Nothing is sacred. Donald Hays manages to offend everyone in this book about minor league baseball in the deep south. If this book doesn't make you laugh, you're dead.

If you are a baseball fan, player, or lover of the game, "The Dixie Association" is excellent reading material for enjoyment or inspiration. Donald Hays, author of the novel, enlightens the reader with a tale portraying a misfit baseball team in combination with the social issues surrounding this particular time. He used a variety of writing techniques to capture the focus of the audience and essence of the novel. The book gave an excellent account of an athlete's emotions or feelings toward their sport. For example, when Hog said, "I could've hit till dark," he expressed a love that all athletes share with their game. Some athletes feel their sport is life. Bullet Bob possesses this same feeling recognized in a quote saying, "Baseball mattered to him. Life on the other hand, was just something he had to tolerate between games." It also shows the athlete's warrior-like attitudes--"Eversole never gave up without a fight." I did not like some of the rude comments referring to Christianity. Obviously the author had a bad experience with religion or was not very religious in the first place. I felt some of these comments were unnecessary. I also felt that certain points of the book dragged. Some unnecessary information could have been excluded to keep the reader's undivided attention. The battles the characters in this book faced were both on and off the field. Society turned against them and their only source for self-assurance was from the team and their belief in themselves. Most players seek the fame and glory; however, the majority of the Reds sought the love for the game. Their love for the game was their escape from society. Overall, Ifeel it is a very enjoyable and entertaining book. The author did an excellent job with beautiful description illustrating a vivid picture for each scene of the book. If you are a sport fan or athlete you definately must read this book.

Hays' _The Dixie Association_ is by far my favorite baseball novel. The Reds (pun intended) are an Arkansas farm league team owned by a one-armed socialist and populated by ex-cons, American Indians, rednecks, Cubans, and fallen cheerleaders. Their battles are played out both on the field and in the streets, as the Religious Right tries repeatedly to run them out of town. While many baseball books are concerned with the glory of America and the game that has come to be held as its symbol, _The Dixie Association_ shows us the underbelly of that image. The members of the Reds, despite their fistfights, yelling matches, and general cranky demeanor, have one thing in common: each has been kicked around by America and left for defeated. Hays will have us know that baseball is for all Americans, as the Reds find salvation and self respect through the great game. _The Dixie Association_ is one heck of a book, about baseball, yes, but mostly about the subversive spirit of any country's people and the doors that a sliding fastball can open. Kinsella's _Shoeless Joe_ could be considered the National Anthem of baseball novels. Fine. _The Dixie Association_ is the taunts and jeers from the drunks behind the left field foul line. Much praise to LSU press for re-issuing this fine novel.

Fast paced story that hooked me from page one. I thought the days of the complex political thriller were over, but Mr. Kublicki brilliantly interweaves multiple story lines while he educates the reader of the true economics of the diamond trade and the political power and influence of those who control it. I eagerly await Mr. Kublicki's next book.

The book is extremely well-researched and it transports you from the halls of the Justice Department to places like the Vatican, Beverly Hills and Russia. The Russian passages were most intriguing -- I felt I was actually there. The research gives this book its strong feel of authenticity. You almost have to wonder just how deep the author slipped into the closed circles of hidden power to get the story. It certainly pulls you in, and I await this author's next creation.

You won't want to put this book down once you have started it. Great characters and an interesting story line keep you hooked. If your a fan of Grisham, Clancy, and Ludlum you will love The Diamond Conspiracy!

Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, by Bryan Hendricks, is in my opinion, the best source for information about outdoor activities in Arkansas currently available. I have read several titles that have promised useful information on this subject, but Mr. Hendricks' book has got the most complete listings of places to go and things to do in the most reader-friendly format of any of my previous purchases. I have 3 young children, and accurate information is vital to me when it comes to planning a trip. This book lets me know exactly what to expect when I'm considering a weekend jaunt with my family. Nothing can ruin an otherwise nice outing for me more than getting to a place and finding it totally different than it has been described to me. I have already been to several of the recreation areas mentioned in this book, and have found the author's assessments to be right on track. Therefore, I feel like I can trust Mr. Hendricks' observations when I am planning future excursions with my family. Arkansas A Guide to Backcountry Travel & Adventure, published by Out There Press, covers every region of the state in an easy-to-use layout, complete with locations, maps, activities permitted, contact information, ranger station locations, and also gives you names of businesses in the immediate area which may be of use while on an outing. Everything is easy to understand, with emphasis placed on hiking, camping, canoeing, fishing, and my personal favorite, mountain biking. It is so hard to get accurate information on what is permitted, and when and where, that the contacts included with the book will make it a valuable refernce for years to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to find outdoor activities in Arkansas, as I feel there is not a single wasted page between its covers.

I recently read the book "Arkansas, A Guide to Backcountry Travel and Adventure", written by Bryan Hendricks in anticipation of a combined canoe and back-country exploration of the Buffalo River Area in North west Arkansas. I was pleasantly surprised to find all the information I needed for both the canoe trip and back country hiking trip contained in the same book! Usually, my trips require purchase of at least two different books: one for the whitewater and one for the back-country; but not in this case. This is the first time I've planned a combined journey with the luxury of finding all the needed information, map references, portages, and trail heads in one comprehensive volume. Great work, Bryan!

I was also fascinated upon further reading by the anecdotal information in the book which made for an interesting and "not-so-dry" read. The story of the "Legend of Boggy Creek" was particularly enjoyable and should provide a good discussion point for any family camping trip.

Thanks again for the excellent book and perhaps I'll see Mr. Hendricks on the Buffalo River this April.

If you are looking for an expert, detailed guide to a backcountry adventure or just a highly readable armchair simulation, read this book. It offers detailed suggestions not only to surviving the wilds but thriving in them. ARKANSAS appeals to hiker, naturalist, and layman alike with each district and area offering a general overview for trip selection. Following each of these are detailed maps with topographical descriptions, seasonal guides to vegetation and animals, climate expectations, clothing needs, and equipment recommendations. Also, there are comprehensive activitity guides to camping, canoeing, fishing, biking, and hiking. The book traverses the state like its rivers: from the high-plateau Ozark Mountains of the Northwest, down the Arkansas River Valley, through the piney woods of the Ouachita Mountains, across the fertile cotton, rice, and soybean fields of the Delta to the blackwater swamps of the Southeast. The author's expertise is impressive, but more than this, the book reflects a deep appreciation, respect, and love of backcountry Arkansas.

I just finished Odom's book. This is a masterpiece. What I find very very interesting is that the mainstream media just can't seem to find this information. Why is that? If Mr. Odom could find it, with his limited resources, why can't the New York Times?

Richmond Odom has nailed it. Bill Clinton's climb to political power, first in Ark., and then nationally, was financed in large part by CIA drug money. The Mena airport operation, headed by Barry Seal (who was murdered before he could talk), raised tens of millions of dollars. And Mr. Clinton was the direct beneficiary of a lot of those dollars. Odom explains why and how in this book.

Rich Odom has done a masterful job of sorting through the details of Bill Clinton's drug-trafficking money-laundering network in Arkansas. Odom even mentions the small banks in the Land of Opportunity. Several CEOs of those banks have already gone to jail for bank fraud or violations of the laws Odom mentions in the book. Every time a new story breaks, I'm on top of it because I read "Circle of Death."

"We were concerned about much more than breathing- we were trying to save our lives- racing from room to room, slamming our windows shut and locking them as fast as we could." Melba Patillo Beals writes the story of her life, and what she had to go through everyday, as a result of her being one of the strong teenagers that integrated Central high in the year 1957. This book, the sequal to Warriors Dont Cry, makes you feel the pain, suffering, and hurt that Melba experienced living as a young african american in Little Rock Arkansa. The book was not all about the tough times she had, but also about the good times that her and her family shared, the things she accomlpished, and how she got to where she is know. In the book, Melba is living with her young brother Conrad, her grandma India, and her mother Loise, where she is trying to graduate high school, and then hopefully leave her small town of Arkansa. The book is very touching and I got emotional reading it, as i did when i read her first book. A quote that made me want to keep reading was in the beggining of the book, when she writes in her diary"Oh, god, please help me find my way. I don't want to disappoint anyone. Don't I deserve to have a senior year? Can't we have intergration but not have me participate? This is such a big problem, only you can figure it out. Thy will be done. Please give me courage." This passage showed her courage, and i wanted to keep on reading to see what she would do.Melba travels to San francisco were she meets with the Santa Rosa NAACP, and realizes that the hatred that she once thought all the whites had, was not true, and that she would begin a new life. She dealt with growing up with a white family, getting married, having children, and having her husband leave her. Overall this was a good book, and i enjoyed it. If it could have been different i wish it would have been a bit shorter, and more descriptive about her life as an adult.I recoment this book to others, and suggest it, for a book to read on a rainy day. Enjoy reading it, and check out her other book.

Melba Pattillo Beals' journey through a time of prejudice shows a woman's courage. After trying, to integrate into an all white high school and being harassed by the K.K.K. Melba Beals is relocated by the NAACP. She starts her new life in California, a much different environment than the one she left behind in Arkansas. Melba hits a turning point in her life as she forgets about her studies and things to try to fit in. This non-fictional story drives your emotions as it talks of how cruel our world can be. It also showed how it only takes one person to make a difference. This truly inspirational piece will leave you screaming for justice.

Words can't express how this book made me feel! For her to recount the horror and pain she underwent in Little Rock, was so touching. Her actual experience was personally felt. Ms. Beals has an extraordinary way of expressing herself. She brought out so many emotions in me. I would love to be able to personally write to her - she has truly brought me to a new level of strength. Reading her book has taught me that keeping your faith in God will ultimately show you that all the blessings he has given you should not be taken for granted.

I ordered a copy of Plantation Princess from Another Planet recently. It arrived at my office, and I tore into the package. I immediately started reading it, and began laughing outloud until I was crying. I then read passages to my coworkers, and soon had everyone in stitches! I went home that night and did a "reading" for my wife. She soon was doubled over, too. With "Princess", Louise G. Mann has captured the essence of growing up in the South in a delightful and very amusing way. You'll find yourself unable to put it down as you read about the escapades of life in Shumard, Arkansas. This very affordable little book makes the perfect gift for any occasion from birthdays to bridal showers; graduation to get well wishes. Read Plantation Princess from Another Planet with a box of tissues nearby. You'll need to mop up all those tears of laughter!

Since moving to the South from NYC 10 years ago, I have been discovering wonderful storytellers like Fannie Flag and Rebecca Wells. I have just discovered another in Louise G. Mann. This "little" book of vignettes is a BIG book in humour and poignant stories. With her book Miss Mann was able to make me laugh while telling very touching stories about growing up in the Delta. I read the book in December and recommended it to my Book Club for January. Here are some of the comments from the Book Club's January meeting: "funny, laughed out loud", "story of herself with self-confidence, ddin't follow rules, author willing to reveal things about her childhood that were not accepted in her society", "astounded when someone is in the forest and can see the trees, can recognize was universal when it is not in your world "neighbors borrow breast implants the way they borrow cake pans"", "a slice of southern americana, we are storytellers in the South".

Congratulations to Miss Mann on an excellent FIRST. I hope she is busy working on a second book, I can't hardly wait!

I ordered a copy of Plantation Princess from Another Planet recently. It arrived at my office, and I tore into the package. I immediately started reading it, and began laughing outloud until I was crying! I read passages to my coworkers, and soon had everyone in stitches. I went home that night and did a "reading" for my wife. She soon was doubled over, too. With "Princess", Louise G. Mann has captured the essence of growing up in the South in a delightful and very amusing way. You'll find yourself unable to put it down as you read about the escapades of life in Shumard, Arkansas. This very affordable little book makes the perfect gift for any occasion from birthdays to bridal showers; graduation to get well wishes. Read Plantation Princess from Another Planet with a box of tissues nearby. You'll need to mop up all those tears of laughter!

Bodie Thoene has always been one of my top Christian authors, and this was another great book. I really enjoy how the Shiloh Legacy, Zion Covenant, and Zion Chronicles all involve the same group of characters. You really establish a relationship with all of them when you can see how their families have intertwined over the years. Though I've read both of the Zion series, this is the first chance I've had to read this book, and I liked having a background to all the characters in the other series. For everyone who enjoys good books with a complex plot and compelling characters, this is a great book to read!

I read numerous books by numerous authors, and Theone is by far the best I have ever read. I have read her Zion Chronicles and Galway Chronicles and Shiloh Autumn. But the Shiloh Legacy is definantly the best one. Theone defines hisorical fiction and makes it real to life. She is a master in descriptive writting. Her characters come alive and you find yourself becoming a part of them and their joys and struggles. After reading one of her novels I learn and understand so much more the events and places in history that she is writting about. I haven't read the second book in this series but I know that it will be just as good as the first book or even better.

In My Father's House got me started on Thoene books. Then I read the whole series of Shiloh Legacy. After thatI read Shiloh Autumn (which I think is the best book I ever read.) I have kept going on Thoene books and never regretted buying one of their books. Anything the authors write is a cut above. No wonder they dominate all the awards for Christian writing.

When I read "Sugar" at the wake of the millenium, it stimulated my anticipation of more great things to come in the literary world (mine and the artists). While I'm no writer, I am an avid reader who finally opened my heart to my wonderful book club sisterfriends, Circle of Friends II. After being actively present for two years, I finally became actively involved in my book club in January 2000. I am grateful to Bernice McFadden for opening my eyes to see the beautiful friends next door, Sugar, Pearl, and COF II.

"Sugar" is a wonderful story of women who endure much pain and love, because love endures all things (I Corinthians 13:7). As they slowly take one another back to their pasts, they unconsciously walk down the road toward healing. "Sugar" is a beautifully written page turner. The words of this novel are intricately woven to capture your attention, heart, and soul. Sometimes friends come in the most unexpected places and people, but at the much needed time. The lives of the characters are so warm and well-defined that you may even feel them brush up against you as you hear their voices speak to you while you read intensively.

"Sugar" will satisfy your appetite for the richness and sweetness of friendship. It is definitely a MUST read.

In the writing workshop I recently attended and in the book on writing I am now reading, I am constantly being reminded to hook the reader with that first sentence and paragraph. "Jude was dead" grabbed me from the beginning and had ahold of me until the last page was turned. This hauntingly beautiful tale of a "scarlet" woman and the small town without pity was an exercise in human nature. Sugar comes to Bigelow, a small African American town in Arkansas, in 1955 to live in a house next door to Pearl and Joe. Fifteen years earlier their daughter Jude was brutally murdered. There is something about Sugar that reminds Pearl of her beloved daughter and while the whole town shuns her, she befriends her. Sugar brings out the youth and makes Pearl laugh and enjoy life. Pearl has not laughed so much since before Jude died. Pearl, the virtuous wife and mother, pillar of the church has even taken to dying her hair and visiting the juke joints with Pearl and taken Joe with her. The town is horrified at Pearl taking up with Sugar and their back- biting curiosity turns to venom.
Sugar, abandoned, as a child and growing up around brothels just does what she know best, make men happy. She knows secrets about Bigelow that no one else knows. Sugar has never known love and when she meets Pearl's son she finds out what it is, alas, she is unable to accept it. A tragedy unfolds with devastating consequences that reveal the events of fifteen years prior.
This book is written in rich detail, realistic characterization and superb writing. This writer's ability to capture the look and feel of the 50s Jim Crow south and the people who inhabit this small town are amazing and there is no doubt this is a literary masterpiece. I'm told there will be a sequel; I can hardly wait.

SUGAR is one of the most engrossing novels that I have read in a long time. McFadden weaves a tale so vividly, the reader is easily transported into the storyline.

1940, Bigelow, Arkansas is where this Southern tale begins, with a scene so disturbingly painful and detailed that it grips your heart and propels you to read further. SUGAR's opening line, JUDE IS DEAD, is powerful, and we learn that Pearl and Joe Taylor have lost their only daughter Jude to a horrific event, and Pearl, a once vibrant, loving wife and mother, finds herself devastated over the loss, a piece of her soul, her heart gone forever.

Move to 1955, where life in Bigelow seems to be normal, and Pearl has buried the pain of Jude's death deep within her. That is, until a scandalously sexy and provocative woman waltzes into their small town, right next door to Pearl, creating rumors and upheavals with the women and gawking and lust with the men. Pearl is struck by the resemblance that Sugar has to her deceased child. Pearl and Sugar have their own personal demons that have plagued them, and this connection sparks a friendship between the odd couple. Through their friendship, and the unfolding of their painful paths, the women become more family than friends, but all is not glorious as the past looms over them, bringing pain, grief, and the reopening of old wounds.

McFadden writes with such beauty that it's easy to get lost in the novel. The plot is full of drama and realism of the time period and will invoke anger and despair, hope and forgiveness in those who read it. The town, the people, the dialogue is so vivid, so realistic, that it's easy to believe every account in the novel, even the truly painful.

SUGAR is an exquisite piece of literature, and it's definitely deserving of being on every reader's bookshelf.

Reviewed by Shonie

BRINGING UP ZIGGY IS SUCH A DELIGHTFUL TALE, OR IN THIS CASE, IT COULD BE TAIL. THE HEROINE OF THE BOOK, ZIGGY, HAS A TAIL,THAT FUNCTIONS INDEPENDENTLY OF HER. THE STORY TAKES THE READER BY THE HEART AND LEADS THROUGH THE LIFE OF A BLACK CAP CAPUCHIN MONKEY-GIRL AND HER HUMAN FOSTER FAMILY. WHILE BEING A WONDERFULLY ENTERTAINING TRUE STORY, IT IS ALSO VERY EDUCATIONAL AND FACTUAL. HELPING HANDS MONKEYS ARE GIFTS FROM GOD TO PEOPLE WHO ARE QUADRIPLEGIC. FROM THE BIRTH OF THE BABY MONKEY TO THE TIME IT IS READY TO BE A HELPING HAND IS A FASCINATING AND MOVING TRIP. READ THIS BOOK AND PREPARE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE CAMPBELLS AND THE LITTLE ZIGSTER.

Andrea Campbell's book, Bringing Up Ziggy, is a heartwarming and inspiring book. Campbell describes rasing a monkey as a foster parent for the Helping Hands Program. The Helping Hands Program provides quadriplegics with trained monkeys to assist in their daily care. Campbell explains the love, commitment, and sacrifice needed. For most people, it would be hard to imagine such an undertaking or how amazing the amount of knowledge that a human can learn from an adorable capuchin.

This book is one that the reader will not be able to put down once the reading has begun. Bringing Up Ziggy offers animal behavior facts, adventure, and comedy from cover to cover. Campbell shares her knowledge with the reader on living a life with a monkey in the home. The book tells about the rewards of being a foster parent in the Helping Hands Program.

I would recommend this book to anyone considering adding a monkey to their household. Bringing Up Ziggy will help the readers to understand the love, commitment, and sacrifice that is needed in raising a monkey in the home. Most of all, the book will enlighten the reader to the richness, love and joy the monkeys bring to the people they live with.

This book presents refreshing insight into the dedication and commitment necessary to raise a non-human primate (a capuchin monkey) for the Helping Hands Program (a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for quadriplegic individuals by training capuchin monkeys to assist them with daily activities) located in Boston, MA. Ms Campbell relates her journey with Ziggy, a female capuchin monkey, from infancy adoption to adulthood. The delights of raising a baby, the trials of adolescence and the compassion needed to understand the intricacy of maturity are all described with comprehensive detail.

The tantalizing prospect of living with one of our closet relatives is quickly dispelled as infant antics turn into potential difficulties. Each member of this family must learn their place in Ziggy's world. And, indeed, each member is quickly placed in a particular category, according to Ziggy's personal hierarchy. Ms Campbell weighs the pros and cons of having accepted the responsibility of foster caring this incredible creature. She holds back nothing in describing what it is like to share her home with a monkey. Controversy abounds in regards to some of the necessary procedures and Ms. Campbell presents them astutely. She interjects facts about these incredible creatures among the personal account of her life with Ziggy.

The accomplishments of Ms. Campbell and her human family, in learning to understand who Ziggy is, along with Ziggy's own accomplishments, makes for an engaging narrative. Several black & white photos enhance this account of one woman's devotion to her diminutive charge and her beliefs in the benefits proposed by the Helping Hands Program. It is a must read for anyone who has contemplated life with a non-human primate. Having raised a capuchin monkey from infancy to adulthood myself, I can speak from experience and highly recommend this book.

I alsmot didn't buy this book after reading the Publisher's weekly review. I had the impression that Lilly spent her time in some sort of dark depression wandering through a mystery with no focus. Turns out the book was well-written, the ending to the mystery followed the clues, and while the book dealt more solidly with the violence in Lilly's past it was well-placed and not contrived. I enjoyed the book. The characters were as well-developed as in her past books and so was the story.

I thought this book (#5) was the best of the series! I was all wrong about who the perpetrator was, and I was pleased with the way the mystery was resolved. This one was darker than the previous four books, but it was very much in line with who Lily Bard is. I was glad to see the character address certain issues that seemed so obviously to stalk her from book 1. Would love to have a sixth book in the series to enjoy.

There's something very interesting in the way Charlaine Harris writes her characters. I've read and re-read all her "Shakespeare's ....." books. They are simply an enjoyable read.