Southern Books

Michael Drinkard's Disobedience seamlessly weaves together the wacky stories of several generations of the Tibbets family, a Southern California clan who initially cultivated the orange in the Golden State.

The Tibbets, and the characters drawn into their lives, are beautifully rendered and utterly believable, no matter how comedic Drinkard's portrayal (from Grandma Gortex, an ex Las Vegas showgirl who parades around with an artificial hip, eye, and chest; to Luther Tibbets the down-on-his-luck, infertile engineer who can't impregnate his wife but eventually fertilizes the Imperial Valley by delivering water to California's deserts).

Underneath the surface of Disobedience's narrative lay brilliantly complex symbols and themes related to California's past, present, and future--if you choose to read them as such. Yet, these complexities do not detract from the stories, which are overwhelmingly imaginative and entertaining. As a writer, Drinkard's unique eye for detail, dialog, and diction far outweigh any of his references to structuralism, postmodernism, or any academic ism. The author is simply a marvelous, talented storyteller.

Anyone interested in a good yarn and the simmering conflicts within California would enjoy reading Disobedience. I look forward to reading Michael Drinkard's next novel.

This book had me hooked from the start. At first, I thought Drinkard was deconstrucing history but what he's really doing is *reconstructing* history. I was most impressed with how the author shows the linneage of traits within this very screwed-up family. This work also has a great sense of humor without sacrificing the humanity of the characters- most notably, the teenage son of the near future.

Michael Drinkard is not only the most original and literate chrnonicler of the Southern Californian landscape writing today, but also an insightful, poetic, and innovative traveler of the territory of childhood, of work, and of the psyche.

This book is a throbbing fun chant, a glockenspiel, an information tsunami, a benevolent dose, a purple eye pouch, a navel orange, a sexy sprawl, a fanatical consumer, a big fat violent happy face. I laughed, I cried, I got wet.

From the Bear Flag Revolt to the mini-mall present, the military and industrial powers of white California have consistently attempted to define the state's future by redefining (or obliterating) its past. This is certainly not a unique characteristic of the powers-that-be, but in California, especially Southern California, they seem intent on rubbing it in our faces. Thus it is not surprising that young California writers are increasingly turning to the state's past, at a level beyond supermarket historical realism or postmodern surface-nostalgia, to attempt to come to grips with this region's unsettled and unsettling present. Drinkard succeeds in crossing the seemingly impenetrable haze that separates one generation's California from the next. Jumping from parent to child, womb to grave, the novel encompasses the boosterism, booms and busts of the McKinley era, the corporate greed of the nineteen-eighties, and a near-future setting so plausible that it barely qualifies as science fiction. The author shows how the emotional lives and destinies of the characters in each present are created in a history that is largely unknown to them, revealed only when disasters both man-made and natural literally turn up the bones of the past. The book is an enjoyable read, especially in the near-future setting, whose characters are the most lovingly detailed. Drinkard has not quite learned to write the distant past, though his treatment shows promise. The nineteenth-century portion is lovingly researched, but the speech and mannerisms of the characters did not ring true enough to immerse me in the setting. The near-future part is full of gizmos and knick-knacks (some would say "gimmicks") that resonate with both DeLillo at his more whimsical (White Noise) and Jonathan Lethem. I am not personally fond of the former writer, but anyone who is--you must be out there--will certainly enjoy this aspect of Drinkard's book. By far my favorite part of the book was set in the corporate high-rise culture of the nineteen-eighties, amidst the early growth of the "information superhighway" and the cocaine-fueled careers of its builders. In this part of the story Drinkard portrays the emotional and moral development of a young man in a way that any writer could be proud of; and he certainly surpasses most of the other writers dealing with the same subject matter. More importantly, it is the part of the book that gave me the greatest sense of time past, of history both made and in the making.

I enjoyed Mr. Wilke's book, although the story of the liberal Southerner who is frustrated with the South, moves up north, a la Willie Morris, realizes the north isn't perfect and the South has become a better place and moves back, is one that has been told before. But he's sincere, and mostly honest, and I respect him for it. His book deserves a better sales rating that it currently has on Amazon.

Certainly I learned some things by reading the book, and anyone wanting to know a little of the back story of Mississippi in the 1960s would find this interesting.

The author is what would have been described in the 1960s as a "liberal" on civil rights. I do think he should have been more honest with his readers on the consequenses of that liberalism, for example, that Clarkddale and much of the Delta look only marginally better than Hiroshima in 1945. Perhaps if a little more consideration had been given to those awful white people in the Delta they would not have moved away in droves, leaving that region in the terrible condition that it is in today. Not that change didn't desperately need to come to the Delta and Mississippi, but in hindsight many of the fears of the white middle class have proven to have been justified. Perhaps they should have been given just a little more consideration, especially given the fact that the Delta needed their skills and services. But I suppose it's too much to expect the author to say "I was wrong," about anything, even though one look at Clarksdale or the rest of the Delta clearly shows that his brand of liberalism wasn't the answer.

Anyway, the book is a good read regardless of one's political leanings.

Having been born in Mississippi and having defected to the West at the age of 23, I picked up Wilke's book to get in touch with my "Southern roots". Wilke's account of his roots and his involvement with the civil rights movement is more than any of my high school and college history books could ever explain.

Progressive Curtis Wilke made me realize I should be proud of my heritage but also aghast at what caused all of these atrocities and racist views. The South's dirty laundry is something that needs to be acknowledged in order to overcome the past.

For anyone searching for indepth studies of the postwar American South, this is absolutely it. Wilkie brings the keen eye of a child of the South to the descriptions of life in his home town, county, state and region, and uses his journalist's skills to make it all vibrant and immediate to readers of any geographic locale. He does not pull punches in his frank descriptions of what was true in the South's postwar decades, nor does he excuse his own participations and prejudices as he passes through his own changes on a long journey to understanding the nation's necessary reassessments of civil rights and collective wrongs. While it helps to have a prior knowledge of the Civil Rights movement in this country, and a sense of how the Dixiecrats became Republicans, this book is accessible to any reader of American history and social change.

Having been born in Mississippi and having defected to the West at the age of 23, I picked up Wilke's book to get in touch with my "Southern roots". Wilke's account of his roots and his involvement with the civil rights movement is more than any of my high school and college history books could ever explain.

Progressive Curtis Wilke made me realize I should be proud of my heritage but also aghast at what caused all of these atrocities and racist views. The South's dirty laundry is something that needs to be acknowledged in order to overcome the past.

Curtis Wilkie's Dixie is described as a "personal odyssey"--that it is. It is a terrific account of growing up in the Old South and being a part of the making of the New South. It is howlingly funny in parts and chillingly thoughtful and full of insight. Any person northerner or southerner will find this book rewazrding.

I bought this book as a wedding present for a couple from Texas that have relocated to Chicago. Up north, they think the "Don't mess with Texas" campaign is about not messing with Texans. I just thought it was a great way of showing what the campaign was really about to all of their visiting Chicago friends. It has great photos with all the Texan icons.

This is a great book for people who are living in various parts of the country and miss Texas. Sold as a coffee table book, it's a great gift idea, providing out-of-staters with the chance to bring some of Texas home to them. The famous celebrities that appear on the pages helped to establish the campaign, further contributing to its good standing. This book serves as a reminder to Texans of just how unique the state of Texas really is. Texans are known for possessing an immense amount of pride for their state, and the excerpts in this book help to explain and reveal exactly why Texans feel this way.

I am an art and photography store owner in Hartford, CT, and I was so thrilled to see this book on Amazon! The slogan just recently won an advertising competition from Madison Avenue, and is now in the Advertising Hall of Fame. I love this book because it really gives a concise but powerful retelling of the campaign. Just like the Absolut Book (about Absolut Vodka) and the several books about the milk mustache campaign, this book retells the birth and subsequent fame of the advertising campaign, and how many different tacts and approaches the firm took. Plus, it has some great pictures and examples from commercials with celebrities and the different ways the slogan caught on. Really a must have book for advertising kids everywhere, as well as artists who are interested in commercializing their work.

Don't Mess With Texas gave a very interesting explanation of the history of the slogan. I think that everyone has heard the slogan, Don't mess with Texas. According to the book, the publication is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the famous anti-litter campaign. Considering it's success I think that the campaign is definitely deserving of a book in it's honor. When you start reading you begin to realize how long this slogan has been around and it brings back almost hilarious memories of old commercials and the different faces of the campaign. How many anti-litter campaign have had the faces of legends like Warren Moon, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, George Foreman , and Leann Rimes. This book encompasses alot of the values that we as Texans hold important and shoot, it looks great as a coffee table book. I would reccomend it to any one looking to explore an interesting story and piece of Texas history turned pop culture.

As an advertising executive, the "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign is, for me, the stuff legends are made of. It was the biggest, longest-running, and most successful public service advertisement in advertising history. It's really quite astounding that a local, pro-environment campaign picked up SO much momentum and even became an important part of American pop-culture. Tim McClure and Roy Spence do an outstanding job of telling their reader everything he/she wants to know about the campaign...and then some! Everything is there--from the first seeds of the idea to the last fully developed commercial (with, of course, lots of celebrity appearances, close-calls, budgeting issues, and interesting stories in between). This is a great book. If you're interested in advertising or Texas at all, it will entertain you.

Low Calorie Cajun Cooking started in Enola Prudhomme's restaurant. She had been making lower-calorie recipies there for family, but the menu contained none of them. When some patrons inquired, she tried putting one or two of them on the menu and met with great success. Today, half of the menu features these "heart smart" recipies. The crawfish etouffee is marvelous!

For those who love the aroma, taste, and challenge of cajun cuisine but want to eliminate its correlation with the human waistline, this book will be a welcome addition to the culinary library. It is packed full of hints for preparation and of course many excellent recipes. It is quite common in low-cal cookbooks that the flavor and texture get sacrificed in the quest to maintain the hourglass shape, and to some extent this is true here. But the author/chef has done a good job of preserving the bare essentials of the Cajun cooking experience. Recipe recommendations: 1. Seafood gumbo. 2. Shrimp Salad 3. Crabmeat Casserole 4. Shrimp and Crabmet Jambalaya 5. Shrimp Creole 6. Blackened Catfish 7. Cajun Catfish 8. Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. 9. Blackened Chicken Breast 10. Cajun-Style Chili 11. Blackened Pork Chop 12. Blackened Lamb Chop 13. Sweet Potatoes with Orange 14. Dirty Rice 15. Cajun Couche-Couche 16. Jalapeno Cornbread

I first bought this book about 4 years ago. I used the recipes for dinner parties, and my guests loved the food (of course I did, too)! I loaned the book out several times, didn't get it back the last time, and now I am ordering it again. The recipes are authentic Cajun, easy, and delicious. Shrimp etouffe and shrimp Creole are our favorites.

Enola Prudhomme's Low Fat Cajun Cooking is not only filled with fantastic recipes. It includes nutritional information on every meal, basic cooking tips for low fat cooking, and cooking techniques for all cooks. This is a fantastic recipe book as well as a necessary reference in my home!

A clinical dietician recommended this book to me and I love it. She let me borrow it and now I am ordering it as a result. Great recipes. Really like Enola Prudhomme's introduction and how the book came to be.

The reporter who wrote this supposedly went into it thinking the guy was guilty, but when he was done with the research, he had a different opinion. I read this book for a college paper and was shocked at how the best legal system in the world (which I still believe it is) can go so wrong. After reading this book I was so angry, that I thought that even if this guy is guilty, he should walk free, because everybody else acted so wrong throughout this case's history. Even today, over 30 years later, he is still sitting on death row. The problem is in the appeals system, where even this jury thought it would be righted.

A true-crime account involving the brutal murders of a wife, her parents, and a by-stander, this book could also fall into the cold case category as unsolved. The convicted, William Thomas Zeigler, is presently on death row, appeals exhausted, but still hoping for justice. Through the years he has had a large number of supporters, legal, forensic, and others interested in his appalling situation who believe he should be exonerated. The reader will be shocked at the magnitude of the crime, the investigation(s), and the astonishing conclusions.

That Southern justice can be an oxymoron is no surprise. But this book lays out in stunning detail how the system can close ranks to create an impenetrable thicket of corruption. It methodically deconstructs the state's case to reveal a disturbing array of official misinformation, mistakes and misconduct. The case is no less pertinent today, almost 30 years later, for the defendant still resides on death row. Perhaps the most stunning aspect is that the case has never been successfully appealed as it wended its way North through Federal courts. One suspects that the trial of a wealthy white businessman who killed his wife and three bystanders for insurance hardly makes even the most strident card-carrying ACLU member's heart race. Indeed, a drug dealer who murdered a policeman has more success in the courtroom - overturning a case on nearly identical grounds under which the defendant's is not. How did he find himself in the Kafkaesque struggle? He broke perhaps the highest law of the deep South one year earlier by coming to the defense of a black man. The guilt in this frightening indictment of our legal process does not end with the defendant: It does not even begin there. Unfortunately, however, neither does it end with the original perpetrators of the crime. If you liked "The Thin Blue Lie", you will love this book.

Have you ever stopped to think that cases such as Tommy's, whose innocence I believe in, the person or persons that committed a murder are still free to kill again?

After being involved in a case of someone I care about and having the police, prosecutors, and the judge betray that person, I started reading stories of other real life people who had also been betrayed by the police, prosecutors, judges, well... the whole "justice" system. One of the first books I read was "Fatal Flaw". After reading this book, with my heart breaking for Tommy and his mother, I contacted Tommy. He became a very dear friend of mine, as did his precious mother. Tommy has lost both his father and his mother while being in prison. I cannot think of a more hurtful thing in the world than to be in prison, an innocent person, and to lose someone you love. Not to mention Tommy's wife having been murdered, and not by him.

This book is the most wonderful book about the way the lack of justice is allowed in our country. It is easy to read, easy to follow and understand. Phillip Finch is a wonderful author who did not go into the telling of this story because he believed in Tommy's innocence. Because of his ability to do research and his honesty, he had to come to the conclusion that Tommy is innocent. If you read this story, you will see why he and others thought Tommy could be guilty. You will think... wait! I thought he is suppose to be innocent. Keep reading.

You might also think on this while reading. Other facts have come to light since the book was written to prove even further that Tommy is not just "not guilty" but totally innocent. Where are those who committed these murders? Not in prison! Does that worry you? Does it make anyone safer because "someone" is in prison for the murders? Sadly that does satisfy too many people.

Does it bother you that this can happen to anyone? Maybe you or someone you love? You might think that it never would, but if you are in the wrong place at the right time for the police, you could have evidence put together to make you or someone you love look guilty. Think about that! Read this story. You can read this book online at no cost. Do a search for Tommy Zeigler.

One thing that I would like to tell you about this book that was most shocking to me is concerning the jury. Did you know that other than physical abuse, a jury can do or say just about anything to get other jurors to change their mind. Nothing is suppose to leave the jury room about what is said or done during the trial. Nothing is recorded. In this book you will learn how a juror was allowed to hold a gun to another juror's head and pull the trigger. This woman was a hold out for "not guilty". The juror wanted her to change her mind. The woman tried to tell the judge, but he would not allow the woman to talk. He did not want a mistrial. Finally the woman managed to get a message to the judge. He had a doctor write her a prescription for Valium and she was told to take the medication. She finally could hold out no longer, and caved in from the pressure, never believing Tommy was guilty.

Tommy is innocent. The system is flawed. Real killers are going free. Is that okay with you? What if you are the next person that gets murdered because of a case like this, convicting an innocent person, especially when the state knows the person on trial is innocent. How sad and scary! How unfair for the innocent and it brings no justice for the victims that are killed.

In 1975, Winter Garden, Florida was a small, one-horse migrant labor and truck stop town bypassed by the supposed prosperity brought to Central Florida by the Disney Company. Spared the rapicious raping of the Kissimmee-St Cloud area, with its swamp draining killing of animals, Winter Garden remained as it had been--a lower class white working community dependent on trucking and citrus for its existence.

Enter William Thomas Zeigler who, by the author's own description drove oldsmobiles and detested rock and roll music. Unknown to many residents, the Zeigler family wealth stood at just over one million dollars--a princely sum in the 1970s. The quiet, modest veneer of the Zeigler family was broken by the existence of sexual problems between Tommy and Eunice Zeigler. Two weeks before the murder of Eunice, the couple stopped having intercourse with Eunice threatening to go to a fertility specialist in Orlando. Rumors abounded that Tommy was homosexual and a member of a sex ring of important local men. The author points out that Zeigler commited two unforgiveable crimes. One, he helped a black man retain a liquor license in the face of local and state opposition. Two, he helped break up a loan sharking ring manned by members of the Orange County (Orlando) Sherrif's Department. Later that year, the Sherrif, Dave Starr, resigned under pressure and his chief deputy, Leigh MacEachern, wne to jail convicted of charges of official corruption.

Finch outlines in great detail the malfeasance of police and prosecutors. First, sherrif's deputies trampled evidence at the crime scene. Later, judges and FBI authorities joined in to complete a fait accompli ensuring the swift journey of Mr. Zeigler to Florida's death row, where he remains to this day. Despite having two of the finest criminal defense lawyers in orlando--Ed Kirkland and Terry Hadley, Zeigler stood no chance of even getting a routine continuance or investigator access to the crime scene. Additionally, Finch outlines how key witnesses were not interviewed nor called to trial leaving the reader no doubt that the fix was in. Finch leaves the reader wondering an age-old question--how can a nation that calls itslef a democracy allow such malfeasance in its criminal justice system?

I have a special interest in this book having lived in Orlando at the time of the crime and having visited the crime scene as recently as last year. Finch has written an important, readable indictment of southern justice.

I love this book and this author! After making a single recipe and reading just a few pages I was hooked, and am now an Erica De Mane fan. I've read the book cover to cover and refer to it often.

Others have described the contents better than I can. Surprisingly, the recipes are quite healthful without making any claim to be so. I highly recommend this book.

`The Flavors of Southern Italy' by Erica De Mane is one of the most revealing expositions of a regional cuisine I have had the pleasure to read. This includes about twenty books covering Italy, regions of Italy, France, regions of France, Morocco, regions of China, and regions of the United States, plus several on the Mediterranean as a whole and the Arabic lands of the Mediterranean. The quality of the presentation is due to the most distinctive approach revealed clearly in the title of the book.

Most writers on regional cuisines do a gloss on the ingredients of the cuisine and proceed to a presentation of many of the classic dishes of the region. This is certainly the approach of the three different books I have read and reviewed on the cuisine of Rome. As long as the recipes are reasonably authentic and not the author's overly interpreted versions of these representative dishes, this approach can be quite good, as it is in these three treatments of Roman food.

Ms. De Mane's approach is most similar to the ingredients driven monograph `The Essential Mediterranean' by co-Italian specialist Nancy Harmon Jenkins.

Ms. De Mane makes no claim whatsoever to being true to the recipes of southern Italy. This is not to say there are not some authentically Italian dishes here, but this is not Ms. De Mane's game. Her book is not on the recipes of southern Italy, it is on the FLAVORS of southern Italy. Her approach to her subject begins with a very long chapter entitled `Essential Southern Italian Flavoring Ingredients'. This chapter covers virtually every major spice, herb, and condiment used in southern Italian cooking plus sections on olive oil, tomatoes, peppers and chilies, salumi, cheeses, nuts, and wine. The remainder of the book is organized not by course as is tradition with many other Italian cookbooks, but primarily by principle ingredient or type of preparation. In this way, salads and appetizers are not treated in a separate chapter. They are presented with other dishes with a common principle ingredient.

The chapters of recipes are:

Vegetables, including sections on shopping, cooking, and making salads
Seafood, including sections on buying and flavoring seafood
Meats and Poultry, including sections on typical usage and cooking for a group.
Savory Tarts, including sections on pizza and calzones.
Soups
Pasta
Desserts

The book ends with a chapter on the author's favorite southern Italian wines and a chapter on menus.

The author's definition of southern Italy is comprised of the provinces, in order of emphasis, of Sicily, Apulia (heel of the boot), Campania (Naples, Capri and the Amalfi coast), Basilicata (instep of the boot), and Calabria (toe of the boot). Sicily, Apulia, and Campania are the rich regions, which produce great quantities or olives, grapes, and wheat. Calabria and Basilicata are poorer, having a geography inhospitable to agriculture.

The author's strategy in the book is based, among other things, on three important aspects of what is available to her. First, many native southern Italian products simply do not travel well beyond their native land, in spite of the author's access to an excellent Manhattan source of Italian foods, DePalo Cheese, run by a family native to Basilicata. Luckily, this problem does not affect most classic ingredients like olive oil, hard cheeses, procuitto, and wines. Second, many Italian salumi products cannot be imported into the United States. Third, for many fresh ingredients, native American products are actually superior to what is available in Italy.

While the author relishes the wealth of American ingredients, she remains true to the Italian simplicity, especially in salads and soups. Unlike American and French salad constructions, she does not pile in everything but the kitchen sink. On the other hand, some classically influenced dishes such as the recipe for meatballs with green beans and potatoes does have a rather large ingredients list; however, the recipe is for meatballs, green vegetable, and starch.

My conviction that this is a superior treatment of it's subject is based on the fact that it says nothing which disagrees with things I have heard and read from reliable sources and it tells me much about the skillful use of many classic ingredients which I did not know or fully appreciate before.

If you are fond of an authentic Italian approach to food, like good writing about food, or are simply an all around foodie, then get this book. The spirit is all Italian, but the ingredients are very supermarket friendly. No heavy use of truffles or porcini or balsamic vinegar or even Parmesano Reggiano here. Unfortunately, you will probably feel just a bit left out if you don't have a good source of buffalo mozzarella at hand.

Highly recommended, especially for salads, vegetables, seafood, and pasta recipes. Intermediate skill level.

I have the author's pasta cookbooks and I am so glad to finally have a collection of more diverse recipes. I find her writing very warm and friendly with cooking advice given that is neither pretentious or intimidating. Many of the recipes can be made with whatever you have in the kitchen. This is a cookbook to be enjoyed by everyone with every level of cooking expertise.

There are Italian cookbooks enough to build a Great Wall of Italy, but this one stands out.

DeMane knows her stuff and writes for respected publications like Food and Wine. She adapts traditional recipes for US home cooks who might not have a lot of timr or access to "weird" ingredients. The book is formatted based on tastes. In the mood for tomato? Find a great tomato recipe! Want something sweet and tangy or bitter? You'll find the recipe to suit your tastes and culinary skills.

This is a great book for entertaining! The recipes are fool-proof and DeMane's menus are wonderful. Try the Roasted Figs with Gorgonzola for a great starter, side dish or even dessert, yummy!

8/9/2004


THE FLAVORS OF SOUTHERN ITALY
By Erica De Mane

"I am convinced that the foods a person cooks best embrace the flavors he or she grew up with. All the recipes in this book reflect my childhood. This is a very personal collection of recipes and thoughts on cooking, all anchored by the flavors of southern Italy." This is the opening statement in DeMane's introduction. This came as a surprise to your reviewer who found many recipes not usually associated with Italian cuisine. "I hope my love of southern Italian flavors and eating and cooking will rub off on you," she ends.

Glancing at the Contents, DeMane devotes 64 pages to lining out various techniques which set Italian cuisine apart from other foods. She pairs certain ingredients: Fennel and Saffron, Pancetta and Salami, Pine Nuts and Raisins, Tomato Paste and Sun-Dried Tomatoes and more. These pairing are a tip-off of what's to come. In addition to the usual sections on Seafood, Soups and Pasta, she includes one on Savory Tarts, Pizza Neapolitan Style, also Calzone. After Desserts, she shares special menus and her take on "My Favorite Southern Italian Wines."

Here are some of the recipes she includes in this complete book:

Wheat Berries with Zucchini, Pine Nuts and Ricotta

Plum Tomatoes Baked with Caprino, Rosemary and Black Olives (Caprino is the Italian word for goat cheese)

Baked Eggs with Winter Tomato Sauce

Coleslaw with Sicilian Flavors
(these include pine nuts, raisins, peperoncino chili, sugar and nutmeg)

Tuna Tatare Crostini with Capers and Avacado

Mussels with Mascarpone, Green (shoots) Garlic and Spring Herbs

Steak and Celery Salad with Capers and Romaine

Duck Pizzaiola with Red Vermouth

Pizza with Escarole, Fontina and Baked Eggs

Chicken Soup with Pumpkin, Escarole and Marsala

Dried Figs with Almonds and Chocolate

The arrangement of recipes in menus at the end of the book are clearly foods expertly prepared for other fine Italian cooks. She closes the book with a menu she titles, "A Birthday Dinner for Myself," and which "I cook myself ... since I cook with all the flavors I love best, always including anchovies, cheese and luscious red wine."

Great book!!! The recipes are simple, easy to follow and delicious. No hard to find ingredients. It includes recipes from different Int'l cuisines. The prelude to the recipes, history, anecdotes, etc...was interesting to read as well. Highly recommended.

How many cookbooks do you buy, look at them once or twice and then forget about them? This cookbook is packed with genuine Florida Keys recipes including my favorite, "Chardonnay Shrimp." Since most of the recipes come from Keys restaurants, the book also acts as a restaurant guide. Interspersed with old photos and the history of the area, the book gives new meaning to "flavor of the area." A must have for those who love food and the Florida Keys.

Tasty recipes are interspersed with tidbits about the ingredients (pineapple, crab, papaya seeds, etc.). Vintage photos of Key West and interesting bits of history round out the book. The Chef's Note at the end of each recipe offers substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients. Key West is a melting pot of Cuban, French, Spaniards, Bahamians, and many other cultures, so the cuisine in this book reflects that diversity.

Here's the Table of Contents:
Food Customs, Cultures, and Traditions of the Florida Keys
Cocktails, Coolers, and Finger Food
Soups, Bisques, and Chowders
Salads and Vegetables
Rice, Beans, Tubers, and Pasta
Fish and Seafood
Meat and Poultry
Grand Finales
Bread and Breakfast
Stocking the Tropical Pantry

The Florida Keys Cookbook is one of the five best Florida/Gulf Coast cookbooks out there. Well, that's my opinion. I've been updating my Amazon "So You'd Like to Guides" and I have one on Key Lime Pie. Take a look at it if you want. Anyway, I've included fifty cookbooks (the maximum Amazon will allow) in all my guides, so I've had a chance to go through my collection. And quite a collection it is, I've got hundreds of cookbooks and I go through them all the time. That's my problem, how to organize them. While going through what I wanted to include in my guides, I started separating them into piles, the ones I couldn't live without and the ones, if I absolutely had to, I could give away as gifts, you know, like if we moved into a very small place.

The Florida Keys Cookbook is one I could never part with. I love the food and the atmosphere of Florida and the Gulf Coast, have spent a lot of time there, as I'm a sailing lady. I'm also somewhat of a gourmet chef. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, or galley, depending if I'm at home in the States or on our boat in the Caribbean. The recipes here will make your family, or even just yourself, if you live alone, drool. They are mouthwatering good and that's the truth.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (7/06)

Victoria Shearer is a travel and food journalist. In "the Florida Keys Cookbook" she combines history, culture and recipes. This book is as versatile as the variety of ethnic influences of the Keys. Mix "Afro-Caribbean and Cuban to Spanish, Asian, British, German, and Italian-and the result is a diverse and vibrant culinary scene."

Ms. Shearer walks us through history beginning with the ice age and advancing to the 21st century. The residents in the 1800's had to be a tough lot. "They endured hurricanes, mosquitoes, sand fleas, extreme heat, isolation, no fresh water, no refrigeration, no electricity, no modern plumbing and no medical aide." They battled "large roaches, and ants." They did have "clean air, warm sunshine, and the riches of the sea."

I found of particular interest the discussion of water. Water was a precious commodity. Cisterns were built and houses equipped with a method of collecting rainwater.

The Keys' becoming a popular vacation spot in the 1980's, was instrumental in a change in cuisine. Floribbean, was "colorful, ethnic, and bursting with new flavors, it swept the nation." The new cuisine has unofficially been dubbed "Conchfusion", "takes advantage of the increased availability of unusual ingredients from around the globe, fusing them with the bounty of the sea and the tropical jewels of the dooryard garden."

The recipe for "Pulled Pork Barbecue" intrigued me. I could hardly wait to give it a try. It was worth the wait. The recipe reminds me of southern barbecue. The taste is tangy and rich, well worth the effort. Of course no Florida Keys Cookbook would be complete without recipes containing key limes. "Key Lime Cheese Cake" is delicious. I plan to hang on to this one and use it for special occasions. "Key Lime Cake" is a winner with my family.

Anyone that has dreamed of a warm tropical nights with a gourmet meal, a fruit drink and palm trees swaying in the breeze will want a copy of this book.

If you want to do more than just read about the Cherokee indians, this is the book to get! The first part of the book is a historical and cultural overview of the Cherokee indians. The second part of the book gives directions to historical sites and goes into some detail about the history behind the site. It also tells you what there is to see now. I am not aware of another book like this. Keep it in your car when you travel. I really enjoyed this book.

A photographer having a special interest in Cherokee history, Vicki Rozema's "Footsteps Of The Cherokees: A Guide To The Eastern Homelands Of The Cherokee Nation" is a seminal contribution to the growing body of Native American history in general, and the Cherokee Nation in particular. Traveling more than 4,000 miles and investing about 2500 hours visiting, researching, and photographing the sites associated with Cherokee history throughout southeastern United States, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" covers Cherokee farmlands, homes, and sacred sides in North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and the infamous trek to Oklahoma in 1838 called 'The Trail of Tears', when thousands of Cherokees were forced by the federal government to leave their lands and live on a desolate reservation in an inhospitable western frontier. Some 190 sites are listed and provided with historical perspectives. Enhanced with black-and-white photographs, detailed directions to the sites, their hours of operation, along with entrance fee information, as well as relevant phone numbers, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" is the perfect travel planner and companion. An impressive and original body of work, "Footsteps Of The Cherokees" is a welcome and very highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library Native American Studies reference collections.

This book is excellent. It won an Award of Merit from The Tennessee Historical Commission. It is different from other books on the Cherokees because it gives detailed directions to over 190 different sites associated with the Cherokees. Well-organized as well as informative.

We used this book for two years to take prayer walkers to the actual sites of the Cherokee people for prayer and reconciliation in Jesus name. See [URL]. This book was invaluable. We found a lot more sites than she lists, but her book has great directions, history, etc. We met the author for lunch in Knoxville two years ago. She is shy, unassuming, and modest about the great gift she has given to the Cherokee and those who live on their lands today.

A very well written book and very easy to read. Divided into
two parts, the book gives the reader a goodly amount of historical as well as cultural information on the Cherokee Tribe in their Eastern homelands. The second part of the book is a listing of various places in this area that are of historical interest. Not only does Vicki Rozema tell the reader where these places are, but some of the background surrounding them and when available she also includes a picture to help in identifying these sites. As an added feature, the information on business hours and cost to get in is also included.

Vicki Rozema has a good talent for holding the reader's attention, which to me is important. The only thing wrong with this book is that it has now added all these different places I never realized existed before to my itinerary and I don't know if I will be able to get to see them all, but will surely try. The book will definitely go with me when I travel.

A.J. Longstreet and Eugene Purdue share a colorful past. They grew up together in the mountains of Sequoyah, Georgia, and got into their share of trouble. The best friends had an alcohol-induced falling out three years ago and haven't spoken since. In the opening scenes of The Front Porch Prophet by Raymond L. Atkins, Eugene initiates contact with A.J. with some bad news. Eugene has terminal cancer and a matter of months to live. He needs A.J. to be present in the final phase of his life and good-hearted A.J. readily obliges.

Thus begins the reunion between what must surely be two of the most charming and entertaining characters in rural Georgia. As A.J. steps back into Eugene's life, the past comes flooding back. As events and characters unfold, Atkins presents A.J. and Eugene as boys, teenagers, and young men. He introduces their parents, grandparents, wives, children, neighbors and colleagues. It is a large and eclectic cast of characters, and they are what makes this story special.

If a terminally ill man suffering through his last days sounds like a depressing premise for a story, don't worry. This compelling tale is anything but. Atkins is a master story teller and his anecdotes, all told from A.J. Longstreet's point of view, draw the reader in while the tongue-in-cheek way he presents them will make you smile. The narrative tone is dry and humorous, but at the same time warm and tender. It lovingly embraces the quirkiness of the residents of Sequoyah and pokes gentle but loving fun at the culture of the Deep South.

Atkins' writing is impeccable and he is clearly in his element with this wonderful piece of Southern fiction.
One of the strong points of this novel is the way in which he builds a very strong sense of place, not only with descriptions of the physical setting but with his characters, through descriptions of their personalities, daily lives and interactions. Even the rough and tumble ones who drank entirely too much whiskey and carried on love affairs with their firearms, were so likeable. And in the end, they show us that no matter where you're from, family and friendship are ties that bind and endure despite our mistakes and inadequacies.

I read this book because I have a family member who is a friend of the author. i am not sure what I expected, but what ever it was , I received much more. The characters became like family members and friends that I have known all my life. I laughed out loud in resturants or where ever I was at the time. I cried some also. As I came closer to the conclusion, I was hoping the next book was to be a continuation. I am an avid reader. I love southern writers. Ray is one of the best.I consider him in the company of Ferrol Sams, Pat Conroy,and even Faulkner and Welty. I was blown away by his first novel.

Atkins' first novel is as easy to breeze through on the beach as a Stephen King page-turner-- without the gore factor. This book has enough laugh-aloud moments that your friends will either be reading over your shoulder or constantly rolling their eyes. It's sad and sweet, too, but the really hard moments aren't there just to work your emotions or preach at you like a lot of regional fiction does-- just realistic, wry (and a tiny, tiny bit dark), and fairly true to small-town, southern life. Very balanced, fast-paced, and satisfying.

Sequoyah, Georgia is home to the entertaining cast of characters of "The Front Porch Prophet". A.J. Longstreet is faced with his own mortality as he's diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He contemplates the possibility of circumventing his suffering with a mercy killing. As he ponders his life and death, he runs into countless characters, all odd and unique, who teach him something about life. This leaves his question open concerning what to do with his life, or what's left of it. "The Front Porch Prophet" is an intriguing and clever tale, highly recommended for community library fiction collections.

I read this book in less than four hours, I couldn't put it down. Genuine Southern storytelling at its best.Highly recommend this book to anyone, not just southern fiction fans.

Easily one of the most impressive books I have read. Frontiers is a book that covers broad sweeps of history and culture in a balanced and informative way. Although it is lengthy (over 1,200 pages), it captures one's interest to such a degree that one is actually left with wanting more!

A noticeable theme for me was the role and importance of individuals in shaping history. For example, Harry Smith, Governor of the Cape Colony, who had a profoundly negative influence on the Xhosa people, yet was admirable in other ways (having served in the American Colonies, Europe, and India-- perhaps one of the first sons of globalization). Similarly, the powerful influence of the London Missionary Society, and by extension, religion in general in setting the course of human events.

A must read for students of African history!

Noel Mostert's 'Frontiers' explains the face of the new South Africa.

Having spent some time in the East Cape I came away with a keen sense of the history of the frontier wars so well described by the book.

Noel Mostert is the best voice of this exciting history.

This is a riveting, tautly written, "page-turner". And thank heavens, because it clocks in at a whopping 1300 pages. But do NOT let that deter you. If Africa is of interest to you then you NEED to, you MUST, read this book. The period under study dates from the earliest explorations of South Africa (late 1400s) to the late 1800s.

Mostert's approach is sensitive and balanced - as the subtitle conveys "The Epic of South Africa's Creation and the Tragedy of the Xhosa People". It is narrative in format and the experience (and indeed the pleasure) of reading this book is not dissimilar from that of reading Shelby Foote's monumental three volume "The Civil War: A Narrative". The flyleaf describes "Frontiers" as having a "Gibbonesque sweep" and this is extremely apt.

There are good maps, though too few of them. The style is fluid and compelling. The descriptions of the landscape are wonderfully evocative. This book provides everything that one needs to understand that tragedy that unfolded in modern day South Africa. One is left yearning for the paradise that was so clearly lost.

One of the best ways for me to recommend this book to you is by excerpting a passage:

"It was a battle that fell into complete obscurity.... It was, so to speak, an event without a name, a four-hour long retreat along a wagon road, an agonizing struggle, yard by yard, mile by mile. It was a severe humiliation....which may have helped dim its historic judgement. Yet not again until Rorke's Drift some eighteen years on would the British army again fight and die in such a brave, cruel and intimate scuffle on the African veld. There were to be no medals or recognition for the infantryman of the 91st on the road between Forts Hare and Cox on 29 December 1850. But as Robert Godlonton said, there had never been anything like it in frontier war. Maqoma paid the infantrymen high tribute. Describing the battle he was to say of the 91st that `they died fighting and cursing to the last.'

The fighting was hand to hand, a brutal melee marked by the sort of acts of prompt individual heroism, and of miraculous survival that such ferocious close combat inevitably produced, a situation where every man was immediately for himself, with no certain idea of what was happening except directly in front of him, and yet with the fate of a companion often suddenly intrusive upon his own struggles."

This conveys the immediacy and the force with which Mostert writes. If you loved Pakenham's "Scramble for Africa", or Alan Moorehead's books on the Nile, you will not be disappointed.

This one might take you a while to get through but it's well worth it. Not normally a history afficionado, I still found the 1000 or so pages easy to get through.

Provides a fascinating insight into the background for modern day South Africa, concentrating not on the Zulu but on the lesser known and more peaceful Xhosa. Interesting perspective on the Boers who don't come off near as badly as the good old Poms in this seemingly none-too-biased book.

Most books on S. Africa focus on three things: Aparthied, The Boer War or the Zulu, with Mandela being a close fourth. This book focuses on the real south Africa, the Xhosa people and the tragedy that befell them as Zulu, Boer and British invasions destroyed their way of life. An excellent study of a people and a nation and a study that shows that African tribal wars were just as destructive as the europeans.

A must read for anyone interested in Africans, Africa or colonialism and the survival of native cultures.

Seth J. Frantzman