Kansas Books

The title made me shudder a little, since my time at Southwest (class of '86) was deep into the "fall." But the year-by-year accounts of my era were free of finger-pointing, and it was fun and informative reading the history of the old school and seeing all the many fine photographs. I'd highly recommend this for anyone with a connection to Southwest, of whatever era.

My one disappointment is that the book is a little skimpy.

As a graduate of that grand high school Southwest, I was overwhelmed by the memories this book brought me. My only complaint for the author is that I want more--more stories--please! This is a well researched and well told biography of a school that shouldn't have been killed by bureaucratic nonsense.

I hope everyone who ever walked through those magnificent front pillars on Wornall Road will have a chance to read this book and remember.

Personal quotes from current and former rodeo participants enliven this look at one of America's oldest sports. Using the results of a questionnaire, you learn how they think of their lives and their jobs. The authors delve into the good and bad of rodeo, from the financial cost to the medical woes, from the exclusion of women to the changes in the sport, from rodeo history to its possible future. If you're interested in rodeo, you should get this book....

I just recently dicovered this book and boy was I surprised. Personally, I found this book very helpful for the fact that I am a bullrider myself and found the information within it's pages very useful and insightful. It explains the origins of rodeo to the very way to play the game! With in-depth pages on Saddle Bronc Riding, Bareback Riding, Bullriding, Barrel-Racing, and almost every other rodeo event, I don't think you'll find a clearer perspective on rodeo unless you started riding! Please take it from me, for the best book on rodeo, look to "Rodeo In America"

The book arrived in the estimated time and in the condition advertised by this seller.

Donald Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense (SecDef) under George W. Bush from 2000 to 2006. Rumsfeld is chiefly remembered today for his consistently poor judgment and managerial incompetence, especially in the execution of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the subsequent occupation of Iraq. This book examines how such an excellent and intelligent manager with a brilliant track record (including an earlier (1974-1978) tour as SecDef) could have lost his way so badly. Herspring argues that for all his brilliance and drive, Rumsfeld in the year 2000 was consumed by arrogance, a desire for absolute power, and an unwillingness to learn from anyone. To demonstrate this argument, Herspring reviews how Rumsfeld managed his two most important challenges during his tenure, the Transformation of the U.S. Military and Operation Iraqi Freedom (and the occupation of Iraq). According to Herspring, Rumsfled and his senor assistants in the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) engaged both challenges with an unfortunate mixture of overweening arrogance and ignorance.

Herspring also argues that Rumsfeld had an irrational dislike of the U.S. Army and its officer corps. He supports this allegation with antidotal evidence, but the reader is left to wonder if this charge is accurate or not. For example, Herspring states that Rumsfeld choose Marine General Jim Jones as the senior U.S. Military Representative at NATO as a deliberate snub aimed at army and, to a lesser extent, air force general officers. While this may very well have been Rumsfeld's motivation, the fact is that General Jones was highly qualified for the NATO position. He is fluent in French (English and French are the official NATO languages), experienced in dealing with high level foreign civilian and military officials, widely respected both in the U.S. and Europe, and equally capable of unambiguous command and diplomatic maneuverings. Perhaps Rumsfeld knew nothing of these qualities, but there is really no way to tell.

Rumsfeld by any standard is a complicated and not always agreeable person. This book is a serious attempt to examine his second tenure as SecDef. It is a good start, but far from the definitive work on the topic.

Every kid, especially black kids should read this book. They will learn what true struggle is, what teamwork is, what overcoming prejudice and hatred look like. Common white soldiers and their officers who had never seen a black person no less cared about them, came away astounded at the black soldiers' bravery and fortitude in battle. At their strong desire to learn how to read, how to be an independent human. Names like Cold Harbor and Fort Pillow will become almost sacred. This was how modern America was built: On a shared struggle for freedom. For evolution.

In this book Dudly Cornish tells about the role of black troops in the Civil War. This book is one of the most comprehensive accounts of a single section in the Civil War. Until I read this book I had no idea to what extent the black solider played in the war. The union may not have won the war if it were not for those black troops. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Civil War.

I really enjoyed "Second-Best Bride" In fact I've read it several times. It's refreshing to read ficton that challenges me as well as entertains. Miss P, The Lamb children, and Meg Shaw were interesting characters that I could relate to. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ruth Glover's books.

Like the rest of the Wildrose series, Glover introduces new characters and blends them with the familiar ones in the Canadian bush town of Wildrose. Meg has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful, more outgoing sister Marlys. As she watches Marlys toy with the emotions of homesteader Royce Ferguson, she realizes that Marlys actually has no intention of marrying him and moving to the wilderness of Wildrose. Meg, who knows that she will be happy even among the hard life and simplicity of Wildrose, eventually comes up with a plan to mend Royce's broken heart and to get out from under her sister's shadow. Meanwhile, back in Wildrose, "old maid" Miss P struggles with the fact that she is alone and has no family. As she takes care of many of the Wildrose citizens in some form or another, she eventually realizes that God has a plan for her and that some families are not necessarily made up of traditional parents and children. Back in Toronto, the Lamb family struggles physically and financially to be able to join their father in Wildrose, only to find tragedy awaiting when they arrive. For the Lambs, Miss P, and Meg, faith becomes reality as they strive to live out what they believe that God has intended for them. Second-Best Bride is a thoroughly enjoyable book about faith, love, and families.

Anyone who has ever been engaged in developing an innovative activity in a highly bureaucratic organization will appreciate the information provided in this book. What to do, how to do it, how to organize the activity, how to present the information, how to share it were all issues the Army, Navy, and national leaders of the United States and England had to resolve under the most difficult of conditions. Most importantly, who gets the credit for it was always a factor. The Navy and the FBI do not come out smelling like roses in this very thorough analysis of a critical chapter in the history of WW II. This is not a book for the novice; a familarity with many of the issues discussed is required for an appreciation of the information it provides. Nor is it a James Bond thriller. It requires attention, effort and a glass or two of good wine. It is a valuable addition to our body of knowledge and is well worth reading. Communication techniques have changed dramatically since these events of fifty years ago took place and one can only marvel at how much more complicated things must be in this field today.

Secret Messages is a meticulously researched, carefully reasoned, and well-written account of the United States government's attack on the diplomatic communications of foreign governments from 1930 to 1945, an attack that produced the most valuable secret intelligence on foreign relations and national security that the United States possessed during this period. Secret Messages is one of the first works to make extensive use of the Historic Cryptographic Collection (HCC), an enormous collection of nearly 1500 boxes of documents relating to United States cryptography and cryptanalysis before 1945 that was deposited into the United States National Archives by the National Security Agency in 1996. The importance of this collection to the history of United States code- and cipher-breaking before 1945 is ably demonstrated by Professor Alvarez, and makes very clear that works on United States cryptanalytic intelligence, foreign policy, and national security policy from 1939 to 1945 that do not take account of the HCC are to a greater or lesser extent (depending on the precise topic) both insufficient and out of date.

Secret Messages provides much fascinating detail on the United States's cryptanalytic attack against the diplomatic communications of foreign countries from 1930 to 1945, an effort that after Pearl Harbor became very wide-ranging indeed, and eventually seems to have included almost every country in the world in its list of targets. While the United States's main cryptanalytic effort before the end of the Second World War was directed against Japanese systems, a fact that was made known to the public shortly after the end of the war, and American collaboration with the British attack against German Enigma systems was revealed in the 1970s, details of the work on breaking into many other countries' diplomatic communications during the Second World War was regarded by the United States government as too important to United States national security (or too embarrassing) to be released until recently. Although few eyebrows would be raised at the account in Secret Messages of United States cryptanalytic efforts against the diplomatic communications of pro-Axis neutrals such as Argentina, Spain, and Sweden, more surprising is the story of the vigorous attempts to break into the official communications of more conscientious neutrals such as Switzerland and the Vatican. Most troubling of all is the material on the cryptanalytic assaults against the communications of staunch Allied governments, such as the governments-in-exile of the Free French, Dutch, and Poles. What strikes this reviewer as ironic is that this tremendous and unscrupulous effort, undertaken mostly by cryptanalysts in the army's Signal Intelligence Service (SIS) (but which also included the collaboration of FBI agents who burgled foreign embassies in search of cryptographic materials), was made with the full approval and support of Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, the statesman who in 1929 as secretary of state in the Hoover administration had shut down an earlier United States cryptanalytic unit, Herbert Yardley's Cipher Bureau, on the grounds that it was unethical for the United States to read other countries' private diplomatic communications. Stimson's abrupt change of attitude is one example of the tremendous rapidity that marked the United States's transformation from isolationism to global superpower.

What effect did the intelligence produced by this ultimately massive cryptanalytic effort have on United States foreign policy and national security policy during the Second World War? Despite its great success in providing invaluable insights into the thinking and actions of foreign governments, enemy, neutral, and Allied alike, Professor Alvarez believes that cryptanalytic intelligence had little impact on policymaking. In part this was because the central figure in United States foreign policymaking at this time, President Roosevelt, had little apparent regard for cryptanalytic intelligence - Professor Alvarez recounts the president's usual practice of having decrypts read to him while he was shaving - and did not appear to distinguish between it and other less reliable forms of intelligence such as his casual conversations with old friends who had recently visited war zones. But this may have been an act on the president's part. Throughout his presidency Roosevelt was notorious for concealing his thinking and motives regarding decisionmaking from those around him and this may also have applied to his attitude towards intelligence, he may not have wished to reveal to people around him which kinds of intelligence he found more valuable and useful than others in case by so doing his thinking on policy matters might be deduced. Professor Alvarez's findings in Secret Messages strongly suggest to this reviewer that every major decision of the president's regarding foreign policy and national security policy during the Second World War needs to be carefully re-examined in light of the newly-released evidence on United States cryptanalytic work during the war. Even when it turns out that cryptanalytic intelligence did not contribute directly to a decision being made, it is still critical to take it into account when considering the president's underlying motives. For example the president's knowledge of the devastating impact of Operation Barbarossa on the Soviet Union in summer 1941, which was communicated to him primarily through the intercepted messages of the Japanese ambassador to Germany, Oshima Hiroshi, and that foretold the probable collapse of the Soviet state, tends to undermine the claims of historians who have argued that President Roosevelt believed right up to Pearl Harbor that the United States could contain or defeat the Axis powers merely by supplying anti-Axis countries with lend-lease aid. Cryptanalytic intelligence supports the view that President Roosevelt knew that without full United States intervention in the European War it was very likely that Nazi Germany would defeat all its enemies one by one. The thoroughness of Professor Alvarez's work on the United States's cryptanalytic attack on the diplomatic communications of foreign governments from 1930 to 1945 casts doubt on his conclusion that this kind of intelligence had limited influence on policymaking. Secret Messages is a significant contribution to the laying of the groundwork for a thorough revision of the history of United States foreign policy and national security policy during a most critical period.

A Great book that I can relate too. A slow beginning but starts to pick up once you get into it. I myself have purchase quite a few of these book from Runs on the Wind. Since my girlfriend enjoys reading, I got one for her. She got hooked and told her family about it, and I bought them each a copy. so in my opinion, this book is great!!!

I know Runs on the Wind and he's a wonderful person. (Not trying to make him blush) but in all honest truth he is a great friend.

What starts out as a confusing book becomes richly rewarding. Everything from K's quirky habits (signing the quotes on the men's room walls and talking to herself) to her pattern of working, going to the bar and returning home is well detailed.

This makes it all the more confusing when she starts writing tales which become true. You're never sure though if it's because she's seen the future or if she is causing these events to occur. What's better is when the characters in her stories start interacting and responding to her.

While I won't give away the last portion of the book, I will say the only reason I didn't rate this book a 5 was a few spelling errors and editorial issues.

Bloch's story is very uplifting. How many people in his position would leave it all behind to try to make a difference in the world? He readily admits he could afford to do so, but he has truly walked the walk, rather than just talking about it. This book puts it all out there--his internal struggles, the path he took and what he learned along the way. He underscores the importance of the teaching profession and makes a plea for society to give it more respect. This book will appeal to people considering a career change who aren't sure they have the courage to do it, teachers who question their significance, and just anyone who wants to be inspired.

This is a good read. Tom Bloch's personal story is riveting and he is brave enough to share some very private emotions. But this book is more than a collection of anecdotes from the classroom where backpacks leak pickle juice and children regularly lose family members to shootings. Bloch has taken a thoughtful look at the herculean challenges before America's urban teachers and the universal human challenge to find purpose and meaning in our lives. He is also brave enough to offer some suggestions for institutional improvements. Worthwhile reading for anyone worried about America's schools and its students. Knowing that the book profits will go back into teacher training makes it easy to pay the hardback price.

This book made me want to go straight to Kansas. But even if I don't make it there, I feel that I have a sense of the strengths, the challenges and the quirky good humor of this under-appreciated state.

I want to go to the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the Worlds Largest Things and the display of fork art - both conveniently in the tiny town of Lucas.

The author doesn't minimize the problems facing rural America but he shows that challenge can also mean opportunity. In this book you will meet Wes Jackson founder of the Land Institute. Quoted as saying "If you're workin' on something that you can finish in your lifetime, you're not thinkin' big enough," Jackson is trying to find the key to perennial crops that mimic the natural prairie.

This is book about a bountiful land with a colorful history - the history of America's heart both geographically and spiritually - as it struggles to find its worth in a post-modern world.

I like the subtitle "Small Victories and Bitter Harvests" but I don't think the title does justice to the book. Survival of Rural America sounds too gloomy and academic for what is and engaging and enjoyable read.

The author approaches a universal dilema, the future of rural America, in a micro way - focusing on the plight of several small towns in Kansas. His empathy for his subject and his seemingly tireless research humanizes and enlightens. His wonderful photos - and humor lend another happy aspect to an important book on an important problem.

Allen Chapel AME Church in Kansas City, Missouri is prominently mentioned numerous times throughout the book. As a member of Allen Chapel, The Mother Church in Kansas City, Missouri; I was please to know how many aristocrats were past members. Good book for historical purposes.

Ms. Jo Lee Brooks

This is a valuable contribution to the field of African-American urban studies. Coulter tells the forgotten stories of a vibrant black community that develooped around downtown Kansas City in the early twentieth century. He tells the stories of men and women, professionals and laborers, young and old. This work will stand as a benchmark for the study of black communities in the mid-west.