Reviews (4)

SUPERBLY written, researched
I'm not sure if the first reviewer read the same book that I did.As a doctoral student in history, I have read many history books and must defend Williams's book as SUPERBLY written and carefully researched; Williams obviously wrote this book for a larger audience. Such an excellent combination of readability and academic rigor is the envy of every serious historian. Expertly written and researched
I'm not sure if the first reviewer read the same book that I did.As a doctoral student in history, I have read many history books and must say this was a SUPERBLY written and researched account.Williams's prose is highly accessible to the average reader, while meeting the rigors of serious academic work.An excellent book for the casual reader and scholar alike.

Poorly Written
This book is so poorly written I stopped reading it after the first 80pages or so.Some background information provided at the beginning isinteresting, but the book failed to hold my interest--a remarkable feat,given how fascinating a man Sam Houston is.A much better biography isSword of San Jacinto, by Marshall de Bruhl. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Governors    6. Historical - U.S.    7. Legislators    8. Political    9. Regional Subjects - South    10. Rich & Famous    11. Texas    12. United States    13. Biography & Autobiography-Historical - U.S.    14. Biography & Autobiography-Political    15. Biography: general    16. History / General   

Reviews (1)

A Good Texas History Book!
This book proved to be a very good read.You are shown how theRead more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Regional Subjects - South   

Subjects:  1. (David Lewis),    2. 1896-1960    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Cohn, David L    6. Cohn, David L.    7. Delta (Miss. : Region)    8. Delta (Region)    9. Historians    10. Historiography    11. History: American    12. Mississippi    13. Regional Subjects - South    14. Biography & Autobiography   

Reviews (13)

A Nightmare You Should Strive to Miss
I was so disappointed with this book. I am a white woman who also grew up in Atlanta, and I don't identify with her experiences or feelings of horrible oppression at all. I found the book to be very tedious, filled with self-pity and lots of blame on others. The salacious title of the novel promises racy, exciting plot lines, but if that tempts you to buy this book, save your time and rent Sex and the City instead.

The first woman with the courage to write about it
Rosemary Daniell's memoir of her life as a Southern woman is unlike any that exists in literature. Because she has told it like it really is. For those readers who are interested in the truth about women in the South--and women everywhere--this book is for you.

Don't waste your money
I threw this book in the circular file after reading it. I can't believe that some book publisher would even bother to print this book.I feel that I have been fleeced of $15.95.This was a "staff recommendation" at my local bookstore.Gag....Once again, I feel that the P.C. culture is promoting more lies, misinformation and garbage and calling it art.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Daniell, Rosemary    4. Literary Criticism    5. Regional Subjects - South    6. Social conditions    7. Southern States    8. Women    9. Women Authors    10. Suicide    11. Women's studies   

Reviews (1)

The true saga of a southern family maturing with the nation.
A gifted and much-published writer, Frye Gaillard is a descendant of the French Huguenot GAILLARD family which was eminent in antebellum South Carolina and later in Mobile, Alabama.Using cherished family journals andlegends as well as public records, the author has lovingly reconstructedthe events and the flavor of his ancestors' lives.These people come tolife as Frye reveals their characters and personalities.But this is morethan the history of one family.The story begins in 1695 and continues tothe modern day, with the family participating in many, if not all, of theimportant historical events of their day.The Gaillards were typical ofmany southern families, finding themselves at political odds with oneanother and with their neighbors at various times.As the story unfolds,the reader begins to understand the variety of opinions and convictions ofthe average southerner of those times.Some attention is given to thefamily's dependency on slavery,though not as much as one might expectconsidering the title of the book.Complete with photos and documentation,the book is valuable for those researching the Huguenot and planterfamilies of the Charleston, SC area, but more than that, it is interestingand enlightening reading for anyone interested in American history or inthe fabric of a southern family's life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Historical - U.S.    3. Regional Subjects - South   

Reviews (2)

A great book
I read this book in less than 3 weeks! It was great, and for those who don't know the Civil War it's even better because you don't know what's about to happen. I really liked it, and you should check it out.

A Good Story --- Reads Like an Adventure Novel
Since I live in what might be called "Mosby's Back Yard" --- the Washington, DC suburbs of Northern Virginia --- I thought I should learn something about this man for whom several local streets, highways, andbridges are named.A friend recommended "Mosby's Rangers" byJeffrey Wert; my wife suggested a new book, James Ramage's "GrayGhost."But I opted to begin my study with Mosby's own account of hisadventures: his own memoirs.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1833-1916    2. Army    3. Army.    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Civil war, 1861-1865    6. Confederate States of America    7. Confederate States of America.    8. Historical - U.S.    9. History    10. History: American    11. Military History - U.S. Civil War    12. Military Personal Narratives    13. Mosby, John Singleton,    14. Regimental histories    15. Regional Subjects - South    16. United States    17. Virginia Cavalry Battalion, Fo    18. Virginia Cavalry Battalion, Forty-third    19. Biography    20. History / General    21. Mosby, John Singleton   

Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    2. Christianity - Christian Life - General    3. Medical - Physicians    4. Motivational & Inspirational    5. Regional Subjects - South    6. Religion    7. Biography: general    8. Christian Interest    9. History of medicine    10. Religion / Christian Life   

Reviews (1)

A collection of life's observations
Robert Inman is the author of genial southern novels such as "Dairy Queen Days" and a keen observer of the human condition.He is also one of the best guides to the writing life, as sampled in the final chapter of his autobiography "Coming Home, Life, Love and All Things Southern".Inman takes a clear-eyed look at the southern style of life and the reasons we southern people are the way we are.The stories and reminices are tender and warmharted and a treat to read.The best part of thei book is Inman's explaination of why we in the south always ask "who are your people?" and the way we try to find the common link.As Mr. Inman says,we are just trying to say"I am prepared to like you, and would be honered to be your friend...".A wonderful read, a joy for its warmth and quick wit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1943-    2. 20th century    3. Alabama    4. American novelists    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Homes and haunts    10. Inman, Robert,    11. Literary    12. Novelists, American    13. Regional Subjects - South   

Editorial Review

It all seemed so uneventful: two couples on a double date, a hearty Southern meal of fried steak and turnip greens, jovial conversations about work, and the "casual" mention of a great business venture involving land on the White River. But these two couples were Bill and Hillary Clinton and their then-close friends Jim and Susan McDougal. The great business scheme was dubbed Whitewater, which snowballed into one of the great political scandals--or witch-hunts, depending on your point of view--of our time. Read more

Reviews (6)

Swept Under the Rug
"Arkansas Mischief" was written Jim McDougal, the Clintons' Whitewater real-estate partner.The book was co-authored by a Boston Globe reporter.
Thiswas a fun romp thru Arkansas politics.
It is only tempered by the shabby treatment that Jim McDougal received not only at the hands of his friend, Bill Clinton, but also long time political ally, Govenor Jim Guy Tucker, Clinton's sucessor. Govenor Tucker, like McDougal, went to jail. Clinton did not & went on to screwmany others, figuratively & literally. Bill Clinton's charisma was such that long after it made any sense, McDougal, & especially his wife, Susan retained a great deal of personal affection for the president. Politically, being a "yellow dog" democrat, McDougal could do no less than support both the president & the govenor. Author Wilkie produces important analysis of southern politi
Curtis Wilkie's name appears in smaller case type below that of Jim McDougal's on the cover, but there should be no doubt in any reader's mind that without Wilkie's dogged pursuit of the truth and his well-honedjournalist's credentials this would be just another publisher's attempt tocapitalize on the Clinton scandalmongering machine. Fortunately,Wilkie successfully navigates McDougal's obfuscations and produces afascinating account of McDougal's sad life and role in one of the late-20thcentury's seminal political events. Required reading for anyoneinterested in southern-or national-politics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1940-1998    2. 1946-    3. 20th century    4. Arkansas    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Clinton, Bill,    7. Friends and associates    8. History    9. McDougal, Jim,    10. Political    11. Political Corruption    12. Political Science    13. Politics/International Relations    14. Public Affairs & Administration    15. Regional Subjects - South    16. Whitewater Inquiry, 1993-2000    17. Biography    18. Biography: general    19. Clinton, Bill    20. McDougal, Jim   

Editorial Review

The gamy tale told by Andersen (a biographer of Jack and Jackie Kennedy) is heartbreaking because it portrays Bill Clinton as a rapist, and because the juiciest of Andersen's scary stories are the toughest to pin down. Lots of his sources are anonymous, and when there's been conflicting public testimony, he tends to go with the most lurid accusations. If Bill really had a 30-year affair with Dolly Kyle Browning, one supposes he might have nicknamed her "Pretty Girl," but when she testifies that Hillary's body odor was overwhelming, one wants corroboration.Read more

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Reviews (86)

Just a "tell me more" kind of story!
Basically a "tell more book" because everything in the book just reinforces the scandals we all heard about. There is lot of detail covering the escapades of Clinton, but most of everything had already surfaced. Yellow Journalism
There has never been a marriage more controversial in the American public eye than this dynamic duo. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton have been rumored to have questionable personal lives since Bill was the Arkansas governor. While this has certainly been proven true, "Bill and Hillary" acts in the same fashion as "Year of the Rat" by Triplett and Timperlake in that it pulls all the punches and makes connections and assumptions that are iffy at best. While there is no doubt both Bill and Hillary Clinton have been proven to be not- so- faithful to their wedding vows, the idea that Bill engaged in cocaine use and street- side sex with a prostitute could not be based on anything more than hearsay. The accusations are certainly interesting, but much of them seem to be no more than sleazy yellow journalism.

In in-depth look at a partnership of power
Christopher Anderson's "Bill and Hillary: The Marriage" provides the reader with an in-depth look at Clinton's and Rodham's pasts, how they came to know each other and how they have schemed together in their rise to power.Indeed, power has always been their ultimate aim.Rather than providing the reader with a psychological analysis of the complex partnership, Anderson aptly describes that power acquisition is the root of all that Clinton and Rodham do.It's what makes their partnership work.Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio - Autobiography / Biography    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Married people    6. Political    7. Presidents    8. Presidents & Heads of State    9. Presidents' spouses    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. United States    12. 1946-    13. Biography / Autobiography    14. Clinton, Bill,    15. Clinton, Hillary Rodham   

Reviews (7)

Very Enjoyable
This book was a delightful walk through the past.It was a very enjoyable read and a wonderful opportunity to understand and appreciate life in the Big Bend during the 1940's. It was refreshing to read about the experiences of a family as average as my own,living in such unique circumstances.Their struggles and triumphs give a special insight into the lives of those who pioneered West Texas.
I'm probably being too hard on the book
This book was written about a pioneering woman named Etta Koch who lived in Big Bend and West Texas most of her adult life.Written by her and her daughter from diaries and faded memories, the book describes the West Texas life after World War II.
great read
This book is a great read about the conditions in the Big Bend region of West Texas.Full of anecdotes and stories, the book is entertaining and amusing, as well as historical.I enjoyed the book enough to give it as a gift. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Big Bend National Park    2. Big Bend National Park (Tex.)    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Description and travel    7. Frontier and pioneer life    8. Historical - General    9. History: American    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Texas    12. United States - State & Local - General    13. Women    14. 20th century    15. Arizona    16. Biography & Autobiography / Women    17. Biography: general    18. Social history   

Features

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Reviews (80)

An Astonishing Book Which Humbles Me
George Dawson's words expressed through Richard Glaubman's more advanced language catch your attention right from the first sentence. I wasn't able to put this book down and found myself staying up late to finish it. It has changed my outlook on life. Read it and see for yourself. All events in the book are true; unbelievably Mr. Dawson can still have a positive outlook on life. One of the best books I have read. I will keep this one for life. A classic.

Required Reading was good
I had to read this book for a summer reading assignment, and I ended up loving it.I am making my entire family read it as well.The personal perspective is so enthralling, and Mr. Dawson tells stories that one would never expect to hear.It is an easy read, yet wonderfully interesting from page one.

I can't quit thinking about George
Good book - I wished I knew George or someone like him. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    2. Afro-American aged    3. Afro-Americans    4. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography.    8. Centenarians    9. Marshall    10. People of Color    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Regional Subjects - South    13. Social conditions    14. Texas   

Reviews (4)

Evidence of the importance of family in Eastern Kentucky
These memories of growing up the 1930's in a Letcher County Kentucky coal mining community are inspiring, especially as they show how rich the author's family was in love and support while living in poverty. The author's respect for the beauty of the area and its people is evident, and she brings members of the community to life, including the plow man, the mid-wife, and the country preacher.To survive, the family eventually moved to the small New York town where an aunt lived, and where the author met and married a local businessman just before her eighteenth birthday. Her vivid description of her first visit back "home" as a sophisticated married woman is bittersweet and hilarious, and that scene alone is worth the price of the book.

Takes you back in time
Once I began reading, I couldn't put the book down.The author transports you to Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains back in the 1930's.I loved how descriptive the writing was.I plan to get a copy of the book for manyof my friends. A book of extraordinary poignancy and sensitivity.
This is a book that I couldn't put down, but hated the thought of coming to the end of it . It is about a close society of people; a people that in spite of the adversity that they faced in depression era Appalachia, wereable to conquer the demons of the company owned mining towns and live livesfilled with dignity and compassion. The sensitivity of the descriptiveprose brought me into the lives of these noble, heroic people. I foundmyself wanting to reread so many of the chapters, and I did. I recommendthis book to people of all ages and circumstances. It is a beautifulintroduction to an important and sometimes sad part of American Culture. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Childhood Memoir    3. Regional Subjects - South    4. Women    5. Biography: general    6. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    7. Kentucky    8. Social history   

Reviews (2)

Family Feud
The author writes of an area of which I am very familiar. I grew up in Bath County and heard many of the stories that the author tells. Great photos.
Great Trip Back to a Place I Never Knew
Really enjoyed this retrospective trip into the entirely different lives of three distinct groups of people inhabiting the same small town in Appalachia - or is it the same town?!.Certainly a very different one to each.The author recounts such wonderfully simple moments in these people's lives and evokes such emotion... though I laughed (out loud and in public!) for 3/4 of the book I also was outraged, saddened, and inspired by these people.Really enjoyed this read! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1938-    2. Appalachian Region    3. Bath County (Va.)    4. Biography    5. Childhood and youth    6. Hirsh, Philip Reid,    7. History    8. History - U.S.    9. History: American    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Social life and customs    12. Sociology - Rural    13. United States - 20th Century    14. Biography & Autobiography-Regional Subjects - South    15. Family & Relationships / Family Relationships    16. History / United States / 20th Century    17. Social Science-Sociology - Rural   

Reviews (2)

The Good Ole Days
Mr. Fowler has done a fantastic job of telling ofa simpler time in our country. A time when God and family were more important than material things. A RAISING UP:MEMORIES OF A NORTH CAROLINA CHILDHOOD
A RAISING UP: BRINGS BACK SIGHTS, SMELLS AND GOOD MEMORIES OF THE TOBACCO SEASONS AND THE SPARTAN LIFE ON THE FARM IN NORTH CAROLINA IN THE 1940'S AND 1950'S. TOLD WITH SIMPLICITY AND DEAD-ON INSIGHT,I WHOLEHEARTEDLYRECCOMEND THE BOOK FOR ALL AGE GROUPS. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1927-    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Childhood Memoir    6. Childhood and youth    7. Country life    8. Farm life    9. Farmers & Ranchers    10. Fowler, R. C.,    11. Literary    12. North Carolina    13. Pender County    14. Regional Subjects - South    15. Rural life    16. Fowler, R. C   

Editorial Review

Roy Blount doesn't like being 55. But then, does anyone? Hindsight being 20/20, we're sure to notice the mammoth pile of quirks, foibles, and just plain oddball behavior--not to mention downright nastiness--each of us has accumulated at the midlife point. If there's an observer you'd want to have there with you to sort out the good you've done (or at least the funny bits) and make all those bittersweet memories melt on your tongue, Blount may be the one. Read more

Reviews (11)

good writing...but
Blount is a good writer and has an excellent sense of phrasing.Many of these essays are insightful and quiet funny but overall this memoir really needs some editing.It is too long and rambling and he continually loosessight of his own theme.The best essays aren't even about his past but hiscurrent situation as a "humorist."His travels to China andstints on talk shows are the best.

bitter with the sweet
I was lucky enough to stumble across Roy Blount reading from this book in a Vermont bookstore.I bought it on the spot, telling him that it was thefirst one of his books that I had paid full price for.He thought this waspretty fun, the store employee sitting next to him didn't.This book isworth its full price. A not very funny humorist!
Having roared at Roy Blount's humor on the Garrison Keillor show, I really looked forward to reading his book making fun of the mother-son relationship so aptly caught up in the title, "Be Sweet".I wasterribly disappointed and found him not only lacking in humor butexhibiting a real dislike for females altogether.It was a book I easilygave away to the second hand shop. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Blount, Roy    5. Form - Essays    6. Homes and haunts    7. Humor    8. Humorists    9. Humorists, American    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Southern States    12. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (1)

Emil did good
It's interesting reading this book, not only because it gives a view on Emil Beck's life growing up, but in his particular style. This book has the potential to become the next great American novel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Personal Memoirs    3. Regional Subjects - South   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Historical - U.S.    3. History    4. History: American    5. Military    6. Regional Subjects - South    7. United States - Revolutionary War    8. Biography: general    9. Central Southern states   

Reviews (1)

Very influential in the 1800's but obscure in the 1900s
This biography of the colorful 19th century activist, statesman and politician who worked most of his life to make slavery illegal in the USA seems mostly to stay with facts and avoid speculation - as tempting asspeculation can be when all of the facts are not known.The book waswell-researched over a long period. In part, it emplasizes CM Clay'sinfluence on Abraham Lincoln regarding his political stances onemancipation. I found it a very interesting and easy read - its only about150 pages. Great for those who want substance not fluff but aren't lookingfor ponderous details. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1810-1903    2. Abolitionists    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Clay, Cassius Marcellus,    8. Historical - General    9. Kentucky    10. Politicians    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. U.S. Political History    13. United States    14. United States - Antebellum Era    15. Biography: general    16. Clay, Cassius Marcellus    17. Slavery & emancipation    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. History    3. History: American    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Regional Subjects - South    6. United States - Civil War    7. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    8. Civil war    9. True war stories    10. USA