Kentucky Books

He has many great fiction writings but I would start with this one. Solid, clear, continuously beautiful. 'Fidelity' comes in second place but this by far is leads. Should replace lots of other nonsense in the American lit canon.

My first encounter with Berry's fiction rekindled my appreciation for this genre of writing. These stories are filled with love and emotion while conveying Berry's ideals of community and cohesiveness. They decry materialism and champion mankind. I was inspired to be a better person during this walk through the Port William Membership

...and their sense of place, that runs through his readers like an umbilical spirit to the Earth. Making those connections in ways that move us emotionally and profoundly, from complacency to caring, about how we relate to each other, our communities, and the land that nourishes, sustains, and gives rise to this, and all life. In six finely crafted stories of character, conscience, and enduring values, the author inspires and challenges the reader to think of responsibility beyond their own mortality and how that caring strengthens and enriches their existence and gives it meaning.

He has many great fiction writings but I would start with this one. Solid, clear, continuously beautiful. 'Fidelity' comes in second place but this by far is leads. Should replace lots of other nonsense in the American lit canon.

I attended Prestonsburg Community College and took English and Appalachian Studies classes under Mr. Slone. During these classes Mr. Slone occasionally brought his work into class for our review. It took my breath then and it takes it now. I am so proud to be from Eastern Kentucky but more importantly that I know and was able to learn from Ken Slone.

Wonderful! Even if you never grew up in Eastern Kentucky as I did, you'll feel as if you had. Great poetry. Also, the artwork of Tom Whitaker is great also. A must have for every bookshelf.

His book of poems captivated me and kept me wanting to read more about the mountains and mountain life. I did not grow up in the mountains and after reading many of his poems I came to understand the closeness of family life in the mountains. I felt that when I read certain poems, that I was right there and could see, hear and feel the nature of the hills. Excellent!!!

I collect children's books, as well as literature about and from Kentucky. What a perfect addition to my library! I was mesmerized by the beautiful illustrations. I am waiting for a baby I know to get a little bigger as he still eats his board book pages, but when he can look at picture books like this one, I will get him his own copy!

This is a remarkable book that really helps with the Kentucky Unit required in the 4th grade. I am a 4th grade teacher and have used this book to illustrate and introduce concepts. Its best used a page at a time - not to be sat down and read to everyone. I cannot say enough about this book.

I am a library media specialist from Kentucky and I have been waiting for a book like this for a long time. The illustrations are beautiful and the text is very informative and fun to read. My students really enjoyed hearing selections from this book.

I read the first 150 pages in the first day.
I couldn't unglue myself from this very detailed and comprehensive though not boring at all.
From a series of very little mistakes in good faith and some minor omissions, a huge catastrophe was built up.
Every co-cause is described in time order and you can see the "moment X" coming arriving always nearer.
I also appreciated the simple explanation of fire and smoke dynamics.

I've actually not gotten the chance to read this book, but I can only tell you that the man behind it, Prof. Lawson, is a brilliant man who has done wonders for the state of KY and is an amazing professor, albeir far too modest. Insightful when it's appropriate to be insightful and may crack a joke when the situation warrants it.

If you're considering making the purchase, I would recommend it blindy. I'm sure all my classmates, those who came before and those who will come hereafter would agree...

It is impossible to read this book without a sense of complete dread; almost like watching the Titanic sail and knowing the inevitable, terrible ending awaiting everyone. Robert Lawson is so completely thorough with his details that you know the evolution of the supper club building and all of its pitfalls as they unfold. I had to stop and read excerpts to my spouse with incredulity in my voice.
If you would like to read a book that explains exactly what went wrong in this tragedy, this is the book to read.

Really a fascinating read. The saga of the Yount's, it truly a Texas tale. I really enjoyed the vintage photos, I have seen the oil manisons in Beaumont and they are quite spectacular, though the most famous the McFaddin Mansion was not shown, but this was a book that focused mainly on the Younts and though their mansion on Calder is long gone, the Great Gatsbyish Caldwood mansion is still extant and still breathtaking. This book is well researched and I believe anyone with an interest in a great story will enjoy this book: Mrs. Yount was one of a kind. Highly recommended.

This is a very readable and very interesting account of the rise of the Yount-Lee Oil Company and Pansy Younts subsequent contribution to the American Saddlebred Horse industry. This is unlike previous accounts in that this account is ACCURATE and based completely in fact. I enjoyed it immensly and would recommend it to one and all.

Black Gold To Bluegrass is an excellent and very readable book about the Second Spindletop Oil Boom, which occurred in 1925 in Beaumont, Texas. The authors have very diligently researched all their facts and have made the people involved in this story seem very real to the reader.

Black on Black uses the works of Du Bois and Alice Walker as a framework for tracking the authors' rejection of Ethiopianism in literature. In the 1920s some blacks began questioning the popular foundations of Ethiopianism: by the 1950s and 60s, rejection was in full swing. This examines the foundations and history of 20th century Afro-American literature about Africa and provides some important perspectives.

Black On Black uses the works of Du Bois and Alice Walker as a framework for tracking the authors' rejection of Ethiopianism in literature. In the 1920s some blacks began questioning the popular foundations of Ethiopianism: by the 1950s and 60s, rejection was in full swing. Black On Black examines the foundations and history of 20th century Afro-American literature about Africa and provides some important perspectives.

In Black on Black, John Gruesser begins with Du Bois and Alice Walker's writings and tracks the growing rejection of the Ethiopianist stand in literature, from the 1920s when black writers began questioning its tenants to its final rejection in the 1950s. The view that black Americans will deliver a bright future to Africa is refuted in this survey of 20th century Afro-American writings about Africa.

I had known so little about this area of our country and its history, yet after reading Camptown, I feel like a native. Kenn Grimes has brought his characters to life in such a realistic way and woven them into stories that I believe. Perhaps some of it is fiction and some factual, yet his story-telling skill blurs the boundaries. I kept asking myself, "Did this REALLY happen?" I highly recommend this lively picture of a world that everyone should live in, if only for a few delightful hours.

In Kenn Grimes' noteworthy collection of 24 stories, the reader finds an author with a heart settled deep in his rich Kentucky roots. With "IOU" beginning in 1847 to "Homecoming" which ends the collection 150 years later, we find Grimes' stories written with grace and intelligence, an eye to history, and deference to a place and people. Grimes begins the collection with a seemingly simple story called "IOU" in which a youngster, now old, is given the opportunity to be repaid a debt by Abraham Lincoln in the nature of one cent. In "The Male Pooch Barn," humor erupts out of the deep soul of the Depression when a man is hired to paint a tobacco sign on the side of a barn, but never learned to spell. Grimes' doesn't embrace the current standard of minimalist writing, but following in William Faulkner's footsteps, brings alive the southern vernacular in a horse race with a story called "Camptown." Rich in range as well as perspective, these stories also bring out the darkness of the human heart. In "Down by the River," a tale of enormous storytelling power, a church minister has his way with a young woman of his parish. To cover his erotic deed, he holds her head under water too long in a baptismal ritual. Not to be outdone by writers who choose a nontraditional perspective, he has an entire town swept away by the rising flood waters of the Chickapea River, its one witness and point of view: a teddy bear drowning on a porch step. A master's touch, a sensitive eye, and a storyteller's heart, Kenn Grimes' collection is for readers who seek rich experience in matters of the heart.

A charming collection of stories about Kentucky written from the heart. Humorous and touching, with vividly drawn characters, this book is a delight. Even if you have only dreamed of Kentucky, as I have, you'll come away with an appreciation of the characters Kenn Grimes has created and the home they and the author love.

To be short and sweet.this book is a great read and you can visualize the characters and settings thru skillful character and setting developement by a son of a Eddyville Prison Guard.Highly recommended for all,even if not interested in the American Penal System

I learned of this book through my brother-in-law, presently a guard at the Ky State Pen in Eddyville (aka: The Castle on the Hill). Bill Cunningham is an amazing historian that has consistently recounted some of the most fascinating events in Western Ky history. I have previously read "On Bended Knees: The Night Rider Story," by Mr. Cunningham and was captivated by his accounts and writing style.

In "Castle: The Story of a Kentucky Prison," he has once again delivered! This was an amazing book that I just could not put down once I had started reading. Being a girl from Princeton, Ky (12 miles away from Eddyville) I was no stranger to the site of the prison where my brother-in-law is working (going on his 6th year as a guard). The pen is an awe inspiring structure filled with mystery, misery and ghastly tales. Mr. Cunningham brings to life the most historic and fascinating of those tales. This book is a must read for any and all inhabitants of Western Ky and those with a special interest in the penal institutions of today.

"Castle, The Story of a Kentucky Prison" details the story of the Kentucky State Penitentiary, located at Eddyville, Kentucky. The author, Bill Cunningham is familar with the institution, having defended the inmates who are incarcerated there as a defense attorney, prosecuted them as prosecuting attorney, and ordered them to be commited there as a criminal court judge. The book itself is centered around the riot of 1923, which at the time was one of the most notorious prison uprisings in American history. The author is a terrific storyteller; if the book was a movie, it would be a classic directed by Stanley Kubrick, the way in which the story goes back and forth, side to side, yet stays very much together. This book will appeal to a wide variety of people, not just academics in criminal justice, as books on this subject usually do.

"Cherry Ames, Mountaineer Nurse" is one of my favorites in the Cherry Ames series about the adventures of a plucky nurse. The atmosphere of the isolated, old-fashioned Kentucky town in the 1940s is great. It's a book that's easy to read and comforting, perfect for a rainy day.

However my real purpose in writing this review is to heartily agree with the poster below- Wade Cooper is definitely the only man for Cherry! (Fie upon Lex. He was always getting in the way.) I wish Helen Wells or Julie Tatham would've written a book in which they got together once and for all...

cherry ames,mountainer nurse is a very good book. She helps solve a mystery between two familys. The quarell has lasted for many many years tell cherry stepped in. I like mystery's so i really like this book I highly recomend this book.

This is a very good and interesting book. Cherry Ames has moved to a small town in Kentucky to help out her friend Bertha. Little does she know the locals will be hostile to her methods, and she'll have to solve a feud between two families before a young couple can be married. One of the best parts of "Cherry Ames: Mountaineer Nurse" is that it doesn't force a romantic involvement on her. Anyone who has ever read "Cherry Ames: Flight Nurse" will know that the only guy for Cherry is pilot Wade Cooper- funny, sexy and handsome, no other man can compare.

With its well-written introduction, this marvelous book is a great way to read about one aspect of life during the American Civil War.

These recipes are taken verbatim from a magazine that was fairly widely read by the ladies of the North and South. They are all dated with the year they were published, in some cases more than once. There's a glossary and notes to help you read the somewhat antique language. There's also a wonderful reference list, with lots of titles for the Civil War historian to look for.

I wanted this book because I love being in the kitchen. I also wanted to improve my knowledge of history, as seen through the eyes of the wives, mothers and daughters. As a genealogist, this book enhances what little I know about my female Civil War ancestors. As an added bonus, many of these recipes sound recreateable in the modern kitchen! This is a great read, even if you're not a cook.

Interesting history on the diets of the Civil War soldiers as well as authentic recipes from the home front. Many are the basis of our recipes today. I had a lot of fun trying some of them and they were delicious. The historical section at the beginning was well researched and very interesting reading.

I have an interest in civil war history since my grandfather fought in the civil war (union side). This book was well researched and well written. It adds a new perspective to the times.