No comments about Chaplain Davis and Hood's Texas Brigade: Being an Expanded Edition of the Reverend Nicholas A. Davis's the Campaign from Texas to Maryland, With the Battle of Fredericksburg (Richmond, 1863).

4 comments about This Cruel War: The Civil War Letters of Grant and Malinda Taylor.

1. The letters included in this collection are noteworthy for their content and relative completeness. Rarely does one get to read both sides of a Civil War correspondance. Usually letters from home were lost or destroyed during troop movements and only the soldier's letters remain. Grant Taylor, however, managed to hold on to many of his wife's letters and the perspective this gives on the dynamics between husband and wife is fascinating. Anyone who doubts the impact of homefront hardships on the frontline soldier need only follow Grant Taylor's growing frustration as he slips from uneasy acceptance of his military service in 1862 to depressed introspection and resignation toward his own death in 1865.

   Editorially, this book suffers from a military slant that avoids discussing the very things that make these letter important: the soldier's concern for family and home and the impact that concern had on his mental and emotional condition. Footnoting is haphazard at best and wavers between military history and endlessly repetitive genealogy. I can appreciate the work that went into identifying each person mentioned either by given or nicknames, but by page 30 we are already familiar with who the cousins and brothers are and don't need to be reminded.

   Read the book for its appeal as a primary source but skip the notes.




2. This book is a collection of 160 letters between soldier-husband and homefront-wife from 1862-1865. The remarkable quality about this collection is the interaction between Grant relating his military experiences and Malinda keeping him informed about their children, the farm, and friends and relatives in their community. Very readable book!



3. Many hard hours have been put into this book. First the letters had to be transcribed from a handwriting to a typed print. You feel everything from this aspect...especially when you know lineage. The reader appreciates the finest detail. A movie could come from these letters so easily...this was the time!



4. Many hard hours have been put into this book. First the letters had to be transcribed from a handwriting to a typed print. You feel everything from this aspect...especially when you know lineage. The reader appreciates the finest detail. A movie could come from these letters so easily...this was the time!

No comments about Soldiering for Glory: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Frank Schaller, Twenty-Second Mississippi Infantry.

5 comments about Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy.

1. First of all, let's get it out of the way. I really love the Kennedys. I enjoy most of the books about them and always learn something of each (yes, even the crazy conspiracy books). This book was a little different. I learned a lot. I enjoyed how it was put together. It starts with the 1950's and then takes 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 and then Bobby Alone as separate topics. It has stories from their growing years in each as if looking back to show why they were doing what they were doing at that time in their life. I really got in the Bobby Alone section from 1964 to 1968. It showed how Bobby totally changed his views and what he went through in order to come to the conclusion that he needed to run for President. Mr. Mahoney does drag out the New Orleans, Cuban, and Mafia stuff but it's ok. Most nowadays do. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well rounded book on the Kennedy boys.



2. Richard Mahoney is to be commended for putting together a highly readable and cogent account of the life and times of JFK and RFK, as well as their dealings with the Mafia (that led to the death of JFK). Well done.
   [...]



3. ive read other books on JFK and none of the other books can quite compair to the realism in this book. the things i didnt understand in the first few books where explained more in depth than before and i came to realize that half of the things that kennedy was blammed for after his death were not acctually his fault. for example, vietnam.



4. I was raised in a conservative household and consider myself conservative in many ways (though I'm a registered independent). That said, I am 29 years old and both these men were dead before I was even born. However I have had a fascination with JFK & RFK since I first started studying history and the impact that the changes in the 1960's would have on future America. The picture on the cover is very telling about how different these brothers were -- black and white. What this book is really about is how co-dependent these two men were, with Jack more so upon Bobby. Many disturbing facts have come out about the Kennedy brothers in the last twenty years. Much of it does bother me as a moral and religious person. But that doesn't erase the fact that Jack and Bobby were very intelligent and gifted men and when it is all said and done, their idealism and determination positively impacted our nation's history.



5. this is not a biography,it's a fiction and it's stupid, boring.
   the author was surely drunk when he wrote it.
   this book is a shame to the legacy of the kennedys.
   there are a few photos.
   buy abetter book like: rfk and his times....

5 comments about Wake Up, I'm Fat!.

1. I love Camryn Mannheim and her book. I'd give this a 4.5 if I could, because since she wrote the book, she's lost quite a bit of weight and puts the reasoning for it on being a mother.
   
   I hated it when Carnie Wilson went from being a NAAFA member and spokesperson for loving yourself at any size to being obsessed with being thin. She's admitted to lying about why she had WLS and has made a snootful of money pimping it to others. She has been a major factor in the deaths of hundreds of (mostly) women who didn't make it after the surgery and her recommendation of it.
   
   And I am very saddened by Mannheim's abandonment of her principals of fat-acceptance and the people who have supported her and her book.
   
   Isn't there anyone out there who will stay committed to the cause and not cave in when someone runs some cash under their noses or threatens their career if they don't lose weight?
   
   Ack. Love the book. Disappointed in Mannheim today.



2. I just happened into a copy of the book when I had a little time to kill, then I could hardly put it down. I enjoyed the book and the many reviews that have been written here. I normally write reviews on obscure books where there are only a few, if any, reviews so this is different for me and I doubt if i have too much to add. Beyond the self acceptance theme that has been much reviewed (I have fat issues and support Camryn's views (mostly)), I liked the book on many other levels. Of course I liked the humor and human interest of growing up in America. The struggle for success story is good too. I especially liked the unconventional approach to the book itself. Frnakly, I did not much the Cammy--fat dialogs, but I liked many of the other, unusual things like asides and notes to herself and others throughout. There were other quirky approaches that I really liked too. I really like the book and recommend it highly.



3. Camryn Manheim is an sassy, award-winning actress and laugh-out-loud funny. This book is a personal account of her experiences of fat-ism and her journey to self-acceptance.
   
   Manheim is a natural storyteller and, being overweight myself, there was a lot here to relate to, but although I enjoyed the book, there were no groundbreaking revelations for me here ... though it does make a pretty strong case against society's obsession with being thin, this book is in no way a "self-help" book (to be fair, it doesn't claim to be) and it didn't help me to "make peace" with my fat. It did however make me laugh a lot and that's reason enough to encourage others to read it!
   
   Thank you Camryn, for speaking out for big women everywhere.



4. Camryn Manheim is a fat activist. Her experiences in a world where people are literally dying to be thin include getting in to the NYU Masters of Fine Arts program, gracing the cover of "fat" magazines such as Radiance and winning an Emmy for her performance on The Practice. She is a likeable, mature and attractive woman who has fought passionately for what she believes in. But does that make one a good author? In Manheim's case, it damn well does.
   
   "Wake up, I'm fat," is a hilarious, bittersweet page-turner. This socially critical memoir mainly deals with one individual's struggles on growing up in our superficial world. Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, be it because of their race, religion or looks, will immediately be able to relate to the amiable narrator.
   
   Manheim manages to be honest about the ugly underbelly of today's beauty image and her struggles without sounding whiny. She uses dark humor and clever prose to describe how she got to where she is today.
   
   Subjects such as erotic weight gain or personal ads are also dealt with in this book. They may make the reader feel slightly squeamish at first, but ultimately they just make this book a more interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about "the underdog being on top" or who simply likes a good story told well.



5. After reading the past reviews, I wonder if I'm the only man who read this book. The first thing that caught my eyes, I'll be honest, was the cover picture. Camryn is a gorgeous woman with very nice legs. She is also a person of deep character, who has persevered and triumphed despite the prejudices of our shallow society. She relates her struggles in a moving way, but avoids the whining, "why is the world so unfair?" tone that unfortunately characterizes some similiar works. If you want a glimpse into the mind of a powerful, beautiful and intoxicatingly magnificent woman, then you will enjoy this book.

5 comments about King of the Cats: The Life and Times of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr..

1. Interesting book about an interesting person. I knew of Adam Clayton Powell as I grew up but I never knew what a powerful man he was. His inter-actions with other Afro American leaders was interesting. He was both pro-government but also militant. He dealt with some corruption but his charm always got him through. He treated women badly because he couldn't be faithful to his mates but women found him attractive. His life entails alot of 20th Century history of our country.Very interesting read, I recomend it.



2. Wow! For those who don't know about black history and its pioneers, this is for you. Adam Clayton Powell,Jr had laid such a significant path for the civil rights movement, desegregation of the military and public schools. He was in all essence,
   "The Baddest Negro in Congress." It was reading this book that inspired me to seek more info to the point that I had arranged for his grandson, Dr.Adam Clayton Powell,IV, to come to my college and speak on the legacy of his grandfather, Adam Clayton Powell,Jr. He gave a wonderful presentation and truly edified those who didn't know much about this great American Hero.



3. A dust cover reference states that "King of the Cats" is one of the best biographies of an Americna Politicain to be published in recent years." I could not agree more.
   
   "King of the Cats" sat on a shelf at my house for 10 years or so as one of those books I'll get to eventually. After reading an essay about Adam Clayton Powell, I decided to delve deeper and reached for the book. Two days later I had finished all 400 pages. I'm just sorry that I waited this long to read it.
   
   Haygood not only tells the life of Powell, but he tells the life of America during the middle years of the 20th century. Readers in their 50's and 60's will remember many of the events. Haygood shows how Powell followed Oscar DePriest to congress with a flamboyant style that Washington was not ready for. His predecessors in the 20th century congress were quiet men, willing to work within the system. They were men who wanted to get along and get re-elected. With his solid base in Harlem and political independence, Powell did not have to worry about that. Quiet just wasn't his style.
   
   His life style was something that would not be accepted now. Since Gary Hart, womanizing Congressman are not acceptable. In the 21st century a hard drinking, thrice married minister, who made rare appearances in Congress would not be acceptable. But in the 1950's and 1960's Powell was king and could do what he wanted.
   
   The sad part is that this independence, this bravado is what brought him down. When sued for libel, he disregarded the courts. When he finally got to be a powerful chairman, he took a carte blanche attitude with federal money and job, all of which contributed to his down fall. Race was clearly a factor, in his demise, but as Haywood says a number of times, Powell was his own worse enemy.
   
   With all his faults, however, Powell made a signicant mark on the history of congress and the nation. His law suit, challenging the right of congress to refuse to seat him, make legal history. LBJ's Great Society and War on Poverty could hardly have passed with out Powell. He got the first black man into the US Naval Academy. He opened doors for thousands of people with jobs and increases in the minimum wage. But how soon we as a society forget.
   
   There is an old saying about knowing when to hold and when to fold and don't count your money while you're sitting at the table. Powell never learned that. Times changed - Harlem changed - new black leaders arose - but Powell didn't change. He thought that things would always go his way. Who was this lowly preacher from Atlanta - Martin Luther King - to challenge Powell, a member of Congress? Powell did not give credit or recognition to other black leaders. When he needed them, they looked the other way.
   
   Haywood graphically describes Powell's final years as an isolated, broke and dying man on the Island of Bimini. I was close to tears.
   
   Haywood is a remarkable writer who wrote about a remarkable man. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of black leadership in America and the 1950's and 1960's.



4. "King of Cats" was an extremely entertaining and enlightening historical record. I have always wondered why ACP Jr. was left out of public school social, political and civic text books. After reading Wil Haygood book, I think I know why. APC Jr. did'nt subscribe to a compromising "go with the flow" black political agenda.
   The writing of Haygood sounds as if he personally walked with ACP Jr. for some 50+ years. I felt as if I was there in Harlem, in Washington and Abyssian. I laughed, I cried, I felt the victories and the disappointments. Great book. A must read for religious, black history or political scholars who want to know the truth on how to "level the playing field" for oppressed people.



5. Adam Clayton Powell is the type of politician that would have difficulty existing today. He was a liberal with radical tendencies. He spent little time in his district and much time philandering. He was involved in the passage of many pieces of legislation creating what conservatives today call "big government." An irony of Powell's career is that a true progressive could rack up accomplishments at a time when unreconstructed racists and Hoover-style conservatives also thrived, while today both sides are rare breeds (at least overtly).

   The striking things about Powell are the sweep of some of the policies he was involved in shaping - minimum wage, civil rights legislation, funding for education, and his massive egoism. Haygood portrays Powell as a womanizer, an abuser of special privileges, and an all-around pleasure-monger. It isn't hard to link his appetites to his professional compassion. Powell loved to be loved, and he also recognized the source of his power - the untapped resource of poor and oppressed. Lyndon Johnson, the Kennedys and more recently, Bill Clinton all recognized this. These are men cut from similar cloth.

   Haygood's account suggests that the world is a better place because of Powell and men like him. Still, I didn't like the man. As admirable as his public works were, his interpersonal relationships were such that I'm glad I wasn't around to get close to him. The book starts slowly, which doesn't help the cause, either. It plods along for a while before taking off, at which time the looming presence of Powell's downfall begins to color the height of his career as tragic.

   I read this book after finishing a biography of another colorful member of Congress, TIP O'NEILL AND THE DEMOCRATIC CENTURY. Powell's life was more colorful, but the O'Neill book was more enjoyable. Nevertheless, KING OF THE CATS is a worthy effort.

5 comments about Farewell, Jackie: A Portrait of Her Final Days.

1. My husband claims that I've never met a book I didn't like. But two Edward Klein books that I've recently read have to be the exceptions. The Kennedy Curse was bad enough, but Farewell, Jackie: A Portrait of Her Final Days is a true dog.
   
   Klein gives us the details of the diagnosis of Jackie's fatal illness and follows through to her death. In between, he regales us with short stories about her childhood, her lovers, her husbands, her children, her friends and her job. Jackie was fiercely protective of her privacy, and one thing that she demanded of her friends was complete loyalty. Edward Klein used to be a friend, until he wrote an article about her. After that, she cut him off completely. As a result, we're not really getting his "inside" story, but the story of dozens and dozens of Jackie's "anonymous" friends. I question how many would willingly provide him with intimate details of Jackie's deathbed scene (one that he called "her masterpiece").
   
   Farewell, Jackie isn't much of a book. Weighing in about just a little over 200 pages, the chapters are short, the pages are small, and there are often two or three blank pages between each chapter. I read Farewell in a little over two hours, and I'm not a speed reader. At least with The Kennedy Curse, Klein provided us with some interesting information about the little-known Kennedy-Fitzgerald patriarchs. Unfortunately, Farewell, Jackie has little to redeem it. I think Klein has milked this cash cow (the Kennedy's) to the extent that the cow has run dry. It's time for him to find some new material.



2. The author was once a friend of Jackie's, until he had the audacity to break one of her cardinal rules...writing an article on her for Vanity Fair in 1989. Like many people, he has cashed in quite nicely on noteriety of the Kennedy's, and Jackie in particular. Hence, Jackie banished Klien from her circle as she did with many people that she felt breached her privacy. You can hardly consider Klien a true insider, he is more like a vulture picking at scraps already chewed over by many, many other gossip columnists, writers, and fans like myself.
   This book is really just a re-hashing of many things that have already been published and little of it is new. I must add that most of the details in this book on her illness and treatment h were widely published in tabloids like "Enquirer" and "Star" when she died 10 years ago. The chapters on Jackie's private moments during the last months of her life-when she is in church, in the doctor's office, with her children, and even on her deathbed are hard to believe, if only because we know Jackie would not have allowed Klien within a block of her presence. Most of his sources for these are a "secret" and I really have to wonder if anyone that Mrs Onassis truly considered a friend would speak with Mr. Klien.
   
   This book, I hate to admit, is a guilty pleasure but one that I regret indulging in, knowing disgusted the subject would have been with it.



3. I enjoy reading books about the Kennedys and Jackie Onassis, but this book, which was supposed to give a chronicle of sorts of the last 10-11 years of Jackie's life, did not do a very good job of that. It was a cut-and-paste biography from previous books and interviews. I didn't learn anything new from this book, and that's the biggest disappointment. It will be a nice addition to my extensive library, but it won't be the first one I pull off the shelf for anyone who wants a good narrative of her life and on who Jackie really was. This is an "okay to read if you're lonely" kind of book.



4. I think that this book was a well writen portrail of Jackie's final days, with a moderate vocabulary it well conveys the beliefs of the author



5. Edward Klein needs to find a new family to write recycled books about. After peddling such ghastly books as "The Kennedy Curse" and "Just Jackie," Klein engages in literary graverobbing with the putrid "Farewell Jackie: A Portrait of Her Final Days."

   His primary focus is the final illness and death of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, of non-lymphoma cancer that seemed easily treatable. By this time, Ms. Onassis had transcended her tabloid-speckled former lives and had a good job, a man she loved, and grandchildren she adored. But when her cancer spread, Onassis tried to die with the illusion of dignity she had maintained in her life.

   Reading "Farewell Jackie" is a bit like watching someone break open a grave to frisk the bones of the dead. Padding the story of Jackie's illness and death are stories of her earlier life -- primarily her second marriage, and various love affairs she had (one of which has been denied by the man involved). Dirt-dishing, anyone?

   Jackie Kennedy Onassis is portrayed as downright saintly in this book; Klein glosses over the hypocrises and flaws in her personality, such as being "religious" yet ignoring tenets of that religion. Even the volatile nature of her relationship with her second husband. Oddly enough, this adoration doesn't extend far enough, especially at the end. Any semblance of dignity is shredded when Klein goes into grotesque detail about Onassis's final mental and physical deterioration.

   What's more, Klein's writing is deplorable. He transcribes private conversations and moments when Onassis was alone -- all obviously faked. Not to mention that Klein is in desperate need of an editor for this book's many errors. On one page, Klein informs us, "Jackie a wreck." Verbs? We don't need no stinkin' verbs.

   Farewell, Jackie. Too bad Klein had to write this book and peddle it as a memorial volume for you. "Farewell Jackie," thankfully, is clearly destined to sink into the mire of obsequious, poorly-written Kennedy books.

5 comments about The Southern Haunting of Truman Capote.

1. I REALLY LIKED THIS LITTLE BOOK BECAUSE THERES NOTHING LIKE READING ABOUT SOUTHERN PEOPLE AND SOUTHERN WAYS. IT WAS JUST A WONDERFUL LAID BACK MOOD. VERY RELAXING TO READ.



2. The reviews of this book vary widely from Capote fans that treasure every shred of information to those that feel the book recycles known information to others critical of the co-author. I am a Capote fan and do treasure information on Truman. The book is short but I found it well written and fascinating. The text also captures the Southern frame of mind so common among those raised in the South (as I was). In addition, the hardcover is an attractive book and will stay on my shelf for years to come. It has a high quality binding; the dust jacket and interior are handsome and well made. Given the price, not only is it a fine volume for Capote fans but it is a good value.



3. This book has so much detail in such few chapters. This story tells how Truman was first left to stay at Jenny's house..Also featuring the special tree house, the bone fence and the Sunday dinners. All these stories were wonderful. I've never read such interesting, real detail about Truman's life..this book is a must have for every Capote fan. Way to go Marie



4. This book has so much detail in such few chapters. This story tells how Truman was first left to stay at Jenny's house..Also featuring the special tree house, the bone fence and the Sunday dinners. All these stories were wonderful. I've never read such interesting, real detail about Truman's life..this book is a must have for every Capote fan. Way to go Marie



5. This book is simply a rehash of information which has already been published. I am a big fan of Marie Rudisill's and loved FRUITCAKE and SOOK'S COOKBOOK. I advise she work on her own and not coauthor with Simmons again--her books with him just don't allow her wit and humanity to show through.

No comments about Robert E. Lee: Duty and Honor (Cobblestone the Civil War).

5 comments about World Is My Home.

1. From a beginning that was awful Michener very matter of factly found his way to what he calls 'luck'. I loved his tale of epiphany at forty, and beginning his writing career in an empty warehouse with another soldier providing encouragement. He imparts a great deal of good advice for the aspiring writer, and provides a good story at the same time.
   
   I would keep this on my bookshelf for inspiration alone.



2. I have read and loved many books by James Michener and I was happy to run across this book (on audio cassette from the library). It was interesting to learn about his life and to learn from his example. For example, even though he faced deprivations as a child, he made a choice to be a sunny, optimistic person all his life. He made a choice not to harbor grievances or dwell on negative thinking. Also, he was a great student all his life. He loved art, opera, literature and for anyone who has ever read his books, you know he had an insatiable curiosity about nearly everything. The nice thing is that when he learned new things, he shared that knew knowledge with the world and everyone was enriched.
   
   Also, he was a high-principled (moral) and generous man and his generosity began long before he became a famous author.
   
   He didn't become a writer until he was forty. Many of his great works were completed well after that. He wrote into his eighties! All writers and aspiring writers would enjoy this work as well as the general public.



3. Everything you ever wanted to know about Michener? Probably not! He wont step into the gutter about his personal failures but a terrific book.



4. When the extraterrestials finally touch down and exit their spaceship I hope we have a man like James Michener, an "average" brilliant man of great wisdom and wonderful humanity, to represent our species. He would no doubt climb aboard, ingratiate himself with his new found friends, and write a highly entertaining epic of our galaxy.
   Michener has always been my personal favorite. His humanity shines through in this memoir.



5. Equally entertaining to Michener devotees and casual readers alike. Although often accredited as America's "master story teller", not much is known about this orphan from humble beginnings. Michener weaves a captivating story of his youth followed by his WWII years in the U.S. Navy, which of course brought us "Tales of the South Pacific". He then relates real down to earth experiences as a would-be writer seemingly trapped as editor. Through it all his humbleness is refreshing. His appreciation and respect for the arts and culture is most noteworthy and no doubt will have many readers running to the nearest record store well stocked in opera and classical music. He relates as only he can the various stimuli involved in the undertaking of his later massive works, many accomplished well past the age of 60. If nothing else, upon finishing this remarkable auto-biography, the reader will have an immense respect for the writer and a stirring curiosity to explore his many works and indeed, the several fine pieces of literature that influenced him.