The Town is the second volume of Faulkner's Snopes trilogy, picking up the story from the moment of Flem Snopes's arrival in Jefferson, Mississippi. With the foundation firmly laid in The Hamlet, Faulkner is free to delve deep into the character of Flem, the volatile Snopes-Varner dynamic, and the fascinating interaction between Eula, Gavin Stevens, and Linda Snopes, the pawn in her father's plan to take over Jefferson. Not surprisingly, another host of Snopes parade onto the scene; but it is Flem and his underhanded, diabolical shenanigans that make this novel a joy to read. The ending is both humorous and seriously disturbing, paving the way for the Fall of the House of Snopes in The Mansion. One note: while the book jacket claims The Town may be read on its own, I would highly discourage it; trek through The Hamlet first before launching into it--it is well worth your time.

Faulkner's literary reputation and legacy was cemented by the time this sequeal to The Hamlet appeared. He had also written all of his important works and was loosing his "touch", writing sequels to his more famous works and light weight nostalgic pieces (i.e. The Reivers). All in all this is still an important examination of the south, filled with the humor and horror that was Faulkner's trademark. Anyone interested in his body of work will have to read it at least once.

"War on the Mississippi" by Jerry Korn and the Editors of Time-Life Books, as the subtitle notes, deals with Grant's Vicksburg Campaign although it does reflect the entire fight for control of the great river from May 1862 to July 1863. Chapter 1, "Defiance from Vicksburg," establishes the strategic and symbolic importance of the port city to both sides at that point in the Civl War. Chapter 2, "The Bayou Experiments," covers Grants ambitious attempt to bypass the city by having his soldiers dredge a canal across a bend in the Mississippi. Chapter 3, "A Beachhead on the East Bank," despite the title, deals more with Porter's running the guns of Vicksburg and Colonel Grierson's 16-day raid through enemy territory (which inspired the John Wayne film "The Horse Soldiers"). Chapter 4, "The Sweep to the Big Black," details the Federal assaults on Jackson and Champion's Hill. Chapter 5, "Closing the Ring," relates the 48-day siege of Vicksburg that resulted in the city's surrender on July 3rd, at the same time of Pickett's charge across the fields of Gettysburg. This particular volume in the Time-Life Civil War series is above average in terms of the contemporary drawings, etchings, lithographs, maps and paintings, which says something since it is the illustrations rather than the text which makes this series worth having. The Vicksburg Campaign lacks the great battle that defined the battle in the East with the Army of the Potomac, but in many ways it does preshadow the way the war would finally end, with the siege of Richmond.

Time-Life is dependable. This installment is readable and has great illustrations. What it lacks in detail, it makes up for in sheer entertainment and overall scope. Good introduction to the topic.

This is a nice story which can put you right on the couch next to him as you read. It's not all that unique a story though.

I like this book because it is a non-fiction book written by a good person who lead an eventful life. I have met Mr. Taulbert when he came to my school in 1996. he was a nice man then and he probably is a nice man now. I also liked THE LAST TRAIN NORTH; the sequel to When We Were Colored. I also liked the movie that was made from this book Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored.

This book is a humorous and enjoyable book. I liked the way the author made Tom a little rebel. Tom also did whatever he wanted when he wanted. He made his Aunt Polly disipointed in him all the time. He never really told the whole truth to anyone, about anything. If someone asked him a question, he would tell only some of the truth or stretch the answer a little bit. Tom and Huck made a good combo. They had the same intrests and were daring in everything that they did. I liked the book I would have to say that it is a must read on everyones list. The author is awsome and made the book fun and enjoyable to read. I can't wait to read another Mark Twain book.

the book was ok because it is so hard and it has some long parts in it! so i would not let kids under 8 read this unless they are real good! and other then that it was GREAT!!! then i would give it 50 thumbs up!!

Approximately Heaven is a witty, whirlwind read. The reluctant electrician hero of this novel embarks on a bizarre roadtrip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast after his marriage grinds to a halt as a result of his chronic underachievment and nonstop This Old Housing. Whorton's dead-on Southern dialogue makes this novel live and breathe.

I have mixed emotions about this book, it is very informative on many levels but falls short on many more. I was thinking that it would be about things frequently seen from the beach but it includes a lot of info the layman will probably never need. This includes info (I personally appreciated) about planktonic animals, mieofauna and epifauna, in general a bunch of small animals most people will never notice. Not to say that they shouldn't have been included! They are very important to understanding the ecology of the areas discussed. See what I mean about mixed emotions? I like the way that the book grouped things by community; oyster reef, seagrass bed, mud bottom, etc. A hearty appendix that linked things by taxonomic group would have been nice though. Illustrations where copious but a tad bit simple. In the price range the line drawings could have been better, or supplemented by black and white illustrations. Also curious was the listing of only invertebrates until the end, then the authors jumped over everything and threw in a chapter on sea turtles??? What about the rest of the marine vertebrates? Why include the turtles without the fish and marine mammals? Kind of lopsided.

If you see this book lying around it is certainly worth having. I'm still using it to flip back and explore certain areas. I wouldn't get to hung up on finding a copy, unless you're really trying to own everything on gulf coast marine life.

Dr. Gilbert Mason has written a book which not only stands as an important literary stone in the foundation of the civil rights movement, but also as a window into the humanity and "higher calling" of being a physician. As a white physician in Mississipppi, I was riveted when I read this book. The hardship which was endured by African Americans during this era is unimaginable, and it was only a generation ago. With eloquence and thouroughness Dr. Mason leads us through the origins of the civil rights movement specifically as it occurred in Biloxi MS. The racial hatred and violence which opposed his nonviolent protests and the fledgling Biloxi chapter of the NAACP is laid out for the reader with very good clarity. When I read this book, the secondary theme also jumped out at me, which was his constant pusuit of being a physician , specifically maintaing high degree of ethics, morality, and care for all patients black are white during this period of tribulation. I highly recommend this book to all.

Joseph Campbell once said that what makes great literature is the timeless message in its theme. Patrick Smith is a classic writer when it comes to mastering the art of story telling. The universality of his small southern town's struggle to find a common ground with the challenges the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's resonates as much today as we enter the new millenium as it did when he wrote it. Not everyone is going to like what the story has to say about our home of the free and the brave. Ike Thorton is a man with the tenacity and sommon sense to recognize that what once was considered the norm in society is no longer acceptable; the segregration of blacks and whites has to be stopped according to the new laws being passed in Washington D.C.. Midvale must act quickly to assure their black folk that the whites in Midvale don't need any outside help to integrate their town. Ike knows that if you force people into something, someone's going to react. The complexities of integration prompt events and circumstances that demand an end to tolerance of human inequities. The heart of Patrick Smith's stories lie within the hearts of his characters. For they capture the spirit of life which offers hope and the belief that each day is a new beginning. This book should be on the reading list of high schools across the country.

This was an excellent novel by wilson, but after reading Nightwatcher and The Silent Witness, I know he is capable of better. I knew from page 66 on who was behind the killing of Robert. Although Wilson did come in with a big shocker at the end. Other than that, it was fairly predictable.