Kentucky Books

Although the subject of this book is fascinating and Ames' ideas & theories, in his context of film history, are quite brilliant, his writing style is very painful to get through. I'm a retired editor & H.S. English teacher, but he had me running to the dictionary more than once, sometimes without findings; his vocabulary is unnecessarily obscure/arcane, at least for the general reader. His sentence structure, although always technically correct, required me to reread many portions several times just to get a simple point. Such content could have been expressed much more simply without compromising meaning.
Although I bought the book for his informed opinions, I had to wonder if he sometimes inferred overly complex/incorrect intent on the part of film creators in order to fit his analyses (vs. what was in the films by pure accident or what was mangled by the group creation process). I wondered if he sometimes cared too much about creating a neat & tidy (albeit possibly incorrect) interpretation rather than simply enjoying the films for what they are: not always so neat. I.e., I felt he overanalyzed & overcomplicated at times what might have been intended for simple entertainment (or what had no clear-cut intent intact by the end of production).
If I were leaving his classroom after a lecture, I might be muttering something like "What a windbag!" This book is worth reading, but you will be glad when you're done (I started counting "pages left" early).

This is one of the best books to tackle the subject of Hollywood. Ever since the beginning of motion pictures, Hollywood has made movies critisizing, and complimenting itself. The movies range from musicals, to comedies, to deep drama. This expertly written book covers movies such as Singin' In the Rain (a musical comedy about two stars making the transition from silent films to talkies), What Price Hollywood? (The first talking picture to tackle the subject of Hollywood- later remade as A Star is Born), Sullivan's Travels (a hilarious comedy about a comedy director who wants to make dramas), and Sunset Boulevard ( a deep Billy Wilder drama about a crazed silent star who hires a screenwriter to write her a comeback script). It is a must have for any fan of old Hollywood!

Nathan Boone and his wife, Olive van Bibber Boone, had the kind of memories most people wish for. They remembered virtually all of the early history of Commonwealth of Kentucky. When Lyman Draper came to visit them for two months in 1851 he found them full of the most interesting and detailed memories of Daniel Boone. Not only had the elder Boone lived with them and shared his own memories, they had also lived through many of the incidents themselves, and knew many of the old pioneers -- old van Bibber was one of the earliest settlers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Enjoyable, highly readable. I highly recommend this book.

The Draper Interviews provide insight into the life of Boone, free of the myth and larger than life stereotype that has always surrounded this remarkable frontiersman. Nathan Boone's recollections of his father also gives us a glimpse of how Daniel himself viewed the world in which he lived and allows us to more clearly understand the man from which the legend sprung. Though many books written from similiar interviews are dull and rather boring, the Draper Interviews are arranged so that they make for rather stimulating reading and keep the reader eagerly in longing for the next chapter. Truly a "must read" for anyone interested in Daniel Boone or early Kentucky history.

This, Berry's first novel and the first to introduce his fictional Kentucky community Port William, displays the skill Berry shows as a poet. Not a word is wasted here; every one of them counts toward the whole. As with good poetry,as much is implied as stated outright here.

This is a story of initiation, of a young boy's coming to grips with his family and community and his own place in them. The book's final image, of the boy Nathan carrying his dying grandfather home, serves to sum up this theme perfectly.

This is a gentle novel and an auspicious beginning to an important saga of place and people.

Nathan Coulter is the second best book by Wendell Berry. The best is "A Place on Earth" but you have to read this one as an introduction. This series of fictional works revolves around the Port William community. Wendell Berry is also known for his essays on the decline of community and the resulting cost. I find his fictional works communicate his ideas on community better than his essays. The sense of place is wonderfully communicated and the even the most noble character is kept plausible with imperfections none of us can wholly escape.

This is a fascinating memoir of Max Fleischer, "the" great pioneer of 20th Century motion picture cartoon making, written by his son Richard Fleischer* [*himself the director of such films as "20,000 Leagues under the Sea," "Compulsion," "10 Rellington Place" and "Fantastic Voyage"]. This isn't one of those exhautive (or exhausting) biographies that regurgitate facts and statistic about a great artist no matter how redundant, erroneous or incongruous; rather this is a loving tribute to an incredible man, artist and father.

Max Fleischer was the genuine article. He created Koko the Clown, Betty Boop and "follow the bouncing ball" and brought them lovingly to life on the big screen. His studio also produced the Popeye the Sailor and Superman cartoon shorts. He was an extraordinary inventor who held patents on a number of revolutionary filmmaking gadgets and gizmos. Though he inspired uncommon respect and loyalty from those in his employ, he was not a great businessman. Max was an honest and far too trusting man, who unwittingly got into bed with those nefarious folks at Paramount.

This is a great unfilmed Hollywood story, one I'd love to see brought to the big screen by Francis Ford Coppola (a la "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" - the two stories have much in common). Max Fleischer's life story is filled with drama and passion. He was an uncommon man of talent and ambition. His was an American dream that came true, and then became a nghtmare. Still, through it all, he remained optimistic. Bravo Max, and bravo Richard Fleischer for telling your father's story with such care.

Everyone knows Walt Disney and his animated creation Mickey Mouse. When cartoons were just starting to become standards of entertainment, however, Disney had one real competitor, whose name is not as well known to the public but is well regarded by cartoon fans: Max Fleischer. The creator of Betty Boop and the animator of Popeye the Sailor and Superman, Fleischer also invented gadgets that made animation easier and more realistic. In _Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution_ (University Press of Kentucky), Fleischer's son, Richard, has given us a short memoir and biography of an amazing artist and technician. It is appropriately full of filial admiration, as Max Fleischer seems to have been a genuinely admirable man and a loving father. His son even starts his book by contradicting the saw that it is difficult to be the son of a famous man. "I grew up as a famous man's son, and I didn't find it difficult at all. In fact, it was great." The animator was famous enough, for instance, that just by mentioning his name, his son could get into the movies free. Fleischer never had a Fleischerland theme park, or the entertainment connections that Disney had, but his place in animation is secure, and this fond biography allows us to appreciate his contributions to the art.

Animated cartoons by 1915 were very primitive; they moved, but in a jerky and unrealistic way. In a combination of his love of drawing and gadgetry, Fleischer realized that a motion picture camera could be rigged to take pictures that could be traced in ink. It wasn't easy; the process involved tracing sixteen pictures for a second of film, and then photographing each drawing onto motion picture film. It seems obvious now, but no one had ever thought of it before, and Fleischer took out a patent for the Rotoscope. Eventually Paramount produced a series of his "Out of the Inkwell" cartoons consisting of Ko-Ko the clown, coming to life on the animation board in front of Fleischer, interacting with him in live action, and then being captured into the ink bottle again. No one had ever seen anything like it, and it was a worldwide hit. Disney was the spur for Fleischer's most enduring creation. Mickey Mouse pushed Ko-Ko off center stage, so Fleischer responded by giving Ko-Ko a new dog, tough, cigar-chewing, and piano-playing. It didn't work, so the dog was replaced by a half-dog, half-human love interest for Ko-Ko. She was ugly, with saucer eyes an enormous bouncy behind, but Paramount thought she was great. Fleischer refined her, took away her dog's snout and ears, gave her a sexy figure, and a new name: Betty Boop. She was a sensation; Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong played for her cartoons, there were tie-in dolls and dishes and fan clubs, and a daily comic strip. Betty made over a hundred pictures, with her initial career winding down at the end of the thirties. The Motion Picture Production Code killed her; her harmless sexual image was stripped of its garter and plunging neckline, and her hemline dropped. She became less fun, and audiences less enthusiastic, and the series ended so that America could be safe from Betty's smut.

Fleischer had other notable successes, like the original Superman cartoons, and the first animated Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. It did not ensure him financial success; the author tries to clarify the murky funny-business by which Paramount summarily canceled their contract and asserted rights to all of Fleischer's creations. By the sixties he was broke, but his family arranged for him and his wife to be cared for in the Motion Picture Country House, set up for Hollywood figures that needed a place for retirement. The King Features Syndicate brought out a new line of Betty Boop products in 1972, and it seems as if she will live forever. 1972 was the year, though, that Fleischer died, and he didn't get to experience her reappearance in pop culture. Richard Fleischer has brought a loving tribute to his dad, and a reminder, in times where computer animation seems so effortless, of just how much work it took for the pioneers in the field to make the drawings dance.

Timely delivery. Beautiful pictures, interesting bits of information about lives of Kentucky's governors. Had glimpsed copy in bookstore, decided to buy online at cheaper price. Satisfied.

This is a very well conceived niche book on a subject I find quite interesting. The mansions profiled are each unique and beautiful in their own way. Personally I prefer the last and grandest mansion..it's a full on Beaux Art show stopper. It is what a governer's mansion should be, that is grand and refecting the prosperity of the state with which it serves. This book has insightful text and the images are very good. If you have any interest in this subject, I highy recommend it.

I took the class by the same name with Professor Kilillea this past semester. He is a wonderful, knowledgeable man who takes on a subject that many people tend to avoid and consider morbid to address. In a classroom setting, students felt that they may explore the reality of death and what implications it has in the political, as well as social, arenas. There was also a comfortable environment, enabled by the Professor, which encouraged students to explore their feelings with regard to the topic, as well as share their personal experiences with death and the meaning of life. I would recommend this book- preferably in conjunction with the class- to all who feel ready to delve into the abyss of a subject largely avoided yet highly interesting and fulfilling.

One life touches others and so on... In this slim tome, Killilea describes the drive behind all - immortality and how one reaches it through the simplest of efforts. Sometimes soul-searching and always thought-provoking, Killilea's examination of the driving forces behind the politics of mortality reveals the most simplistic of life's truths; that one small gesture, one ripple in the great pool, really does change all the world around it.

Written after the death of his child, Killilea probes the mind-set that causes the individual to excell in life, that causes one to erect statues and monuments, or to make great speeches; in recognizing within oneself mortality, one strives to leave some permanent mark on this world in order to prove that this life has not been in vain. And so, as the individual makes an impression on those around her, whether good or bad, that impression affects their lives which in turn, affects the lives of others. In so doing, man has his immortality.

A short book, but very worth the read.

For her first novel, Wyatt successfully proves herself as an up-and-coming writer of children's novels. It is 1930 during the Great Depression in rural Kentucky, and Artie is tired of being poor, hungry and working in the fields on the family farm. She daydreams of hopping the train to Louisville for a better life than what she has now. She realizes that determination, despite the odds against her, is the ticket to a better life. The characters are well-rounded and the interactions between the family members are realistic. A suspenseful twist keeps the novel from being too predictable.

Twelve-year-old Artie Wilson attends a one-room schoolhouse in Buck County, Kentucky during the Great Depression. She longs to attend high school, but is hindered by her father's lack of responsibility, her mother's illness, and her family's poverty. When the teacher in her one-room schoolhouse announces an essay contest on the topic of heritage that offers a $25.00 prize, Artie determines to win the money and use it to pay for her living expenses so she can attend high school.

Rich girl Sarah Jane Bratcher is Artie's chief rival. Sarah Jane has everything Artie does not: a rich family, cars, horses, nice clothes, and a family heritage she claims stretches all the way back to England.

Artie's older brother Ballard announces to the school that one of the Wilson ancestors buried a treasure in the woods, so Artie goes on a treasure hunt. Always practical, Artie digs for roots while in the woods so she can sell them to buy food for the family and save for high school. To her shock, she discovers Sarah Jane digging for treasure in the woods as well. Artie is furious. Why does a rich girl need to steal the poor Wilson family's heritage?

Artie's struggle structures this novel. She cares for her ailing mother and fights for the life of her newborn baby brother. Using whatever spare time she can wrest from her chores, she works on her essay and tries to find meaning in the struggles and failures of her ancestors. And she uncovers the mystery of her arch rival, Sarah Jane.

This first novel is rich in the family history of author Leslie J. Wyatt's own family story. Historical details are woven into the story with a light touch. Readers get a real feel for life in this backwoods community but the details never slow or stop the story.

This is a very satisfying read. I'm looking forward to more books by the author. The ending seemed a bit forced so I'm giving it four stars, but it is well worth reading!

Artie is a warm character who will win your heart with her sheer pluck and determination. The publisher aims this book at readers 11 and older, but younger readers who are interested in history will enjoy reading it for themselves or having it read aloud. Teachers will find it useful for showing rural aspects of the Depression years - parts of chapter 3 (plowing) or chapter 5 (driving to the 'May meeting' could be read aloud as stand-alones to show aspects of rural life.)

I had searched through a lot of website information for Morgan's Raiders and was looking for a "beginning to end" book on this story. This book surpassed my expectations in getting the historical information along with the overall mood of the time. General Morgan was a very dashing figure and this helps to sort out the truth of many tales of the time. I would recommend this book highly to anyone who wants the whole story.

John Hunt Morgan....This name stirred up the passion of both Northerners and Southerners, and in his biography of the General, James Ramage does an excellent job in telling us why. The Morgan in Ramage's biography comes across to us the readers, as not very religious...deeply rooted in the Southern lifestyle of the times, and as a careful soldier. I found two Morgan's in the book...The Morgan who was at his most successful after the period of his first wife's death, and

the Morgan who seems to lose interest in the war after his second marriage, when failure would always seem to bear its ugly head whenever the General attempted to do anything. Ramage has done a good deal of research, rooting out letters to and from the General, with special emphasis on Morgan's relationship with his second wife. This research helps us to understand the transformation of Morgan as the war went on, and helps the reader to ultimately understand this diverse per! sonality of our great internal conflict. The chapter on the death of Morgan is probably the best in the book, as Ramage tries to put down the various stories and myths that have cropped up over the years. All in all, I found Ramage's work a good read, and I recommend it to all Civil War enthusiasts.

All the books I have read from Annie Jones have been good, humorus and clean. I do recommend them.

Sadie is feeling kinda glum. She's living in a small town, just got appointed graveyard superintendent (who really wants that job?), and she's having trouble raising her two teens. Plus she's suspecting her husband of an affair and her eccentric dad is driving her and her sisters, April and Hannah, absolutely nuts. The sisters are close but Sadie is given the most responsibility over their father, who took care of them after their mother left them when they were little. Since they are never allowed to discuss their mother, the sisters are kept in the dark as to why she left them long ago. One day when their dad leaves to go find their mother, Sadie and her sisters go to track him down. On their road trip they discover things about themselves they didn't know and learn to strengthen their relationship with each other and with their families back home.

I liked that there were 3 sisters in this book, just like in my family. You see how each sister fit their role as youngest, middle, and oldest perfectly. I'm glad finally took charge and stood up for herself against her daughter, her husband, her sisters, and the townspeople. Small town settings where everyone always knows each other are always interesting to me because I live in largely populated area. It's always refreshing to read about simpler lifestyles. I also liked how the sisters grew closer together as they find out the truth about their mother. A very touching and moving scene. Family is the most important thing in the world. I felt that this book wasn't really chick lit or mom lit. It was more a women's fiction type of book. Still I enjoyed it and am ready to read about Hannah's story in "Mom Over Miami."

This is the first Colin Gray book I have read, but I plan that it won't be the last. As one of the leading strategists of our age he takes a very fundamental and realist approach to America in the modern world. However this book is not so much a prescriptive strategy for America as it is a description of the role that America must assume for now and for the foreseeable future, that of the "Sheriff" to protect world order (a role less than a full on global policeman) and one from which any number of appropriate strategies can correctly flow based on temporal conditions.

In a short 150 pages of so or text he lays out that America is already fulfilling this role, is the only nation or institution that can fulfill this role, and depicts the need for the role. His argument is more centered on trying to make people, and particularly American statesman, explicitly recognize this fact and knowingly act within its confines, as opposed to pursue mere opportunistic action that is afforded by our military pre-eminence.

As the world's sole superpower it basically falls on America as the only nation that can protect some semblance of world order, which can maximize peace and prosperity beneficial for all (and particular the US, but should not be confused with an oppressive freezing of the world condition.) The UN, NATO, and G-8 are at best mere figureheads for none can practically act to take on threats such as terrorism or rogue states without the overwhelming influence (and thus overwhelming control) of American military might. This leaves the job to act, or not to act as the case may be, heavily on our shoulders and the author argues that it is one we should adopt with alacrity and dedication. Written largely in response to the RMA (Revolution in Military Affairs) in the harsh afterlight of the Iraq campaign of 2003 the author is urging for an increased appreciation of strategic thought to link and subordinate American military action and developments to foreign policies appropriate to our unique position and opportunity in history.

He provides far too much advice, and pointers, and warnings about how America should act as the world Sheriff to bear repeating here, but to make the book very worthwhile to read, especially for people involved in military or foreign policy matters.

Although overall highly recommended I have to take away a star for the fact that the author is highly repetitive to the point of being slightly annoying sometimes. On a positive note the book is heavily footnoted and the bibliography provides a huge reference library of excellent books to read to understand strategy and the full import of the author's argument.

I feel monumentally ignorant not to have known of Gray, or,
at least, not to have registered his work more securely in the
thoughts. As an admirer of George Kennan and his several
tours d'horizon, as well as of Robert D Kaplan's fantastic
journalism, I kept trying to find an approach that would tie
such work together. I have always heard the word "strategic"
kicked about, but this uncluttered gem makes it clear what
it means, means for the United States, and means for world
stability, all the while admitting that strategy is not easy.
I suggest that you dip into this book, and when you emerge,
you shall need to own it.