Kansas Books

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Arcadia Publishing's Black America Series is worth millions. Each title in the series (currently 82 and growing) focuses on a region or theme, and is written by a local history buff with an obvious passion for their subject. Each is packed with 200 photographs depicting scenes from family, social, business, cultural, religious and political life, with narrative to place them in context. Many of the photos are from private collections and the archives of black newspapers.

The power of making visible what was formerly invisible cannot be overestimated. I have personally reviewed three titles and recommend them all: ANOTHER ANN ARBOR by Carol Gibson and Lola M. Jones, CINCINNATI by Gina Ruffin Moore, and KANSAS CITY by Delia C. Gillis.

Delicious recipes... appetizers that look perfect for holiday cocktail parties. Main entrees from Christmas Golden Goose to Long Island Duckling to Pork Tenderloin with Easy Plum Sauce. This is a collection from the author's friends and families. It looks like everyone shared their BEST recipes!

SINCE I AM A NATIVE KANSAS CITIAN, I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I LOVE HISTORY, BUT I REALLY LOVE MY TOWN(I GUESS I AM VERY PREJUDICED)AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES WITH IT(I AM THIRD GENERATION KANSAS CITIAN), GOOD OR OTHERWISE.THIS BOOK IS PROBABLY MOST ENJOYABLE TO US NATIVES. BUT, WHAT THE HECK.I WISHED TRUMAN WAS STILL PRESIDENT. SO WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

This is a very believable group of characters in a timely and innovative story. I suspect most of us know or have met a group of kids who could easily be this gang. A good example of kids who are left pretty much to their own devices, gather into a "family" of choice, have fun and do rather well... most of the time. Fast paced with good description of characters and settings. If I was in KC and drove out to the airport, I think I could probably find the places described to the readers. The writer is creative and apparently is knowledgeable about kids and food preparation. There are a few "rough" words, but have you listened to the majority of real kids lately? Interesting villain, hope to meet again in a future story about the KC Marvels and their adventures. Got the book for my grandkids. I opened it up and just had to read it before I sent it off. Both adults and about 11,12 yrs and over will enjoy this

This book is worth it's weight in gold...if you happen to be from Kansas City...like me! It's a treasure.

I have both editions, and ehjoy them both. My only regret is that I don't have enough time to look them over more often.

America's heartland foods range from comforting (oven baked chicken, potato cakes) to ethnic (grilled sweet potato sticks, Swedish rye bread) to unusual (amaranth muffins, pawpaw bread).
The recipe for black walnut pie make your mouth water. I'm partial to it and the corn puffs recipes as they were contributed by my step-grandmother. Carey collected the recipes from noted cooks all over Kansas from Topeka to Fredonia to Coffeyville to Dodge City.
Yummy!

In The Kansas Guidebook for explorers, Marci Penner has succeeded in compiling a beautifully complete, lovingly researched and composed, well-photographed, and impressively easy to use guide to everything Kansas.

After seeing all the Kansas fence posts made of rock, are you wondering where the post rock capital of Kansas is and why? The index will tell you to check page 77. Planning a trip to Wichita and need to know what to see in the area? The book is divided into geographical sections, color coded and tabbed, so in this case you can go right to the South Central section and see not only what there is in Wichita, but what towns and areas are near and what they offer, including a detailed map at the beginning of the section. And if you like to just browse through and read whatever catches your fancy, this book is useful for that, with fun, interesting, and colorfully illustrated entries on every page.

And here is my favorite thing: The book is so well indexed, one can look up, say "sculptures and statues" and find a list of every location in the book where sculptures and statues are mentioned, every place in the state. This type of detailed index is a rare and wonderful aspect of a guide book, one I find enormously helpful.

My family and I are enjoying this book. I highly recommend it. Five stars!

Black and white photos tell the story of Kansas from small towns to wide prairie views. The actual words accompanying the photos come from letters, books and newspapers of the 1800s and early 1900s. The weathered faces of farmers, the alert stance of a coyote, and the graceful arch of an old stone bridge are examples of the photographer's subjects.
Here are some that I particularly liked:
*A line of limestone fence posts echo the line of the gravel road and the treeless horizon where an old white church is silhouetted against the wide Kansas sky
*People sitting on the curb watching a 4th of July parade in a small town
*a broken snowfence dissects a snowy prairie scene

A quirky too short story about a brother (gay) and sister (straight) who unwittingly share a lover. The lover doesn't know it either and he's trying to sort out his feelings for each. That part is well done.
But then the brother finds and takes in an infant abandoned in the subway on a freezing cold snowy midnight, screaming it's little lungs out. Oh how anyone can do that I'll never know, for gods sake.
Those are the two main plots. Both perfect but IT'S TOO SHORT DANG IT!

After reading 'Facing the Tank' I could see this author taking these two themes and making a beautiful novel. But he doesn't.
It's as tho this is Mr. Gales outline for the novel to come. I'd like to see him rewrite, or rather finish writing Kansas in August. You don't find too many authors with that magic touch.