Kansas Books

Excerpted from The Independent Review (Summer 2001) by Hans Eicholz

Rosen presents one point of view, which puts in practice a fairly pure version of what is generally called the "Straussian" interpretive approach. As a historian, I have some strong reservations about his method. Nonetheless, Rosen has made some significant contributions in this monograph.

Rosen correctly notes that scholars have usually ignored Madison's actions as president. They tend to stop with his service in the first federal Congress, as if only his transition from nationalist Publius to state's rights Republican needed to be explained. Rosen's work seeks to fill an important gap in the literature. A nice example is his treatment of the Bank of the United States.

Because Rosen relies almost entirely on Madison's own accounts, we get little sense of the historical context in which Madison was operating. Rather, we get a very streamlined theoretical account of Hobbes, Locke, and Aristotle, and caricatures of Jefferson and Hamilton. The effect is to produce a truncated picture of Madison's intellectual world.

Rosen has made some useful suggestions for approaching Madison's constitutional thought, but he has not adequately developed them, primarily because of his inattention to history.

American Compact merits serious consideration by those of legitimate concern with the evolvement of the American Ethic. Self described as a rehabilitation of Madison as a statesman and politician, Rosen's effort greatly exceeds his goal. Tracing the chronicles of Madison's intellect, enlightenment, and experience the myths of this Virginian are dismantled in a scholarly, and prudent fashion. From the claim of Madison's apostacy to his own nationalistic principles in the 1790s ,his demotion to a lieutenant of Jefferson's, or a 'trimmer' Rosen convincingly destroys those myths, and frees Madison from the framework of being considered only in light of his friend Jefferson, and, or, his protagonist Hamilton. In the spirit of Banning and McCoy a fresh view of the Father of the Constitution is afforded those who read the book, to those who study it, a conduit to the allusive Original Intent is possible. The greatest lessons that emerge are the veracity of Madison's claim of consistancy throughout his career, and a clear view of Madison's working to construct a document of national power, which he realized the average man could not accomplish, and then turning it back over to the citizenry not only for ratification, but for the participation Madison saw as required by the principles of the revolution.

ANY SERIOUS STUDENT OF AMERICAN HISTORY, AND MORE ESPECIALLY THAT OF PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT, IS WELL AWARE OF THE SCANDALS THAT HELPED TO BLACKEN PRESIDENT HARDING'S NAME FOREVER. HOWEVER, IN RECENT YEARS, INTEREST WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES HAVE SHOWN ITSELF TO BE QUITE OVERWHELMING TO SAY THE LEAST. WARREN HARDING REMAINS TODAY TO BE A SHADOW WHEN STANDING NEXT TO WOODROW WILSON AND CALVIN COOLIDGE. THE ROARING '20'S BROUGHT WITH IT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE LIVES OF ALL AMERICANS, AND IN HOW THEY LIVED AND WORKED. THE ECONOMIC BOOM CAN BE DIRECTLY TRACED TO THE POLICIES OF THE HARDING ADMINISTRATION. HARDING PROMISED A RETURN TO "NORMALCY" AND HIS PLANS TO REVITILZ THE UNITED STATES WORKED BETTER THAN ANYONE FIRST THOUGHT. THE TWENTY-NINTH PRESIDENT IS LARGELY UNAPPRECIATED TODAY, BUT DESPITE THE SCANDALS, ONE WOULD HAVE TO CONCLUDE, AFTER REVIEWING ALL OF HIS DECISIONS, THAT THIS MAN CARED DEEPLY FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS GRAND NATION. PRESIDENT HARDING DONE MORE FOR THIS COUNTRY THAN MOST PEOPLE THINK, AND THAT CLAIM CAN WITHSTAND THE TEST OF TIME.

In polls of historians, Warren Harding has consistently ranked last when their greatness is examined. Even those who are more favorably disposed towards his presidency never rank him out of the very bottom. While some of that is due to the major scandals of his administration, Harding himself was not a dynamic, imaginative figure. The major changes in the world due to the consequences of World War I meant that the American president needed those skills.
The old order in Europe was destroyed, new small nations were created out of the remnants of the old and the United States emerged as the economically most powerful country in the world. The colossal Russian Empire was dismembered and ruled by a revolutionary regime that openly advocated overthrowing the governments of other nations. Due to their assuming many traditional male roles during the war, women were finally granted the right to vote and other issues concerning female rights were still being debated. Japan emerged as the dominant power in Asia and their ruling class was determined to expand Japanese power as much as possible. Since the only nation standing in their way was the United States, the military forces of both countries began planning for a war between them. The end of the war saw a worldwide economic downturn and millions succumbed to a flu pandemic. Finally, the last years of the Wilson presidency saw American policy drift. Wilson's serious health problems meant that there was a leadership vacuum at the worst possible moment.
Harding stepped into this maze of problems and he simply was not capable of understanding them, much less dealing with them. Fortunately for the country and the world, he chose some very capable cabinet members and left them alone. Unfortunately, he also selected some really bad cabinet members and also left them alone. On the positive side, he chose Charles Hughes as secretary of state, Henry Wallace as secretary of agriculture and Herbert Hoover as secretary of commerce. As Trani so aptly points out, the position of the American secretary of commerce had changed dramatically due to the war. After the war, the only nation that could provide the funds for rebuilding the European economies and the food to feed the people was the United States. Trani spends a great deal of time describing how effective Hoover ways in transitioning the United States into the major global economic power.
The expanded U. S. involvement in world events meant that the secretary of state was more active than ever. While the main point of American domestic political contention was whether the U. S. should join the League of Nations, many other things were taking place. Two of the eight chapters are devoted to foreign policy, very little of which deals with the question of league membership. One chapter is devoted to the ending of the war in Europe and the early indications of the eventual conflict between the United States and Japan. The other deals largely with U. S. relations with Latin America. After decades of military interventions, the United States was beginning the "Good Neighbor" policy of non-intervention.
The negative side of Harding's cabinet appointments was significant. Attorney General Daugherty was indicted, although acquitted at trial and three officials of the Harding administration served time in jail. Harding was sexually active outside his marriage and did not feel bound to adhere to the laws against alcohol. Nearly all of the scandals were revealed after his death, so he personally did not have to face them. Herbert Hoover deserves credit for giving Harding advice that all politicians should heed. He told Harding that when faced with the possibility of scandal, "reveal it, at least you will be praised for your integrity."
This book does very little to raise the stature of Warren Harding as a president. That task is impossible, as it would force the author to commit historical turpitude. It describes Harding as he was. He was without vision, unable to take a stand on any issue and almost certainly the weakest personality ever to occupy the presidency.

As an author and speaker to teens, this book is a practical and inspiring resource for parents or anyone who works with teens. Filled with actions steps, it unmasks the reasons that teens might be angry and gives help on how to strengthen the relationship, as well as deal with the root of the anger.

T. Suzanne Eller, author of Real Issues, Real Teens -- What Every Parent Needs to Know

This book came at a critical time in the life of one of our children. I couldn't understand where the anger was coming from. This book provided us not only some background on possible sources of the anger, but more importantly, how we can best deal with the consequences for our child and the rest of the family as well. I would highly recommend this book to any parent with teenage children!

Bruce Dierenfield has written an excellent book that combines the personal stories of a very divisive court case, with an excellent historical overview of the relationship between church and state in the U.S.
As a child of one of the plaintiffs I was fascinated to learn the stories of other people involved with the case.

Over the years I have heard many reasons for school prayer. Everything from the demise of our society in general, to the violence at Virginia Tech. All such attention given to one reason for society's ills with avoidance of many others. The increase in school violence, lack of prayer in our schools. No mention the effects of more and more Mothers working outside the home. No mention of how we have been redirected as to how we disipline our children. You know "They are just expressing themselves." "Or to disipline them is to destroy their self esteem." No you are teaching them to live an orderly life in an ordered society. Instead of blaming a lack of school prayer for our ills, why not blame we as parents?

In the 6th Chapter of Matthew Christ admonished us to pray in private, in our closets, not as some glowing example of so called Christian values, in public. Which is so like wearing ones religion on ones sleeve, and looking down on those who choose to pray in private. In turn the 1962 Supereme Court decision has also given rise to this need to display the 10 Commandments on our public grounds or in our courthouses. In turn angring many professed Christians. Deplorying a merger between "Church and State." One reason many of us came to this land in the first place, "Freedom from religion." Not just freedom of religion.

This book gives us a reminder of what we have had to contend with in our society since 1962, from both sides. This is not a Christian nation, and we should attempt to revamp our values. Never mind that at the founding of this nation the new comers tried to exterminate those who were here already, and then we brought peoples from another land as slaves. Not too Christ like from where I stand.

What about those of other beliefs, who do not believe as the majority, you know Buddist, Muslims, Jews, and even non believers? Should not their needs be respected as well? What ever happened to "Love Thy Neighbor?"

Our Constitution dose state in part Congress shall make no law respecting one religion, or the establishment of one religion as opposed to another. So we then call the judges "Activist" for upholding this point. If we are so "Religious," why all the wars? In this world we have fought more wars over religion than anything in history. Blaming a whole host of ills on a lack of school pray for everything from increased crime, to abortion.

So we get upset over the court upholding our Constitution, which we both love and hate.

Read this book, and get an inside look at both sides of this argument, and understand there is a great need for not school prayer, but home prayer, to whom ever, and how ever an individual prays. There is after all, diversity even within Christianty, so why should one frame of mind win out. Tolerance is the message here. Educate your self, refresh in your mind even though "Atheist" brought the suite, we all win in tolerance.

This book is full of behind the scenes information not known to the public. The in fighting of the Supreme Court justices reveals that they are only people. The book really gives an inside look at the Supreme Court and the people who have worked there throught the years.

Cooper's book doesn't offer much that is new. The conflicts contained within have been discussed separately in numerous judicial biographies. Nevertheless, Cooper does a great service to students of the Supreme Court by bringing it all together in one volume.

Moreover, his classification of different interpersonal conflicts is both unique and entertaining. He is particulary strong detailing the Frankfurter/Jackson battles with Hugo Black. This book is a real asset for both the academic interested in judicial personality and the casual reader who wishes to learn more about the inner workings of the nation's highest court.

Cooper demonstrates throughout that Supreme Court decisions are more than just differences over legal principles. They also involve ego and personality.

The author's writing style is very inviting, and the reader need not be a constitutional scholar to enjoy it.

This is not an action-packed blow-by-blow account of battles, it's about U.S. WW II bombing strategy -- the most analytical, insightful, source material based book I've read in my admittedly limited WW II reading. The author is a real scholar -- I'll be passing this book to friends and reading other books by the author.

According to Crane, Allied air commanders in Europe prioritized accuracy while General LeMay valued the psychological aspects of delibrately targeting civilians. American commanders such as Spaatz advocated precision bombing even if it meant greater causalties. Crane writes that civilian causalties became more acceptable when the Army Airforce began bombing transpotation targets in Europe and thereby incuring greater civilian causalties. Plus both Fifteenth and Eighth airforces began using radar directed bombing practices that were less accurate. General LeMay completely ignored the accuracy doctrine and started to delibrately bomb civilian areas. The aim of LeMay's stragedy was to shock the Japanese to surrender. Crane concludes his book by writing about the mediocre record of strategic bombing since the Second World War. Bombing was ineffective against preindustrilized countries such as North Korea and Vietnam, but was effective in shocking Iraq ground soldiers to surrender in the Gulf War. The only weakness of this book is that Crane ignored close air support doctrine within the airforce. But if one wants to study about the American bombing campaigns this is a highly informative study.

My great uncle was listed in this book as one of the "whtchimacallits" and he certainly was not mad. He build his plane in western Kansas and exchanged ideas with the Wright brothers. He was also an artist trained in fresco and painted many of the back of the alters in churches throughout Missouri and Kansas. It is rather rare that a person has a combined interest and skills in art and science.
He returned to his home in Luxembourg when his mother became ill. He left the plane he had build in a barn in Kansas.
As a child younger than age five, I can remember the daytime sky becoming almost dark with all the planes that flew over our western suburban Kansas City home on their way to the East.
One of the likely reasons for the early experimental air craft choosing central Kansas was that there were many places to land if they got into trouble. Cow pies are often very soft!

There are few more significant areas of historical study for twentieth century America than the development of aviation. For residents of the Midwestern part of the United States aviation was an especially significant engine of change, owing to the unique combination of open spaces, relatively small numbers of population, distances between urban areas, and, a pioneering spirit.

"Borne on the South Wind" is a useful large-format illustrated history chronicling the growth of aviation in one Great Plains state. The authors describe in eight chapters of narrative and more than 250 photographs the aviation story of Kansas. Beginning with lighter-than-air activities with kites and balloons in the nineteenth century, Frank Joseph Rowe and Craig Miner move quickly into a discussion of the oddities of early aviation, called here "watchimacallits" because they were clearly weird contraptions constructed by inventors, some of whom were both brilliant and mad. They expend some effort dealing with air meets, barnstorming, and daredevils but then move on to the much more significant air mail activities of the 1920s and 1930s, the first time airplanes were widely acknowledged as having much practical application.

There is, appropriately enough, both a geographical and chronological center to Borne on the South Wind. In the first category, Wichita occupies center stage in this narrative. The city has for decades billed itself as the "Air Capitol of the World," and while that is certainly an overstatement, it is one of the significant centers of aviation in the U.S. Accordingly, Rowe and Miner describe in great detail the rise of the general aviation industry there, led by such entrepreneurs as Walter and Olive Ann Beech, Clyde Cessna, and William P. Lear. The three companies those business leaders founded and operated in Wichita, accounted for the lion's share of whatever claims the city and the state had to leadership in aviation and account for the bulk of the discussion in this book.

The chronological emphasis is on the World War II era, for once again, that it where the bulk of the importance lay. The major aircraft manufacturers in the state--essentially Beechcraft, Cessna, and Lear in Wichita--received millions of dollars in defense contracts to produce military versions of their civil planes and to design and build both new models and components for other aircraft. Because of the knowledge base, skilled work force, infrastructure already in place in the city at the outbreak of World War II, other manufacturing firms soon set up shop in Wichita and any number of other craft were manufactured there as a result. Boeing, North American Aviation, and a host of smaller firms did business in the region during the war. Indeed, as a chart from the Aircraft Industries Association of America concluded about 34,500 aircraft were built in Kansas during the war, 11.5 percent of the U.S. total. Clearly, this marked the high water mark of Kansas contribution to U.S. aviation in the twentieth century.

The story of Kansas aviation since World War II has been one of trying to hang on to at least a portion of an ever shrinking manufacturing market. There were some notable successes, the business-class jets of Lear and Cessna became enormously successful beginning in the 1960s and have been a mainstay of manufacturing ever since. The state also became a haven for innovative general aviation entrepreneurs. For example, James Bede designed and marketed a kit for a tiny personal aircraft, either prop or jet powered. Additionally, Randy Schlitter formed a company to manufacture and sell sport and ultralight aircraft kits in Hays, Kansas. But the overall business trend for Kansas aeronautical firms has been downward. Rowe and Miner analyze this slide quite well, for instance, most of the firms that boomed in World War II either closed down altogether or greatly restricted their operations after 1945.

Aviation in general and especially in the American West very badly needs in-depth, sustained, question-oriented study. The rise of the air lines linking western cities deserves the same type of treatment that historians have given the railroad and other modes of transportation in the West in the nineteenth century. The development of military airfields in the West requires the same kind of analysis that has been the bread and butter of historians of the military frontier. "Borne on the South Wind" is one building block that can help in the process of understanding aviation in the larger West. As such it is a useful contribution.

This book covers the first year of Chinese rule in Hong Kong, by the reporter Steve Vines, whose articles on Hong Kong for the English paper the Independant were one of the few largely fearless sources of information for Hong Kong residents like myself during the 1990's, in the increasingly paranoid world of pre-handover Hong Kong (the local papers were terrible). Vines pulls a few punches this time around (he now has business interests in Hong Kong), but there is a lot of fascinating information on the place for those of us who left with or soon after the British.

For those visiting for the first time (or simply from the armchair), this book will make a good follow up to the usual Hong Kong classics: Jan Morris' Hong Kong, Austin Coates' Myself a Mandarin, Bo Yang's The Ugly Chinaman, Timothy Mo's The Monkey King, and Paul Theroux's Kowloon Tong - all great for an understanding of Hong Kong (including the bits Hong Kong doesn't like to talk about).

Stephen Vines claims that _Hong Kong: China's New Colony_ is unconventional, as "a personal account of living through" the transition. True enough, as the writing is anything but objective. Nonetheless, it would be a mistake to dismiss this writing simply because of its bias, because it is also a very informative look at significant events and issues leading up to, and surrounding, the handover of Hong Kong to China.

The books claims to have a central theme of China's desire to acquire a colony (and hence the title), but I think a more accurate constant theme would be that the potential and likelihood of the Chinese Communist Party to crash the party that is Hong Kong. Throughout the book, the Chinese government is depicted in a thoroughly negative light, making it clear that Vines has little trust for the Chinese government to properly handle the SAR, and dislike for the current regime. This is fine, but it occasionally comes close to obscuring the information the book is presenting.

The flow of the book can be a little jumpy at times, with little logical progression of the chapters. The author often jumps from politics, to economy, back to politics, etc. Clearly the focus of the book is on both the politics and economics of the handover, but it may have been clearer if they were dealt with on their own terms.

Despite some drawbacks, the book deeply explores many key elements in Hong Kong and how the handover affects them. It is in these explorations that this work really shines. It effectively paints a picture of the complications and backgrounds of some of the major issues that cause concern to the people and businesses of the region.

One note of annoyance, Vines is inconsistent with the phonetic transcription of key figures and places. Mao Zedong is most early transcribed as "Mao Tse-Tung" (alongside "Lin Biao", which is transcribed in a different system, p.61) but thereafter always re-referred to as "Mao Zedong". Additionally, the PRC capital is always referred to as "Peking", which is markedly anachronistic in an age where "Beijing" is the standard transcription. For names of individuals who personally transcribe otherwise, it's acceptable, but not for more recognised entities for which another form (i.e. Pinyin) is now standard.

The book is thoroughly pessimistic, but interesting well enough. For those who have an interest in learning more about some of the issues concerning the Hong Kong handover, or even looking for an introduction to the event, _Hong Kong: China's New Colony_ is a good place to start.

James L. Guth strikes again with a poignant, informed, yet readable study of the politics of the Protestant clergy. Readers will marvel at Guth's pure genius in deducing the ins and outs of Protestant political history, movements, and regimes. You won't be able to put it down--I read the entire text, some 200-odd pages, in just one sitting. Guth has produced a definitive volume which will set the standard in his field for years to come. Bravo to James L. Guth!

In this book, Guth explores a realm of American politics usually left untouched: the religious movements. The first quarter of the book is devoted to presenting a brief history of religious movements in the U.S. from early American history to the present. This is done concisely but masterfully. He spends the rest of the book presenting the findings of a case study on a number of American religious denominations and their individual political movements. The research done on this is superb and presents a very accurate (though unexpected) picture of religious movements in politics today. I commend Dr. Guth on a job well done. Anyone at all interested in studying the effects religious groups, from the liberal leftist groups of the 60s and 70s to the new Christian Right should read this book. If only someone would now study Catholic movements in American politics in the same depth, we would have an almost complete picture of the role Christians have played (and continue to p! lay) in politics today.

This photojournalistic presentation of the pontiff is the best tribute to this spiritual giant of our day. An award-winning news photographer and an accomplished journalist together have brought out the best of Pope John Paul II through this documentation in words and images. There are, as many as 135 previously unpublished photographs in color, of the Pontiff from 1978 to 1995. Each of these photos by Gianni Giansanti, is a work of art in itself and all of them together take one deep into the personality of the Pope. The text written by Marco Tosatti who has accompanied the Pope on his pastoral visits for 14 years, is filled with information unavailable elsewhere. The book is organized into three sections: the Vatican, Private Life and Papal Travels. There is also an introduction that gives some biographical details of the Pope. This book paints a complete and true-to-life portrait of a Pope who has made a remarkable impact upon our times.

This book is beautiful from several perspectives. As a Catholic, I delighted in the glimpses of the Holy Father's journey through time and around the world. While certainly not a photography connoisseur in any sense, I thought the photos themselves were works of art and their large glossy reproduction enhanced their effect. I really enjoy the weight and texture of large 'coffee table' books printed on such good paper. The text accompanying the photos was a great, if (necessarily) short, history of the Pope and the Vatican up to 1996, which does not stray too far into debate over politics / theology / Church policy, without making the mistake of avoiding mention of controversy all together. I find myself going back to look at particular images, as they convey a great sense of the Church alive, even in countries where she is persecuted. The book as a whole left me with a much more visual sense of the Pope's mission and a greater respect for him as a man and a pontiff. I loved this book and while I don't, unfortunately, own it yet, I will buy it if I get the chance.