obvious.

Earley wanted to paint a picture, no matter how warped or confusing it got. He goes beyond the rapes, beyond the killers. He carves into some serious meat, and discovers some serious cuts when he does so. He specifically takes the lives of 5 or 6 inmates, and there are chapters on them, interviews and all. Thomas Silverstein, an inmate who has been locked away with no human contact, is one of them. It is also very into the job of Head Warden, Robert Matthews, the first black warden at Leavenworth. He also notes that there are guards out there who really do want to make a difference, and will actually go to certain lenghths to do so.

Any prisoner would probably tell you, "The system is a joke!" And to them it is. People on the outside are the bad guys because they might not want to live by our rules, the rules of society. Pete Earley tells both sides of the story. This time he does it very well. I'm glad that this one was actually worth picking up. There was nothing in this that resembled cardboard. It showed the blood and guts, and it got pretty interesting!

Without a doubt, this is the best book I've yet to encounter when it comes to taking an inside look at life in a real maxmimum security prison.

Leavenworth Federal Prison is located, obviously,in Leavenworth Kansas and is the oldest federal prison in existence. Built in the late 1800's, Leavenworth is a maximum security facility where the sometimes mundane work-a-day-world that most of us have come to know ends abruptly and a new society emerges as a timeless, unslayable demon from the depths of one's worse nightmares. Although this society hidden from the outside world does have rules established by the prison system, there is a sub sub-culture that the prisoners must deal with every day. This is truly a story of the survival of the fittest.

This book was not written as many others have been, in a biased, sterile, sociological style that would be right at home in the politically-correct atmosphere of a classroom. This is a no-nonsense, in-your-face, account of what things are really like for those doing hard time. If you're a soccer mom or other politically correct weasel, do yourself a favor and stick with the lofty, fantasy world that you have locked yourself into. If, on the other hand, you seek knowledge and enlightenment as close as one can achieve without actually being a part of the event, buy this book; you'll find it hard to put down.

The author, Pete Earley, was given complete free and unsupervised access, day and night, to any guard and prisoner who would speak with him. Although he initially was met with suspicion and distrust from both the guards and prisoners alike, he proved himself to be a stand-up guy and was able to establish a rapport. Pete roamed the yards and cell blocks alone: no weapons, no protection. He was literally at the mercy of anyone who wanted to harm or kill him.

To his credit, Pete chose not to take sides. From turning down offers from the guards to drink and shoot with them to refraining from indulging in the prisoner's home brew, Pete walked the middle road and reported fairly. The result of his efforts has produced a book of unparalled interest and value.

Pete focuses upon a half-dozen prisoners and guards to tell their individual tales of life, crime, emotions, frustrations, hatred, fears, and interaction. When one combines these aspects with the bureaucratic nature of the federal prison system, one ends up with an environment nearly too insane to believe. Reality is always stranger than fiction.

While it is perhaps interesting to read the perceptions of those who have already absorbed the book, this is a literary accomplishement that you must read and ponder for yourself. The book is intertaining and describes well the emotional toll inflicted upon both sides. I believe you won't want to put it down.

This book was written by a civilian (a person who was neither a correctional employee nor an inmate) about life in a federal correctional facility. It is held in such high regard as a factual and honest account that it was recommended by the instructors from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Since personally reading The Hot House more than ten years ago, I have purchased copies of The Hot House and "Games Criminal Play" for every friend who has been hired by, or who has considered applying for a federal, state or county prison or jail facility. Each person who has received these books has given them rave reviews. This book should be required reading for anyone considering a career in corrections and it is certainly worth reading for those of us who don't work in the field!