Southern Arkansas Books

What a wonderful title and an intriguing excerpt. I await the completed book to finally find out what happens. Ms Coulter's previous books never disappointed and I'm sure this newest one will be no exception. Please publish it soon. I look forward to a pleasant, relaxing day of reading Precarious.

I am moved by what I've read so far. I am already invested in this young man, and I want to know more, to know how the story progresses and ends.

In her opening words Ms. Coulter presents the reader with a blend of fact, remembrance, and family lore that form the memory of Marcus her protagonist. "He didn't know exactly where he was born. But he's been told..." Ms. Coulter does not tell us what is true and what is not, leaving her reader to reflect on the blurring of the past that confuses and confounds the universal human experience of searching for the truth of one's own life to understand it and perhaps gain some larger knowledge.

Ms. Coulter's prose is sparing. Cliantha, Marcus's mother, wears "a smart houndstooth suit...each piece $11.98 at the twelve-dollar store." This sharp recollection, as though retrieved from a dream, is telling. Like other descriptions it is brief and neat; the reader, however, sees it perfectly and feels that he is there.

The movement, at the end of the chapter, to the voice of the attorney is intriguing. The reader is left eager to continue, to turn the page, and follow the life of young Marcus now perhaps in some difficulty.

Precarious by H. Coulter introduces the story of Marcus and Eliza, first by bringing the reader up to date with Marcus.

Abandoned at birth, found by a stranger, then reclaimed by his mother, Marcus is set up for a life of uncertainty from minutes old. His path over the next few years is tied in with his child-like mother who's fantasy of a better existence for them isn't met with reality. By the time Marcus is nine-years-old he is in the 'system' surrounded by temporary siblings, care-takers, and case workers. His secret hope is that his mom is finally coming to get him (now that she's broken up with her latest boyfriend), but for the reader with any knowledge of those who end up in the foster system for a long term, they are often in for the long haul.

All of this early tale is told to us by Eliza Couvillion, we come to realize, as the excerpt wraps up with her brief introduction.

The characters presented are sympathetic and evoke sentiments of concern and pity. As the reader, I began to share in Marcus's cling to hope--hope that his life will at least improve with a twist of fate.

The writing is engaging and the story well paced. While it isn't necessarily the type of tale that would jump out at me to read, once I got going, I was interested in seeing how it played out.

Hope Coulter's excerpt, Precarious, is a rich and vivid beginning to what is no doubt an exceptional novel: with such a strong opening - an invitation to continue - how could it not be so. The images painted in these first few pages are captivating: the red plastic shopping cart at Target, "Swiggins" wig askew, the trip to the grocery store to browse for a meal when there wasn't enough money to buy one.... These are images I can see as if they'd happened in my own life, with depth and clarity, and in three dimensions.

But the sensory delights don't stop there: like a tune you find yourself humming as you drive down the road, I've got the sounds of Precarious speaking to me, reminding me there's lots more to read. The songs of Cliantha, with the percussion of her shoes as accompaniment, the cars speeding down the 'short' street, then what I know is a high-pitched, annoyed, jerky sound of reverse gears of impatient drivers foiled in a short-cut, the toilet that runs when you don't jiggle the handle.... I know these sounds, and they draw me further into the story. The voices are clear and right on target, "honey I look good," and the kids talking about the 'retard' bus, and the way the kids in the foster house talk to each other about waiting for the phone. The language is superb - I can hear this book and all its characters.

The smells and feelings Hope Coulter evokes are further evidence of a gifted southern storyteller in the finest tradition. Cliantha's perfume 'unspooling' through the rooms, the smell of coffee dripping in the morning, and the pangs of hunger Marcus struggles to cope with are deftly and delicately described.

So many images that keep popping up in my mind, making me wonder if I've forgotten something, only to realize that I've forgotten to read the rest of the novel. The tones of the voice of a familiar and rich storyteller call the reader back for more. Ms. Coulter's skill as a writer puts her readers at ease that she will spin this yarn in the finest fashion. And like the smell of coffee dripping in the morning awakens my appetite for a steaming cup and the day before me, my senses are stirred by Hope Coulter's delicious excerpt. I need answers to so many questions this taste provides. I very much hope this novel will be published soon.

This is a great book. I was transported into the 1970s in the Deep South. This book made me feel if I was with Katrina in everything she does. I hope Mrs.Hickman will keep writing books in this style because I thought it was better than her previous works. Keep it up Mrs. Hickman!

I have read hundreds of Christian fiction books and hundreds of books in general and, while the quality of all can be appreciated, only a few writers have made as grand an impression as Hickman has with Katrina's Wings, those few being counted among classics such as Fitzgerald and Hemingway. In this book you will find more than just a warm story full of real-life struggles, heartache, and smiles (which is all included)-- breathtaking, lyrical prose and charming language tells you this is a writer with a great gift. Her images and dialogue linger in your mind long after they have passed and it is impossible not to be captivated by this book. Read it--it's worth it!

I loved this book! Taught writing, haunting prose, compelling characters all join together to make Katrina's Wings not just a fine read but a true experience. Dive in, take root, and soar. Patricia Hickman's book will stand the test of time. --Lisa Samson, author of The Church Ladies

I just finished Katrina's Wings by Patricia Hickman. I loved it! This story is about a young girl growing up in the 1960s-70s in the deep South. Katrina has a lot of family problems, but learns to 'fly' through it all. The characters in this story are so real--I've been thinking about them for days after the last page was finished. I was also awed by the fantastic writing, especially the descriptions that took me there. I highly recommend this book, and I'm going to go check out more by Ms. Hickman. --Tricia Goyer, author of "From Dust and Ashes."

Katrina and her quirky family are captured in all their vividness with the author's abundant use of poetry and imagery. The writing sings throughout. The scenes evoke images from writings such as Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson, but with the hope and faith of the Christian worldview washed all over. This book could be read again and again for sheer literary enjoyment.

This was a beautiful story of love and loss, and of holding onto a child who has left this life and gone on to the next. It was a touching biography, a thought-provoking and in-depth description of what heaven might be like, and an educational text for an introduction to spiritualism. I read this and then passed it on to my mother, who read it and passed it along to my grandmother. We all enjoyed it from it different angles and from the perspectives of our different points in life.

I read metaphysical books in hopes of learning something. However, when I can learn something and be entertained at the same time, as was the case with this book, it's a real treat. Reading this book was like watching a good movie. I could picture the characters, their homes, and their environment as the story unfolded. I'd have to rank it as one of the two most entertaining metaphysical books I have read - right up there with "The Boy Who Saw True."

This 2005 book is based on a 1926 book, "Leslie's Letters to His Mother," by Alice Stringfellow. That book resulted from afterlife communication received from Leslie Stringfellow, who had died in 1886, at age 19. The "letters" came by means of automatic writing through a planchette to Leslie's parents, Alice and Henry Stringfellow. Although the communications began soon after his death and continued for some 15 years, Alice's book was not published until 1926, as she did not think it would be of interest to anyone. As it was, only a hundred or so copies were published, mostly for family members.

Henry and Alice Stringfellow were no country bumpkins. Henry was a world-renowned horticulturist, having graduated from the College of William and Mary before earning graduate degrees in both theology and law. Alice was a graduate of Hunter College in New York. Leslie's death hit them hard. While visiting a medium in Galveston, they were directed by spirit to invest in a planchette - a device that holds a pencil and is moved by the communicating spirit as the hands of the two sitters rest on it. "Neither Alice nor Henry believed they had any control over the movement of the instrument," author Stephen Chism offers. "The Stringfellow's letter-writing sessions were to become a secret family ritual which lasted for over 15 years."

Chism, a librarian at the University of Arkansas, tells of the synchronistic events that led to the discovery of the 1926 book and then details his research into the history of the Stringfellow family. "As he was dying, Leslie claimed he could see light from Heaven," Chism writes. "He promised Alice that he would contact her `if such a thing were possible.'"

In 1897, Leslie encouraged his parents to adopt a child, a distant relative who had been orphaned at age two, as he felt they were too dependent on hearing from him. He wanted them to concentrate on living this life rather than constantly thinking about joining him in the next one. The child would be renamed "Lessie" and would go on to become a reporter and editor in Fayetville, Arkansas. It was Lessie who helped her mother put together their many letters into a book.

In his "letters" Leslie tells of his active life on his side of the veil. He states that he was weak when he first arrived on the other side, but he quickly regained his strength. "Here every man's home is an index of his character [on the material plane]" he informs them, pointing out that a large number of souls are stuck in the lower planes of existence. However, while he realized that there were many spheres or planes above him he informed them that he was very content. "Never doubt for a moment that this world is a thousand time better in every way than yours," Leslie continues. "When I compare even my happy life on earth with what I now have, I can but see the contrast."

Leslie's messages are consistent with messages received by other credible mediums, pointing to an evolution of the spirit through higher and higher spheres rather than a humdrum heaven and horrific hell.

It is a fascinating and captivating read. Every hospice should have several copies of this book available for its residents.

The Afterlife of Leslie Stringfellow: A Nineteenth-Century Southern Family's Experiences with Spiritualism is the true story of a well-educated, nineteenth-century family's contact with their deceased son Leslie Stringfellow. Over the course of fifteen years, their connection to the beyond through seance messages and "automatic writing" guided their actions in the recovery of an inheritance and the adoption of an orphan girl who grew up to be an active suffragist and newspaper editor. Stringfellow also described his personal afterlife and a detailed survey of the geography of paradise. In 191, Stringfellow's mother and her adopted daughter contacted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who urged them to publish their manuscript and even proposed and experiment concerning his own deceased son, Kingsley Doyle, who was killed in World War I. A handful of vintage black-and-white photographs round out this compilation of extensive research including some letters published for the first time. A "must-have" for metaphysical studies shelves concerned with what comes after death.

The phenomenon known as the Spiritualist movement that sprang out of the finger lake district of New York state from the area historians call the "burned over" district due to the variety of spiritual/religious epiphanies that swept the area, beginning with the Shakers, Jemima Wilkinson, Mormons and the Fox sisters among other evangelical social outbursts. What made Spiritualism the more attractive of these spiritual expressions was the progressive mindset the movement enunciated, which included abolition, feminism, humane childhood education, and dietary reform among others.
Perhaps the most significant innovation was the elevation of women within spiritialism to positions of authority, spiritual as well as temporal. This along with the Shaker movement was the first time in centuries that women held positions of power equal to that of men within a religious movement.
The other innovation with the advent of spiritualism was the shift from the "church" being a special building for religious endeavors to the American home as church. It was not unintentional that many spiritualists refer to their activities within a "home circle" down to this day. Spiritualism provided for the first democraticization of religion that appealed to the sensibilities of Jeffersonian democracy from which it sprang.
Mr. Chism has provided a great insight into this with the discovery of a family's documented automatic writing sessions initially, used to make contact with the son of the family, Leslie Stringfellow and the subsequent psychonautic communiques within the family that provided comfort, solace and intellectual stimulation on the nature of the soul and the afterlife through these alleged communications for the family.
For students of 19th century religious movements, spiritualists or students of parapsychology this book is a gift to treasure.

I purchased this book to accompanying the book my high school classes are currently reading, "Warriors Don't Cry." As a high school teacher, I realize that students are likely to more fully engage with a novel when they feel they can truly relate to the story and when they are able to imagine all that is happening. "A Life is More Than a Moment" makes this possible! As we read the novel, I share pictures from this text with my students. They love this book. Often they ask to read this book even on their own, excitedly reporting their newfound knowledge with their classmates. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who is intersted in seeing the real thing.

This book is a thoughtful summary of the events of the 1957 Central High Crisis, especially for those who don't have the time or inclination to delve into the details but want to know all about the history behind the crisis and the events at that time. What makes the book even more interesting is that the authors take you inside Central High School forty years later so that the reader can see the life and times of a academically successful and fully integrated CHS today. Of course, one of the greatest contributions are the photographs by the late Will Counts -- awarding winning photography that carries you back in time. I highly recommend the book for students over age 12 and anyone who desires an accurate account of this shameful yet historic civil rights event.

This book although not very entertaining, is perfect for someone writing an essay on segregation or more particulary Central High. This book was my main topic of research for my essay. A good Read.

Little Rock was the first time since reconstruction that federal troops had been mobilized top protect Blacks seeking to exercise the rights they allegedly won in the aftermath of the Civil War. The terror, hatred, and brutality of the times is searingly captured by the iconic photo which gives the book its title--of a young white student screaming, her face contorted, at an equally young black girl. Equally appalling is the other major picture which forms the center of this work--a series showing the mob attacking a black reporter, and beating him with no one willing to intervene.

While the book would be worthwhile for the pictures alone, it is all the more compelling by bringing the story up to date. Centered around the fortieth anniversary of desegregation of Little Rock High School, the author tracks down both the black student and the white student spewing hatred. There are pictures of them together, having gone through a process of healing and reconciliation.

The ultimate question--why such hatred--is not answered, nor could it be, given the format and limitations of what is, af4er all, basically a book of narrated pictures. But the question is certainly raised and explored.

This is a great book and should be on the shelf of anyone who loves photography or wants to understand why the Civil rights movement was so important to the history of this country (although I would strongly urge that no one take the advice f the other reviewer, and use this as the primary source for information on this struggle).

My only criticism is that the upbeat tone of this volume needs to be questioned. As James Meridith has said--If a black man can be kicked ten times in open view, and has no redress, is it really "improvement" if he is only kicked nine times, but still has no redress? Is Little Rock really free of prejudice and discrimination? Is America?

This small book should be must reading for those, both Northerners and Southerners, who want to know why we Southerners think like we do. Dr. Bolsterli's book about growing up in the 30's and 40's in the Arkansas Delta is wonderful. In writing about race, food, violence, the Confederacy, family, etc., she hits a lot of targets. At the risk of being trite, you will indeed laugh and cry. I suggest to better experience the book that it be read while eating a bowl of pot likker with some cornbread crumbled up in it. Buttermilk might also be helpful

Very much like my childhood, sans the farm. A wonderfully written memoir that would make an excellent gift to anyone who grew up in the South before integration. The phrase "common" was something I learned as a child - to be "common" was to bring shame or disgrace to one's self and family. "Don't do that, Rachel," my friend's mother said "it's common." No other explanation was needed.

The carefree childhood days of Bolsterli's (and my own) South are gone now, having long been replaced by asphalt, industry, and the complexities that seem to be a necessary part of modernization. Bolsterli tells of daring feats with neighbor children, of playing without the constant adult supervision that is a must for today's child. I well remember long afternoons spent in our neighborhood, without anyone worried about my whereabouts, let alone my safety. Then there is the dark time, a murder in the family, with the polite perceptions and differing accounts - it's all there and Bolsterli tells it so well.

A good book to read at least once more.

As I child, I passed by the author's childhood home many times when visiting my friends the Rices in nearby Watson, Arkansas. There were always brief comments about the stately Southern home at the end of the long drive and the important, cultured family that had lived there for generations. So, when I first read BORN IN THE DELTA, immediately after it was published, my reaction was partly personal.

It is a beautifully crafted portrait of unique aspects of the Southern culture that still persists in the Mississippi Delta region. Each chapter tells a readable, retell-able story about everyday topics that range from the manners we taught our children, to Southern cooking at home. From the meaningfulness to children of a lively backyard pond, to the way proud Southern families artfully coped with the financial stresses of a volatile agricultural economy. And each chapter is more colorful, more rich with imagery, more authentic than the one before.

Berstoli's book is also informed by her deep knowledge of language and sociology. Her years in the University of Arkansas' English department provided a platform for continued research into Southern communication styles and social conventions. She has localized this book to a very small sub-region (focused in and around Desha County in Southeast Arkansas), which allows for observations that are much more precise than the popular, overgeneralized Southern stereotypes.

If I taught a class in American History, I would certainly include BORN IN THE DELTA as a text.

While at times the book is difficult to read it illustrates an important point you cannot just draw a line in the dirt and expect everyone on one side to be loyal to this country or that country. There were people in the south that supported the Union a lot of people and the same holds true for Confederate sympathizers in the north. The Civil War is not and never was a crusader like story of armies of light from the north and soldiers of darkness from the south it is the story of incredibly human people who had to make an incredibly difficult choice. Also as the narrative will show America during the time of the Civil War was not nearly as romantic as everyone wishes it was.

The tragic part about the course of history and the passage of time is that none of those people thought to write an account as Captian Dennis E. Haynes did.

Overall-I would like to thank the captain for his account and Arthur W. Bergeron Jr. for preserving it for future generations.

It is well known that during the Revolutionary War there was a substantial portion of the population that remained loyal to England. Even though I was born and grew up in Louisiana I did not know that there were 'Unionists' in the area that remained loyal to the United States.

Captain Dennis E. Haynes was one such individual. Born in Ireland in 1819, he came to the US sometime in the early 1830's. This makes him a 45 year old man by the time the enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1864. By the standards of the time, he was an old man. By the standards of an Army he was an old man.

Besides the shock of seeing the names of towns near where I grew up (and where I thought nothing had ever happened), I was surprised to see how much and how far Capt. Haynes traveled. He was always on the move, going hundreds of miles to New Orleans or Texas. In one case, trying to get to Port Hudson (near Baton Rouge) he walked in a little over a day and a night 52 miles having had only one small meal.

This book is reprinted from the original which was published in 1866 and of which only two copies are known to exist. As such it is written in the style of the time and reads a bit differently than a current book. Still, it is one of the very few personal memoirs from a southern Unionist, and the only one known from Louisiana. To the Civil War reader, this is a book on a little known aspect of the war.

A Thrilling Narrative: The Memoir Of A Southern Unionist is the memoir of Captain Dennis E. Haynes, and a rarity indeed - the true tale of a Southern unionist. Few Southern Unionists wrote of their experiences after the American Civil War, and A Thrilling Narrative is the only publication of Louisiana Unionist, and the only account of the First Louisiana Battalion Cavalry Scouts, a unit that existed for less than three months and only saw action during the Red River Campaign of 1864. In A Thrilling Narrative, Haynes speaks of how he opposed the secession of Texas and became a hunted man for it, his terrible journey to reach Union troops in Louisiana, and the cruelty that he and other Union sympathizers suffered at the hands of the Confederates. Notes and an index round out this powerful glimpse at the harrowing difficulties of taking a stand that is unpopular to one's neighbors.

DEAR RON HOWARD ! OLIVER STONE ! or SOME ONE ???????
BLACK OAK ARKANSAS EARNED HAVING A BIO / MOVIE OF THEIR LIFE..! WHO EVER PUT THE CONCERT FOR NEW YORK CITY TOGETHER
NEVER HEARD BOA`S " FORGIVE AND FORGET..! "
OR " REVOLUTIONARY ALL AMERICAN BOYS "
" FULLMOON DRIVE "
" BACK TO THE LAND "
READ THIS BOOK ! BLACK OAK ARKANSAS ARE MORE THAN LEGEND..!!!!!! THEY ARE ALL IT MEANS TO HAVE.., HEART..!
I HAVE EVERY ALBUM ! READ THIS BOOK ! MET THEM !
IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF REALITY SHOWS ! BLACK OAK ARKANSAS
WAS AND IS REALITY BEFORE IT WAS HIP..!!!!!!!!
Sincerely
OWL > mountainharmony3000@yahoo.com
BLACK OAK ARKANSAS FOREVER # 1 FOREVER BLACK OAK ARKANSAS

This is a great book for anyone that really understands Black Oak Arkansas. Jim Dandy and the boys started the whole hard rock movement of the 80s. Find out where it all started. A must have book for all true Oakheads. This should be a TV movie.

I just got the cookbook, and the buttermilk fried chicken is to die for! As a hunter, there are no fish and game recipes around that compare to the ones found in the Arkansas Classic Country Cookbook! I just can't wait until my wife finds the dessert section.

I am Jack Lankford, son of Bess Lankford and Grandson of Ruth Moore Malone. As many of these recipes I've sampled , I've got to be the official taste tester of this cookbook!
Some of the fish and game recipes are so tasty you can find some of them in Arkansas Fish and Wildlife Magazine as well as Ducks Unlimited Magazine.
Easy to follow recipes and simple ingredients are the key to this cookbook!
Down home, taste with the touch of family traditional recipes.
This cookbook has got to be the gift that keeps on giving for appetites everywhere!

Jack Lankford

I've bought several copies of this book for friends and family -- it makes a great gift. There are a lot of good Southern recipes, beautiful photos and nice sidebars about Northwest Arkansas. Junior League cookbooks are the best!

Mr. Brownderville read from his book at our library and spoke about his collection of folktales and poems. This is a wonderful gathering of stories from our area and it was not without hard work and effort on his part that Mr. Brownderville compiled this book. His reading was from the depth of experience in some of these situations; he has a poet's voice. A multi-talented young man. I highly recommend this book.