Louisiana Books

IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE makes an excellent companion to THE HIDING PLACE and TRAMP FOR THE LORD. After discovering all the stories of Corrie ten Boom from the time she went into a German concentration camp during World War II until her death, her early years had always remained a mystery. And now, IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE tells exactly what happened to Corrie during her first 50 years of life.

Starting out with Corrie's great-grandfather, the book tells the story of how the early events in Corrie's life shaped her and prepared her for prison. Some of these stories will make you smile (Corrie was apparently a little rascal at times), and some will make you want to cry. Corrie's life was an amazing tapestry of love for people and her Savior. From Corrie ten Boom's girl clubs to the great halls of St. Bavo's Cathedral, you'll fall in love with Corrie ten Boom all over again with IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE.

The end of the book brings everything full circle up to the point of THE HIDING PLACE, and then is followed by the Golden Tea Party (you'll have to read to find out about that!). All in all, IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE is another great read from the life of Corrie, but I do recommend reading THE HIDING PLACE first. That book makes this one a little easier to understand.

Check it out!

This quite-amazing book chronicles the half century of Corrie ten Boom's life before being imprisoned for helping to save Jewish people in Holland during World War II. I can't express just how profoundly this book enlightened me to the Christian way people could actually live. I haven't been around many outstanding Christians and the ten Boom family was definitely a Christian family. How blessed I am to know about them!

This book is simple and to the point and beautifully written. It gives the reader the insight of how human Corrie Ten Boom was and yet how much she relied on God for her direction. It is filled with humor and innocence as Corrie recounts her childhood memories, but always making it a point to let the reader know that the main focus is God. The delightful stories will stick in your memory bank. It was a very delightful book which I shall cherish and re-read in years to come.

As someone who voraciously gobbles up the writings of Corrie ten Boom, I have to say that _In My Father's House_ is my favorite. Anyone who has read _The Hiding Place_ , _Tramp for the Lord_, _A Prison and Yet_, or other books relating to Corrie's Nazi concentration camp imprisonment and her resulting ministry should do themselves a favor and savor _In My Father's House_. I am so glad this book is back in print and can now reach a new audience. Corrie discusses how the twists and turns of her childhood, teen years, and pre-imprisonment adulthood all came together to prepare her for her WWII and postwar ministry. She shows the evidence of God moving in her life to prepare her for her upcoming adventures. If you don't think so already, _In My Father's House_ may be what convinces you that there's no such thing as coincidence. The simply written, very basic family story of this book holds some deep implications. It may startle you in a pleasant way.

I particularly recommend this book to parents, especially parents of young children. This book will show how God uses you to raise your child to fulfill God's purpose for his/her life. Corrie writes in a very touching way of how her parents, siblings, and extended family were so responsible for the extraordinary woman she became. This book is a beautiful testimony of how God uses families. It will inspire you to go pick up and cuddle your child while praying fervently. It will also remind you of your need to lean on God and rely on his guidance for this your most important job. _In My Father's House_ is a very powerful book.

I recommend that you buy a copy of this book rather than borrowing it or checking it out from the library. As your glance flits across your bookshelves, perhaps a slight smile will come to your face as you notice the familiar spine peeking out at you. I return to my copy frequently and have repeatedly drawn from it for Sunday School lessons and devotional topics. _In My Father's House_ would be a valuable addition to your book collection.

She writes with the love and forgiveness that became her trademark after suffering terrible things at the hands of the Nazi's during WWII. I never cease to be encouraged, uplifted, and inspired when reading anything that she writes-this book included. Very few could have forgiven their tormentors the way that Tante Corrie did. She did it by the grace of God and her life was all the better for it.

A charming and slightly quirky look at the lessons of a southern life learned through the kitchen and cooking -- and the recipes are good too! This is a treasure you will want to share.

When you begin the journey that is this book you may think you will come away with some new ideas for the kitchen. However, By the time you have finished you will have had a few belly laughs, learned some great recipies and shed a few tears. Craig has done a great job in showing us that the best of times and yes the worst of times can be a source of inspiration to make us stronger and that everything looks better after a good meal.

A great read that you will come back to time and time again!

In reading this wonderful book I have found things to ponder and share with the many people in my life who have touched my heart. For example: page 66, My Friend, My Mirror, made me realize how my 19 year friendship with Brenda has lasted, when we are so very different. I was inspired to call my mom and read a chapter and a few recipes to her...she insisted on her own copy, which, to her surprise was just being delivered!

Craig McKneely has captured in a powerful way how we each are affected by those people in our lives whose paths we cross, and in turn inspires us to love ourselves, allow others to love us, and not to be afraid to share our feelings openly and honestly, and to say I Love You before the other person can't hear the feeling behind them.

While most "cookbooks" suggest obscure ingredients, Craig is not afraid to tell it like it is, and to encourage us to cook from the heart, no matter the ingredients. Comfort food is just that...food and smells which comfort our tummys and our souls.

After reading Lessons Learned While Cooking...From the Heart, I felt a Comfort or Loving feeling that will be there the rest of my life.
Craig has inspired me to take notice of life and never say NEVER. Always cherish the moments of family and friends, whether good or bad. What's LIFE without them?
Lessons Learned While Cooking ...From the Heart gives you all facets of life, ALPHA & OMEGA, the beginning and the end.
The recipes are bad for the hips, but good for the SOUL. I am proud to know Craig McKneely as a friend and confidant. LOVE YA!

...First time I was able to cry and laugh all at the same time while preparing a meal. Recipes are easy to follow and quick. It's a definite cookbook for the soul.

Anyone can complile a list of ingredients and a set of sterile directions. Gwen McKee does so much more! Her step-by-step section not only tells the reader how to make gumbo, but what to expect the dish to look and smell like during various stages. Get your cast iron skillet, a glass of wine and start stirring!

The first time I ever made gumbo from this book, it was a raving success. I didn;t think I was ever going to try this marvelous New Orleans recipe when I tasted it there. The opening chapter called step-by-step to great gumbo is exactly that and led me through it. Now I feel comfortable trying all sorts of gumbos and dazzling my guests. Great book

I've lived near New Orleans but have moved away. This book is authentic. Make gumbo by these recipes and you can't go wrong. I have used it many times and sent a few as gifts. Gives a lot more than basic recipes. A real "how to" cook book.

The Little Gumbo Book is a cookbook featuring twenty-seven gumbo recipes for anyone seeking to create and experience the unique flavors and varieties of this distinctive Cajun dish. Tips, tricks, and techniques for everything gumbo-related, from different ways for preparing roux (the browning of flour, crucial to the richness of gumbo) to using microwaves and crock pots, to low-calorie gumbo for the health conscious, and much more. A superb giftbook written with passion as well as practical advice, recommended for any Cajun food lover.

I've lived in Louisiana all of my life and learned how to make a roux when I was knee high to a grasshopper by watching my Aunt Mace stir and stir and stir it in her big black cast iron skillet or pot. Almost every recipe my Mama and Aunt Mace made started out with the words, "First you make a roux..."

I'm very happy to report that this book has the most wonderful recipes for roux and gumbo that I've ever read. My youngest daughter recently moved from Louisiana to Tennessee and was looking for a jar of roux in the grocery store. The store manager had no idea what she was talking about and had never even heard of gumbo. I immediately thought to buy her this book for Valentine's Day. I taught her to make a roux during the holiday season, so she's halfway to gumbo already.

A coworker gave me a copy of this book back in 1988 and I've completely worn out my copy. It's a one-of-a-kind treasure that should be in every kitchen, especially if you enjoy true Southern cooking.

This is one of the finest cookbooks I've used and definitely the best I've seen with regards to New Orleans cuisine. The recipes rarely require anything extraordinary and substitutes are suggested in those rare cases where required. In addition, she adds pronunciations which are often helpful for those of us who are creloe deprived.

Ms. McKee has done a fantastic job bringing the recipes to life. I could smell the fresh pralines cooling in her kitchen and couldn't wait to make a batch of my own. If you love Southern cooking, this small book will be a wonderful guide.

Absolutely the best Louisiana cookbook out there! As a native of south Louisiana, I've never found a Louisiana cookbook that has truly authentic dishes--like the ones I grew up with--but this one does. And every recipe I've tried from this book has been delicious. It's not a large book, but EVERY recipe is worth making.

I picked up this book at the airport as I was leaving New Orleans. I had tried many of the dishes at restaurants in the city, then recreated them with the cookbook at home. The instructions are easy to follow, and the recipes are very much like what I had in New Orleans. My family wants me to make every recipe in the book.

Oh my goodness ! Have you ever wanted to cook down home creole dishes ? If so, this is the book for you. Simple instuctions and obtainable ingredients. I just made the Seafood Gumbo and it is out of this world. (Don't forget to make it the day before ;) The Chocolate Eclairs are to die for and easy to make. This little book is a must have for every good cook and my guys love every recipe. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Buy it ! Buy one for a friend. A wonderful cookbook.

Gwen Mckee'sThe Little New Orleans Cookbook is a simple cookbook of fifty-seven classic Creole recipes, from trout amandine to jambalaya to New Orleans vs. microwave bread pudding, and more. Straightforward instructions, along with notes offering delicious variations or bits of history and tradition, make the recipes easy-to-follow. An excellent introduction to a wondrous and flavorful style of food preparation, The Little New Orleans Cookbook is a marvelous addition to personal and professional ethnic cookbook collections.

If you are looking for an complete and easy to use book this is the one to purchase. There are some color pictures (annuals, groundcovers, ornamental grasses, perennials, shrubs, trees, wildflowers, etc.) but what makes the book so good is the layout - when, where and how to plant, care & maintenance, additional information and additional species.

Dr. Joe White is one of the most, if not the most respected horticulturist in the state of Louisiana. His advice is always on target and the book would make a great addition to any home library.

Although the book is dedicated to first time gardeners in Louisiana, there is a wealth of information for the old timers as well. The book contains the how when and what to plant along with both common and scientific names of plants that will do well in the area.

The book is cram full of easy to follow sound advise for gardeners.

A great "welcome gift" for anyone moving into Louisiana.

I received this book as a birthday gift and haven't been able to put it down. It evoked childhood memories of Sasanquas in bowls, spider lillies in beloved friends' yards, and laughter at funny names like "Grancy Graybeard." I remembered a gigantic yellow Lady Banksea rose that grew so large it took over the roof of my playhouse. Thanks for the memories and helpful advice. Even my grandfather the masterful gardener would approve.

Anyone wishing to garden in Louisiana's unique environment should consult this guide. Organized by plant type, it is easy use for species identification, planting instructions, and care tips.

Refer to this guide before purchasing plants and again when doing garden maintenance.

First and formost it is a shame that Dr.Delatte has only had time to write one book. And I hope that she will get the chance to write another soon. In her book Lucy Audubon A Biography she sets the tone in the first chapter. She goes in great detail to explain to her reader Lucy Audubon's life. She gives a rare insight to a historical figure and brings her to life with her words. the reader feels as if they are there with Audubon as she goes through life and overcomes the obstacles in her life.

I have to say that this book is one of the best books that I have ever read. It keeps your attention from the first page to the last. A must read.

There is not much to say but that this book is one of the best books that I have ever read. It gives you a rare look into the life of Lucy Audubon.

There is not much to say but that this book is one of the best books that I have ever read. It gives you a rare look into the life of Lucy Audubon.

This is a excellent,thorough book written by an excellent, thorough lady and professor. Sadly, she passed away in August 2004, so there will be no more books. However, this book stands as a monument to her diligence as a historian and talent as a writer. Dr. Delatte will be missed.

I thought this a good book for anyone reading about or studying Major-General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea and the March through the Carolinas. It captures the thoughts and personalities of the Army behind the man and gives the reader an insight to why they did some of the things that are so controversial today.

I have to confess a bias; Professor Glatthaar taught me US history in my first semester of college and was a very engaging, entertaining and clear teacher.

This book is history of the very best kind. It is extensively documented from primary sources, it is well written and draws the reader in and the text of the book is free from cumbersome and often distracting academic citation apparatus. It also has selected a topic of almost epic proportions.

The March to the Sea, coming on the heels of the devastating fall of Atlanta was the straw that broke the South's back. After years of war and the related hardships, the devastation that this march produced in the South dealt a death blow to the South's war effort.

In one of the great strategic decisions of the war, Sherman breaks his lines of communication and supply and, like a modern day nuclear sub, disappears only to resurface at Savannah. The freedom of movement that this decision allowed made this march even more effective.

Further, the productivity of the South, even after years of warfare is evidenced. The author presents data showing an increase in the weight of soldiers due to the richness of the diet they were able to secure from those unfortunate enough to be in the path of Sherman's army.

To quibble with a prior reviewer, this is not a novel. This is academic history of the best sort but written in a easy and accesible manner. A great book.

This book contains an examination of the army that General William Tecumseh Sherman led through Georgia and the Carolinas, in late 1864 and early 1865. Instead of being just another narrative of the March to the Sea and Carolina campaigns, however, Glatthaar's book is a look at the individuals that composed the army. In it, he examines the social and ideological backgrounds of the men in Sherman's army, and evaluates how they felt about various factors of the war--slavery, the union, and, most significantly, the campaign in which they were participating. The result is a fascinating look at Sherman's campaigns through the eyes of the everyday soldier. Glatthaar makes the army come alive, and shows the men not as heartless animals who delighted in wanton destruction, not as mechanized marching machines who could perform the most difficult marches without even flinching, but instead as real human beings, complete with sore feet, empty stomachs, and minds engaged in contemplation over the ethical ramifications of what they were doing to the people of the South.

This book, and others like it (such as James McPherson's For Cause and Comrades), is a refreshing change from the norm in Civil War history. The value of this book lies in its helping the reader understand that the war was fought by individuals, not masses of blue and gray, and that these individuals felt and thought a great deal about the cause they were engaged in. I have read much on the subject of Sherman's march, but never before this book did I truly feel like I understood the mentality of the 60,000 man army he led. This book will not give you a detailed and thorough account of Sherman's campaigns, but it will give anyone who already is somewhat familiar with the marches an incredible amount of insight that, I believe, cannot be gained elsewhere.

Individuals who belong to a Civil War reenacting association, history buffs, and serious scholars of the Civil War will all find quiet enjoyment in Joseph Glatthaar's historical novel on Major General Sherman's march to Savannah and through the Carolinas. Glatthaar's perspective of bringing the war down to the level of the individual soldier is not always found in historical novels. He writes about the soldier's innermost feelings, not about the glorious generals, the great armies, or the magnificent campaigns. I believe that individual battles do not win wars, but that it is the men composing the fighting force that can turn a potential devastating defeat into a glorious victory. Mr. Glatthaar has done a great justice in his portrayal of the men who conducted the march to the sea and beyond. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wishes better to understand the soldiers that fought for Sherman

Joseph Glatthaar wrote this book in order to examine Sherman's march across the South "from the level of the common soldier, both enlisted and officer". In the introduction he states that by writing the book from this perspective, he hoped "to restore the reality of the campaigns, to understand the underlying motivation of Sherman's men for adopting a policy of devestation and to shed light on the total-war concept in military history".

Mr. Glatthaar's efforts have resulted in this very informative and engaging book. I did not know a lot about Sherman's Army before reading this book, and feel that I now have a much better understanding of the men who filled the ranks and led the regiments in their famous march to the sea. In his text, Mr. Glatthaar presents many quotes directly from letters and diaries written by Sherman's men, which really enhances the story and his conclusions.

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about Sherman's Army- why it was successful, why it adopted a policy of total war, destroying much of the South, and why it remains controversial to this day.

Unlike many works that Alan Lomax had has hand in, this book is great reading, if nothing more. I am not known to be a fan of Alan Lomax and his father as my review of _The Land Where the Blues Began_ attests, but at least Lomax realized what a treasure Jelly Roll Morton was and interviewed him and also had Morton create hours and hours of singing and piano music.


This book offers a digest of hours and hours of interviews with Morton in the late 1930s when Morton was living in Washington. It is supplemented by some very useful interviews Lomax did with New Orleans musicians and their families in the late 1940s. The New Orleans interviews provide very useful direct source material about the social and culture and professional milieu that both Creole and Black musicians in New Orleans Sprang from. A recently written criticial review by a real scholar at the close of the book explains the great limitations of Lomax's selections and writngs here.


Lomax apparently knew little about the real history and processes of New Orleans jazz and life, so that a lot of questions that someone interest in Morton's impact on music are not asked, not just in what Lomax selected to put in this book, but in the larger transcripts of Lomax's interviews and in the monologues Morton dictated to a stenographer as part of this project. Lomax's tendency is to seek out non-musical issue his stereotypical images of Blues and Jazz musicians call forth. This is quite unfortunate because to the end of his life, Morton had a very sophsiticated and articulate understanding of music and was capable of serious discussion of jazz and blues in formal musical terminology. He was a person who seriously thought about music most of the time when he was not playing it.

Recently scholars with new information drawn from new discoveries of Morton's personal archives, correspondence, and musical library as well as the range of interviews with other musicians tend to verify much of what as thought of after these intervews as bragadoccio. Morton probably was the first person to produce written compositions that were Jazz as opposed to rag time. He was certainly playing and writing down blues compositions before Handy. Even the greatest of early Jazz Pianists like James P. Johnson affirmed that both in the days before WWI and in the 1920s Morton outplayed all the great Jazz Pianists.

The examination and performance of the music that Morton wrote in the late 1930s indicates that Morton had not only mastered composition and band arrangement in a style that would have surpassed the most surpassed swing of his day but had written orchestral pieces that prefigured the modal Jazz that Coltrane and others presented in the 1950s. These and other compositions indicate that whatever the fortunes of his public performances, Morton was a serious composer whose skills continued to advance even in his last years when his health collapsed.

Yet flagged by failing health, Morton was never able to organize an orchestra that could have played these pieces. He had been told that he could have lived ten or fifteen more years had he given up performing music, but he wanted to make his music more than he wanted to live.

Finally, Morton WAS cheated out of millions of dollars in royalties by the music industry, especially by the Melrose Brothers and by ASCAP. He was one of the first musicians to challange the way the Mafia-connected music publishers simply robbed musicians of their compositions or did not pay them. Unlike some musicians who suffered quietly or WC Handy who was one of the token Blacks ASCAP paraded around to hide its racism, Morton launched a public campaign in Downbeat and other Jazz magazines that exposed the crimes of ASCAP and music publishers like Melrose.

Until the mid 1940s, ASCAP which collected royalties for compositions from record producers, radio, night clubs, and other places where music was played had a racist setup. Few Black members were admitted although royalties were collected for their music. Morton carried out a public and legal campaign for years to be admitted to ASCAP even though it was collecting millions for the large number of his compositions that had become great hits in the swing era, like the King Porter Stomp that became a standard that any competent string band cut its teeth on.

Once inside ASCAP, he found ASCAP distributed its royalties not based on the money different songs brought royalties but on what a board of ASCAP leaders decided was the cultural worth of different kinds of music. Thus while Broadway and classical writers were getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalty payments, Morton received under 200 dollars each of the two years he was living and a member of ASCAP. Morton protested and exposed this publically in the last years of his life and attempted to gather other victims of this system in a law suit. While he was dying and unable to carry on this struggle, his protests and the information he gathered led to congressional investigations in the 1940s that forced an end to discrimination in ASCAP in regard to membership and forced it to distribute royalties based on the sales of the music, not on its "value."

The issue of braggadocio also comes here from the fact that Lomax supplied Morton with a bottle of whiskey for each Interview. Morton was not an alcholic, but those who have studied the transcripts have noted that Morton grew more inaccurate, abrasive, and unreliable longer into the interviews as the booze took effect.

This fits into Alan Lomax's consistent pattern of trying to make sources, particularly Black sources fit into the stereotypes he had about them. Lomax who took many photographs of his folk sources, for example, would force people who preferred being photographed in the Sunday Best, to appear in old work clothes. While Leadbelly actually favored the finest suits and imposed a dress code on Sonny Terry and Brownie MCGhee when they roomed at his New York Home (suits and ties as musicians are professionals and get a case, not a sack for the instrument) Lomax forced him to perform in prison garb or overalls. Lomax also created the fiction that singing and the intercession of his father John Lomax had some relationship with Leadbelly being released fromthe Louisiana penitentary when Leadbelly was released as part of program that automatically reduced prison sentences due to depression-caused cutbacks.

Lomax wanted precisely to convey a picture of Morton filled with whiskey, smokey rooms, and so forth, when Morton was one of the biggest stars of music between 1917 and 1930, performing in some of the most sophisticated venues and a particular favorite with Hollywood film stars of the period.

Despite these criticisms, I urge anyone interested in finding out not only about Jelly Roll Morton, but about the origins of Jazz in New Orleans and the entertainment industry in the earkly 20th Century to read this book. A good supplement, or perhaps a better place to start would be _Jelly's Blues: The Life, Music, and Redemption of Jelly Roll Morton_ by Howard Reich. This can be followed by _Dead Man Blues: Jelly Roll Morton Way Out West by Phil Pastras_.

In spite of Jelly's bragadocio and the author's lack of Jazz background (Lomax was a folklorist) it's a very interesting book. Jelly must have felt injusticed when, in the late thirties, Benny Goodman was earning lots of money with "King Porter's Stomp". But the truth is that, exactly like King Oliver, he was outpaced by the revolution started by Satchmo.

I have always been a fan of Jelly Roll Morton, and I've always looked for books about him. This is by far the best. I loved it. I wish they would re-issue it

Alan Lomax interviewed Jelly Roll while doing an extensive set of recordings shortly before Morton's death. He followed up with a number of interviews with people who knew Jelly Roll. Lomax did a fabulous job of keeping himself out of the way while letting the often colorful information from the interviews tell the story of Jelly's part in the birth of jazz, a story with triumphs, massive ego and ultimate decline. I read a library copy and am buying a copy for a present.

This is one of the rare books for it can be enjoyed by just about anyone who picks it up. Its the amazing account of the life of Jelly Roll Morton, one of the best jazz pianists of all time. Though a braggart and troubled man, he created some of the very best pieces of jazz. The book goes into his life from his childhood and his time working at Storyville to the very troubled end in the early forties. You learn about his family, his troubled relationships with Anita and Mabel and how he went from being wildly successful to dying virtually forgotten. Voodoo, New Orleans, jazz and Creole culture, its all here.

Written with flair and never boring, Mr. Jelly Roll is a book that you will read more than once. Its a look at a legend and a glimpse into a world we can only know of through books and music. Get this if you want a good read and a look at Mr. Morton's life. A true classic.

I've been to the French Quarter twice in the last year. I think I left my heart there! It's such a beautiful city with so much history, and so many great and colorful people! This CD does the city justice and then some! The pictures are glorious, and I don't think there's a block in the Quarter they missed. You can take a variety of "guided" tours, or you have the option of clicking on a map of the Quarter. The map let's you click and see just about every square inch of the Quarter. There aren't a lot of interior pictures on this CD if that's what you are looking for. There are also panoramic views which are great, and an area to "meet" a couple of people from the French Quarter and get some info and perspective from them. This is just a really great buy for anyone who wants to travel to New Orleans' French Quarter, or for people like me who absolutely love the city!

I tried this CD after viewing the Armchair Tour of Charleston, SC, and I think this one is even better. Tons of information and great photos. I'd love to be able to visit the French Quarter every few months, but failing that opportunity, this has got to be the next best thing.

Wow! The quality of the pictures and the effect of the panoramic feature was impressive. New Orleans French quarter is one of my wife and I's favorite places to visit. The use of the DVD shows us some of the houses that we have not visited plus things about the ones that we have that we missed- decorative vents in the buildings. I particularly enjoyed the lady with the Cajun accent doing the audio. Love the dialect. This helps us plan our next trip. Good job.

The armchair tour series is a must for folks who travel or appreciate the unique beauty and architecture of our country. Each armchair cd uses multiple media sources to create the look, feel, and sound of a particular city. I used the the cd to prepare for travel and then passed the cd on to my son for a shcool project. The armchair cd is the next best thing to "bein there".

This is the coolest product! I have to admit I didn't know what to expect when I got it but I was floored as to the amount of information and the extent to which they go into detail. The photography is beautiful. It is so much fun to just walk down the street and see a picture of every single house. I had a ball following the clues looking for this guys lost keys and the graphic at the end was hysterical. It's like buying every single book about the French Quarter, having all the really interesting things be highlighted for you and then have pictures of it all added. It just brings the whole city, with all it's incredible buildings and fascinating stories, to life. I don't usually get this excited about things but this is really great!

Like other reviewers here, I belonged to the Scholastic Book Club when I was in my early teens, and NIGHT IN FUNLAND was one of the books I ordered. I didn't have money of my own, but I remember my mother counting out change from her purse for me to buy books with. My copy of FUNLAND, published in 1969, cost just 75-cents! This is one of the few books I still have from my childhood or adolescence. My favorite stories from the volume were and still are: "Too Early Spring," by Stephen Vincent Benet, "Contents of a Dead Man's Pocket," by Jack Finney, "Flowers for Algernon," by Daniel Keyes, "Antaeus," by Borden Deal, "The Sea Gulls," by Elias Venezis, and "Night in Funland," which I consider the best of the bunch, by William Peden. Peden, in whose name a literary prize is awarded each year, creates a frightening and hauntingly real story of tragedy and loss. The story delves into the archetypal fear we have of losing control of our world (symbolized by the carnival) and being unable to keep those who depend on us safe from harm. It really is too bad this book is no longer in print. It's a real gem.

I got this book when I was in the 4th grade through the Scholastic Book Service. Does anyone else remeber them? Anyway, right from the very first story, "Night In Funland" I was hooked. Each story was better than the last. And I still have that well worn paperback. Did you know that an episode of "The Twilight Zone" was based on the story titled "4:00 PM"? And of course "Charley".
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes great short stories. And my personal favorite is "Too Ear;y Spring".

I read this book one summer when I was 12 or 13, some of the stories have stayed in my mind ever since. I was looking for it to give to my 12 year old son. I recommend it as a great summer book, filled with strange images and intiguing mysteries. Pure fun to read.

This was a book I read as a thirteen year old. It was one I couldn't put down. It frightened me and painted spooky images in my mind. Images that robbed me of sleep. A great book.

I, too, read this book when I was 13 or 14 and I found it fascinating. I lent it to a school mate that year (1968) and never got it back. I've been looking for it ever since! The ORIGINAL Flowers for Algernon was in this book--way before the movie "Charlie" or "Charly" came out.