North Carolina Books

This is a great book for teachers and Christians to read! I really enjoyed the different perspectives that the two voices shared.

This is an excelent book for all people all ages.Mrs.Whited I am so happy for you,and I hope that you continue to suceed with your writing and teaching.

Parents, students, future educators, and Christians should all grab a copy of this book. I thought it was a very insightful book into a world in which we tend to overlook. Very few people realize the impact that educators have on our children and the challenges that face them.

I was unable to put the book down. This book gives a new perspective on educators and the hard, thankless job they perform day in and day out. Now throw in the fact they are Christian educators with an even higher responsibility! Wow, you just have to read it to understand.

The 2 voices speak loud and clear.

You must own this book. It will open your eyes and change your heart.

Mr. Price brings the reader back to the Curtis family (first introduced in his novel, Hiwassee) and a society faced with new challenges in Reconstruction. This book is educational as well as entertaining--it offers a fascinating look at day-to-day life, the state of medicine, societial problems, romance, suspense, and the tenacity of the human spirit. I couldn't put this book down! It also illustrates how at any given point in history, people are faced with differing--but just as complex--challenges. Good reading, not only for history buffs, but for anyone who appreciates fine literature.

This book is an excellent sequel to Price's first Civil War novel, Hiwassee, which dealt with the war as experienced on the home front in NC mountains. Following the family introduced there we find the ex-slave holder and the ex-slave having to deal with each other and the feelings of hate and love and bitterness they both feel. The characters are rich and forceful. The language strong and emotionally evocative.

An excellent addition to the Civil War literature and one that examines race relations and the feelings of those that tried to move forward after the Civil War. Well written.

Set during the early days of Reconstruction in the mountains of North Carolina, this novel is the second of four novels that create a multigenerational saga in which you will come to know some of the most honorable and most despicable characters ever to emerge from Civil War literature; and the fighting and hatred and fear continue to build as lives and emotions are squandered and sacrificed on the altar of freedom, long after the war has ended. Everyone is searching for something---revenge, profit, normalcy, love, reconciliation, redemption---and how each character goes about his own personal journey is the stuff of this novel. Price's characters, language, and emotions are true to place and time, and he writes with great beauty and clarity, tackling difficult and heartrending themes that show us the rawness of human nature played out during a time of great cultural angst. I recommend you treat yourself to a real feast by reading all four novels in the order they were written: Hiwassee, Freedom's Altar, The Cock's Spur, and Where the Water-Dogs Laughed.

I found this book to contain great ideas and images about the changes in masculinity and femininity as portrayed in the American media. My students enjoyed the ideas in class discussions as well.

As the saying goes, "Beauty is not skin deep." Of course, that doesn't matter to the American media; it would seem that in their opinion, there's no place in our society for anyone whose beauty is not evident on the surface. Moreover, the standards of beauty on television and in the print media set the bar quite high. A pretty face won't do; to be a superstar, you need to bare lots of skin, like Britney.

Thinking back to Victorian-era prudishness, when a girl's *ankles* couldn't be exposed and when a woman's place was in the home, it's hard to imagine how our culture got to this point. How did we women get to where we are today? And what relationships, if any, are there between the way we live life and the media images surrounding us?

To learn the answers to these questions and more, read "The Girl on the Magazine Cover." Kitch, a journalist and historian, presents a compelling case for women's journey from "matronly" to "dangerous but beautiful" to "cute, skinny, and sexually free." Her focus is on 1895 through 1930, a period of some of the most rapid changes in our history, when technology, early feminism, and higher education intersected. Kitch argues that one result of their intersection was the "new woman," whose liberation was quickly co-opted by the forces of capitalism and consumerism into little more than a marketing tool. (Progress, indeed!)

Note that Kitch's focus is broader than the title would imply: She devotes one chapter to depictions of African-American women, another to the crisis of masculinity faced by men in this era of change, and still another to families. Her epilogue is quite strong, drawing connections between the depictions of women in early magazines to the depictions of women on television today.

In sum, "The Girl on the Magazine Cover" is an evocative, compelling contribution to the fields of mass communication and women's studies. Kitch's arguments are sound, backed with extensive research and illustrated by well-chosen reproductions of period magazine artwork. If the media, women's rights, and/or stereotyping are of interest, then this is the book for you!

America is more than familiar with the stereotypical blonde bombshells that grace the covers of magazines, television programs, movies, and advertisements. In Carolyn Kitch's book she is able to outline the origins of how stereotypical images came about. Her extensive background in the media along with the use of actual magazine illustrations allows her to present her arguments in a way that anyone with an interest in women's history in the media can understand.

Kitch's book maintains the reader's interest by citing specific examples, providing information about the time period, and providing illustrations. Keeping a loosely chronological form allows the book to flow, but the ideas of the time period are more important to Kitch than keeping a pattern. She breaks at appropriate points to discuss alternate visions that challenged and reinforced stereotypes in the media.

While Kitch's book is effective, it is not extensive. Its sheer size just doesn't allow Kitch to get as in depth as she could. She promises so much in the introduction, but isn't able to deliver all that she promises.

The books briefness keeps it from being extensive, but it is still able to provide me with a more organized knowledge of how stereotypes of women in the media such as the ever-popular blonde bombshell came about.

After obtaining some old women's magazines from the 1900's, I wanted to learn more about drawings of women which graced these magazine covers. I also wanted to understand why illustrations were used far more often than photos, even after photos were used for the ads within the magazines themselves.
This book was just what I needed to understand not only what the illustrators were trying to say about women's roles at the time but about how so many of these images and stereotypes of the "ideal" woman still permeate our magazines (and culture) today. If you've ever doubted that "what goes around comes around again" when it comes to women's stereotypes and ideals, reading this book may change your mind.
For those familiar with such icons of The Golden Age of Illustration as C. Coles Phillips's Fadeaway Girls or the rather sophisticated women of J. C. Leyendecker or any other artists of the time, this book will be a delight, revealing new insights about the artists visions. For those interested in social history, the book is equally engaging, showing how artist who drew cover girls for popular magazines such as Life, Saturday Evening Post and Good Housekeeping also worked for major businesses and even the government, helping to perpetuate the popular images of women throughout the culture.

"GIs and Frauleins" presents a comprehensive review of the cultural and economic impact the massive American military machine imposed on a small, agrarian, and relatively poor German state at the peak of the Cold War. This book presents a seminal work for the comprehension of later cultural clashes that dominated both the United States and Germany and continue to the present.

I recommend it for both the serious scholar as well as the casual reader of social and demographic history.

Unlike the previous reviewer, who took issue with the allegedly "academic" style of the book, I found it was very readable, avoiding a lot of the "constructing the other" and "conflicting gender identities" type of language one might expect to find in an academic book of this sort. This does not mean, however, that the book does not address the kind of conceptual, academic issues that are frequently raised in such stilted terms. In no sense is the book merely an antiquarian show-and-tell kind of catalog; it quite thoroughly discusses the "holy Trinity" of race, class, and gender issues. I found the discussion of German and American forms of racism to be especially interesting.

The content of the book has, for the most part, been adequately addressed in the "official" Amazon review as well as in the previous customer review. There is one aspect, however, that deserves further mention, and which I found particularly insightful: Höhn's discussion of whether the changes that came to the rural areas she discusses would be best described as modernization or as Americanization. This sort of issue is something which would interest anyone who is concerned with the cultural issues of globalization and the dominance of American cultural products in today's markets. Because she focuses on an area in which there was a very strong American presence in the immediate post-war years, it is not surprising that her evidence shows a significant American component to the modernization process. It would be interesting to compare her conclusions in this regard to those of someone studying an area where American influence was less direct and personal. This comparison would better demonstrate whether the American influence was a necessary, or merely a contemporary, component of German societal modernization. Such a comparison, however, would not fit very well into a book titled "GIs and Fräuleins." Höhn is to be commended for putting the abundant evidence which she presents into such a larger context of modernization debates, and not faulted for not being more encyclopedic.

This book is a truely fascinating study of German-American encounters after World War II. It is full of interesting details and also extremely well written. A MUST for anyone interested in German history!

"GIs and Fraeuleins"
Maria Hoehn
ISBN 0-8078-5375-5

This book explores the culture clash that occurred during the Cold War in the 1950's when American GIs were first stationed in large numbers in the towns of Baumholder and Kaiserslautern in the rural Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany, between the Rhine and Mosel rivers. Having served in Germany a decade later, I was surprised at the extent to which there had been such problems. In Mannheim, most of the issues that Maria Hoehn describes were not readily apparent. But Mannheim was urban versus the relatively provincial character of Baumholder and Kaiserlautern of the previous decade.

Some of Hoehn's themes in this book include the impact the American soldier's money and lifestyle on rural German society, the German conservatives' attempt to punish German women who associated with GIs, especially black GIs, and the irony of the Germans' rejection of discrimination against Jews in the new Federal democracy vis-à-vis their acceptance of it against black American soldiers. Certainly, Hoehn points out, white attitudes toward fellow black soldiers played a role in the German view.

Hoehn's documentation from publications of the time convincingly demonstrates that there were significant racial problems and that many Germans vehemently opposed intimate associations between German women and American blacks, so much so that the conservative CDU political party and various religious organizations tried to have these women legally classified as prostitutes.

Hoehn writes that many Germans including those who had lost ancestral lands to American military installations began to cash in on the boom by renting rooms to Americans. Barns and attics were transformed into apartments. German families moved into their own kitchens to be able rent out the rest of the house to the Americans who were willing to pay four or five times the going rate. Hoehn quips that in the small towns where everyone usually kept animals that some Germans had to choose between having a pig or an American, an "Ami" in the German parlance of the time.

Due to high unemployment throughout Germany at this time, many young women came to the area hoping for a job as a maid for an American family, a waitress, or a dancer at an establishment that catered to American soldiers. Many, who had lost homes and parents during the war, hoped to escape from a life of poverty. Some were refugees from the former territories or East Germany. These women did not find favor in the traditional view of the residents of the area for their fraternization with American soldiers, especially black American soldiers. Such women were dubbed "Veronikas". A number of them were arrested and subjected to humiliating trials in local courts by extremist judges. Efforts for national legislation classifying these women as prostitutes by the coalition of CDU, Protestant, and Catholic leaders ultimately failed.

This book is an excellent, well-documented piece of research. Although Hoehn's writing is somewhat academic and redundant in places, this is a commendable book of considerable merit. Those interested in postwar German history and even some former GIs may get new insight from it.

Stephanie Yuhl's study of Charleston is a great read, organized brilliantly with metaphors from theatre, and wonderfully well written. As a newcomer to Charleston but a long time South Carolinian, I was fascinated by her account of how Charleston has marketed itself. Her analysis of the literature of the Charleston Renaissance is extremely insightful as is her critique of Charleston's most well known painters. But perhaps most astute is her analysis of class and race relations. This book is definitely a prize winner!
Carolyn Matalene
Distinguished Professor Emerita
University of South Carolina

When you visit Charleston for the first time you are impressed and at times overcome by the sheer beauty of the place. The charismatic churches, cobblestone streets, and preserved homes seem almost movie set like in their ability to transport you to another time. Stephanie Yuhl's book very adeptly explores the phenomenon that is Charleston. This capitol of the south has been able to preserve itself like many European cities have done for centuries. An effort that is largely ignored in most other American urban areas. I wish I had "Golden Haze of Memory" when I first went to Charleston, as it explores how and why this Southern Belle of a city has sought urban renewal through preservation of a romanticized past.

Stephanie Yuhl's book on the "making" of historic Charleston, South Carolina during the 1920s and 1930s -- the era of "Porgy and Bess" -- is fascinating. Yuhl deconstructs the mythmaking that artfully ignored some of the city's less heroic features and transmuted them into a placid, controversy-free image of a way of life at once locked in the past but also looking forward.

Stephanie Yuhl's book is a great read for historians and layman alike. I loved it. As a native Carolinian(North), adopted Charlestonian, historian, and community college instructor, I found the book fascinating. The research and conclusions are thorough and thoughtful. I have used it as a reference for my own research on memory and cultural association. The sources and notes are extensive. Yuhl's book, as any good history, creates new questions for debate. Those people who consider themselves versed in the history of the city should read it and have an opinion. This book is "about Charleston" and "FOR Charleston". But it is also for the rest of us who visit and study the city, and care about its special place in the history of the South.

AS a grandmother, I often feel a sense of dismay at the lack of exposure modern day children are being afforded of the classics of literature. Books like this one with wild illustrations designed to grab the eye of the reader and keep it with a text more understandable to the twenty first century child are a gift to be shared. This is a book that will attract readers. I can't think of anything more important. With vocabularies being drawn from television, movies and video games that often fall very short of expressive ideals, it is so nice to see some one tackle Swift and make him palatable to young readers. Anyone up for Dickens, Kipling and Stevenson? What about good old Mark Twain? Kudos to Jenkins and Riddell.
My soon to be six year old grandson will love this book. I consider it my job to make sure he keeps getting treasures like this one.

Gulliver's adventures to imaginary lands are used to illustrate the foibles and pettiness of mankind. In his first adventure, he finds that the tiny Lilliputians are forever at war with their island neighbors over how to crack open an egg, and they are therefore suspicious and manipulative. By contrast, the giants of Brobdingnag live by "common sense, reason, justice and fair play," but Gulliver is often in danger by being so tiny in their country. In other lands, Gulliver meets all kinds of characters - constant worriers, crazed inventors, preposterous rulers, and some chatty ghosts who give him a history lesson. With each adventure, Gulliver becomes increasingly aware that the beliefs he holds about mankind's achievements may be the opposite of what he had thought. Finally, he meets the horse-like Houyhnhnms (sounds like a horse neighing), "noble creatures ruled entirely by reason," who have no idea of evil. Their country is also inhabited by Yahoos, wild animal-like humans without any redeeming qualities, who steal from each other and squabble endlessly. Gulliver is so taken by the civilized, virtuous Houyhnhnms that he would like to live happily ever after with them, but they can't get over the fact that he really must be a Yahoo, who will only encourage the other Yahoos to revolt against them. He is cast adrift in a small boat and eventually finds himself back in England, where he has to get used to lying, deceit, self-importance, and greed once more. Some of the story elements are a little disturbing, such as his attitudes towards the servant classes, and some of the outrageous behaviors of certain characters verge on disgusting, but this is always used to make a point. Overall, this is a beautifully-made book with much food for thought, for both young and old alike.

This is really a beautiful book. The illustrations are quirky and captivating and the language, while not antiquated, still reads like a classic. I sat reading it to my 7 year old son in the bookstore for a good 15 minutes before realizing we just had to take it home. Originally a story which my son would have had to wait until at least junior high to read, this version sits up on the shelf next to Doctor Dolittle, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland etc. The fantasy is emphasized but the political satire is gently present for those old enough to appreciate it.

When most of us hear the name "Gulliver," a picture probably comes to mind. A giant. A strong, brawny fellow? Leave it to consummate illustrator Chris Riddell to give us a smile provoking Gulliver with knobby knees, a bump in his nose, and shirt askew. Gulliver is still prone to many adventures, just as Jonathan Swift intended when he wrote "Gulliver's Travels," but he's also a tad clumsy with a tendency to wind up in comical positions.

There he is in Lilliput on the first of his voyages skewered into the sand by all those little people. In this double-page full-color spread every bony finger is pinioned, his waistcoat is tacked to the ground, and one big toe pops through a hole in his sock. Next, we find tiny spear bearing soldiers marching across the length of his body.

Consider Gulliver's voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubrib, and Japan. If you recall, the ship he was aboard is taken over by not one but two pirate ships. Such ferocious buccaneers you've never seen. Thankfully the Dutch pirate captain showed our hero a little sympathy, and we find him tucked into a small canoe and set afloat.

Each of Riddell's illustrations is a gem, and will surely be enjoyed over and over again. He is a political cartoonist for the Observer, thus the perfect choice to bring Swift's political satire to life.

Martin Jenkins has done a yeoman's job of retelling this classic. His adaptation is true to Swift's original story yet it is more easily understood by young readers. While this Gulliver will hold appeal for all ages, it is certainly a choice introduction to what is considered to be one of the finest stories ever written. Kudos to both Martin Jenkins and Chris Riddell with, of course, a deep bow to the memory of the incomparable Jonathan Swift

- Gail Cooke

great- excellent information in an easy to use and understand format- highly recommend to anyone with an interest in oldest mountains on earth or just in visiting western north carolina.

This is an excellent and actionable guidebook. It introduces aspects of area history, geology animal and plant life in an accessable format. Plenty of specifics are provided to help you find the exact place being discussed, and you are warned in advance how long or hard the hike will be.
This is the only regional guidebook I have found that divides the area along its prominent geologic areas, and discusses the topology, history, flora and fauna from that perspective.
It took me a little effort to get oriented, but with the help of my local topo map book, I was soon understanding in greater depth the beautiful area in which I live. I love to hike and trout fish, and this book is helping me plan my outings. This Sunday, you will find me fishing on Spillcorn Creek.

As a child of Asheville, I found the book very good. I learned details about the area I was born and raised in that at 56 I did not know. Anyone that wants to know lots about this national treasure of outdoors must get this book!

The Highroad series of guidebooks is a blessing to anyone wanting to explore the mountains. The North Carolina guide is no exception. The author includes detailed, up-to-date information on trails, camping, rivers and other areas of interest for lovers of the outdoors. The book includes not only the well-known places but also out-of-the-way, obscure sites well worth a visit. The maps are a plus. If only I had this guide when I lived in North Carolina!

Having hiked extensively in the Carolina Mountains for 40 years, I open new trail guides with a weary skepticism. With this book my skepticism was unjustified. Ms. Bernstein's book does not attempt to be exhaustive, but it covers a wide variety of trails in two states. In it, you will find a trail for any hiker in any season of the year.

The trail descriptions (at least for the 35 or so I have hiked) strike a nice balance between length and detail with no sacrifice of relevant accuracy. The maps are uncluttered and well integrated with the text.

This is an easy to use guide to some great hikes here in the Western Carolinas. I live here and hike with a club. Until now, I've usually been following the leader and haven't really known what the hike "looked like" or where exactly I was going. I don't have great map reading skills and I don't use a GPS. In fact, I'm a person who couldn't take my relatives and friends from out of town on a moderate hike here in the Carolina mountains. And I'm not the only one with that problem. But that will change. For each hike, the book provides detailed driving directions and a simple map. For the actual hikes, there are very clear trail maps with text that describes exactly what I'll see along the way, shows which path to take at each intersection and notes what landmarks I'll see along the trail. I did a 7 mile hike this weekend using the book and felt totally confident. It was a new experience to not only complete the hike but also to know exactly what it had encompassed. Happy Trails.

This pocket guidebook to the best day hikes in the Carolina mountains deserves the highest praise. Each entry provides detailed, straightforward directions for each hike, accompanied by clearly presented maps and pictures of landmarks. While the book offers valuable resources for experienced hikers, it would also be an excellent choice to give to a friend who may be just beginning to explore the outdoors, as the introductory material explains the essentials of hiking safety and includes a checklist of necessary equipment. The lively essays placing local points of interest in their historical contexts are another major strength of this guidebook. I would never have guessed, for example, that the North Carolina and Georgia state militias fought a battle over the boundary between the two states--fifty years before the Civil War (see page 145). Milestone Press should also consider producing mp3 audio narrations of the hikes and the accompanying essays to enjoy while on the trail.

The mountains of the Carolinas are an embarassment of riches for hikers, with literally thousands of miles of trails. The problem has been choosing the most interesting hikes. There are several trail guides, but unless you are willing to spend a lot of time studying maps to create your own circular route, you'll be stuck hiking in and out on the same trail. Hiking the Carolina Mountains solves that problem by providing details of 57 hikes, most of which include loops. The book is also the first that I've seen that covers areas such as upland South Carolina and DuPont State Forest in North Carolina. Hiking the Carolina Mountains also provides detailed information on how to drive to the trailhead, interesting sidelights on the history of the area, and readable maps, all of which are usually missing from trail guides.

This is the book need to hike the Carolina mountains.

WNC Hiker

In this collection, Scotti Kent really makes history come alive. I love historical fiction because it can be both entertaining and educational, and this book is much the same---except that these stories are true! I always thought of pirates as those dreaded marauders of the Mediterranean and Asia; who knew they were a menace back in the day here in the good 'ol U.S. of A. too? And as a Californian, I'm very familiar with the California gold rush but had no idea N.C. was once a gold rush mecca as well. The story of the '42 Rose Bowl in Durham following the attack on Pearl Harbor also came as a surprise to this native of Los Angeles. Interesting, amusing and informative.

As the author, I am pleased to announce that this book is being reprinted by the publisher. Its continued high sales are a testimony to its value and popularity with readers.

IT HAPPENED IN NORTH CAROLINA by Scotti Kent (Cohn) is a fascinating telling of American history specific to our 12th state, North Carolina. It is filled with vignettes about patriots, pirates, Indians, early settlers, gold rushers, regulators, Unionists, U-boats, and stock car racers. In its pages one will find stories about Jefferson Davis, the Rose Bowl, the Wright brothers, Babe Ruth, and four black freshmen who practiced civil disobedience. From "the people of one fire" in 1250 C.E. to the filming of Dawson's Creek in Wilmington, NC in the late 1990s, the Old North State has some interesting history which has been captured here in a friendly, accessible style for readers of all ages.

Carefully researched and imaginatively told, these twenty-seven short episodes will be quickly devoured and leave one wanting more. The book also has a potpourri of interesting North Carolina facts, e.g. North Carolinians declared their freedom from British rule more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was crafted by Thomas Jefferson, and Carolina was taken from "Carolus", the Latin word for Charles, named after England's King Charles I.

Also check out Disasters and Heroic Rescues of North Carolina: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival (Disasters Series) by the same author.

Charlie Maze
May 7, 2008

As a native North Carolinian, I particularly enjoyed reading about pirate Jean Lafitte who retired under an assumed name and lived out his life in peace and anonymity in Lincoln County, just two blocks from my homeplace. These are stories that I have heard recounted many times, and Kent tells them here with a freshness that makes them come alive.

The Journey of August King is a novel rich in description of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. This book very well illustrates slavery and how it was dealt with as well as the kindness of the mountain people of that time.

Being from North Carolina myself, I am fully aware of how accurate the description is. The scenery makes you feel as if you are actually there with August King.

Also, I particularly enjoyed the portrayl of August King. He is showed as a very kind man, not unlike his neighbors, just having a bit more sympathy. He is not unhuman, either. He is portrayed as a man who has known hurt, loss, and love, though he does not recognize it.

As noted, his journey is a spiritual one to finally come to terms with the death of his wife. I like the way this is done, using tears even, to help us understand how he is accomplishing this.

Ehle's descriptions are both surreal and earthy. The characters are complex entities, they are not perfect. August is a hero almost by accident, and an ambigious one at that. The struggles August experiences with his attitudes vis-a-vis race forms a major catalyst in the story.

For individuals interested in historical fiction about Appalachia this is a must read.

On a historical sidenote, I've always liked Ehle's inclusion of Germans in his stories. It is a refreshing multiethnic approach from the general Scotch-Irish dominated stereotype of Appalachia history.

John Ehle makes you remember the NC mountains like no one else can. The roads and trails seem familiar because some of them still exist and perhaps you have been there. The people haven't changed all that much even though Ehle covers the time near the civil war. Yes, the story is good and keeps you interested. Yes, his writing flows well. But Ehle has always been somewhat of a regional writer because he understands the locals. I would love to go back to the black mountains, walk the trails and talk to the people there. Reading John Ehle is a close second.

I loved this book. I've read it many times. Each time I appreciate the beauty of the prose, the skillful character development, and the suspense of the plot. I like the contrast between the main characters' thought patterns and conversation: August's thoughts and words free-flow; Annalees' are more grounded and practical. I like the subtle differences in their speech patterns: it's like listening to a conversation. I also like the way Mr. Ehle has peppered his character's words with idioms and phrases from the time in which the book takes place. The scenes unfold with drama and picture-perfect description