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.

Having been raised in the South, I can truly relate to these stories first hand. They were delightful, believable, and thought provoking. I finished this book quicker than most. It definitely kept my attention, and I congratulate these fine southern ladies on a job well done.

This compilation of short stories written by two accomplished Southern writers is truly the spirit of the heart of the South. As a Westerner who has spent time visiting through the South and making Southern friends while doing so, and listening to their stories, too, this book is thoroughly engrossing, both with the sadnesses and humor that characterize the South. For me, these "Stories from the Heart of Dixie" reflect my experiences with the wonderful people that are true Southerners. And the writers easily evoque those experiences.

If it is true that all good writing may be said to be regional writing, then Way Down South is a regional book that will speak to a wide audience. Nina Hepburn and Beverly Williams manage to capture a Southern voice that is warm and complex and centered in the chest. At their best, their characters will hold their kinky and complicated shapes in the presence of such immortals as Big Daddy and Blanche DuBois. "Mama's Elvis Story," wickedly funny and heartfelt at the same time, has already assumed a near-mythic stature for me. Southern readers will recognize their own in this book, and yankees such as myself will be touched by a soulfulness that can cross the Mason-Dixon line most effortlessly; for Way Down South captures a local truth that casts a wide net.

Mr. Reed sure can write. I don't always agree with him; to turn around what he says about Steve Earle Reed's politics are suspect. And more importantly how can he believe that Randy Travis is better than Earle and Dwight Yoakam? Still even when I didn't agree I enjoyed it. The essays on country music and Ted Kennedy are worth the price of the book by themselves. Best of all it's wonderful to see someone defending my home region who isn't a confederate flag waving ....

I've long been a fan of John Shelton Reed's "Letter from the Lower Right" in Chronicles magazine, and gave very high marks to "1,001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South," which he wrote with his wife. But for some reason, I had never made an effort to track down and read any of the collections of his essays. I see now what a mistake that was. I wish I'd read this back when it was new.

It was some consolation to find that the articles and essays here assembled were definitely worth the wait. Reed is a very funny writer, but he's not a "humorist" or humor writer in the sense of, say, Dave Barry or even (to move outside the region) P.J. O'Rourke. You'll definitely get a laugh out of many of these pieces, but you'll also find them deeply informative. Reed is, after all, a serious researcher and thinker, and the two indisputable facts that define his writing -- that he loves the South, and he *knows* the South -- feed off one another.

Granted, many of the essays here are more than a little dated (some date back to the Carter Administration), and I'd love to know how things have changed in the thirteen, fifteen, or almost twenty-five years since some of them were written. But that's no doubt just one more reason to track down Reed's more recent collections.

Southerners, including expatriates, will nod knowingly at much of what Reed says, and will get a kick out of seeing themselves depicted so accurately in print. I hope they'll also take to heart his commitment to preserving many of the things -- from culture to accent -- that make the South truly distinctive. Folks from other parts of the country will find that Reed has not only made that sometimes-puzzling region a little easier to understand, but has made the trip a remarkably pleasant one.

This book cannot be recommended too highly to anyone with the slightest interest in the South. It is, in every sense, a delight to read and will easily withstand repeated readings.

This is the third of John Shelton Reed's books that I have read and its style sits somewhere between that of "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About the South" and "My Tears Spoiled My Aim". The book comprises a collection of dispatches culled from Reed's contributions to newspapers, journals and magazines between 1979-1990. Most of these are 1,000-1,500 words long. The book begins with observations on two of his favorite themes, Southern identity and the New South, before moving on to Southern culture, food, politics and religion. Reed is a favorably prejudiced but acute observer of Southern manners, quirks, oddities and behaviour.

The dispatches are written to entertain and don't disappoint. I found plenty at which to laugh out loud. However, this is not to say that Reed is not surreptitiously engaged in a secret mission to raise his readers' awareness of the character and virtues of things Southern. There's plenty enough here even to make a Yankee laugh - especially some of his more elliptical humor. I particularly liked his comment on Ted Kennedy: "For my part, I rather like the fellow. He's certainly the closest thing to a good old boy that Massachussetts will ever produce - which isn't to say that he ought to be president, merely that I think he'd make a pretty good drinking buddy as long as somebody else did the driving."

Reed is exceptionally good at capturing the spirit or the essence of something and making it seem familiar to you. I have never visited Bob Jones University but, in just over three pages, Reed made me feel I knew what kind of place it was. He does the same for a number of Southern characters and institutions.

Reed is a gifted cultural interpreter who appraches his topics with respect, affection and good humor. It's tempting to say that Reed is a popularizer but that belies his considerable writing talents. Whilst everything is written in an engaging style, Reed makes few concessions to his readership - he delights in his use of language and deploys an extensive vocabularly that would make some of my students reach for their dictionaries.

All in all this book is an unqualified delight. Go buy it now - you won't be disappointed.

Lady of Dreams is a beautiful work of art. A wonderful love story with just the right amount of tension that keeps you
on the edge. Dixie's words take you inside the very life of the characters, leaving you with a lingering feeling of knowing them forever. I'm anxiously awaiting Dixie's next books.

good book well written holds interest all the way through

This lady is a great romance writer! Shes up there with Daniel Steel and Dee Davis. I was impressed with the detail used to describe the mountains of Carolina, the characters emotions and even their thoughts! There was one point in the story that saddened me- to see it end! I will recommend this novel to all my friends, and hope to see more coming soon from this wonderful author!

In the first 22 pages of The Bride-in-law, I laughed aloud and got tears in my eyes, and I saw a bit of myself in some passages, too. These characters jump off the page. The voice is so lively. This book should be a television movie. Delightful!

"Tucker is the kind of "bad Boy" Annie's parents have always warned her about... "This is a great romance. It has everything I look for in a good story: excellent character development, wonderful dialog and just the right touch of humor. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this one."

The Old Book Barn Gazette

"An absolutely hilharious, captivating story, to be savored again and again."

Rendezvous

I think it was November 1997 that I drove to Detroit for a tribute to Robert F. William. When I arrived I learned that he had succumbed to cancer two weeks earlier. Although I had spoken to Williams briefly by telephone on a few occasions, I never had the opportunity to meet him personally, a fact that I deeply regret. I did meet his wife, Mabel, and found her to be the other half of Williams' heroic story. It was at the tribute, however, that Tyson announced that his biography of Williams would soon be completed and published. Although the biography was not published for another year or two, it was well worth the wait. Tyson is to be commended for a job well done in recognizing another face of the civil rights struggle that, although well known among AfroAmericans, never has received the publicity that the nonviolent movement did, and in recognizing Williams' significant contributions to the right of AfroAmericans to defend themselves against armed, violent racists, not all of whom wore sheets. This is a book that anyone interested in America's history, especially in what I consider its hidden or secret history that has only lately begun to be revealed, must have in their library.

My only criticism of the book is that Tyson did not offer more information about the details of Williams' sojourn in China and the agreement that ultimately allowed his return to the United States with his wife and children and free of the persecution of the FBI and local and state authorities. I'm sure that is a story by itself that is waiting to be told.

Read this book and William Ivy Hair's "Carnival of Fury: Robert Charles And The New Orleans Race Riot of 1900" available from the University of Louisiana Press. Get a new take on American history.

Excellent book! An important reminder of the fact that the history books left out a lot of important events and people. I had the privelege of once meeting a lady who knew Robert Williams as a child in Monroe NC and I was greatly inspired by this.

I hope this book encourages those who read it to seek out older peple who remember the Civil Rights movement so that they can learn more about what the history books "forgot" to mention.

Tyson's book focuses a long-overdue spotlight on the career of Robert F. Williams, an overlooked civil rights pioneer who indelibly stamped and shaped the movement during the '50s, '60s and beyond, but who has received precious little exposure, discussion or credit from the mainstream media. "Radio Free Dixie" goes a long way to setting the record straight.

The compelling thesis of "Radio Free Dixie" is that the civil rights struggle in the South featured a strong element of armed resistance against the forces of intimidation, led by the Klan, but legitimized by the legal structure of the southern states. Williams, from an early age, rejected the pacifist ideas and practices of Martin Luther King, arguing that blacks would never win their rights, much less any measure of respect until they were willing to demonstrate a willingness to defend themselves with arms. While most of the press and his supposed allies (King included) attempted to portray him as a violent revolutionary bent on overthrowing the government, Tyson convincingly shows that Williams was in fact a true believer in the U.S. constitution and that he never advocated initiating violence. Nor did his aggressive stance come from nowhere. Tyson shows that Williams' own family had a long history of determined and nonpacifist resistance, as did many other black families throughout the South.

This is also a stirring story of one community's fight against racism. The white community of Williams' Monroe, N.C. did everything it could to stop his efforts to integrate the town, but despite this, Williams built an extraordinary local chapter of the NAACP that relentlessly exposed the injustices daily heaped on blacks, even when the NAACP itself was refusing to recognize the activities of the chapter.

Tyson's book deserves accolades for exposing another layer of the complex history of the civil rights movement. The book is well-written and researched and full of genuine, yet balanced respect for its subject. A must-read for students of the civil rights movement and those searching for a real profile in courage.

The stories in this book can bring tears to your eyes, a smile to your lips, and also allow you time for introspection and the ability to walk down your own "memory lane". Ms. Banks spins a delightful series of memories and tales, and the book is a wonderful gift to share with friends and family members.

It was Thanksgiving 2001 when my Aunt came for a visit and gave a copy of Arta's book to my mother, sister, and me. "Read the story on page 45" she said, and to our surprise there was a description of a man we all loved and miss very much. "Mr. Bob" was my uncle. The husband to my aunt, brother to my mother, and always my sisters and my favorite uncle. I will always be grateful for Arta's story and hope someday to say thank you in person. Her stories tug at your heart strings and bring a smile to your lips. What a remarkable woman!

In Wrong Feet First: A Gift Of Stories For Your Inside-Out Kind Of Days, Arta Banks presents a heartwarming, entertaining, and occasionally inspiring collection of true stories illustrating and celebrating life in good times and tough times. A single mom with six children (five of whom are adopted), Arta has also taken in kids born with drug addiction, fleeing abusive homes, and experienced having her youngest daughter diagnosed with HIV when just two and a half months old. Drawn from Arta's personal experiences and journal recordings, Wrong Feet First is candid, emotionally moving, and a testament to the resilience and endurance of the human spirit -- as well as a celebration of the joys that balance sorrows, the power of hope, and the beauty life has to offer in even the most humble of circumstances.

Reading this book, and her experiences with each case made me believe that there are true psychics out there than do some real good for families and communities!

I am of course partial. You see, Dixie is my mother. While the stories in this book may seem far fetched and even somewhat unbelieveable, I am a testiment that life was unique in my youth. She writes from the heart, and continues to this day to be a pillar of wisdom, enriching the lives of those she touches. While this book is well into it's third decade of circulation, its contemporary style has superceded its date. It is as appropriate reading today as it was in the seventies. You go mom!!

This book is certainly a "page turner". I've loaned it to five people, so far, who say the same thing. Dixie is a writer who leaves you wanting more. She is so believable and you feel the concern she has for her fellow man. She is a "special lady". She handles this gift she has with integrity.

That is what stood out for me. Ms. Jones created a cast of characters that jumped off the pages for me. This is a unique story about an eccentric family in Mississippi and about love and family relationships. I gave it four out of five stars because Dixie and Riley were not together as much as I wanted them to be but when they were I really wanted them to get together and stay that way. I liked this book and will reccomend it to friends.

I read this book because I enjoyed The Prayer Tree and Saving Grace, by the same author, so much. I was truly engrossed once again by the real-life characters. Ms Jones has a knack for allowing a lot of insight into her characters. In addition she approaches some real-life situations with compassion and grace as well as humor. You've got to read this one!

Deep Dixie is chock-full of honest-to-goodness 'characters.' You know the kind...lively, sassy, spunky, vivacious and truly unforgettable! The manner in which author Annie Jones handles one particular 'touchy' subject is inspiring. Deep Dixie is a story that will teach you that family comes in all shapes and sizes...and colors (like cotton-candy-orange...ha!), that true forgiveness is a real blessing, and that if God sends help during times of trouble, you'd reach out and grab it...even if you think that help looks suspiciously like the king of the 'great big Bubba-goobers.' I loved this book.

Tim Hollis' book is an entertaining, informative, and evocative tour of the glory days of tourism in the South -- mostly before the arrival of the interstate highway system, but certainly, as the title suggests, before the opening of Walt Disney World in 1965 changed the nature of vacations. A veteran of many of the roads and roadside stops pictured here, Hollis has a real feel ... and a real affection ... for his topic. In these hip days, when so many writers feel the need to ridicule or treat with arched eyebrow anything less sophisticated and post-modern than *right now,* it's very pleasant to read a book about popular culture and "commercial archaeology" that's not encrusted in irony.

This book is also a celebration of Southern culture, especially that part of Southern culture that developed in order to separate visiting Yankees from their money. For, as Hollis notes, it was the arrival in the South of northern vacationers seeking warmer weather that prompted the birth and growth of the attractions listed here. It also promoted a number of important, and lasting, businesses. Among the companies born in the South to capitalize on the tourist trade, KFC (of course), Popeye's Chicken, Long John Silver, Red Lobster, Burger King, Hardee's, and Holiday Inn are just some of the more recognizable names.

From water parks to Wild West shows, Cypress Gardens to Stone Mountain, Dogpatch USA and the Grand Ole Opry to Stuckey's and countless attractions now nearly forgotten, this book is a great nostalgia ride through a largely vanished time. If you were fortunate enough to have seen that time, this book may bring back some happy memories. And if this is your first time through you may find yourself wondering what you're missing as you cruise in air-conditioned comfort on the soulless interstate.

Tim Hollis has done a great job of showcasing the unique, quirky, and sometimes down right bizarre, attractions of the South. I, too, am a Southerner and I miss the days when Gulf Shores was not more than a few cottages on the beach. I enjoyed reading about the places I remember and the ones I never knew. This writer has done a wonderful service by perserving the memories of a bygone era.

What a refreshing look at family travel! Even though many of the places mentioned are either greatly altered, torn down (or should be), Mr. Hollis's delightful peep into the past provides insight as to why we Southerner's are so eccentric and also makes many wonder about the eccentricity of those Yankees who were flocking to our aquarium-ski-lodge-Indian-reservation-botanical-gardens complete with wild-west-shoot-outs-in-the-sky! Mr. Hollis's humorous descriptions of the many 'um... "interesting" things the South had to offer families was like traveling with my brother!