Georgia Books

When reading Porter's fiction, we cannot help but acknowledge that she was a consummate stylist. We marvel at her narrative voice as she fleshes out characters such as Miranda Gay, Maria Concepcion, or Granny Weatherall, and in recognizing this, one must congratulate Joan Givner for realizing that Porter, when it came to her own life, was also a stylist in her creation of a feminine literary persona, a persona so potent that only the most perservering of biographers can penetrate it. Givner has done just that in her work. Because of her tenacious research and attention to detail, she gives us a study that is often anecdotal but always honest, and no doubt that combination makes for a great biographical read. She gives us the real Porter, and at the same time never lets us forget that when Porter did find the time to write, she was one of the great literary talents of the twentieth century.

Katherine Anne Porter was as fascinating a character as any fictional work she ever created. Self-educated, she wrote some of the most complex and well-crafted short stories of her time and concocted a personal image of glamour and refinement despite her very modest origins. As multi-married as a movie queen, she bewitched dozens of men, marrying some of them decades her junior. Hindsight has withered the illusion of her physical appeal, despite all the talk of her beauty, her photographs to contemporary non-bewitched eyes reveal a woman deep into middle age despite her chic poses. Past forty when she burst on to the literary scene in the 1930's, Porter live in genteel poverty until she hit the jackpot in her seventies with epic novel A SHIP OF FOOLS earning her millions. She would go on for almost another two decades before she died at age 90 in 1980. Sharply opinionated and seemingly easy to anger, Porter nevertheless could be a great friend as she was to Robert Penn Warren and the novice Eudora Welty. This book is a fascinating, detailed account of her long life. Author Givner has since taken a more negative personal view of Porter in other works, fortunately here she seems to admire this woman who carved a major place in the world of letters for herself from very humble beginnings.

As an African-American who lives in Kennesaw, Georgia the book was a priceless gift about the history of where I live.

I hope Ms. Lassiter does a follow-up and soon.

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK IT TELLS ALL ABOUT OUR FAMILIY'S HISTORY. I REALLY LIKE IT BECAUSE IT SHOWS YOU WHO THE PEOPLE ARE SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY KNOW AND TEACH THE YOUNGER CHILDREN ABOUT THE FAMILY.

As I read KUDZU, I realized that I could not write about just one character in the book. Even though I have to admit (as an ex-Georgia Cop) that I could certainly associate with the Georgia Sheriff that Ms. Walls has written about. This book is so authentic that, as I read it, I actually felt like I was living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia. This book is definitely a page-turner. The authenticity of the characters gives the reader the feeling that you have actually lived in the area you write about. KUDZU is excellent reading for everyone who has lived in the South. This is a must read!

Reviewed by award-winning author, Bobby Ruble, author of Have No Mercy and co-author with wife, Kam, of Black Rosebud: Have No Mercy II.

Suffering from the aftermath of a painful divorce, Casey retreats to her Grandmother Weesie's cabin in the Appalachian Mountains to recuperate. She remembers fondly the days of her childhood that she spent with her grandmother at the cabin in Bluejay, Georgia. It seems as though Bluejay would be the idyllic place for a safe haven and the chance to start over with a new life.

But all is not as it seems...

Casey discovers her grandmother's diary. As Casey reads the diary, she finds herself transported back in time to the days of Bluejay, Georgia in the 1800's. What happens next defies explanation. Casey finds herself actually living the life of her Grandmother Weesie.

What she discovers is anything but peaceful and idyllic...

Kathleen Walls has combined mystery, intrigue, time travel and romance into one irresistible package in Kudzu. You won't be able to put it down.

...

What a uniquely valuable photo-documentary! Hundreds of high-quality b&w photos (plus 4 in nice Polaroid-transfer style color) of (mostly) Liberian (mostly) dwellings, from proud to humble, including interiors and details. Also some shots of the Southern U.S. 19th-century exemplars that the return immigrants remembered living in and (mostly) around, and served as the basis of an eclectic architectural vernacular. Also included are some floor plans, and a number of sensitive portraits of current residents (evidently descendants of the original builders in most cases).

I haven't read the text yet, but the pix are absolutely stunning. The vernacular is as unique as in many of the tropical islands and other mythic locations, but in addition, given the status of the builders as culturally twice-displaced persons, you can feel the struggle and the aspirations of these newly (and genuinely) freed people.

Now for the doubly poignant part: would these folks have stayed in the U.S. had they known what wholesale tragedy was eventually going to overwhelm their new homeland? That's anyone's guess, but we can't help feeling a tug at the heartstrings, what with the shocking reports out of contemporary Liberia (ongoing events had reduced many of the dwellings to shambles, a la Mauritius, even in 1988; we can only imagine their condition in the wake of all the current horrors).

This book is an absolute must for any African American library, architectural eclectic library, African cultural library, gorgeously-produced historical photo library. Slide it on your shelf, and give it some companionship by way of the African/world adobe book "Spectacular Vernacular" by Bourgeois and Davidson, and the delectable "Living In Mauritius" by De Marigny and Lagesse. Both are superb complements to this invaluable study of the artistic and cultural richness of African/American/African vernacular architecture.

The Authors have presented the transfer of antebellum American Culture to Liberia via the Emigrants who settled there with the American Colonization Society. An excellent resource for any historian working in this field- plus LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS!

Mr. Beidler uses his personal experiences along with his academic abilities to offer the reader a unique view of the Vietnam War. He suggests that we have created a myth about Vietnam and that we haven't learned any lessons about the limits of our abilities as a culture or government. We haven't faced up to the consequences of our actions in Vietnam.

What I really liked about this book is that Mr. Beidler didn't forget the participants. One chapter in particular, "How I flunked race in Vietnam", gave me a valuable insight into human behavior.

How quickly we forget. The "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" and Ted Sampley run John Kerry through the mill for his "betrayal" of the troops who served in Vietnam in his testimony in the Senate in 1971. Dr. Beidler reminds us that it wasn't the soldiers that were to blame for the atrocity that was the Vietnam War but the blind stupidity of the political and military leadership that led to, and kept us in, a war that we were never going to win. Read this and "They Marched Into Sunlight" to get a refresher on why things were they way they were in the late 60's and early 70's. I particularly appreciate Dr. Beildler's perspective on the totally superficial "sacrifices" of the American public in the current war. In speaking of the soldiers of this war he says, "Don't come home expecting anybody to remotely care". We are too busy on our cell phones.

In this first academic biography of alcoholic-turned-Methodist-evangelist Samuel Porter Jones (1847-1906), Kathleen Minnix has transformed an earlier dissertation into a fine first book that is both readable and academically rigorous. Although many assume that the typical turn-of-the century evangelist must have spoken with a southern accent, Sam Jones (along with his unrelated younger contemporary Bob Jones) is one of only two southern evangelists who enjoyed a reputation outside the South between 1880 and 1940.

After a first chapter devoted to the Nashville campaign of 1885 that "catapulted Jones to national prominence," Minnix spends two chapters dealing with Jones's youth and pre-evangelistic career before launching into a largely topical examination of Jones's witty (if sometimes crude and clownish) preaching style and his occasionally unorthodox Methodist theology. Later chapters treat his effusions on race, politics, and social change and note his influence in paving the way for national prohibition. Minnix understands the historical context in which Jones moved, and readers attuned to theological nuance will appreciate her discussion of contemporary Methodist conflicts over biblical criticism, the holiness movement, and the "star system" of evangelism. Minnix's final chapter discusses the reasons for Jones's popular decline and treats the lives of his spectacularly wayward children. On occasion Minnix reaches for conclusions beyond evidence, but on the whole, this a fine biography of an important and now largely forgotten American religious figure.

The story of a unique genius who learned to preach by reading Spurgeon, but whose style and content were light-years removed from the Brit. It could be said that Jones invented Will Rogers and Bob Jones University; Rogers perpetuated his wit and Bob Jones, Sr. consciously emulated his philosophy of religion and life. This is a full and intriging biography, very important to anyone wishing to grasp backgrounds and currents in modern American religion.

about the previous review, please check your high school geography books, may be it are wrong also, México, isn't in Central America, México's history can't be explained as from the desintegration of "las provincias unidas de centroamerica", nada que ver, no manches guey...los mexicanos no somos centroamericanos ni sudacas....

I used Woodward's essay on the liberal-conservative struggle in post independence Central America in writing a paper on the dissolution of the Central American Federation. It makes a well laid out argument, is well noted, and has a few great quotes in it if your writing a paper.

This is without a doubt one of the best regional travel guides I've ever had. If you plan on exploring the GA coast this book is priceless. I only wish they would publish a new edition with a few updates.

I love the Georgia Coast and this book is the best book I've ever seen about this area even though I've spent a lot of time in and around Savannah. I've learned alot by reading this book. Get this book if you are interested in history, outdoors, hiking, fishing, etc. It also has alot of access info, resturants and lodging.

There are 127 pages with pictures on every page. Some of the pictures pre 1900 and the majority are of good quality. This book is a must for anyone wanting to research the history of Valdosta and Lowndes county Georgia.

Dr. Tomberlin is actually a neigbor of ours and has been for about 30 years. Our children sang Christmas Carols on his front lawn and "Tricked or Treated" there when they were growing up. This is a purchase that I made for them. I was raised in Brooks county, a few miles from here. But we raised our children here in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia. The photos and comments will mean so much to them as they grow older. Thanks to Dr. Tomberlin they can look back in history and see what helped to mold them. Thank you, Joe, for a job well done.
Susan Klanicki

I ENCOURAGE ANY AND EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK. I LIKE TO READ THINGS THAT ARE RELATED TO THE WAY I WAS BROUGHT UP. ITS A VERY ENCOURAGING BOOK.

I HAVE BEEN READING THIS BOOK EVERYSINCE I WAS IN THE NINTH GRADE. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT GROWING UP POOR. AND WITH THE HELP OF HER GRANDMOTHER LUDELL WAS TAUGHT A LOT OF VALUES AND MORALS. IT ALSO HAS TO DO WITH LOVE AND FAITH. BECAUSE AFTER HER GRANDMOTHER DIED, SHE WAS FORCED TO GO LIVE IN NEWYORK WITH HER MOTHER. I LOVE THIS BOOK AND I LET SOMEONE BORROW IT AND IT WAS NEVER RETURNED IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN GO ABOUT OBTAINING ANOTHER ONE IF SO. PLEASE WRITE TO MICHELE JACKSON 2613 MCLELLAND STREET APT. 10 HATTIESBURG, MS. 39401