Heartland Books

I know Amazon says this is a book for 9-12 year olds but I'm older and I loved it. I started reading the Heartland books in like 5th grade but like now I really think this is a book that people my age would enjoy. However, if you haven't read at least the last five books first it won't mean as much to you. I am one of those people that isn't really sensitive and has never cried in a book before but this book made me cry. Everyone should read this book! It's fantastic!

Another awesome example of Lauren Brooke's admirable ability to relate to our-age teen equestrians. With the new and challenging mustang on her hands, and Ty still in the hospital, quite a few surprises spring up, and Amy has to deal with many things she hasn't yet dealt with- such as a horse completely and totally not responding. I won't tell you whether or not Ty wakes up, if he is in a wheelchair, if he is fine, or if he is... dead. One bit of information I can spare without ruining the numerous surprise scenes is that this book is far more emotional and in-depth than Lauren Brooke's previous works, but I can not say I am opposed. Amy seems to still be herself, but more sentimental and emotional at the same level. (...)

I absolutely love the Heartland books since they're all so great and this one was no different.

In Everything Changes, Amy deals with alot. She has to since Ty's still in a coma and there's an un-backed stallion (Dazzle) straight from the plains of Nevada. Plus dealing with all of the other damaged horses by herself and the barn chores.

This was a great book and I hope Lauren Brooke continues on writing.

About the book: Life is slowly returning to normal at Heartland. Amy continues doing the daily chores at Heartland, but without her boyfriend, Ty. Ty is still in a coma at the hospital from a tornado that hit heartland in the previous book. Heartland has a mustang stallion arriving, and Amy is excited. She never got to work with a horse quite like that before, and she cant wait to get started. But when she does get started, the stallion, Dazzle, finds it difficult to warm up to Amy. She realizes she's in for a long haul with this horse. Ty eventually recovers and forms a bond with Dazzle.

My Opininon: Awesome book, awesome series! For horse lovers all around the world! And i know the reading level says ages 9-12, but im 16 and i STILL read this series. I've been a loyal fan since book #1 came out (Coming Home). I recommend this book and all the others in the series to any horse lover.

Oh yeah, and before i forget: This series is ending after book #20 (Always there). But check out Lauren Brooke's BRAND NEW series: Chestnut Hill. The first book is called "The New Class".

I have been reading the Heartland books for quite a long time and they have been all good but this book is DEFINITELY my favourite. This book has alot of things going on in it and at the end it leaves you on a cliff hanger. I can't wait to read the next book(Love is a gift) and anyone who is a horse lover will simply adore this book.

a truly fantastic book!!! ALL of the heartland books leaves me all peaceful @ the end. dont ask y. its just the way lauren rites.
in this book, Mr. baldwin makes an emergency stop @ heartland, and they discover tys dad have transported trucks in an illegal trailer. amy + ty treat the horses, but the ppl who asked mr baldwin 2 transport the horses, still wanna deliver the poor, dehydrated horses 2 an aution house. will mr. baldwin lose his job? will the horses die? u wont no till u read this fantastic book!
carol

I really enjoyed reading A Season of Hope. I could not put the book down. Lauren Brooke is the very best author for horse books. If you like horses YOU MUST READ THEESE BOOKS or you will miss out on something so wonderful that there is no word to describe it. I really wish that there were more than twenty books in the series. A Season of Hope is about a girl named Amy and how she is faced with the horrors of animal cruelty to horses, although she could be dealing with the law Amy tries everything she can to help the horses. Amy is greatly helped by her sister Lou, her boyfriend Ty who is also a stable hand, Amy and Lou's grandpa, Lou's fiancé also the vet Scott, Joni a stable hand, and somehow Ty's father who hated horses but changed his mind after he spent time with them and then he finally understood that Ty belonged to work at Heartland. The phrase healing horses healing hearts means that in every book horses are healed and a person or people learn valuable life lessons. I love the Heartland books so much that for every book in the series I would give them all five stars, even more than that if I could. The Heartland books make me feel that I am inside the book watching it all. It seems as if I am watching television but different. My favorite part in the book would definitely be the ending but... you won't find out the ending unless you read it!

i absolutly love heartland books i wish lauren brooke wrote more than just 20!!! i been reading the series for years now and they never get boring i luv em!!!

This book is one of the best heartland books and i should know. I've read them all. As a surprising twist that takes place the whole book(if you didnt read the back)Ty's dad brings a truckload of horses that were to be sold in an auction house. All the horses were in very bad condition. Three of which died. You'll have to read the book to find out the rest. And you should. This is a really great book!

This book tells a lot about society. It is about horses that either have problems or are being abused. What does that say about people in general? It tells us some people can be cruel. Society does not help horses that have been hurt or abandoned. People should not be allowed to have pets if they dont take care of them. That is where society comes in. People should prove that they are mature or responsible to take care of a pet before they purchase it. People should be able to have pets, as long as they take care of them properly and treat them kindly.
The characters in this story are very similar to the people I know. The main character and I both like animals, expecialy horses. Amy is the main character. She helps abused horses with their problems and fears. She and I both believe that no animal should be tormented. Other characters like Ty and Nacy are like my mom and dad. Ty is like my dad becuase Ty helps around the stables and my dad is like that too. Nancy is like my mom she is kind and supports peoples ideas. My mom is very nice and she will support almost everyone's opinion. So all the characters do resemble friends and family even though they are different people.
There are a couple different themes in this book. One is that you should always treat your pets with respect, no matter how mean they are. Two, is to always support your friends. If they have an idea you should be bringing them up, not pushing them down. Last, but not least is to always help others. This is a very important one because people who need your help may need a friend as well. If you are able to help them out, you should also be able to be their friend and help them later on if they need it. So always help and be a friend to everyone!!

I love this series and ever since i read the first one i knew i had to finish the lot...i actually took into account what Lauren Brookes was writing to and have tried several of the methods mentioned on my own horses only to result in success.. i would reccomend this series to all it is a great storyline!

Great book. My daughter is 10 and she loved the entire series.

Heartland Series #16

I ride horses and i love them i also have horses and abunch of heartland books that i love. This series is about a stable called Heartland and horses that come here are usually afraid of something or they have been abused, so they cure them by using herbal remedies and patience. Amy, who is the main character, does the healing and is also heeling her grief of her mother who died in a car crash when saving an abandoned horse on a stormy night.
In book 16 of the series, Ben, one of the stable hands is leaving so he can concentrate on showing his horse Red more. So Heartland finds a new stable hand named Joni who already knows a lot of the herbal remedies they use and how to use them. Also in this Heartland book right now they are curing a police horse named Venture who was injured in a tornado by falling tires while his rider Sergeant Garcia was trying to rescue kids in a trapped car. Venture is all healed, but starts rearing and bucking at the sight of the saddle, saddle pad, and bridle so any thing to do with tack. Amy gets concerned when he makes no progress at all. So if you want to find out what happens to Venture and all the rest at Heartland you will have to read the book. There are a total of 20 numbered books and a special edition book in the Heartland series.
M.D.C Spokane WA

Heartland Series #16

This series is about a stable called Heartland and horses that come here are usually afraid of something or they have been abused, so they cure them by using herbal remedies and patience. Amy, who is the main character, does the healing and is also heeling her grief of her mother who died in a car crash when saving an abandoned horse on a stormy night.
In book 16 of the series, Ben, one of the stable hands is leaving so he can concentrate on showing his horse Red more. So Heartland finds a new stable hand named Joni who already knows a lot of the herbal remedies they use and how to use them. Also in this Heartland book right now they are curing a police horse named Venture who was injured in a tornado by falling tires while his rider Sergeant Garcia was trying to rescue kids in a trapped car. Venture is all healed, but starts rearing and bucking at the sight of the saddle, saddle pad, and bridle so any thing to do with tack. Amy gets concerned when he makes no progress at all. So if you want to find out what happens to Venture and all the rest at Heartland you will have to read the book. There are a total of 20 numbered books and a special edition book in the Heartland series.
M.D.C Spokane WA

My daugter read this book without putting it down. All the books in this series are a good read and keeps the girls wanting more.

My daughter is a homeschooled 6th grader. Her passion is horses or anything that has to do with horses. I have her on a reading regimen with the Heartland series. She is really enjoying them. I am also excited that they are age appropiate with much detail. She is getting a lot out of them.

THis book is amazing! Amy fleming's mother died and now amy has to run a farm called Heartland for problem horses along with her grandapa Jack, older sister Lou and the only stablehand Ty. Amy cured Lisa Stillman's horse and now she has sent her nefhew to help them around the stable and she is also paying for him to be there. Lisa is a famous Arabian breeder and makes alot of money. Her nefhew's name is Ben. Ben has a secert that Amy knows and isn't supposed to know or tell anyone. 't tell anyone she is not allowed to tell Ty which angers him and may leave Hearland to work at Amy's worst enemy's farm. Ben and Ty don't get along and since Ben's past has been rough Amy doesn't want to have to fire him and also his aunt is paying for him to be there. In the end they become happy and stop fighting, and telling lies but inbetween alot of things happen read the fantasic book to find out what.

I am 11 years old and i just started reading these books. The book is about Amy and Ty. They are haveing an over flow of work so they hire Ben. Ben is not how he seems. He abuses is horse and treats Ty like dirt. Amy goes against Ty's wishes of firing him for one reason. The afull truth about bens life is somthing Amy has to keep from Ty no matter how hard it is. If you are a horse lover than you will love this series.

when in book 3 amy cures Lisa stillmans horse promise ,she sends her nephew ben to help at heartland .He has a faboulos show jummper RED he has to come to with ben ,ben takes things to far as working him to much ,when ty sees him he goes mad and trys to get him sent back but amy woun't tell lou becaues she knows bens dark secert which ty doen't near the end amy goes past the kitchen and hears ty on the phone to ashleys mum who owns the ruivel stable asking about a job ,amy walks away and trys carries on like normal ty sees something s wrond she start shouting i hate you and storms out,.later s out inthe traing ring with red geting angery now AMY had enough she jumps out in fornt of a jump to stop him then ty grabs red andstops him .fealing ashamed of him self ben takes red back but some things the mater with red,will amy help red or will ty leave heartland for good youll have to read it to find out

At the time I read this book, I thought that this would be a romance, but it was nothing like that, just dramatic. This book is about Amy, still trying to get over her mothers death, has had one person to always lean on, Ty, the stable boy, but everything just gets thrown! A new stable boy (Ben) comes to Heartland to help Ty out but that doesn't happen. Between Ben beating his horse and Ty anger against Ben nature, Amy is forced to be an enemy to Ty because of the secret that Ty shouldn't know about Ben's life. Amy knows that her relationship with Ty is burning and she never realized before how much she took him for granted. Read and find out what Amy should do!

Rebeccasreads highly recommends A JOURNEY OF HOPE as an absolutely heart-opening experience worthy of our support, so please give of your bounty, for the joy of camp life lasts a lifetime, & some of these dear children's lives are very short.

A JOURNEY OF HOPE contains the thoughts, poems & stories of the young people whose lives have been taken hostage by HIV; what their dreams & hopes are, & how they cope. It is also a photo album, beautifully recorded by Katja Heinemann, of lost friends, found feelings & the intense high of being alive, being cared for, being among fellow travelers along a dark & demanding path, & the unfettered exuberance of youth that not even a killing disease can quench, if they are in a place that supports them, & Camp Heartland is such a haven.

Become involved, join up & go to their site: campheartland.org, & for those affected by HIV who have been displaced by the hurricane season, make contact -- Camp Heartland is waiting for you.

Camp Heartland is a loving community for children that have been affected by HIV. The children who attend the camp enjoy all of the activities of other normal children. However, unlike in most communities, all children are welcome to join the fun without prejudice, fear, preconceived notions, or judgment.

A Journey of Hope is filled with stories, poems, and thought from the councillors, volunteers, parents, and children who have attended Camp Heartland. Many of the children also share their stories of living with HIV. Some of the pieces also represent eulogies to friends who lost their battle.

This book seeks to educate the public about HIV and AIDS. It would seem that ignorance, fear, and judgment continue to be major part of the myth of HIV. To break down these myths, HIV is given a face, a name, and a story. Profits from the sale of this book support the projects of Camp Heartland.

Through Neil Willenson's "A Journey of Hope", I have witnessed the essence of his commitment in lovingly creating a safe and fun-filled camp experience for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Their tender photos and writings reflect their brave fight for life and the support and acceptance they receive to speak their hearts openly without judgment. The power of love is truly evident as these children's lives are transformed in this out-of-the-ordinary camp experience. The book also depicts the very atmosphere at Camp Heartland which I have been blessed to visit and take in its beautiful setting. My time spent in this enlightened book has filled me with such compassion and encouragement. We are all capable of making a difference in our world. Just think what we can do together in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

A Journey of Hope: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Unconditional Love is out-of-this-world beautiful! Young people who have been involved in Camp Heartland - an oasis of acceptance, companionship, and fun for young people affected by HIV/AIDS - tell of their sorrows and their triumphs as they struggle with the impact of this disease on their lives. Gorgeous photographic portraits and sensitively crafted narratives by camp founder and director Neil Willenson complete the telling of the Camp Heartland story.

As a person living with chronic illness, I have been deeply touched by this book. I expect it will be a source of strength to families grappling with any chronic illness, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS.

When was the last time you hugged a child who has HIV/AIDS? For Neil Willenson, AIDS activist and creator of Camp Heartland, the answer would most certainly be, "every day." Willenson, whose involvment in fighting for the love and care of children whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS goes back more than a decade, has devoted his life to his mission. A JOURNEY OF HOPE is partially his story, but mostly the story of so many of the little lives he's touched.

Meet Stacey, a 14 year-old living with HIV that was passed on to her at birth. She's grateful that she's lived as long as she has. And then there's 13 year-old Peaches, who struggles valiantly every day to take the medicine she needs to keep her alive. Read the stories of 14 year-old twins, Sheridan and Shane, whose mother contracted the disease after they were born. Could you survive the pressure and ridicule that they must endure on a day to day basis? And what of the kids who contracted the disease from blood transfusions, and who are now dealing with multiple diseases - AIDS, Hemophilia, Hepatitis, or others.

A JOURNEY OF HOPE is a book like no other, with beautiful and poignant photographs interspersed with stories, poems, and art from the pens of the campers themselves. Neil's commentary throughout takes the reader on a rollercoaster of love and grief, leaving them with the certainty that more must be done to help these children ignored (sometimes purposely) in our society.

The story of these children is heartbreakingly poignant. Many of them are grateful for the lives they've been given. Most of them stoically accept the fact that they may never graduate high school or marry or drive a car. They struggle with rigorous medication schedules that make them feel ill. And, almost without exception, they long for love and acceptance. "We want to stop lying to our friends and families," they say. Or, "I wish people weren't afraid to touch me."

Neil Willenson and his courageous volunteers aren't afraid to touch, love, and give meaningful life experiences to these children. There aren't many people like Willenson in this world and his story needs to be told. Loudly. Clearly. And to as many people as who are willing to hear it.

A JOURNEY OF HOPE is a touching and informative book that will change any reader's views of the world around him. It will make the reader want to be a better person. Not only do I highly recommend this book, I challenge you to find the strength to open yourself up to it.

I found this book to be a very accurate description of living in the heartland - and it reminded me of the values and benefits I sometimes take for granted.

Truly delightful and a treasure to be discovered by others! There are few things which can be said, to really encompass the warm feeling David Chartrand's book gives the reader.
A few months back I met Mr. Chartrand's neice as she returned from Australia to the city where her family had done the majority of their growing up, Omaha. She happened to pass on his book to me after a few family conversations we had. As we all know in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you don't get to sit down and enjoy a good book as often as you'd like, but when you do find one, a real gem, you can't put it down -- that's how it was with Mr. Chartrand's work. I just wanted to write a note of thanks and admiration to Mr. Chartrand for putting a piece of himself and his family out there for the world to read and relate to, and somehow find a connection they may have lost along the way of growing up.
On a personal level, due to the fact that my parents were in the military, I was born overseas, and my family has moved frequently throughout our lives, never settling in a city where there was any of our extended family, but, for most of our lives, it has been Midwestern cities none the less, cities with people and situations that are very much the heart of Mr. Chartrand's book. In reading this book, I truly remembered all of the little things that made growing up around these parts so special, and why it was so great to be a part of families from the Midwest, with Midwestern values and ideologies. Now that I am grown and on my own, I still remain in close contact with my parents and siblings. This book helped me remember the power in that family connection that sometimes is overlooked when we get too busy in our own lives, or get too overburdened with the everyday toil to notice that maybe we were a lot happier or better off when things were simpler, maybe when we had/made less money, or had less possessions, when life was "about" something else. I'd like to extend my personal regards to Mr. Chartrand, for helping a kind-hearted, laid-back, but sometimes too-caught-up in the world of being a business professional, remember that there is something that means a lot more out there, and that "something" is truly the secret to keeping the heart happy. I can very easily see why Mr. Chartran's neice has turned out to be the person she is, surrounded by a family that knows more about life at a young age and throughout, then some folks do that live for more than a century. I hope that Mr. Chartrand will come out with another work in the near future, another small slice of reality and happiness that those like myself can laugh with, cry with, and undoubtedly, always remember . . . with a smile. Thanks again!

Everyone has a friend from one of the big Catholic Midwestern families the author immerses us in within this book -- families held together by a quiet, hard-working father and a magnetic, high-strung mother and brothers and sisters with loyalties so strong that it's hard for outsiders to fully understand them, let alone penetrate the circle. Chartrand gives us a peek inside in this warm and wistful collection of essays, eschewing gross sentimentality but never concealing the fact that in spite of his welcome humor, his heart is sewn securely on his sleeve. An easy read well worth reading.

Having grown up in a small town in the "HEARTLAND", and being involved in the raising of four children myself, I can identify with many of the situations described in the book. David Chartrand is one of my favorite columnists and has certainly written a great book.

A book that draws you in from the get-go. You will love the stories. You will not be able to control your emotions. This poignant telling of life in the Heartland captivates.

I am an avid Ghosthunters fan (TAPS on SciFi). I purchased this book hoping it would give me specifics about paranormal investigations/haunted locations in Illinois. The book is interesting in that it provides several locations that are reputed to be haunted. However, it is more disappointing in that the book offers no evidence of any investigations or "hunts". In every site story that I have read so far, I see a lot of the word "maybe" and or "perhaps". The author has clearly visited the sites, but has not had any personal experiences himself to build on -- he merely repeats stories he has heard from locals.

I would like to have seen something more from this book -- but it does still make me curious.

I decided to try this book, as I seem to have almost every other book written about ghosts in the Chicagoland area. What I most enjoyed about this book, is that John lives in Ohio. So he was a visitor to our state, while researching stories for his book. It was very well written, with pictures he provided. I enjoyed his writing so much, that his book on Ohio ghosts is in my wish list and I purchased his recommendation on the Indiana ghosts. I also appreciated that he contacted other ghost hunters and referenced them in his book.

This is a fine book about ghosts. What is most important about the author's book is its straight-ahead, honest approach to the topic. His comments and thoughts on ghosts, and their locale, is refreshingly enjoyable. The writing is concise and entertaining. This is an excellent reference on Illinois ghosts. John Kachuba is a first rate writer with a keen sense of the macabre, and he knows how to write about the paranormal!

John Kachuba is really good at telling

the places that he visited. Each story is

fasinating and he gives some interesting history

on the haunted places


~SkUrVy

I decided to purchase this book on a whim and I was pleasantly surprised. Most paranormal location books offer little more than brief historical overviews of each location and then the associated ghost story. In "Ghosthunting Illinois," Kachuba takes a more hands-on approach in that he's visited the locations personally. His book offers some historical information, the associated ghost stories, and interviews with people associated with the location (owners, tenants, parishoners, etc.). Beyond that, he also describes his trek through these locations by expressing how he felt, what he saw, etc. An even more compelling reason to purchase this book is the fact that it's very well written which stands to reason considering the author is a "creative writing" professor. Additionally, the book holds your interest and the chapters are short so it's a great "quick chapter before bed" type of book.

When I began work on my own book on ghosthunting in Virginia and the District of Columbia, this was one of the resources I picked up for inspiration, and I have to say that it more than met my expectations. This handbook contains firsthand accounts by the author of his visits to a wide variety of haunted public sites -- including hotels, restaurants, and cemeteries -- and is well written, nicely detailed, and often amusing.

On a more personal level, I was pleasantly surprised by a number of things. One was all the ways my own travels and writing endeavors intersected with the author's adventures in this book, including my stay at the clearly-haunted Hilton Netherlands Plaza hotel in Cincinnati. Another was with what a similar approach Kachuba and I had taken in our respective works and how, with much less tweaking than I would have assumed, almost any of the chapters in my most recent book, Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Great Lakes, could have been spun as ghost stories.

It is also nice when an author continues to do what he does best, so I was pleased to see that Kachuba had also written a Ghosthunting Illinois (The Haunted Heartland), and will have to check it out next.

Review by Lee Prosser - leep@ghostvillage.com
Ghostvillage.com review

A fascinating look at ghosts and hauntings in Ohio, this is one book not to be missed. In fact, I found I had read it twice before I reviewed it simply because of the interest it generated within me as a reader! This book will grab your interest and hold it, and thanks to the concise and clear writing talents of John B. Kachuba, this is one book about ghosts you will savor re-reading many times over.

In addition there is a travel guide to ghosthunting, a section on visiting haunted places, and a ghostly resources entry. A brisk and entertaining introduction sets the pace to this well-crafted book. Ohio is covered by sections.

With over thirty ghostly sites to read about, there is something for everybody in this book. Among the numerous interesting entries, check out Fort Meigs, Main Street Cafe, The Lofts Hotel, Taffy's Main Street Coffee, Woodland Cemetery, The Castle, and the Inn at Cedar Falls. An enjoyable afterword concludes this fine ghosthunting book.

If you like reading about ghosthunting and stories of hauntings as much as I do, then this book will give you many repeated hours of reading enjoyment. I highly recommend this book to anybody seriously interested in the lore of ghosts. Excellent reading!

Simply put, I loved this book. John Kachuba has a gift of description. I felt like I was in these locations with John while he was telling all of these stories. As a ghosthunter, I love reading about other paranormally active locations. Now I'll have to include all of these locations to my list. John is a brilliant writer and I'm already anticipating his next book. If you ever have the opportunity to listen to John tell some of his "ghost stories", I urge you to do so as you will be missing out if you don't.

Ohio resident John Kachuba has documented 31 tales from every corner of that beautiful state. I only wish this book had been available during the years I drove there frequently to visit my daughter attending college in Ohio's heartland. I had no idea I was passing by so many fascinating and creepy places.

In addition to the great writing (Kachuba teaches writing at the college level), what really makes his book stand out among the ghost books I have read is its inclusion of only haunts that are open to the public. You can visit every one of these places. In fact, you could use this book as a guide to the state and spend a very intriguing week or two investigating each site - staying in the haunted hotels, eating in the spooky restaurants and taverns, and touring a variety of ghost-filled historic buildings featured in this collection, if you dare!

To ensure you have no excuse to wimp out on an Ohio ghost excursion, Kachuba includes regional maps and clear directions to each site. To make sure you know when you're at the front door, he adds very nice photos of each building. Then, just as you may have pumped up your courage to venture forth, he scares you good in a warning from his "Afterword," written by notable paranormal researchers and demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren. Maybe armchair traveling is the best kind, after all.

Georgiana Kotarski,
author of Ghosts of the Southern Tennessee Valley

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not only is John's writing style captivating, it is extremely descriptive. I felt as though I was able to almost picture myself at each of the locations. There was much history in the book, and John described each location with exciting detail, and dignity.
I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Kachuba at Ghostock 4 in Savannah, Georgia in February, and he has a warm, friendly personality.I look forward to meeting him again, and I can't wait to read one of his other books.
Cindy

Drumlish author strikes a chord with his memories of a Longford childhood
By Fergal Quinn - Reporter for the Longford Leader, Ireland.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A life becomes a great deal less ordinary when it is written down. Happily for the readers and fans of the new book by Arnold J Meagher he is well equipped to do just that.
Sound effects and extravagant hand movements accompany the words as he outlines some of the vivid memories contained in 'Ireland, my Ireland', his debut book of memoirs which skilfully weaves a colourful tapestry of Longford in times past.
The long since emigrated Drumlish native, was back home to do readings of 'Ireland, my Ireland' around the county last week. The book is about growing up in County Longford in the 40s and 50s and has been winning a growing band of admirers and fans.
"Readers make it worth while and it's very gratifying to get such positive feedback", he told the Longford Leader at the home of his cousin Sean Donnelly in Longford Town, where he is staying with his wife Jackie for the duration of his stay.
"It does seem to have brought back memories for people. One woman, who went to the same school as me and also emigrated said 'finishing the book was like leaving home again'".
His wife Jackie, with whom he now lives in Eufaula, Alabama was the principal driving force behind "Ireland, my Ireland, memories from the heartland" being written, says Arnold.
"It was a way of life that didn't exist anymore and he remembered it", Jackie explains, "I wanted our son to have a feeling for the life his father had in Ireland".
"Ireland my Ireland" took five years to finish, and after having been turned down by over 60 publishers, was finally published in 2003.
"The ones who turned me away would say `There's no controversy. There's no scandal. It won't sell'," says Arnold.
"Then Publish America, got back to me with similar concerns, and asked me to write and tell them why my book is different.
"I told them the Irish memoirs I had read were all about dysfunctional families. All about city life. My book is about life in the country, in the heartland."
He felt the time was right to tell a different Irish story.
"There was a scatter of books after 'Angela's Ashes' did so well. Frank McCourt's a great writer and I'd never put him down but I wanted to tell another side of Irish family life that wasn't so dysfunctional. I think Irish people abroad are ready to hear a story they can be proud of, that they can feel good about."
Drumlish is in many ways, 'everytown', says Arnold, now 71 years old, and people who had grown up in rural Alabama got in touch and said they related to it.
Arnold's favourite moments , and the ones which kept the children to whom he was reading to last week enraptured is the account of the football match, the banshee and making hay.
"Tea in the meadow was better than anything from Harrods in London! You'd be picking out the grass hoppers, but the older men, who were not so patient, would simply blow them to one side and gulp it down," he says.
Ireland, my Ireland', reads deceptively simply off the page. But to achieve such a flow was no accident. For Arnold, the writing process was slow and rather painstaking, involving lots of rewriting, sessions of recalling memories and jotting them down, before trying to connect them all together. Ann Donnelly, Sean's wife, was also a help in getting the details Arnold wanted.
"Reading it aloud is an essential part of the distilling process.
To Jackie, or even to myself. You never knew how a sentence was until you heard it aloud," he explains.
"The Banshee concept was hard. I wondered how I'd get across the idea on the page. Feeling dictates how the words flow. "
It's many years since 1957 when Arnold left Longford for America, after having been ordained as a priest. He was stationed in Sacramento for 15 years.
The story of his leaving the priesthood is one which he is admirably frank about. Arnold had his doubts about the issue of celibacy, even having written a celebrated article, anonymously, in the National Catholic Reporter.
"My attitude was that celibacy is a gift that not all priests have, so it should not be expected of every priest," he says.
"I did not doubt my vocation so much but I looked around me and more and more came to realize that I did not want to grow old alone."
When he met Jackie he knew that the celibate life was not for him.
"I met Jackie and fell in love with her and got the reluctant permission from the church to leave the priesthood." Arnold has no regrets on the route his life took. "They were fifteen great years. I was a good priest, in good standing until I left of course. "
The Longford man came late to writing creatively but he's certainly used to writing on other levels. He is exceptionally well educated having done a PHD on 'Chinese Emigration to Latin America', a formidable work which is recognised as one of the best on the subject.
On leaving the priesthood, he set up a company 'Best Writing' which write and phrase things for companies for everything from brochures to proposals for Government Contracts. Words have been his trade for a long time.
Arnold has been a fairly regular visitor to these shores since going abroad especially when his parents Arnold and May, the former a policeman, and the latter a school teacher were alive.
His mother May taught at Gaigue school for 41 years while his father joined the Gardai when they were first being formed at the age of 18.
Arnold and his eight siblings committed after their parents died to having a reunion every four or five years rotating between Ireland, England, where three of them were and the US where another three were.
The ability to write was always latent in him, but Arnold admits that he couldn't have written the same book as he did, had he remained living here. "Distance lends enchantment to the view. The distance in time and geography coloured my writing to an extent", he explains.
"And his appreciation too," Jackie adds.
Of course it's not all fun and light. There are fears and unpleasantness, the dentist, the sometimes cruel school master, the fear of the dead and the little people. But it's all written in an engaging, light style that the reader can almost hum along to.
"The little people I believed in unquestionably as a child, as I did God I suppose. My guardian angels were not as real to me as ghosts were," he recalls.
"The children in the school where I was reading asked me about the Banshee. 'Was it real?' I said it was real in my mind, not on the outside. They understood the concept very well."
He's happy and comfortable with immense change that this little island has undergone in the years since he was a boy.
"Each time I come back I see more progress, more flowers, more nice houses. It's uplifting for me to see this happen and I'd love to have shared in that success," he says.
The book is selling steadily, mostly through word of mouth, and with Arnold essentially publishing it himself. He has been one of the best sellers in the Longford Bookshop over the last year. It's a good start, he says. "People who read it seem to like it. That's the main thing."
Will a young fellow growing up in Longford today, have as distinctive and individual a story to tell if he sits down in 60 years I ask him.
"Absolutely!" he says with conviction.
"Since I wrote the book, I have come to the conclusion that there's one book in everybody's life. A life story is unique, like a fingerprint, and no-one else can write it. It's the detail that makes it come alive and blossom."

Arnold Meagher's memoir awakened for this Longford native golden memories of her youth. A must read!

Arnold Meagher has written a charming look back at his years growing up in the middle of the Twentieth Century before the Celtic Tiger reshaped his homeland. Arnold's Ireland is a country of small villages, rural landscapes, and a priest ridden school system. As a child, Meagher found happiness in the small features of nature and society. On his grandmother's farm where he helped his uncle with farm chores, he was an inveterate birdwatcher, made pets of many farm animals, loved the smell of hay, celebrated feast days with the neighbors, and surreptitiously eavesdropped on the same neighbors who many nights appeared at his grandmothers to sit before her peat fire and tell tales of the little people.

Meagher's reminiscences relate a timeless cycle of century-old rituals and work in the Emerald Isle. While the official account of Ireland's history is poignant and sad, Meagher's corner of Ireland was full of light, playfulness, and a tightly-knit large family. A pleasure to read!

Wholly engaging and healing for even the hardest of heart. Arnold J. Meagher has provided this hard-hearted German emigrant refugee a glimpse into the heart of youth growing up anywhere in this world, a wee bit of an "Everyman's" experience. Well done, Mr. Meagher. Your pages are a balm for all souls everywhere who have the courage and wisdom to revisit their childhood experience in search of the whole person in a broken world. Your healing insights and reflective prayer has healed us all who read your book, Ireland, MY Ireland. I shall revisit your pages often. I hope you are not done sharing your beautiful soul in writing. I would love to hear the story of an Irish immigrant and Irish-American. Welcome to the hall of Literary Gems.

Dear Arnold:
I just finished reading your book and for the first time in my life, I am writing to the author of a book I had read. It took me back so deeply that I was again living those years and I hated reaching the end because I had to leave home again.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the fact that you had the facts exactly as I remembered them and you used the real names of people that I knew, even though some of them were just on the edge of my recollections, made it so much more interesting.

As a fellow native of Kansas City, I see Ms. Fertig's work everywhere- in newspapers, in bookstores, and on television. And like other Midwesterners, I admire her efforts to give our regional cooking the status it deserves. This book eliminates any doubts about the quality of Midwestern cooking. It has been a huge success locally, and the nationwide attention it is receiving is equally justified. Ms. Fertig mixes ethnic dishes such as Bratwurst with Caramelized Onion and Apples with modern classics like Vegetable Garden Pot Roast to yield a truly well-rounded image of the Midwestern culinary tradition. For those skeptics out there, one bite of the heavenly Blue Cheese and Toasted Pecan Spread will convert you! I've had the pleasure of attending some of Ms. Fertig's cooking classes, and her penchant for humor and storytelling are clearly reflected in her book. I strongly recommend it for any avid cooks who wish to get in touch with their roots. This is the epitome comfort food.

Judith M. Fertig's "Prairie Home Cooking" is a wonderful compendium of heartland recipes that will make you feel like a modern-day Laura Ingalls Wilder in the kitchen. It is the kind of book you want to sit down and devour while sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of tea and nibbling at a homemade oatmeal cookie.

The recipes are wide-ranging, taking their cue from the many immigrants who settled the American west and midwest. There are many German and Scandinavian recipes here, which is in keeping with the immigration percentages, but there are lots of Native American, Russian, Italian, and other "flavors" in the mix as well.

Sara Love's superb illustrations deserve special mention. These block print pictures lend such a homey, heartland atmosphere to the book and complement Fertig's comfortable-as-old-slippers voice beautifully. This book is a treasure!

Prairie Home Cooking is the kind of cookbook you curl up and read with before ever entering the kitchen. Wonderfully written, it interweaves heartland history with beloved recipes. Growing up in the country, this cookbook took me back to simpler times and the comforts of food made with love. As I plan my move back to the prairie and grow my own food, this book will serve as my never-ending reference and companion. The Blue-Ribbon Brownies recipe (page 373) will make you the most popular baker around! My ancestors, being German, probably made many of the recipes in this cookbook. I am honored to replicate them. Prairie Home Cooking is my very favorie cookbook. A huge variety of recipes- something for everyone!

I got on to this cookbook through a friend who is also mad keen on Laura Ingalls wilder - (I love those books and have the little house cookbook. At first I thought this book would be more of the same - but this is so much more! Unrestrained by the limitations of Ma's cooking and other things described in the little house books - this is a wealth of heartland home cooking which is presented extremely well also.

This isn't a fancy book - there are no styled photos of steamy puddings and roasts - but rather it is simply presented with recipes following one another and illustrated with very tasteful line drawings where appropriate

The books presentation I really liked overall - (I thought I would say this quickly - while I love my lush Nigella-style books - I do like the simpler ones when they are done well.

The beauty of this book is it is all recipes and handy information about the cooking itself. The availability of items - the cooking of what was around (ie chokeberries etc) and some wonderful tips such as how to make your own sourdough starter - some excellent tips on how to do chicken and old fashioned pickles etc which you just don't see around much these days (watermelon rind!)

It is a good sized book, and for someone who lives in New Zealand, I found it stacked full of things which I wouldn't normally cook as we have an almost entirely indigenous and British heritage - there is little influence in our culture of the Scandanavian for instance which seems to be very strongly prevalent in the reipces. I say this because it might be that Mid West America still does many of these tasty recipes - but for me the delicious mixture of old fashioned recipes and exotic mixtures were fascinating

This book is definitely at the most accesible part of my cooking shelf and is thumbed through a lot.

I gave this cookbook as a Christmas present to a very good German friend of mine who loves to cook and we had fun noticing the similarities between the recipes in the book and the traditional recipes of Germany.