Georgia Books

Lauren and Sara are starting their junior year in high school, and the pressure is on. Not only is this the year that grades and test scores count, but juniors must pass muster from the senior girls or face a year of harassment. At the ritual power-puff football game that marks the beginning of the school year, the older girls single out Sara for a little "attitude adjustment." Sara ends up dead, and an autistic young man is jailed for her murder.

Private investigator Georgia Davis knows two things: Cameron Jordon has already been short-changed by the medical and social services systems and, in the wealthy Chicago suburb of North Shore, the police have found a perfect suspect in a young man who can't defend himself. What Georgia doesn't know: the risky business Lauren and Sara have set up for themselves in order to pay for their electronic gadgets, expensive shoes and designer clothes.

This is a gorgeous, tightly-written mystery. The characters are fully developed and the plot has delicious sub-layers running through it. I love the way the superb writing flows. If I had teen-age daughters, this book would make me very concerned about what they might be up to that I didn't know about. Even if you don't have teen-age daughters (or nieces, friends, etc.) I strongly recommended this book. Mysteries don't get any better than this.

by Sharon Wildwind
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Georgia Davis is the protagonist of what appears to be a new series by Libby Fischer Hellmann. A cop for ten years on the North Shore of Chicago, she has been suspended from the force and is now working as a p.i. She has been hired to investigate the death of a 17-year-old girl, a high school student who was murdered in what appears to have started as a hazing, clubbed to death with a baseball bat in a forest preserve. It seems to be a pretty cut and dried affair, with all the evidence pointing to a 35-year-old registered sex offender. The latter's sister, fifteen years his senior, is convinced that despite his history, her brother is incapable of violence.

Although the case is described as a slam dunk, even the dead girl's mother has some doubts, telling Georgia: "Things started moving so fast it made my head spin. Everything all tied up in three or four days. With a big, shiny ribbon on top." Georgia's investigation uncovers up all kinds of unexpected discoveries, all to do with "families and friendships and secrets," some of which put Georgia's life in jeopardy. Georgia is not without conflict on this case: Her former partner on the police force is in charge of the investigation into the teen's death, and his animosity towards her is palpable. Then her path crosses that of her former lover, with whom she broke up two years earlier.

This was a book I could not put down, reading it cover to cover during the course of one day. The reader is drawn into the story immediately, and the wonderful writing makes the characters come alive. The startling turn of events as the book goes on is, on reflection, not all that shocking, but it certainly seems that way at first. I loved that Ellie Foreman, the protag in Ms. Hellmann's prior series, makes a cameo appearance, and that a character is named after Ruth Jordan, she of Crimespree Magazine renown. The suspense is sustained throughout as the search for the real killer goes on, and some unexpected twists as the books races to a conclusion will keep readers off balance to the end. Highly recommended.

The book had a simultaneous release in hardcover and in paperback format.

I just finished Easy Innocence by Libby Fischer Hellmann. This book is the first in a new series about a former cop turned P.I., Georgia Davis. She's hired to look into a murder of a high school girl by the accused murderer's sister and lawyer. They don't think he did it, but the cops are convinced he did. The accused is an autistic guy that sees the murder and is caught bending over the dead body after he picked up the murder weapon. Case closed as far as the cops are concerned, but did he do it? Georgia follows lead after lead that take her in many different directions but she figures it out and the murderer tries to kill her and others in the process. This is a fast paced, exciting book with likeable characters and a protagonist that you want to read about again! Libby is a good writer and this new series should do very well. I look forward to the next in this series. This book will be out as a hardback and trade paper in April. Look for it! You won't be disappointed.

The creator of the award-winning Ellie Foreman mysteries is back. To quote the author, "This is a departure for me." Yes, Easy Innocence is darker, the new protagonist harder, and features a disturbing scenario. But readers will recognize Hellmann's style, including exciting plot development and a strong heroine.

Teenager Sara Long is blonde, beautiful, and intelligent. She's discovered a better way of making the money needed to buy designer clothes, shoes, purses, and the high tech toys craved by her high school peers. Sara's new line of work does not involve working in fast food restaurants or coffee shops for minimum wage. Her job and the money it produces have become an addictive obsession, one that leads to a violent death. When mentally disturbed Cameron Jordan is found holding the murder weapon next to Sara's body, the wheels of justice grind swiftly. Murder is uncommon on Chicago's wealthy North Shore. Jordan is railroaded through the courts without further investigation. Proof against him is what the D.A. calls a "slam dunk." Only Jordan's devoted sister and one suspicious cop doubt his guilt. The cop suggests hiring Private Investigator Georgia Davis to search for clues Chicago P.D. might have overlooked in their haste to convict Cameron Jordan.

Not that long ago, Davis was a cop herself. She chafes over being booted off the force, but handles the investigation in her typical professional style, as if she were still a cop. Each lead takes her deeper into a world she finds hard to accept, where money buys everything from sex to favors in high places to murder. Davis is determined to find the truth, even when clues lead to teenage prostitution and ruthless men who don't mind killing anyone threatening their power. Complicating her investigation is the sympathy this hard-nosed P.I. feels for the teenage friends of Sara Long.

Easy Innocence is an exciting read. Fans will find Hellmann's typically stylish twists and turns of plot and strong characterizations. Georgia Davis is a provocative heroine -- tough, a bit jaded, sometimes vulnerable, but a skilled, intelligent investigator. This latest book is, indeed, a departure from the Ellie Foreman mysteries, but Hellmann fans will find her fingerprints all over it. If you enjoy gritty noir mysteries, this one is highly recommended.

It is easy these days to blame the mentally ill for crimes and there is no doubt that Cameron Jordan is mentally ill. There is no doubt that his finger prints were all over the murder weapon. The weapon was a baseball bat which, like Cameron, is covered in the blood of the deceased Sara Long. It didn't help matters that he was found kneeling over the body holding the bat by her teenage friends.

Georgia Davis, a former Chicago Cop is working these days as a private investigator. While the circumstances of her leaving the force are rather murky, it is clear that she has a number of enemies and few friends among her former colleagues. One friend in particular is concerned about the speed at which Cameron Jordan's case is moving through the system. He quietly refers Cameron Jordan's sister and caretaker, Ruth Jordan, to Georgia Davis for help. Motivated by disgust regarding the cases she has been working and a need to seek justice, Georgia Davis plunges into a world of rich and twisted high school students, their politically connected parents and murder where the odds are stacked against the truth.

This was my first exposure to Libby Fischer Hellman's work and it was quite the mystery ride. Georgia Davis is a multi faceted heroine with many secrets and issues and only a few were somewhat exposed in this novel. Unlike how many female private investigators are portrayed in mysteries where they either out drink and out cuss men or they are bumbling idiots more than ten novels later who still amazingly forget to take their gun to the abandoned warehouse at two in the morning, Georgia Davis is a normally intelligent human being who occasionally gets herself into situations any real person would and could get into while working the case. As such, she and by relation her world, are immensely believable and connect with the reader.

So too are the other characters as well as the descriptions of scenes set in and around the Chicago area. Then there is the interesting and complex case itself. Full of political intrigue, money and privilege as well as the universal problem of parents dealing with teenagers that are often taught by the educational system not to respect the authority of their parents, this novel works on many different levels while providing an entertaining read right to the last page. Much like Reed Farrel Coleman's "Empty Ever After" also due out in April from Bleak House, there is a same powerful poetic imagery at work here and yet the books are very different in style, tone and subject matter.

Hopefully this won't be the last of Georgia Davis because this novel just begins to scratch the surface with her and leaves a lot of questions unanswered. If, like me you are new to this author, it might be well worth looking up some of her other titles. I certainly plan too.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

Georgia Nicholson is SO FUNNY! I recommend these books to anyone who breathes! Is it juvinile? Yes but it is still very funny, and though the titles suggest otherwise, they are quite clean and good books

The funniest books I think I have ever read. I am in my late twenties and have totally annoyed my husband by laughing so hard in bed that I woke him up. I don't want the series to end they are so great, laugh out loud on a crowded plane funny!

I am 37 years old and love this series. I picked it up at work (we have a swapping library in our break room,) because the title piqued my interest. Since that first one I have started to buy them. I have read the first four in the series and plan to read them all. Every one of them has made me laugh out loud. They are quick and light reads, I enjoy them immensely! Great FUNNY escapes for me and in a few years I will introduce my daughter to them.

I first met Georgia when I was a freshman in high school. She was shallow, bubbly, and everything I wasn't--obsessed with boys, looks, and parties. And I absolutely loved her.

got em for her for christmas and she devoured them in just a couple of days!

This book was wonderfully written. It went into great details and sometimes the reader had to be reminded that he or she was not there, that day in 1946. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for civil rights literature.

The term, "Fire in a Canebrake", is a phrase that Walton County, Georgia residents used to describe the sounds of the fatal gunshots that commenced the last mass lynching in America; it is also the title of Laura Wexler's historical account of the Moore's Ford lynching where four blacks were murdered in late July 1946. The novel painstakingly details the "who, what, when, where and why" of the horrific crime and is supported by interviews, FBI reports, and other detailed documentation.

Wexler takes us back to the beginning when a black man, Roger Malcolm, stabs a white man, Barnett Hester, for allegedly having an affair with his common law wife, Dorothy. As Barnett lingers near death, Roger sits in jail counting his days left on earth. Eleven days later when Barnett recovers, Roger is then set free when his bail is posted by Loy Harrison, a wealthy landowner and landlord to George Dorsey (Dorothy's older brother) and his common law wife, Mae Murray. It is returning home from the jail that Roger, Dorothy, George, and Mae are dragged from Loy's car by an angry mob of white men and are murdered in cold blood. Loy claims he did not and could not recognize any of the attackers which was why his life was spared on that fateful day....and so the lying begins and never seems to end.

For years, the NAACP, FBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and local law enforcement conduct their investigations, interrogations, and examinations only to arrive at no convictions. It is only in 1991, when an "eyewitness" steps forward to tell his story that there appears to be a slither of hope for justice. However, hope fades as holes and contradictions run rampant in his testimony as well; and unfortunately by the early 1990's all of the suspected perpetrators and potential corroborating witnesses are deceased. It appears that the leads had literally died out and one wonders if justice will ever be served.

The author does an excellent job of "peeling back the layers" to set the stage for the story and expertly blends in the national and state political agendas that influenced the course of events surrounding the lynching. By doing so, the reader understands the history of the rural Georgian townships where the story plays out, the role of the key witnesses including their family and criminal backgrounds, public displays of bigotry and drunkenness. She also shares the political tactics of the day used to deny blacks of their Civil Rights and protection under Federal law, numerous contradictions in the witness's statements/alibis/affidavits, and lack of follow-up and missed opportunities by law officials. The handling of the case by the investigators from beginning to end is totally unbelievable by today's standards, but what is moreso shocking is the blatant racism, hatred, and wantonness of the townsfolk toward an atrocity such as this.

This reader ran a myriad of emotions while reading the novel -- first, frustration in that no perpetrators were ever brought to justice and nor was anyone ever held accountable for these heinous crimes -- a fact that is unfortunately recurrent in so many lynching cases. Secondly, anger and sadness when reading about the intimidation and threats against local blacks as well as the breakdown and separation of the victim's families in the aftermath of the lynching. The murders only exacerbated their wretched existence as poor, undereducated sharecroppers. The author's skill in conveying their daily living conditions and lifestyle using census statistics and first hand accounts was outstanding and heartbreaking.

This book is a page-turner! Although Oprah, Dateline, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution have covered this story, Wexler adds a twist: her words breathe life into the pages and add color to the black and white photos in the book; she presents the evidence in such a way to allow readers to draw their own conclusions. Hats off to Ms. Wexler for her perseverance and dedication to finding truth. Well done!

Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club

This book is an accurate and detailed historical account of The Morre's Ford Bridge Lynching that took place in Walton County, GA in 1946. For those of you doing the math that's only 57 years ago. Though certainly not the last recorded lynching, it was significant in that it eventually affected the political landscape of the country. The book combines the best of history, politics, race relations, slavery, and good old fashion detective work.

Laura Wexler is an author and researcher extraordinaire. Her talents are unmatched by anything I have read in recent times and certainly on par with American Literary Giants. Ms. Wexler's (a white woman) only shortcoming is that she fails to capture the anger a person of color could have brought to such events. Without saying anything more, yesterday afternoon I gave the book to my wife, by 11:00pm she had read 168 pages.

As you read be mindful of the following. Focus on the dates of those events, how relatively few years have passed between 1946 and 2003. For that matter think about the climate of America back in 1966. Only twenty years removed from the Morre's Ford Bridge lynching and unilaterally all whites would agree times were still overtly oppressive for blacks. With that, think about Affirmative Action and how 1966 represents one generation of blacks, still not fully removed from out right racist attitudes. I also want my friends to consider the prevailing attitude of whites in 1946 and how to this day, or at least 1997-1999 how those attitudes stood the test of time. Consider not just the rural, simplistic, racist cotton farmers, but the complex, covert, economic, and political powers of those white racists in place at the time. What do you think the power elite taught their children? If they taught their children their core values and belief system (which all good parents do), do you think those children (today's white leaders) would act upon their beliefs overtly or covertly? What struggles do you think Blacks might still face today?

As we STRUGGLE to understand and move past our differences, it is imperative that we recognize the RECENT history of overt racial oppression and the healing power of Affirmative Action. Growing up, Black men used the phrase "my brother" as a greeting. In that greeting we recognized not our biological sibling, nor our color, but more deeply our common struggle. To remove it from the vernacular and express it for what we were really trying to say, "my partner in struggle."

Your Brother,
habworks

This is a book about a horrendous assassination of four black residents of a neighboring county of Atlanta in 1946, but it is also a book on Southern culture, as it had existed since the time of the Civil War. The author depicts a close-knit, rural society dominated by white landowners who basically controlled their communities' affairs including the dispensing of justice as they saw fit. Keeping the blacks of the area under a watchful eye and in a subordinate economic position was a huge part of that control. Any deviation from their prescribed roles and permitted behaviors, generally resulted in some form of physical violence being perpetrated upon blacks. Of course, law enforcement personnel, if not assisting in this extra-legal violence, looked the other way.

The assassination of these four individuals screamed across the nation's headlines in the summer of 1946 to the surprise of the local residents. This dispensing of justice, while more egregious than was usually the case, was from the same timeworn mold. The local thought was, Why the clamor? The FBI, the NAACP, and any number of reporters descended on Walton County, Georgia that summer. But all of those parties met with silence, fear, dissembling, conflicting stories, and a decided lack of evidence. Five months of investigation, including the convening of a federal grand jury, yielded only some potential suspects, but the evidence was slight and inconclusive.

The author seemed to have a vague notion that she would be able to sift through the evidence and solve the case, aided by further digging. That thought was fueled by the fact that an alleged first-hand witness to the murders had come forward with his story in the early 1990s. It becomes evident in the course of the book that the new revelation was largely a fabrication, though the motivation remains unclear.

The author's project began in 1997, fifty-one years after the crime. Virtually all of the suspects and witnesses had died by that time. Most of the recapitulation of the days leading to the killings was derived from the extensive interviews conducted by the FBI in 1946. Other sources were newspaper accounts and files from the NAACP. In the beginning, the author attempts to piece together the steps and actions of the principals in the days leading to the murders. Most of the book is devoted to bouncing around the conflicting evidence as it was gathered. Some conclusions can be drawn, but mostly the truth remains obscure.

Of course, anyone reading this book would realize that the crime has not been solved, so that is not a good reason to read the book. And it is a slight criticism of the book that after that much effort, the author does not in the end offer much in the way of speculation as to the perpetrators. The importance of this book is that it lays bare the notion that Southern society treated blacks, though perhaps differently, benignly. Life for blacks in the olden South was nothing short of brutal. One wonders just what it is from the past that Southerners want to defend in the various flag controversies now raging throughout Southern states. This book makes quite clear that atonement for the past should be on the minds of rural Southerners, not preservation.

I live 20 minutes away from where this tragic event occurred. I have lived in this area for over 30 years and just recently became aware that the lynching occurred. I decided to read the book when a friend of mine told me it was out - we had discussed the history of the event a few months earlier as he was raised in Walton County and knew of some of the people mentioned in the book. I have to say that the entire book was very disturbing to me. I cannot in any way imagine an entire community keeping quiet about what happened. I cannot imagine the hate that caused this tragedy. I cannot understand the fear instilled in the black population so that they did not even come forward with information. I am in a interracial marriage and it is amazing to me that a few decades ago this would've caused an uproar that may have lead to murder.
The book is a good one. It will keep you interested throughout. Of course I knew before starting how it would end up - no conclusions on who did it - I learned a great deal about what actually occurred and have drawn my own ideas about what happened and who may have been involved. Knowing the area added to the "enjoyment" for lack of a better word, of reading, but it is definitely not necessary.
I am glad I was disturbed while I read this book. I hope everyone who reads it is as well. Too bad we'll never know what really happened.

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3A80YKC8W7UEE New Chronology is a theory validated by astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient manuscripts that asserts: that Antiquity and Dark Ages are phantoms invented in the 16th 18th centuries. Human civilization is barely 1000 years old!

New Chronology complies with the most rigid scientific standards:

- It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know;
- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion;
- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically;

New Chronology goes by the following basic axioms:
- Chronology is the basis of history;
- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;
- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history are fantasy and hoax;
- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;
- The closer in time is a given manuscript to the events described the less distortions it contains;
- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Fomenko asserts: There was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by over two centuries of yoke and slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a trilingual state with Arabic and Turkic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that official Russian history is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scholars brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs. Their ascension to the throne was the result of conspiracy, so they charged these imported historians with the mission of making Romanov's reign look legitimate.

Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate Godunov rulers and the ambitious Romanov upstarts.

As Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, he successfully removes a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one: the Ancient Rome: the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the 14th century A. D., the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece.

The Ancient Egypt: the pyramids of Giza become dated to the 11th to 14th century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less. The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the 11th to 15th century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone, like enormous Dendera horoscope that hangs in main entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris.

He was the first one to decipher and date unambiguously all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case.

English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the book "History: Fiction or Science?" portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such ancient history. Period. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the 17th 18th century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them otherwise.

Islam with all its key figures appears as late as 15th-16th century A. D. as a branch of proto-Christianity. This is amply illustrated by imagery of Prophet Mahomet, archangel Gabriel, Heaven and Hell of this period. In today's Islam all imagery of the things living is taboo.

Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th 17th century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a proto Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian!) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.


The history of religions according to Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the 11th century and Jesus Christ ), Bacchic Christianity (11th to 12th century, before and after Jesus Christ), Jesus Christ Christianity (12th to 14th century) and its subsequent mutations (15th to 17th) into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on..

Saint Augustine was quite prescient when he said: "be wary of mathematicians,.. particularly when they speak the truth."

Henry Ford once said: "History is more or less bunk!"

Prominent mathematician Anatoly Fomenko not only proved it for a fact, but as true scientist tried to upgrade it into a rocket science.

This book will change your perception of History forever!
What if Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt were invented during Renaissance?
What if The Old Testament was a rendition of events of the Middle Ages?
What if Jesus Christ was born in 1053 and crucified in 1086 AD?
Sounds Unbelievable?
Not after you've read "History: Fiction or Science?" by Anatoly Fomenko, the genius mathematician.
Armed with astronomy and computers Anatoly Fomenko turns History into a rocket science.

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Lee Kennett brought the March through Georgia to life with letters by the men in Sherman's Western Army and the civilians in the area. This book even brings some of the Southern conceptions about what had taken place to be more along the lines of true stories being twisted to a point where the truth couldn't be found. Certainly there is some truth to some of the stories, some of the things that would be blamed on Union soldiers was the work of Wheeler's Cavalry and by some Civilians themselves.

This book did very well to keep a neutral tone and to let the reader come up with their own decision on whose side they would agree with, seeing as my father says there is no such thing to stay absolutely neutral on Civil War topics... and he appears to be right... to a degree. I would say this is a must on the shelves of any Civil War Historian or buff.

A very enjoyable book about Sherman's march through Geaorgia. A story of personal experiences of soldiers and civilians of the time.

Lee Kennett has made a major contribution to the literature of "The March." He has drawn from a huge number of little known sources; private correspondence, diaries,and eyewitness accounts. The book has a good "feel" of the history of the period. His writing style is informal and allows the reader to see the events as if through the eyes of the participants.
I have researched & written extensively on the history of Milledgeville, Georgia and can say that Kennett covered the Milledgeville period as well as it has been covered by anyone.

Hugh T. Harrington
author of: "Civil War Milledgeville, Tales From the Confederate Capital of Georgia," "Remembering Milledgeville, Historic Tales From Georgia's Antebellum Capital" and "More Milledgeville Memories."

Lee Kennett's Marching Through Georgia could easily be mistaken for a "popular history", the kind of work that scholars will occasionally endorse, but usually dismiss. Marching Through Georgia is certainly as readable as any so-called popular history but this work is a gem of historical scholarship, to be compared with the studies of such authors as Bell Irvin Wiley, James Robertson, Reid Mitchell, and Earl Hess. The number of primary sources consulted is positively staggering. Kennett understands, and communicates the character of Civil War soldiers and soldiering in the Western Armies (North and South) better than any author I've ever encountered with the possible exception of Larry Daniel. An outstanding book!

If you're looking for a tactical study of Sherman's Atlanta campaign, this isn't it. If you're looking to delve into the human aspects of a massive Civil War campaign, this definitely is it. If you're looking for a well written book of interest to a broad range of readers, this is also it. No need to be a "buff" to enjoy Kennett's fast paced work that is full of interesting stories and insights into a broad range of topics. His writing keeps the pages turning. It is a unique combination of "beach" book and reference. I have two quibbles with Kennett's writing and they are technical: 1) Stop separating full sentences with semi-colons. Use periods. It aids in reading. 2) Stop using French terms where they aren't necessary or translate them. The book is too good for that to matter much.

I found this novel truly enthralling. Based on the author's own family history, "Remembrance" is an episodic and densely plotted family saga set in rural Georgia that spans the first five decades of the last century.

Rich in history and filled with personal tragedy (spousal abuse, alcoholism, suicide and murder), and epic drama (crop failure, a hurricane, the great depression, two world wars), Hipps beautifully renders his family's story with love and affection. His use of language is impressive. His storytelling is compelling and detailed. Best of all his characters leap off the page with authenticity. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed meeting every one of the strongly drawn characters in this generational family tale. I found myself out of breath and running down the road with Leola as she fled the unbelievable aspect of losing her husband to the plague of measles and her overwhelming hopelessness as she colapses against the railing of the bridge. This young woman who, in the beginning of the book, blushed with the feeling that "she did not possess the sofistication of mystery" under the gaze of her new beau; became a formidable woman. She blossomed into a survivor through the extraordinary experience of her life. This book is filled with strong women characters and I was fascinated by the glimpse of everyday Georgia life from the early 1900's. From surviving the horrific hurricane in Holmstead to the destruction of crops by Boll Weevils and finally, mothers watching their sons go off to be swallowed up by war. I appreciated this lesson in history and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Hey, Nathan, and then what happened?

Fran & I really enjoyed meeting, Nathan Smith Hipps, author of "Remembrance," in Tallahassee at a wine & cheese author signing and reading event that took place at the Tallahassee Little Theater. For me, books become much more personal when I can put a face with the author's name. Nathan grew up near Fitzgerald, GA, and has written a book about the life of a farming family living in the early 1900's. One of the characters is a young woman named Leola who grew up 10 miles outside of Fitzgerald, "a small settlement founded by Union and Confederate soldiers too weary and battered to make the long trek back to their homes." Nathan is able to bring to life that families often work through problems differently than you or I would. Maybe it's just because some of us have never been exposed to some of the hardships that his characters endured. Today we have an understanding of the word measles, and we vaccinate our infants to protect them from this disease, but so many of us forget that people died from this as Nathan brings out in his book. Not only did people die, but there was panic when an epidemic would break out in a town and people did not know what to do. They even used extreme measures like burning down the home of any family that had a death from measles. This seems drastic to us today, but it happened.

One quote early on in Nathan's book helps you understand his sensitive style of writing. This takes place immediately after the death of Leola's beloved husband, Luther. She says to him, "I love you Luther Smith. Don't you ever forget that. I will see you again one day, and what a glorious day that will be." Nathan also shows the other side of humanity in the character of Leola's father who is such a cold, heartless person. He has an accident on his farm and his leg turned so green and gangrenous that the doctor could do nothing for him. As Leola is sitting at the bedside as he is drawing his last breath, she realizes that the saddest part of her father's death is that no one would truly grieve his passing.

Another subject that Nathan helped me understand had to do with boll weevils. In Nathan's book, you see his farm family investing all they had for a few more acres to plant in cotton. Reports started coming in about the boll weevil in Texas. Then the next year it was in Mississippi, and some people were predicting that it would be in Georgia by the following year. The family now had a decision to make and they chose wrong. When they walked into the fields and found their cotton infested with the boll weevils, they knew they could lose everything! They were able to buy some of the dusting powder that they had to hand apply to each and every cotton plant in order to kill the weevils. If it had rained, all their hard work would have been for nothing. They couldn't afford to purchase enough to apply it to all their acreage. Even if they had been able to buy it, they wouldn't have had the time to apply it to all the plants.

Reading this book reminded me to count my many blessings as I compared my easy life to the hardships that so many in this family and many others endured. Yet through it all there was love and joy and family sticking together.

I really encourage you to meet this talented young author by reading his book, "Remembrance."

A marvelous tale of southern life that never resorts to cliche or stereotype. As a result this story rings with a universality of small town life in the early twentieth century. The drama interweaves with the family life that is its source without overwhelming it. Vivid memorable characters.

I read this book in the bathtub, with bubbly. It made me cry. A lot. It's being immersed in an ordinary day in the rural South when life feels like a suspense novel. The monsters are real. Hurricanes, measles, boll weevils and unfortunate marriages.

The surviving is real too.

This is one of the best cookbooks you'll purchase as far as simplicity equals elegance goes. I recently attended a wedding rehearsal and wedding catered by Ms. Mason and she is as impressive in person as her book is. Very personable, very approachable and it carries through in her book. Things as simple as the tomato sandwich that tastes like so much more is a perfect example. Just wonderful from beginning to end. Thank you!

Not only was it interesting reading but, very informative. I would buy it again. Loved the book

A first glance at the book might make you think it's all about complicated recipes that only a highly successful caterer like Susan would attempt. It's true that the food is beautiful and the presentation elegant, but the recipes are not difficult and they're delicious. Some of them come from Susan's family of good cooks and all have become favorites of her clients. My own favorites include a to-die-for tomato pie and a chilled, curried zucchini soup. The book is also fun to read, with a personal voice, great stories, and gorgeous photography.

Not only is this a great cookbook with very doable "southern" recipes it is a worthy addition to any coffee table. Beautiful photography that gives the reader a glimpse of entertaining in style in Savannah.

Not only beautiful, the recipes are fabulous. I own close to 50 cookbooks but still am glad to have these recipes.

I had read Disguised Blessings a few years ago and wanted more of Georgia Bockoven books ever since. Finally found them through Amazon booksellers and have been devouring the rest of her stories all summer.
This story was such a beautiful weaving of love within a family that suffered and yet managed to thrive through the love of a grandmother. It underscores the importance of patience and persistence of mothers and the wonderful men who come into their lives.
Ms Bockoven!! Please write more books!!

The characters in this story were very well developed and believable. The story was gripping and the plot was excellent. I believe this is Georgia's best book to date

I stumbled across this book quite by accident and boy did I fall. It's an easy read that keeps your attention to the very last page. It is all about family and finding your way home. I loved this book. Can't wait to read her others.

The only reason I got this book from the library is becuase of the lead character's name. This book was great. It really makes you take a good look at your own family ties. The story was great, you could relate to the characters, the people were real. This book is a keeper, will be looking for more of Georgia's titles.

I picked up this book thinking 'Okay, it's sounds pretty interesting' and to my surprise it was not only interesting, it was tremendously addicting! I didn't want to put the book down. Any free time I had from the kids and work I had my face was buried in the book. It's a great book, it's one that I'll keep for my kids and one that I'll send to my sisters. The characters are wonderful and very realistic. One that'll touch your heart. Pick one up, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

This book is often listed as one of the best on clay cooking even though an old book.
Gets credit for delicious recipes.

I recently ordered this book and have tried three recipes in one week. I do not exaggerate when I say this is some of the best food I have ever tasted. The book warns to use only a non-glazed cooker, but I have a Schlemmertopf, which is glazed, and the recipes cook perfectly. Five Stars.

I purchased a Romertopf clay pot 5 years ago and bought this book soon after. Grover's Roast Chicken recipe was my first attempt and it was scrumptious! I steered clear of the recipes containing organs but I found that soups, stews and even breads turn out beautifully in the clay pot. I now have 3 sizes and would advise the user to line the pot with parchment paper just to reduce the cleanup time. This book helps to demystify a basically simple cooking utensil and you will love the results. Food is packed with flavor and moisture and you just have to sit by and wait to serve. It is a lifesaver for those of us who love a home-cooked meal but don't have the time after a long day at work.

Georgia and Grover provide a fun read. There is not an intimidating, high brow paragraph in this book. The recipes include clear, easily followed directions. Reading the opening and any three random recipes will provide adequate information to make one an expert clay-pot chef. Don't let the organ meat recipes frighten you off. They make up a small portion of the book. The authors claim that clay-pot cooking is very healthy - low fat, low sodium, yet richly flavored. The definition of low fat, low sodium must have been much different in 1974. Many of the recipes in this book add unnecessary fat and salt. Some even call for bouillon cubes - Jean Bell's Beef Stroganoff calls for two cubes and is garanteed to make guests thirsty all evening! Most of the recipes are easily tweaked to meet low fat, low sodium guidelines. Nothing wrong with enjoying them in their original sinful forms! Just beware if you buy this book seeking health reform.

I gave the book 5 stars because that is what most people do and the book probably deserves 5 stars. I may never use the book because nowhere was it mentioned that it was only for unglazed pots. My pot has glazed bottom, so now I must search for a book on using glazed pots. I had hoped for information for adapting recipes for microwave, but there was none.

Giff did a great job on his dragonfly book! It's easy to read and to use!
I never realized that there were so many different kind of dragonflies!!!

Giff Beaton's book is comprehensive, understandable, and also beautiful. Buy this book if you are not interested in the subject, you will be when you read it.

This book sets new standards for odonate field guides. In addition to covering the Southeast this book is also useful for people living in the mid-atlantic states. Photographs are excellant.

I have recently purchased this book and I am extremely happy with it. It contains a great deal of useful information and I actually found the quick key inside useful. I admit that am not very familiar with odonates, but this book has helped me i.d. a good portion of the dragonflies I have in my collection and has really encouraged me to pay more attention to them on my outdoor excursions.
Highly recommend this guide!

Everything I wanted is in this book: beautiful photos, identification tips, larva information, possible locations, flight dates, and much more.

If you have even the slightest interest in odonates, you should buy this reference.