This was a "special find" for me. There has been a very special couple in my life & I was looking for a way to say thank you! My only child will be married this Saturday & she asked this wonderful man if he would give her away since her father is not a part of her life. Not only is he excitied, both he & his wife have been my support in planning the wedding & been there every step of the way!. They have been my very own Angels.

I have always loved the music that Alabama has produced over the years. "Angels Amoung Us" is one of their best. I've read the book now and find it just and moving and as heartrenching as the song. Tears fill my eyes in places and I know there are angels with us every day of our lives. Thanks to those who wrote the book and sang the song. It gives me hope and faith in every day.

Many years ago, when the song first came out, I was told about it, but could not find it. We had just lost a child at that time and the person felt it would mean something. Finding it this past week-end quite by chance I bought it immediatley. I've already read it several times and played the CD constantly. If your looking for "SOMETHING" and not sure what it is, this is it!! It is a very powerful book. Angels come in all shapes and sizes and do little or heroic things. Try it, you'll like it!

This is a brilliant book. Hoffman draws fascinating portraits of a barrage of characters from in and around Mobile, and also ex-Mobilians. I am from Long Island, New York, and this was an incredibly readable, vastly enjoyable, slice of life from a different part of the country. Hoffman is a talented journalist and top-notch writer. He gives turns the local into the universal, while vividly analyzing a small cross section of the world.

It is impossible to grow up in Mobile, Alabama without this historic Southern city leaving its indelible mark. Even though I moved away 25 years ago, I still call Mobile home. Roy Hoffman's collection of articles about the people and places that make Mobile unique, brought back many memories and has stayed with me long after I turned the last page. The Mobile Register is indeed fortunate to have such a talented writer at its disposal.

I wrote a review last week with the above title. Please check and notify me if you received it. If not, I will rewrite it. Thank you.

If you want to learn about history it is best to read the reflections, diaries and memoirs of those who lived it. Samuel H. Sprott, 40th Alabama Infantry, Army of Tennessee, wrote his memoir 34 years after the War Between The States for a now defunct southern newspaper. This memoir was recently discovered tucked away in county probate records and probably not studied by historians for details about the W.B.T.S. in the deep South.
Sprott, tells the story of the 40th Alabama Infantry, Stone's Battalion and Ector's Brigade. I was especially interested in information about General Ector and his brigade as little is written about this unit especially at the battle of Chickamauga. He will educate you about the everyday life of the Confederate soldier in the Army of Tennessee. His and fellow comrade's trials and jubilations are all there.
The editors do a fine job coordinating Sprott's manuscript, filling in his thoughts and corroborating historical evidence.
Highly Recommended!

Any Civil War buff will find Dr. Louis Smith's "Cush" to be an outstanding addition to his/her personal library. It is an account that brings countless historical facts that will enrich that library in terms of the military engagements fought by Samuel Sprott and his men. But there is more to this work than the simple regurgitation of historical fact -- this is a book that reflects the struggles and privations of the everyday Civil War soldier as he endured the reality of his world: rotten weather, whizzing minnie balls, the deaths of his comrades. "Cush" is a look at the humanity behind the facts. It puts the reader in the Civil War -- fighting next to Sprott and his compatriots.

As a high school US History teacher, I have found that it is books such as "Cush" that makes history come alive to students. They can feel the emotion with which Sprott's story is told. And, because it is a primary source - straight from the "horse's mouth", it has much more credibility to it than the facts they can glean from their text books.

Dr. Smith has done a marvelous job of editing Sprott's papers. The work was no doubt tedious but at the same time must have been intensely rewarding when it was finished. After reading the book, I have come to feel like I knew Samuel Sprott on a personal basis!

This is an excellent primary source for a soldier's eye view of the daily experinece of the civil war. Unembelished with romantic bravado or the mythology of causes, Captain Samuel Sprott's journal of the experiences of the 40th Alabama regiment presents the reality of war for the common soldier- general bordome and petty detail alongside short episodes of battle, tragedy, and confusion. Smith and Quist do an excellent job of providing essential supporting information in the preface and appendix while avoiding the temptation to intrude upon Sprott's narrations. The book should be a hit in the classroom as a primary document that is brief, easy to read, and relatively inexpensive. For the same reasons it is recommended to the general reader.

My husband and I are new to camping and picked this book up a couple of months ago. The amount of detail is amazing, and it has helped us to pick the right places for "beginners." The great thing is that as we become more experienced, we'll still be able to use this book. If you want to camp in Alabama or Georgia, whether you're a new or veteran camper, you need this book!

I've been camping in the Southeast all my adult life, moving from a tent to a popup, then to a motorhome, and this is the first complete camping guide to the area that I've found. This book has it all. Where else are you going to find everything from RV parks to wilderness areas, along with information on where to find wildlife, where the hiking trails are, and even recipes for camp food? It even has a section about camping with children. This is the only book my husband and I need for camping here. When is Windle going to do the Carolinas and Tennessee?

Great guide! It covers everything - RV sites, tent campgrounds, backpacking areas. The best part is how to get your spouse to like camping. My wife used to hate it, and we've been on three trips since I got this book. Better than anything else I've seen on camping here. Get it.

I decided to read this book for purely personal motives. Having been raised in California by a father who grew up in Birmingham in the early twenties and thirties, I had a desire to understand this man, my father, who seemed at times to have such radical world views. Reading Paul Hemphill's story, specifically the retelling of details of growing up in a working class family, including the bigoted views his father held, helped me to understand the world that molded many whites prior to the civil rights movement. When chosing this book, I wasn't looking for a dry detailed history but rather an insiders view of what this world of "Birmingham, Alabama" must have been like growing up. Why it created such biogtry? And How can we continue to change? Paul Hemphill, through this book, helped me to understand, what kind of a world Birmingham was, and how it shaped and molded the people who grew up there.

This book was required reading for my Civil Rights class. Although at times a bit too detailed and tangent prone, Hemphill's style is very gripping and kept my attention. The way in which the formation and development of Birmingham is disussed, enterpreted, and explained is superb. Hemphill does an excellent job of juxtaposing the racial, economic, and social climate that evolved and gripped the city of Birmingham throughout the years. I would consider this autobiography of sorts a must read for any person interested in issues pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement. Just get through the few dry parts, the rest is well worth the read!

In 1963 Alabama was the site of racial violence: native Hemphill decides here to return to his hometown, to come to terms with his family and life. Leaving Birmingham probes the ethnic relationships in Birmingham past and present, providing an intriguing analysis of the tensions and present-day life.

I read her first novel "Fiery Dunes" last year while at the Coast and enjoyed it so much I had to get "Rodeo Man", her newest book. It's GREAT!!!! Her characters come to life and the storyline keeps you going until you HAVE TO finish the book. Miss Sinclair is a fantastic writer and I'm looking forward to her next novel which I hope will be soon.

In "Rodeo Man: Colorado Leather Meets Alabama Lace," Jennifer Sinclair offers an ideal example of a thoughtful regional tale that is full of local color, respectful of her people, and free of condescension. EXCELLENT WRITING from a very talented novelist.

The drama, setting, characterization and story rate A++++. I loved this book and recommend it to all. Combining two cultures into an amazing story was believable and quite touching. The emotional pull of his novel is well done and I'm looking forward to Jennifer Sinclair's next novel.

No battle in the history of the United States and perhaps no battle in the history of the world is associated with more, "what ifs" than the battle of Gettysburg. A large percent of those, "what ifs" are associated with the struggle for the Round Tops on July 2nd. What if Longstreet had attacked earlier? What if Sickles had stayed where he was supposed to stay? What if Warren had arrived on Little Round Top a half-hour later? What if Benning Had not lost his bearing and had joined Law's attack on Little Round Top? What if Hood had been allowed to go around the Union left flank? Penny and Laine do mention these what ifs, but only on rare occasions do they attempt to speculate on what might have happened. Instead they deal in facts, or what DID happen.

This book must have taken years to research for they have dug deep into regimental histories and it would appear they have even researched the personal papers of any solider who's family still happens to have them around. By doing such exhaustive research the authors are able to provide us with personal glimpses of the men involved, things like what they did before the war and after the war. One soldier even credits berries in part for his recovery from diarrhea. You can't get much more personal than that.

In all honesty, this is not a book for the casual reader. I have spent many hours prowling around the battlefield at Gettysburg and on occasion I had trouble keeping up with what regiment was where. Taking that problem into account, the authors have included numerous maps showing the troop movements in great detail. The maps are a huge help. This book also does an excellent job of keeping things interesting, even while getting into a good deal of minutia.

This is an excellent book for anyone fascinated by those three July days in Pennsylvania. Anyone doing research on the battle needs a copy of this book. Penny and Laine allow us to follow Law's Brigade from Virginia to Gettysburg, and back again. I would love to have the time to run up to Gettysburg, climb up and sit on a big boulder at Devil's Den and read this book. While sitting there, able to look around me and see the places described, this book's vivid account of July 2nd, 1863 would almost transport me back in time and allow me to see it all for myself. Great Job!

Laine and Penny definately tell the full story of Law's Alabamians concentrated in Gettysburg. Their origination, marches from Virginia through Maryland and into Pennsylvania is covered well. As the story develops and the brigade reaches Gettysburg plenty of first hand accounts backed by short biographies add to the excellent coverage. These accounts and biographies are also carried throughout as individuals popular to certain action in the timeline come into the fold. Descriptive details of each regimental movement such as 44th and 48th Alabama being sent towards Devils Den and the struggle for Little Round Top carried by the 15th Alabama is quite interesting. The authors are careful in explanation as maps are used to back conflicting movements, orders and the general chaos throughout Plum Run and around the Round Tops. Union positions and personal accounts are also introduced during the various battles to benefit the reader as well. Interesting closure to the battle is offered as Law's Brigade battles Kilpatrick's Cavalry on Day #3 and on as the brigade retreats from Gettysburg. Not only was I surprised to read about retreat back to Virginia but I was also pleased to read about Law's skirmishes in protecting the Confederate retreat from Union Cavalry pursuits. An added bonus for the reader comes towards the end when certain individuals brought forth through the story have their outcomes mentioned. Some were captured, some died, some disappeared never to be found. This book is an excellent source for anyone interested in learning about Law's Alabama Brigade and their lives during May,June and July 1863.

Morris M. Penny and J. Gary Laine are to be complimented in high form in writing this book about the account of General Evander Law's Confederate Brigade during the Battle of Gettysburg. The authors certainly did their research of documenting where each regiment was right before, during, and after the battle, especially the vital 2nd day for the struggle of Little and Big Round Top. There has been little presented on the Confederate side of the struggle before this, due to the Confederate vetereans not having much resources and opportunity to document their side of the battle on the second day and the whole battle itself. However this is one of the best books written thus far that explains what happened during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd day. This book does describe the vital encounter between the 15th Alabama regiment headed by Col. William Oates and the 20th Maine headed by Col Joshua L. Chamberlain. It also describes the other regiments of Law's brigade, such as the Texas and Georgia regiments who's struggle for the Round Tops were just as violent and bloody. The book does a fair assessment of the tactics and viewpoint of Gen. Evander Law as well during the battle. This book makes a fine addition to any Civil War enthusiasts library, or for the casual reader who would like to read about the Battle Of Gettysburg. Highly Recommended!

This book makes you think you knew Coach Bryant, or at least makes you wish you had. It is entertaining, as well as informative, for college football fans of all ages. For Alabama Fans it is a must. Thank you, Keith for bringing Coach Bryant's life to those of us who missed seeing him while he was alive.

Mr. Dunnvant admits from the beginning that, like many Alabamians, he grew up in awe of Paul Bryant. But he has succeeded in writing a fair, balanced portrayal of a complicated man. Bryant's failings are not glossed over, nor are they treated with sensationalism. A solid biography and a good read for college football fans.

This is a great book as written by Keith Dunnavent. It really puts you in touch with a side of the Bear that I didn't know

I just met and spoke to Professor Manis today at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. His presentation of the work made me run out and buy it. Though I have not yet finished it, I am already very impressed.

The story of Fred Shuttlesworth is a powerful, dramatic story that everyone interested in the black freedom movement should read. Manis' compelling portrayal captures the spirit and spirituality of a great unsung hero. The book has been honored by the Lillian Smith Book Award, the South's oldest literary prize, and deserves a wide reading.

A compelling portrait of a real unsung hero. Emerge Magazine says it well: "The greatest battles of the civil rights movement come alive in this biography of the man Martin Luther King Jr. called "one of the nation's most courage freedom fighters." Manis is to be congratulated for bringing us this powerful story.

Whoever called this a "sleeper" is quite right. It's a fast read -- slyly funny and quietly frightening. You'll remember you read it, and that's about the best compliment for a book I can think of. I took one star off because it isn't perfect, but then few books are.

I read this book when it first came out, enjoyed it immensely. I was certain it would be a moderate "hit" in no time. But I tried to track it down a few years later and couldn't find it anywhere. Hope you're luckier than I.

If you read Might magazine, you're familiar with Glasgow Phillips' essays on subjects including the semiotics of tracksuits. Based on the strength of his nonfiction writing, and from some obscure mention of this, his first novel, I sought it out.

Was it ever worth it. Tuscaloosa is a finely crafted, immersive piece of writing. It's a coming of age story, but it's a little twisted, and I couldn't stop reading. I don't have the words to tell you why you ought to read it, but if you care about good writing you ought to read it. It's worth the extra effort.

I was very surprised when I read this book after picking it up at a used bookstore....extremely well written!

This is a great read...don't miss it.